Anywho, here's the next chapter that'll lead in to another major event. It'll be good, I'm excited. And I think the identity of the Master (as I've grown fond of calling him) will actually be revealed soon! Gasp! It won't be the next chapter, and not the chapter after that, but I think three chapters from now he'll be revealed. At least, that's my goal, but don't quote me on that one.
Thanks again for all the reviews! You don't know how much they've been brightening up my days (I've had a really bad couple of weeks) but they always manage to cheer me up, so thank you so much!
Chapter Fifteen
Family Reunion
"Maddie dear! How are you?" the round, red haired woman at the door greeted as she rushed forward, giving her a hug.
"F-fine. What're you guys doing here?" she asked, still blown away while her tall, bespectacled, and balding father also gave her a hug.
"Well we were talking with the Fentons—"
"The Fentons? You never talk with them!"
"Well, there are some events that bring the family together," she answered shortly before continuing. "But we decided that it was high time we visited our children, and of course our grandchildren. They should be arriving behind us. They wanted to take the long way around and patrol the town before coming here."
"They're coming too?"
"Of course. Why dear, you sound so surprised to be hearing all this. Didn't we tell you we were coming?"
"No."
"I'm sure we did. We tried to call you."
"Unplugged the phone."
"Oh. Well, we wrote a letter."
Maddie walked them to the study and gestured to a pile of letters that took up the space of a two person couch. They had long since given up on the fan mail.
"Ah, that would be why you didn't get it. Well, if it's too much trouble then…" she trailed off sadly.
"Mom no. It's not a problem, it's just a shock to see you. You are, of course, welcome here."
"Rose! Harry! Good to see you!" Jack greeted as he walked into the room and swept them up into a hug.
"It's good to see you too Jack," Rose returned, her face starting to turn blue from the tight hug.
"Jack, put my parents down."
"Sorry," he apologized as he set them down.
"Hello Fentons!" a large voice boomed at the door as he entered, wearing a green jumpsuit and carrying a large metallic suitcase. Looking at him, it was obvious where Jack got his looks, judging by their similar build and choice in hairstyles, though admittedly the older Fenton graced more gray hair than the younger.
"Dad! Wow, you're here too!"
"Yup, so's your mother, your sister and brother, and your niece and nephew! Brought the whole family! Well, at least all of the family that counts," he stated bitterly.
"Joe, Mary, how are you?" Maddie greeted, changing the subject as she gave them each a hug.
"Oh wonderful," Mary answered as she walked in the door, her silver hair and glasses covered by her yellow jumpsuit hood.
"Don't be nice Mary," Joe reprimanded. "The trip was horrible. First there was thing young brat at the burger joint who made fun of us for wearing jumpsuits and accused us of being too old for ghost hunting, but boy did he get a shock when he learned our last name was Fenton, I'll tell you that. And then there was this man at the gas station…"
While Grandpa Joe rambled about his horrible trip, Danny stood rooted to the spot at the top of the stairs. He hadn't seen both sets of his grandparents together…well ever. They were completely different types of people, and the only things they had in common were his parents, Jazz, and him.
His mom's parents were brilliant scientists, which was probably where his mom got it from, but unlike his mother they used their brains for genetic research. Danny could tell that they'd long since believed that his mother was wasting her time and brains on ghost research and should instead put it to better use, like finding the cure to cancer or something like that, but they never talked about it. He could tell that they were slightly disappointed, since their only other daughter didn't quite have the capacity for genetic research so there was no one left to continue on with their research, and he was sure his mom noticed that too, judging by how some phone conversations ended. But they were so desperate for an heir that for a few months they had started writing letters to Jazz, trying to get her to do it, but when she told them she wanted to be a psychologist, they couldn't complain. In their eyes, at least that was a recognized profession. For these reasons, and the fact that they blamed his father for getting Maddie hooked on ghosts in the first place, they hardly ever visited and when they did tensions were usually strained between both sets of parents.
His father's parents, however, were exactly like his father in almost every way. They were ghost hunters, and had been for a long time. From what Danny had seen at ghost conventions his grandparents were about as proficient at ghost hunting as his father and made a lot of the same devices. Danny didn't know whether any of them actually worked since he hadn't seen any of them since the accident, but he was sure they got their share of successes, and they were most likely either the really painful or really annoying ones if they shared the same trends as his father's did.
His father had an older brother and sister, but none of them talked about Uncle Jerry. He had denounced ghosts and ghost hunting and was eventually kicked out of the family and was now forgotten. To them, his Aunt Sophia was the oldest of two. His father didn't even like mentioning him. None of them knew what happened to him and none of them cared, except for Jazz. Uncle Jerry was like a hero to her, proof that it is possible to leave the craziness of the Fenton family untouched. The two of them had a secret correspondence and through that Danny learned that his uncle had a very successful job as a professor of philosophy at a college, had gotten married, had three kids, and had no regrets.
