Author's Notes: A little bit late, but here comes another chapter. Thank you for everyone who either voted or favorite me. I really appreciate the support. You guys rock and rock out loud.
Lost and Found Chapter 7: Of Friends and Lovers
The flow of time seemed to slow down to a crawl in the Fenton kitchen. No one dared to utter a word as the two sides stared back at one another, their forms frozen in place. Raven could feel the atmosphere change abruptly as the air seemed to thicken with tension. She mentally cursed herself for the lack of judgment that had led up to this moment. She knew that Danny's friends weren't yet aware about his newly formed relationship, if her conversation with them from last night had been any indication. She had been planning on waiting patiently until he had told his friends the truth. Unfortunately, it seemed that her emotions had other plans… an occurrence that was becoming all too common recently. The moment Danny came within range of her empathic senses, she just couldn't help herself. Raven missed him more than she'd realized which resulted in the current regrettable situation.
Though the room was currently engulfed in an aura of silence, that wasn't the case for the empath, who fought to not be overwhelmed by the torrent of emotion sent her way from the other three occupants of the room. From Danny, she felt a wave of anxiety so strong that it bore on him like the thousand pounds of water in a tidal wave. Mixed in with his unease were feelings of regret, most likely due to the fact that his friends had to find out this way, rather than from his lips. Raven could also a sense of foreboding from the halfa: he was expecting something big to happen, though even he was unsure of what.
Tucker had a healthy level of shock coursing through his mind, though that wasn't the most interesting feeling coming from the techno geek. She felt a similar anticipation of danger from him and it was obvious from the boy's actions to whom it was focused on, as he took a few unconscious steps back from his female companion, almost as if she were a time bomb ready to explode at any moment. Tucker also radiated remorse, but about what Raven wasn't sure.
The tangled mess that was Sam's emotions was what hit Raven the hardest. Like Tucker, she, too, seemed to be jolted by the recent turn of events, though her reaction seemed to be several times stronger and much different than his. Sorrow, regret, jealousy and betrayal emitted from the girl like a lighthouse in a foggy night, though it wasn't evident on her face. Then suddenly, it was as if something clicked and the emotions all congealed into one: anger. Sam's face changed, morphing along with her new emotional state, into a scowl, directed at both Danny and Raven.
"So, you were going to tell us this… when?" Her words pierced through the veil of silence with a hint of venom.
Danny physically winced from her tone, his gaze straying away from the weight of hers. One of his hands reached up and began to rub the back of his neck; something he always did when he was nervous. "I meant to tell you guys earlier. But then you and Valerie got captured and then I got hurt and was out of it for a while and then Dani…"
"Wait a second. You and she have been seeing each other since when?!" Sam's anger seemed to multiply exponentially, "You've been talking to Tucker and I for a whole week since you've gotten out of your coma and not once did you think it was important to tell us about… this?!"
Danny finally ceased to avoid her stare, his face now painted with defiance. "I was afraid to tell you, alright? I didn't know how you would react. I mean, you haven't been necessarily positive of my other girlfriends…"
"Hmm…I wonder why? Maybe it's because Paulina was a shallow tramp who didn't give a crap about you? Or maybe the fact that, I don't know, Valerie was trying to kill you? You don't exactly have a good track record when it comes to girlfriends, Danny."
"Raven is different," the halfa exclaimed loudly. His outburst caught everyone else in the room by surprise. His hand instinctively reached out for Raven's before he continued to speak, as if her touch gave him the courage to continue. Raven replied, interlacing her fingers with his and giving him a supportive squeeze.
"Raven…she means a lot to me," he explained calmly, "I really like her and I really wanted you guys to like her, too."
Though Sam's face kept its frown, Raven could feel the rage that backed it up was wavering. A sliver of guilt and uncertainty seemed to crack the girl's resolve. "Danny, I…"
"Danny!" The sound of Jazz's voice cut through the viscous ambiance, breaking everyone's train of thought. The redhead entered from the downstairs stairway, doing a quick scan of the room until she found her brother. "Danny, there you are! Mom and Dad want you to come downstairs so they can start scanning… wait," she stopped abruptly, finally becoming aware of the scene in front of her. "Is everything alright? Am I interrupting something?"
