Meant to update yesterday, but I had lots going on and lots of plans. So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review!

~CWA


CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX


Two Weeks Later

Danny Fenton

I can't help but grin with excitement as I look at Honey Lemon. She sits patiently in my little station of the lab, her attention solemnly on me as she soaks up my words. As a chemist, I'm sure she can really understand what I'm saying as I explain the different chemical components of the stuff I'm using for the portal to her. It feels nice to explain things to her and know that what I'm saying is actually making sense. For a brief moment, my eyes go to Fred as he lingers in his bean bag chair nearby, soaking up every word I'm saying as well, though I doubt he knows what I'm saying.

Considering Tadashi isn't here today- he texted me earlier saying how he's staying at the cafe today to help Aunt Cass- it's giving me a chance to spend some more time with the rest of the gang. Though I did apologize to him, saying that I would go over and help him and Cass as well if I didn't have to really work on my project. He understands, of course. I knew that he would.

I carefully hold a small vial into the air. It's plugged securely so that the gas inside doesn't escape. Though through the glass of vial, you can see a faint green glow. A pair of gloves rest on my hands. Both Honey Lemon and I wear goggles, coats, gloves for safety reasons. She even has her hair pulled into a tight ponytail. I doubt anything could go wrong. Though my leg, while it's feeling considerably better, occasionally twitches or spasms in a way that would make me worry if I don't have more important things to think about.

"And this-," I hold up a small vial very carefully, "is actually a form of ectoplasm. An airborne form, if you can believe it, it takes a damn long time for ectoplasm to actually become a gas because, well, for one, it doesn't follow the same rules as other chemicals and elements here in this world, and two, it's so damn dense as a liquid. Breathing it is… I wouldn't say dangerous, per say, but it can cause some freaky things to happen and you may or may not get a ghostly form of the flu."

"There's a ghost flu," Fred's voice is muffled slightly from the chips in his mouth.

"Yep," I pop the p, "Lot more common then you think. It happens when someone is exposed to too much pure ectoplasm at once, exposed to strong ectoplasmic radiation for extremely long periods of time, or even being attacked or bit by a ghost can lead to it. This ectoplasm is breathable so it effects you more. Side effects can include all sorts of paranormal stuff happening to you and your body. Think the normal flu plus like ten times the miserableness and a possible chance of falling through your bed. Not off. Through."

Granted, being exposed with too much ectoplasm is different than being electrocuted to the point of near death with ectoplasm. I flex my hand just thinking about it. Fred's jaw hangs open as he gapes at me and my words, his eyes lighting up, causing me to make a face. Honey Lemon gives me a nervous grin, but I can see in her eyes that she's not sure whether to believe me or not. Though she still eyes the vial cautiously.

"Hmm I'm sure that Tadashi would catch you if you fall through your bed though," Honey Lemon comments slyly.

Her words cause me to jump from shock, struggling to catch the vial as it falls through my hands. I manage to catch it and I give her a small glare as my face flushes bright red. I never expected her to make any sort of comment like that. GoGo maybe, but not her.

"Oh, don't ask so flustered, Danny," Honey Lemon waves me off, "I think you two make a cute couple."

I flush even deeper as I put away the vial, afraid I may drop it if she or someone else shocks me again.

"We're not a couple," I mumble.

My response causes a few of the others to turn their attention to me. I even see a few of the others in the labs- one I don't even really know by name- look at me with disbelief briefly before returning to their work. Wasabi and GoGo, however, are openly staring at me in disbelief. GoGo has an eyebrow quirked at me as she pops her bubble gum. Fred is wheezing from laughter, struggling not to choke on his chips. Even Honey Lemon is gaping at me slightly.

"W-What," Honey Lemon struggles to find her words, "But how can you not be a couple? I thought you were dating him?"

"It's complicated," I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What's so complicated," Fred speaks up in confusion, "You like him, he likes you, why can't you two, just ya know, get together and do the do~"

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, causing me to sigh in exasperation at the horrible rhyme. Thankfully, GoGo is close enough to us now that she just gives him a swift hit upside the head, saving me the trouble of doing it myself.

