Danny quickly changed and rushed downstairs, finding himself out of breath by the time he reached the kitchen and quickly devoured the breakfast his mother had prepared for him. It had been a good few months since he had eaten his mother's cooking and, frankly, he missed it. He loved Sam's cooking as well, but her choices were normally 'healthy' and vegan friendly. He hadn't eaten a piece of meat in a long time, and while his mother prepared omelets, ham and French toast, he felt as if he would never eat this well again.
"Slow down son." His father bellowed happily from his end of the table, taking Danny by surprise as he accidently swallowed his fork. That definitely hadn't happened in a good couple of years. He secretly phased it out of his stomach before either parent could question its whereabouts.
"Danny!" His mother scolded, her tone sounding somewhat worried. "Is everything alright dear?" Jazz shot him a look that clearly warned him to 'cool it'. He smiled and fought to swallow the mouthful of French toast before answering. As if the universe felt he needed a little help, the ringing of the doorbell could be heard echoing throughout the house.
"That must be Tucker." He said forcing his food down as he picked his plate up, deposited it in the sink and quickly kissed every member of his family on the cheek before rushing out to answer the door. Leaving the family of three behind in utter shock over the boy's actions and behavior.
"What's gotten into Danny?" Maddie asked softly, her hand over the spot burning from his kiss.
"Must be hormones?" Jazz tried to offer as an excuse, but it only came out as a question.
"When I was his age…" Jack stated proudly as Jazz excused herself from the table and Maddie listened light heartedly at her husbands ramblings. Something wasn't right with her little brother and she was going to find out what it was before he had the opportunity to do anything to harm himself, his friends, family, or Amity Park as a whole.
"Dude!" Tucker called out, high fiving his best friend.
Danny smiled brightly, the image of his best male friend not only a teenager once again, but actually awake, was enough to blow his mind. He returned the high five before walking alongside him, listening attentively as he talked on and on about his PDA and how one day he was going to rule the internet. He found himself subconsciously laughing at this, for he knew Tucker's real future. Not two months after graduating Casper High, he would join the United States Air Force, per the encouraging of his father, and would be immediately placed in Communication Signals Intelligence or CSI as it was commonly known as. His tech savvy smarts made him the best at intercepting both enemy and ally messages and being sure they 'disappeared' before the public could be aware of it, guaranteeing him the best for the job.
It was in the Air Force he met Sarah, she had been a Petty Officer when he was already an Officer himself. It had been love at first sight. So it came as no surprise when they were engaged only a year and a half after meeting and married just as quickly afterwards. They seemed so compatible and comfortable with one another that it appeared they were created to complete each other, much like Sam and he were. In all honesty, Sam and Danny had a secret bet on whether or not Tucker ever would find the right woman.
He looked up at the door, amused as Tucker still ranted on about a new video game while he knocked vigorously, desperate to see the younger version of his future wife primped and ready for the day. The door opened slowly, Tucker had ceased talking when the locks on the door were heard and stood looking about nervously as the large oak door was slowly pulled open.
There, standing not inches from him, was his future father-in-law. He had to admit, Jeremy Manson never looked better than he did now. Back in his own time the man hadn't seemed to age, minus a few grey hairs. He looked down to the two boys slightly disgusted before stepping back and calling Sam's name into the house. She responded in kind before loud footfalls could be heard descending the stairs.
Jeremy stepped away from the door, leaving it open enough for them to see Sam come into view. Her short black hair rested on her shoulders and a smile graced her young teen face. She quickly hollered a good bye into the large mansion before slamming the door and joining her friends on the street. He had to admit, she definitely looked like the Sam he remembered so fondly all those years ago…with her clothes on, that is.
Danny smiled smugly as his eyes raked over the fourteen year old version of his wife. She looked to him oddly, unsure of what to make of his reaction towards her. She looked so young, so innocent and darkly wicked. His lovelorn look grew with intensity as her voice entered his head. She had once asked him a simple question, one he couldn't help but remember now, on the night of their wedding; after they had finished consummating their marriage of course.