"Nothing's wrong, Jazz," Sam responded, her voice dripping with false pleasantness. "We were just welcoming Danny back, that's all. Isn't that right, Tucker?"
Tucker, who had remained silent for the entirety of the confrontation, simply nodded.
"Come on, Tuck. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Fenton need some help downstairs." She proceeded to drag her techno savvy friend towards the stairwell.
"Danny?" Jazz asked worriedly, her sisterly instincts kicking into overdrive.
"Everything's fine, Jazz," her brother responded. "Just peachy. Tell Mom and Dad I'll be down there in a few."
Jazz wasn't entirely convinced that her brother was ok, but she complied and made her way back downstairs. The moment she left the room, Danny collapsed back into his chair, clearly exhausted. His hand racked through his hair as he let out a ragged sigh.
"That could have gone better," he muttered. He felt Raven's comforting hand rest on his shoulder.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have…"
"You didn't do anything wrong, Rae," he disagreed, "I should have told them about us before hand."
"You have to realize that what happened between you hurt them a great deal," she began, "It takes time to rebuild trust."
"It doesn't help that I didn't tell them everything." His gaze remained firmly planted onto the table. "Gah, why is this so damn hard!"
"No one said it would be easy. It's going to take a lot of work to build things back up to the way things were."
Danny finally turned his head upwards, his eyes immediately locking with hers. "That's not what I'm afraid of. What happens if things never get back to the way they were?"
"I don't think I have an answer for that. All I know is that if you think they're worth fighting for, that's all that should matter." She watched as he mulled over her words.
Danny's face softened somewhat a smile blossomed. "How do you keep doing that?"
"Do what?"
"You always know what to say to put things in perspective," he observed as his girlfriend's lips morphed into a whisper of a smile.
"It must be magic," she quipped nonchalantly. She bent over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Now let's get going. You have a cousin to save, don't you?"
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
"We must tell her at once!"
Robin let out a frustrating sigh in response to Starfire's declaration. The Boy Wonder had spent the past hour explaining to his girlfriend the various details and clues he had gathered in regard to Julian Marcus and the missing contents of the Library. He had actually been surprised at how easy the process had been. There had been a question or two from the alien girl, but overall, she seemed to assimilate the information relatively well. It wasn't until he had finally finished revealing all he knew that she spoke up.
"Star, that's something we can't do. At least not yet."
"I do not understand why you believe that to be the case." Starfire's eyes were filled with burning determination as she pleaded her case heatedly. "Does not your current investigation effect Raven the most? Would she not like to know of your findings? It is not fair of us to withhold information from her like this!"
"It's not that I don't realize that this would impact Raven…" he began.
"Then why do you keep this from her?"
"Star, you remember when we fought that first ghost in the warehouse?" The question posed by Robin caught her off guard. "You remember how Raven acted when that ghost mentioned her father's name?"
"Friend Raven was most troubled," Starfire replied. "I had never seen her in so much distress… not since last year."
"Her past has that effect on her," he confirmed. "That's why I haven't told her anything yet. It would only give her something else to worry about."
"Even though that is true…"
"Not only that, but for the first time in a long time, she's happy." The Boy wonder let his words sink in before he continued. "Ever since she and Danny have gotten together, she's been different; even more than after we defeated Trigon. Being with Danny has helped her to open up a lot."
"Is that… is that the true reason you let her go with Danny to his city of birth?" Her voice no longer had a dissentient tone, a sign that she understood where he was coming from.
"She needed the break. Though she doesn't admit it, the whole ghost ordeal shook her up more than even she probably realizes. Being in Amity with Danny will help Raven clear her head."