"Fred," Honey Lemon lightly scolds him before turning her attention back to me, "But really, Danny, I don't see how it can be that complicated."

I open my mouth to reply to her, though I'm not entirely sure of what to say. But no words leave my mouth as a small tiny blue wisp leaves my mouth. Even if I did manage to say something, it'd be cut off by a very, all-too-familiar voice screaming out.

"DADDY!"

Her voice cuts through all the noise of the lab, making me freeze slightly. A turmoil of emotions run through me at once. Happy. Shock. Confusion. A few curses run through my mind as well. Though I don't have a chance to process too much before I'm tackled to the ground be a blur of black and white. Ellie. My precious little daughter. She clings to me tightly, her arms wrapped around my neck as she giggles loudly and I can't help but grin at her and spin her around playfully.

"Ellie," my voice rings out, "My precious little princess!"

She giggles even louder as I swing her about, but the second my eyes leave her to the people around me, I stop. I can see the cause of my ghost sense going off panting happily beside me as he begs quietly for attention. Thankfully, he's invisible and not making enough noise to be noticed. But I should have known that if Ellie is going to show up that Cujo would be right behind her. Everyone's attention, however, is directly on the bundle in my arms rather than my free hand that slips to my side to discretely rub Cujo's head.

Fred is gaping like a fish, his jaw practically hitting the ground as his eyes go wide. Wasabi is staring in confusion, opening and closing his mouth as he struggles to find the words. GoGo seems put-off as her eyes widen and her mouth gapes slightly. Honey Lemon, however, doesn't seem so much as shocked as she seems to be happy- awwing slightly at the cute little bundle in my arms.

Shit, shit, shit, shit. Panic grips me momentarily as I struggle to find out what I can tell them. It's pretty obvious that I can't talk my way out of this, but I'm not sure how I can really explain her. More so, I'm not sure what their reactions would be for me having a kid so young. Oblivious to the tension and shock she's caused, Ellie still giggles happily against my chest as I hold her. Wasabi's eyes go back and forth between Ellie and myself before he becomes the first to speak up.

"….Um Danny… is that… are you her…?"

I adjust my grip on Ellie and let her climb up onto my shoulders. She giggles happily as she suddenly becomes 'as tall as a giant' and rests her head on top of mine as her legs dangle over the front of my shoulders. I hold onto her legs gently to make sure she won't fall off, but I doubt that she will. She's like a little monkey. A little, ghostly monkey.

I swallow at Wasabi's question and tense up slightly before I finally find my voice.

"Uh… yeah. She's my daughter. I… I wasn't sure how any of you would react so I haven't really said anything about her, but she's the love of my life."

I can see a little light go off in Wasabi's head as the gears start turning. For a moment, I briefly wonder in amusement if there will be steam coming from his ears.

"Love of your life…. So when you were talking before about the love of your life, you actually meant her?"

I can see a whisper of agreement spread between the group briefly, but I can't help but grin slightly. The cat's out of the bag and what can I say? I'm a proud father.

"Yep," I pop the p, "You got it. This is Ellie… Ellie, these are daddy's friends- Wasabi, Honey, Fred and GoGo."

I carefully say their names slowly as I point each of them out to her. She hums a bit at each name, mumbling them slowly to herself as she tries to learn how to say them. Though after I say Honey Lemon's name (a shortened version of it since I doubt Ellie can actually say Honey Lemon), Ellie shifts from her place on my shoulders in excitement, giddily saying honey, honey, honey over and over again.

Honey Lemon's eyes light up as she lets out a small squeal about how cute she is and I already know that she's going to be spoiling my daughter rotten. I can see GoGo smiling, ever so slightly, and even Fred seems to be going awww. I can't help but snort in amusement. Ellie always has a way of making people fawn over her, creating adoring fans everywhere she goes.

"And what about her mother," GoGo asks bluntly, crossing her arms slightly.

The mention of the word mother causes Ellie to quiet down as she shrinks on my shoulders, ducking down behind my head as she buries her face into my hair. The mention of her mother has always been rough on her- it's rough on the both of us sometimes. My face falls as I falter slightly, swallowing thickly as I move Ellie from my shoulders and into my arms. She's small enough that she curls to my chest, burying her face as I hold her with just one arm.