"If you could go back to when all this Danny Phantom stuff started out, and tell yourself one thing about your future, what would it be?" She had asked, pushing her body against hi, flesh against flesh.
"Nothing." He answered and watched as her face fell. "I would tell you something." Her eyes perked up in curiosity and a mischievous smile graced her pouted lips.
"What would you tell me?" She asked softly, trying to hold back a giggle. He knew she hated acting like a little school girl, but he secretly loved it.
"I would bring you close…" He said hugging her firmly to his body. "…and ever so softly whisper in your ear." He looked down to her before placing his lips just inches from her left ear. "That there would come a time when I would see you naked."
She let out a rather loud 'HA!' before slapping his bare chest with her left hand. A whole hearted laugh left her body and he joined her in laughing until they both had trouble breathing.
"If you were to tell me that, Danny, I'd have knocked you out into next Tuesday." She threatened wiping the tears from her eyes, desperately trying to regain a normal pace to breathe at. He knew the old her would hold tight to that promise, and he would gladly take any hit she would give him, just to see the completely shocked look on her unsuspecting face.
She had asked him the same question again almost five years later, after the birth of their first child, Lilith. Back home it had only been three months since she had asked the question, yet here in this time it seemed a lifetime away.
"So Danny." She asked peeking over his shoulder to the infant he gently rocked to sleep in his arms. "If you could go back, now, what would you tell yourself?"
"That one day I would have a beautiful little girl with the woman of my dreams." He had answered honestly looking down to the small face he had helped create.
"Yeah?" She asked softly, smiling at the bond father and daughter shared.
"Yeah." He agreed than looked her in the eyes and smiled wickedly. "Then I'd whisper in your ear how I got to see you naked every night, twice on the weekends." She looked at him quickly, both their faces cracking into a large smile before they laughed. He put Lilith down on the couch and surrounded her with pillows so she wouldn't fall.
"I swear Danny I'd kill you." She stated walking into the kitchen, taking the morning's dirty dishes as she walked. He followed quickly behind her and stopped in the doorway; being sure he could keep an eye on their daughter and still see her as she cleaned up the kitchen. Her hair was a bird's nest atop her head and her white top was too small for her overly engorged chest, but man did he enjoy the view.
"Why would you kill me?" He asked innocently. "You enjoy our adulterated fun as much as I do." He shot at her, a seductive look on his face.
"That aside, I'm still cleaning up the mess from the last time we had fun." She said throwing a rag covered in baby vomit into the sink.
"But, you hold not regrets?" He begged to know, hands on her shoulders from where he had taken his place behind her. He held his breath and silently prayed she'd say 'no' he doubted he could live another second in peace if she were to say yes. She turned in his embrace and looked him dead in the eye, anger and hurt behind them.
"Never. How could you even ask that?" She questioned hurt in her voice. He let his breath go, happy she answered the way she did. He quickly got to work on damage control and tried to help bring his overly emotional wife back to a lighter mood.
"All I'm saying is, Lilith is asleep and…" He trailed off kissing her lips gently and hungrily. "We have the whole day to sit around and do nothing. A little 'fun' wouldn't kill us."
"I guess not." She agreed holding him close before jumping into his embrace, wrapping her legs around his waist and letting him push her against the nearby wall as he hungrily lavished her lips and neck.
"Dude! Stop looking at her like that." Tucker said pulling him back to reality, a sick reality. "She looks like she's gonna kill you." Sure enough Sam looked like she could read his mind and was not finding any of his thoughts amusing.
"Like what?" Danny asked, unaware he had been staring while reminiscing.
"Like you've seen her naked." He answered honestly. Both Sam and he blushed and shied away from one another. He knew why too, as far as Tucker was concerned their morning meeting never took place, this alone embarrassed Sam and the truth behind the statement embarrassed himself.
"Sorry, must have zoned out." He said, trying to recover. Her face fell and she shrugged it off.