Starfire still showed some doubt on her face, as well as the wavering tenor of her voice. "But, still…"
"Listen, Star." He placed his hands square on her shoulders and looked straight into those large, beautiful, green orbs that were her eyes, "I know how you feel. I just don't think now would be a good time to tell her. I promise that once I get enough solid evidence, she'll be the first to know. Okay?" Robin waited a few moments for a response. Starfire closed her eyes and timidly nodded. He could tell that it was a tough decision for her to make. He knew that the girls were close and that Starfire wasn't accustomed to keeping things from Raven. He let out a sigh of relief as he let his arms fall from her shoulders.
The silence was broken an instant later, "Though I understand that discretion may be… essential for Raven's sake, I do not believe that the same case applies for the others."
The Boy Wonder tried to compose himself from the loop his girlfriend just threw at him. "Star…"
"I do not believe there would be a problem," she continued carefully, "Is there not an Earth saying that says that multiple craniums are more advantageous than just one?"
"Star, we can't…"
"Why can we not? Did you not say before that we all can aid you?" She smiled innocently, though there was more than a glimmer of mischief in her eye.
Robin tried to refute her words, but found that he couldn't. Starfire had beaten him using his own words. He sighed in defeat. "Alright, we'll tell them."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
"So, she got you to spill, didn't she?" Cyborg was grinning widely in response to the news.
"Got me to spill?" Robin replied.
"What, you think we wouldn't notice you locking yourself up in your 'Robin Cave' every night for the past couple of weeks?" Beast Boy explained.
"Yeah, we all knew something was up, Rob." Cyborg smirk widened as he continued. "Of course, we wouldn't have to sick Star on you if you had just told us what was going on from the beginning."
"You guys planned this, didn't you?"
"I am most sorry for the deception, boyfriend Robin," Starfire began to explain, "It is just that, you have been most distant recently, so I went to Cyborg for some advise." She feared that an outburst from Robin would be forthcoming, but one never came.
Instead, the Boy Wonder's shoulders drooped dejectedly. "It doesn't matter. You guys were right."
A chuckle erupted from Cyborg's lips. "Well, what do you know? You can teach an old bird new tricks!"
"I still don't like the fact that we're keeping Raven in the dark about this," Beast Boy interjected.
The metallic Titan tried to ease his friend's concern, "I'd normally agree with you, BB, but Rob has a point. Our girl needs a break from all the craziness that's been going on."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it." The changling crossed his arms discontentedly.
"Cyborg," Robin began, his face now all business, "I need you to do a search on this 'Julian Marcus' guy. Who he is, where he's been: the works. The more we know about him, the better."
"No problem." Cyborg cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "If he left a data trail, it'll be a cinch to find."
Robin simply nodded. "I hope you're right, because I have a bad feeling that if we don't figure out what's going on soon, it's going to come back and bite us."
DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP
"Nervous?"
Raven's question caused Danny to jump. The halfa had been so pre-occupied with the upcoming procedure that his girlfriend's query caught him off guard. "Me, nervous? What gave you that idea?" A withering look from her told him that she didn't buy his act. "Okay, maybe I'm a little bit worried. I mean, this just brings back memories of when I thought my parents were going to dissect me."
He was, of course, referring to the upcoming battery of tests Jack and Maddie were about to perform on his being. Their plan was to learn as much as they could of their son's status of a halfa, in hopes of stabilizing his cousin/ clone, Danielle. "I know they aren't going to pull anything that'd hurt me… at least, nothing intentional."
A smirk appeared on Raven's face, "Speaking from experience?"
"Too much experience, if you ask me. There's a reason why I normally stay away from their gadgets." The young hero looked despondent. "Of course, there is also the matter of…" he nodded his head across the room. Raven looked in the direction he indicated, spotting Sam and Tucker. The two hadn't said a word to him since the incident upstairs and it had Danny worried. Tucker seemed to want to speak to him, if his apologetic glances were any indication. Unfortunately, Sam's fury seemed to get in the way.
"It'll work out," Raven reassured once again, though even she had her doubts.
"Danny, sweetie?" Maddie called before he could reply. "We're ready for you now."