Even Cujo, though no one aside from Ellie and I can see him when he's invisible, ducks his head down with a small whimper.

"Not in the picture," I say simply before I cover Ellie's ears, "Her mother wasn't exactly….happy about having a daughter. We tried to make it work, really, but considering we were already broken up and Sam…. Look, she's just not in the picture, okay?"

My eyes are pleading for them to not question me farther and they nod slightly, indicating that they get the message. Sighing in relief, I let go of Ellie's ears, causing her to look up at me in confusion with a small pout. I make a funny face at her to cheer up and it works as she giggles and squirms in my hold.

"She was staying with my sister," I explain, "Back in New York… So I'm not entirely sure why or how she got here…"

I furrow my brows slightly as I look at Ellie, whose the picture of innocence.

"Ellie, where's your Auntie Jazz?"

Ellie shrugs and makes a face at me, signaling that she doesn't know and frankly, she doesn't care. Thankfully, I don't exactly have to go looking for Jazz as she comes running to the lab, slightly out of breath as she mutters faint curses. Her bright orange hair is messy and her clothes are slightly disheveled. Her eyes go to Ellie and I, causing her to sigh in visible relief as she makes her way to us.

"She's about as fast as you were," Jazz offers, "I swear, that girl can outrun any marathon runner."

She eyes the people around us briefly with caution, her face flushed from all the running. I give her a small smile as Ellie giggles at her aunt's presence.

"Jazz, these are some friends of mine- I think I already told you about them- Wasabi, Honey Lemon, GoGo and Fred. Guys, this is my older sister Jazz… Who I thought had a conference in Washington to go to?"

I can see them all take in Jazz- all the way to our height difference and her bright orange hair to the black turtleneck she wears. Jazz briefly greets the gang before she turns her attention to me with a cheeky smile.

"I do. I'm actually on my way there, but I thought, why have Ellie stay with James when she can stay here with a father that she dearly misses and a father who dearly misses her? I already talked to your professors- Professor Callaghan in particular vouched for you, by the way- and as long as you take care of her, she doesn't get into trouble, she's safe, and Wasabi, since he's your roommate, is okay with it then they have no problem with it. So basically, don't screw it up and I'll pick her up when my conference is over."

I knew she was up to something. I freaking knew it. I make a face at her, but she just continues to give me this cheeky grin. Damn it. I totally knew she was planing something. But it's hard to be mad at her when her plan led to me having Ellie for at least a few weeks- which I'm guessing is how long Jazz's conference is since it's usually that long. Though I'm a bit surprised that the college is allowing this and hearing about Professor Callaghan's involvement in makes me a bit uneasy, but I suppose if it ends with me spending time with Ellie, it can't be that bad.

Besides, if all else fails, I'm sure that Aunt Cass will be more than happy to help me take care of her and allow her to stay over there with her, Hiro and Tadashi. Hell, if that does end up happening, you can bet your ass that I'll be staying over there as well to keep an eye on my trouble-making daughter.

"Wow, thanks for that confidence boost," I stick my tongue out at her, causing her to roll her eyes in amusement, "But jokes aside…. Thanks, Jazzy. I mean it."

I give her a small smile, causing her to light up as she gives me a big, tight hug, squishing Ellie in between us which causes her to squirm and squeal.

"Oh you're welcome, little brother," Jazz coos, "I'm so happy that you and Ellie will be able to spend some time together…. And it takes a load of James' shoulders since he was so nervous about watching her anyway. But really, Danny, treasure the time with her while you can, I mean it."

She lightly scolds me, causing me to roll my eyes, but the smile stays on my face. There's something about our little banter that just warms me up inside, giving me a feeling I didn't even realize that I'm missing until now. After what seems like forever, Jazz finally lets me go with a fond expression on her face and gives both Ellie and I small kisses on our foreheads, causing me to gag. I choose to ignore Fred's barely muffled laughter over the action, knowing that if I acknowledge it then he'd find out just what type of pranks a ghost can do.