"So…what do we have planned for today?" She asked, desperate to change the conversation while throwing her arms into the sky and resting them behind her head. Walking in a relaxed pose as she displayed she'd give anything for a 'carefree Sunday' every day. He looked them both over; they were just as clueless as he was.
They came to a stop outside the Amity Park Arcade and were quickly forced inside by Tucker ushering them past the double doors. He was jumping up and down while talking animatedly about a new video game as he led them to the far back corner. Danny looked around at the other teens occupying the arcade as they played games and gossiped with their friends. It was days like these he wished for. When work was constantly pulling him away from his wife and child and he was forced to become the work obsessed adult he never wanted to be. And now, when he is premitted with a whole week off from work to actually celebrate his fifth year anniversary, he's stuck in the past trying to figure out what went wrong and how it can be corrected.
Life was unjust; he only hoped his Sam could forgive him.
As they turned the corner they came to a rather large group surrounding one machine in particular. There, not a few feet from them, surrounded by almost every kid from school was a black and white arcade video game. It had his face covering nearly every corner of it. His ghost green eyes seemed to stare into his present baby blues. The white hair of the 'game Danny' was coifed so perfectly it looked as if the artist spent hours studying it, and him for that matter.
"A Danny Phantom game?" Sam asked actually surprised. Tucker nodded vigorously as he pushed past the group of people and patiently waited for his turn to play. "Seriously Danny," Sam whispered into his ear, her hot breath on his skin caused goose bumps to crawl along his body. "I think you need to patent this." She joked softly, but she did have a point. He only nodded, not trusting his voice to come out normal with the effect she had on his young teenage hormones.
"Danny Phantom's the villain?!" Tucker yelled outrageously, causing both friends to turn and look to him suspiciously.
"Of course, Foley." A short red haired nerd answered as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Phantom is a villain here in Amity Park, so of course he's the villain in the game world as well." He snorted softly as he laughed enthusiastically.
"Messed up." Tucker said as he played as the Guys in White trying to capture the graphic pixels that represented him.
Danny could only laugh softly and shake his head. It was this game that would push Tucker to create his own version, where Danny Phantom was the hero. It wouldn't come out for another five years or so, but once the world knew his identity, and accepted him everyone would be willing to purchase it. The games success and the love for his wife is what pushed Tucker to retire from the military so soon and enjoy being a video game creator. He couldn't remember all that countless nights he had kept Sam and himself up while he tried to recall every ghost and almost every battle. Sam usually got them out of it as the years progressed and he made newer versions. As she became pregnant with Lilith she found it easier and easier to get away from him and his persisting questions.
The three of them left the arcade two hours later and headed for the mall instead, hoping to find something more entertaining to do than watch the games version of Danny be fried by the Guys in White. Danny let a smile creep along his face, he didn't know who or what was responsible for this whole mishap, but part of him was more than happy it happened. He had always wished to return to a time when life was simple and hanging out with his friends wasn't a task on his schedule that had to be constantly blown off or moved around. He longed for care free days like this and only wished he had enjoyed it while he could.
Still, the emptiness in his heart over no longer having his wife, not friend, at his side made him miss home. The joyous times they shared with Tucker and his wife had him longing to return home. And the vivid memory of the life he was responsible for nearly made him choke up. He wanted this time, only in the future, where life was his norm. He would give just about anything to have a 'carefree' day like today with his wife, child and friends. This day only helped him see he needed to take time off of work more often, or else he would one day come home to see Lilith graduating from college and ready to start her own life. Time was short and flew by so fast, he had to enjoy it while he still could.
Ok that was chapter 5, a little short I know, but my muse is struggling here. I thought this fic would be easy, but I find some issues harder to deal with than others. If anyone has suggestions please let me know. I am currently writing a few chapters ahead on my laptop and have already incorporated the few I have gotten into the story line, but its not nearly enough for a full chapter.
So please review and let me know what you guys think. Next chapter present Danny gets to meet his future in laws and future Danny meets up with a fruit loop.
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