Gulping, the raven-haired teen turned back to his girlfriend. "Wish me luck."
"Like you really need to ask," she replied as she kissed him on the cheek.
Blushing, the halfa walked towards his parents. His expression changed to a pensive one as he surveyed the various pieces of equipment that were strewn about that corner of the lab. "Do I even want to know what half this stuff does?"
Maddie was understanding of her son's distress and gave him a warm smile in hopes of calming him. "You don't need to worry about anything dear," she assured. She pointed to the gadgets that surrounded a metallic table close by. "Those scanners will let us have a closer look at what goes on when you 'go ghost'. I'm just going to need you to lie down there, Danny."
"Sure thing, Mom." He complied to his mother's wishes and laid down on the table. "Uhh… anything in particular you wanted me to do?"
"When I give the signal, I want you to transform," Maddie explained.
"That's it? That's all I need to do?"
"I think that's all we may need. If what Vlad told you about the mid-morph DNA is true, we should be able to figure something out by scanning you while you transform." As Maddie explained, she eyed the screen in front of her carefully, making sure everything was in working order. "How are things on your end, Jack?"
"All the sensors are set, Mads! And Tucker says the computer is ready to record all the data."
Maddie was glad that things were turning out ok. She put her focus back onto her son. "Alright, Danny. I want you to transform to your ghost form like you normally would."
Taking a deep breath, Danny let out a huge sigh, letting his edginess ebb out as he did so. "I'm going ghost!" He felt the familiar ring of light appear around his waist and split in two. They traveled up and down his body, replacing his human side with the familiar black and white costume of Danny Phantom. He was used to the tingle he always felt when he transformed; it felt as natural as breathing or moving a muscle.
"Did we get all that?"
"Everything looks good, Mrs. Fenton," Tucker replied as he looked over his PDA. "The server and the backup drives got everything."
"Good. You can change now, Danny." Maddie's eyes never left the screen as her son reversed the process and reverted back into his human form. "I want you to do it again, dear, though this time I want you to try and do it as slow as you can."
"No sweat," Danny replied confidently.
This went on for a half hour as the Fentons scanned their son in both his human and ghost forms, as well as every state in between. Every moment was documented by the Fenton's equipment for further study, though from Maddie could see, they had more than enough to move forward. "I think that just about does it. Good job, everyone."
Taking the cue, Danny began to get up from the gurney. "Glad that's…" He faltered, both in speech and in movement, as he suddenly began to collapse. His form didn't fall far, as both Raven and Sam grabbed and arm before he reached the ground. "I guess I didn't realize that transforming so many times would take that much out of me. Thanks."
"No problem," the girls said in almost complete unison. Raven and Sam realized their unintentional synchronicity and turned towards each other. Their eyes locked; Raven, hoping to lighten the mood, managed to produce a small smile. Sam, on the other hand, sent a scowl back at the Titan. Raven struggled not to send a dirty look of her own. The last thing she needed was for her to aggravate the situation more than it was now.
"Danny? Are you alright, dear?" Motherly concern dripped from Maddie's lips as she rushed over and did a quick examination of her son. "Jack, quick; let's get him somewhere he can lie down."
"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously. You're making a big fuss about nothing."
His parents thought otherwise as Jack took his son from Sam and Raven's grasp and carried him upstairs to the living room couch, with Danny protesting the whole way.
"Tucker?" Jazz asked as she suddenly appeared besides her brother's best friend.
"Oh, hey, Jazz," he replied. "What's up?"
"Why don't we have a little chat? Over there."
"Hey!" the techno geek yelped as he was forcefully dragged away by the redhead. This conveniently left Sam and Raven by themselves.
Raven decided that now was as good a time an any to make her move."I think we need to talk."
The powerless goth quickly hid her displeasure and gave the sorceress an undaunted look. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I think I beg to differ," the Titan countered, not willing to back down easily. "I have the distinct feeling that you don't like the idea of Danny and I being together very much."
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Sam replied coyly, dodging the issue like a seasoned pro.