"I have to get going and head to the conference, but promise to keep me updated, especially about a certain somebody~"

My face flushes heavily as she winks at me before dashing out of the lab, causing Honey Lemon to giggle slightly. Even GoGo and Wasabi seem pretty amused by my sister's antics, causing me to grumble under my breath as I return to my portal.


A sleeping little girl curls into my chest as I gently hold her in my arms. She's light as a feather, so it's no problem carrying her as I make my way back to my dorm room. I don't mind that I'm heading back earlier than usual because my precious little princess is so tuckered out and frankly, I can always use this time to work on my blueprints anyway. With a small smile on my face, I shake my head as I make my way through the hall, gaining a few double takes and strange looks from people passing by.

Mild telekinesis, one of the powers from my ghostly half I haven't really worked on that much, is helpful in times like this. I don't even have to adjust my grip on her as I use the telekinesis to slowly turn the doorknob, causing the doorknob to faintly glow green as the door began to creak open. Cujo wastes no time in whipping past my ankles into the room, yipping playfully before I frantically command him to calm down. It takes a moment, but he does as asked and stops running and jumping around to settle on a place at the floor in his little puppy form. At least he's still invisible to people.

I carefully make my way through the dorm and place Ellie in my bed. It's big enough that we should both be able to fit in it easily- especially since Ellie has a habit of just laying across my chest when she sleeps. If we do end up having problems, then I wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor if it meant that she can sleep easy.

I tuck her in with a fond smile on my face, watching her expression of serenity as she snuggles into the blankets. She's a lot of trouble sometimes, but man, is she worth it.

"Hey Danny," a loud voice calls from the doorway, causing me to wince as I turn to face them.

Wasabi stands in the doorway, causing me to frantically shush him. He winces when he sees the sleeping girl in my bed and mumbles a soft sorry. He enters carefully, practically tip-toeing to avoid making too much noise as he joins me by the bed. He eyes her with a gentle expression on his face for a moment before he turns to me.

"I take it this means she's the complication you mentioned," at my nod, he continued, "...And she's Sam's? You told me about Sam are you sure that she's- No, nevermind, she's clearly yours."

I wince slightly at the mention of Sam's name, but puff out my chest at his ending statement. Of course Ellie is mine- she always will be mine, no matter what she's my daughter. At this point, I wouldn't even say that she's Sam's and I's daughter nor Sam's at all. She's my daughter.

"She has my charisma and good looks," I nudge him lightly with a small teasing expression, causing him to snort.

"More like she has your mischievous eyes," Wasabi corrects, "… I take it, however, that since you didn't tell us that Tadashi doesn't know either?"

I can't help but look away at the mention of Tadashi and that's all it takes for Wasabi to know that Tadashi obviously doesn't know about Ellie, causing him to tsk at me slightly.

"You should really tell him, Danny, I just haven't figured out why you haven't yet."

"Because I want to be serious with him, Wasabi, it's simple as that," my voice drops low and soft, "Maybe it's a bit much to think of since we're like only twenty-one and maybe I do have flings occasionally. But Tadashi is different. He's someone I could really care about, someone I could actually have a relationship with and with feelings like those, I have to be careful. Because if someone dates me, they don't just get me. They get Ellie too. And I have to think of her first. What if she gets her hopes up of having a second parental figure only to get crushed? What if he doesn't accept her at all?"

What if he doesn't accept our status as halfas, I continue mentally, rubbing my arms a bit nervously. Wasabi, however, just raises an eyebrow at me.

"You really think that he's going to mind you having a daughter?"

"What and you don't," I snap slightly, causing him to shake his head.

"No, not really. But what do I know? Maybe it will bother him," I lower my head at that statement but he continues, "….For like two minutes before he realizes that you obviously love your daughter."

He clasps my shoulder lightly in a comforting manner causing me to give him a wry smile. He gives me the same gently smile as he gently squeezes my shoulder,

"And since the mother's not in the picture, you don't really have anything to worry about…. Except for the fact that he may end up loving Ellie, maybe even as much as you do."