Raven heaved a frustrated sigh. "Listen; I don't know what you think about me, so I just want make a few things clear. I'm not here to steal Danny away from you guys or anything petty like that. I know that you and Tucker mean a lot to him and I wouldn't dare stand in the way of your friendship with him. Whatever you may think, I'm not a threat."
Sam remained silent during Raven's speech, something that could easily be interpreted as either good or bad. Raven noted that the girl's emotions were once again in a state of flux; a fact she hid very well, save for the frown that played on her face.
"Danny is very lucky to have friends like you," the cloaked girl continued. "I can tell you care about him a lot."
"You're right," Sam replied, "I do care about Danny. I also care about his happiness. And you seem to make him happy. That's why I'm only going to say this once." Sam closed the distance between them in an instant, wielding a stern finger that poked at Raven's chest. "If you even think about breaking his heart, I don't care how you are or what powers you have, I'll make your life a living hell." With that, Sam made her way back upstairs, leaving the room in silence.
"That… could have gone better."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"This better be good."
The city lights shone dimly, entering the large windows of the penthouse suite. The illumination highlighted the room the details of the room. Two sets of bookshelves, one on each side of the room, stretched out from the windows to the entrance wall. The shelves reached up to the top of the two-story room. The number of books most likely numbered in the tens of thousands, many of which were rare
volumes he was proud to own. Other than the books, the room was decidedly bare, save for the large desk standing in front of the lane of glass that held out the outside world.
Sitting at the desk, dressed in a bathrobe made of the finest silk, he awaited a response from the man he had on the field. His fingers raked through his jet-black hair, a habit he had picked up over the years. Tentatively lifting an expensive glass of Russian vodka and sipping it, his patience was quickly wearing thin. . The computer screen on his desk finally flashed, indicating that they were connected and that the line was secure. "What do you have for me?" the man asked authoritatively.
"The Fentons are on the move," the figure on the screen replied. His features were masked by darkness, most likely on purpose, "They left Jump City last night, and by earlier this afternoon they arrived at their home in Amity Park, sir."
"Any Phantom sightings since their return?"
"No, sir. From what I've seen, none of them have stepped outside their home since their arrival."
He pondered over the report before replying. "This could mean that Phantom still hasn't recovered from his skirmish with the Pyres."
"I don't think that is exactly the case, sir," his agent replied, "Before they left for their home, Phantom made one last appearance in Jump City. He and the Titan known as Raven rescued a young girl from a ghost and brought that girl back to the Titan's Tower."
"Interesting." The fact that Phantom was not out and about attracted his attention. Before he could utter an order, however, a voice called from the door on the right side of the wall.
"Cain?" a low, sultry voice beckoned to him, "Aren't you done in there, yet?"
"It'll only take another moment," he replied before focusing on the screen and his agent once again. "If anything unusual happens in Amity Park, I want to know about it. Keep an eye on Phantom."
"Yes, sir." The transmission ceased and the screen flickered out into stand-by mode.
"Oh, there you are, baby." She stood there, leaning slightly onto the doorframe that led to his bedroom. His silk bed sheets were hastily wrapped around her like a bath towel. Her blonde hair, which normally would have been in her signature bun, was now unfettered and untamed, splaying over her shoulders and
framing her face. Saunting over to his desk, she let the sheets trail behind her.. As she reached her destination, the vixen proceeded to sit on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and mashed her mouth on top of his. She kissed him passionately, almost as if she were trying to devour is very soul through his mouth. She finally released him, licking her lips in satisfaction. "I almost thought that I had scared you away."
"Are you underestimating me, Inessa?" he quipped in return. "It takes more than you to intimidate me."
"Oh, really?" Inessa's lips curved into a devious smile. "I must not have been trying hard enough." She regarded him, passing her fingers through his hair teasingly. "So, what call was so important that it had to interrupt our pleasure time?"
"Aren't you the curious one? Well, if you must know, it was just a status update of our most recent… objective."
His description brought an even wider smirk to her face. "The Phantom boy? When are we going to acquire him, anyway?"
"Give it time, Inessa," Cain replied. "You know I only want the best for our little collection. Phantom is going to have to prove himself before we can make a move."
"You know how much I hate waiting, baby."
It was Cain's turn to grin as he watched her pout like a child that had been denied her toy. "Be patient. Once Phantom passes are little test, he'll be ours for the taking. You can poke and prod him all you want."
"I'll have you know that I do not prod my subjects. I would, however, love to know the secret to that boy. His genetic makeup alone would be marvelous to look at."
"You'll get your chance soon enough."
Inessa's eyebrows furrowed in faux anger, though her lips were still curled up in a smile, "I'm only taking your word for it because it's you, Cain. That doesn't mean there won't be any consequences for making me wait." She shimmied herself of his lap, walking back towards his bedroom door. "I'm going to make you work very hard tonight. Very." As she walked, the silk sheet she had been wearing slipped off, revealing her backside. Whether it was by accident or by her hand, he wasn't sure, but he couldn't keep his eyes away as she passed through the doorway and closed the door behind her.
DPRRDPRRDPRRDPRRDPRRDP
"And this is the guest room." Danny waived his arm at the basic living quarters. Night time had fallen over Amity Park and the Fenton clan was on its way to bed. Danny, who had finally convinced his parents that he was feeling better, had taken it upon himself to show his girlfriend to where she would be sleeping during her stay. "It's not much, but it's roomy." He watched closely as Raven's eyes surveyed the area.
"It's fine," she replied as she ventured further and sat down on the bed. She placed hand on the surface, examining the cushiness. "It'll do." Her eyes wandered around the room again, though it seemed she looked everywhere but at Danny; a point that he was not unaware of.
"Uh, Raven?" His voice caught her attention, though she still was avoiding his gaze, "Is everything okay?" He took a seat besides her, causing the sorceress to tense up.
"I'm just tired, that's all," she said, dismissing his concern. "It's been a long day."
"Are you sure? Because it's like you were somewhere else today."
"Really, I'm…" She turned to him as she uttered her denial and stopped as she spotted the concern in his electric blue eyes. Raven found she couldn't continue her rebuttal and sighed sadly. "Do you think it was a good idea to come to Amity Park?"
"Of course it was!" he exclaimed, "What makes you think it wasn't?"
"It's just that…" she struggled to find the right words before proceeding. "… It just feels like I'm an outsider; like I'm just getting in the way."
"This is about Sam and Tucker, isn't it?" The response to his query was a simple nod. "Listen, I'm sorry about that. Sam and Tucker… they can a little bit overprotective sometimes. They just need some time to adjust to us, that's all. It's nothing that you did."
"I don't want to cause you any problems, that's all. You've been friends with them longer and I don't want to feel like I'm intruding…"
"Rae, you aren't intruding on anything." He reached out and took her hand. "I meant what I said to them; you're just as important to me as they are. I want you to be here." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm glad you came; you being here means a lot to me."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." He used his hand to gently lift her chin and then leaned in for a short but tender kiss. "Like you said before, this is just something we'll need to work on. This whole deal is new to everyone, us included. We just need time to adjust, that's all." His lips dove in for another kiss, though this one was more longing than the last. Raven, to her credit, replied candidly with a desire-filled kiss of her own. They separated and blue orbs stared into violet.
"I really did miss you," Danny stated sincerely.
"I could tell," Raven quipped. "I missed you, too." All their worries, all their concerns seemed to just melt away as they got lost in each other's stares.
"I…I should get going," Danny finally managed to utter. "We'll talk later, ok?"
"Goodnight," she stated coolly, although her insides were anything but. Even as Danny walked out of the room, her heart was still beating rapidly from their last kiss. Not even his kisses could completely chase away her doubts, though.
AN: Special thanks to both Em Phantom and Cordria for their help for grammar and flow. Next chapter, I'll be trying a few new things, suggested by Cordria, so keep your eyes peeled.