Aunt Sophia, however, had continued in the ghost hunting trend, either because she wanted to or didn't want the harsh punishment her other brother faced. Whatever the reason, she had become a ghost hunter, though she did more research than hunting and refused to wear a jumpsuit everywhere she went. Her husband, Steven, was a dentist, but he put up with the ghost obsession of the Fenton family and actually found it somewhat interesting. His two cousins, Arya and Elijah, were a lot like him and Jazz, just trying to find some normalcy in a crazy family, though they had it much easier since their dad was at least a dentist.
"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen so much of your family in one place before," Sam whispered.
"I don't think I've ever seen so much of your family period," Tucker remarked. "Wonder why they're all here?"
Danny and Sam looked at him in disbelief.
'You can't possibly be that stupid Tucker," Sam commented.
"Wha-oh, right," he stated, finally understanding.
"Why don't you guys go find Jazz and tell her what's going on. She'll want to know ahead of time."
They nodded their heads and headed off to Jazz's room. Unfortunately, the movement upstairs caught the attention of the grandparents downstairs.
"Danny!" Grandma Rose yelled, stopping Grandpa Joe's complaints about the trip as they all looked up the stairs at him.
"Um, hi," he greeted awkwardly.
"Why don't you come downstairs and give your grandmother a hug?" she suggested as she headed towards the stairs, her arms open.
Danny walked down the stairs, giving his grandmother a hug, glad to see her after so long, but just wishing that it was under different circumstances. He knew why they'd all come, and he knew it wasn't because they hadn't seen their grandchildren in awhile.
Danny was passed around the visitors like a stuffed animal, each of them giving him a hug before passing him onto the next relation. Finally Jazz emerged at the top of the stairs, was met with great enthusiasm by the relatives, and passed around as well. Sam and Tucker wisely stayed back, simply waving as they were introduced to the family.
"So Danny, carrying on the family ghost hunting business I see, albeit by unconventional means. But still, times change I guess and we couldn't be more proud of you," Grandpa Joe stated, taking a stab at getting the awkward topics out of the way.
"Uh thanks."
"But you don't leave the inventions to waste, right? You still use them?"
"Uh sometimes. It just…depends on the situation."
"Joe, he doesn't need the inventions, he's got ghost powers that do all of that kind of stuff," Grandma Mary reminded him while Danny blushed.
"Well I know, I just thought that maybe he would find some of them useful."
"Well, the thermos is really useful."
"Aha! See, I told you!"
The awkward silence returned to the living room as no one else really knew what to say. Danny could tell they all had questions to ask, which was the real reason for their visit, but they didn't quite know how to ask them.
"Well Danny, you certainly surprised us when we saw you on the news that morning," Grandma Rose remarked.
"I think you shocked everyone," Steven added.
"I shocked myself."
"So, what really happened?" Grandpa Joe asked. "You wouldn't say in the press conference."
"Oh, well, did Mom and Dad tell you about the accident in the portal?"
"Accident? What accident?" Grandma Rose asked, suddenly concerned. "You never told us about an accident!"
"Yeah, you mentioned something about Danny being near the portal when it turned on, but never an accident," Grandma Mary remarked, matching the other's concern.
"Well, we didn't want you guys to worry," Maddie explained. "I mean, at the time, we didn't think anything happened. Obviously we were wrong, but it just didn't sound like something big enough to worry you about."
"Well, what happened?"
"Well the portal wasn't working so I went inside and accidentally turned it on while still inside. The portal activated, I was stuck inside, and I…died, kinda. I really don't know what happened, but that's how I became half ghost."
"Yes, Sophia and I'd love to discuss that with your parents some time," Grandma Mary stated. "That theory seems absolutely impossible and yet here you are, living proof."
"But why didn't you tell anyone?" Grandpa Harry asked.
"I just…didn't think it was important." He didn't think it was necessary to bring his fears of his parents' loss of love and lack of acceptance into this. That was between him and his parents.
"So, does anyone want anything to eat or drink?" Jazz offered, changing the subject. The suggestion was met with appreciation and Jazz headed off to the kitchen, smiling at Danny as she left.
"Your father's told me all about the weapons he's made. Do you help your dad out with the inventions a lot?" Grandpa Joe asked.
"Dad, he doesn't want to talk about that and no one wants to hear about it," Steven remarked.
"Of course he does! Well?"
"Um…no. I mostly try to stay away."
"Oh, well do you even know if they work?"
"Oh trust me, they do."
"What about the Fenton Ghost Tracker? Does that work?" Danny nodded his head. "And the Ghost Gauntlets?" Again Danny nodded his head. "What about the Ghost Gabber?"
"Unfortunately yes."
"The Specter Silencer?"
"I didn't really have laryngitis that day."
"The Specter Shrieker?"
"I think I went temporarily deaf after that."
"The Fenton Boo-merang?"
"If anyone throws that thing again I'll blast it into pieces."
"The Fenton Invisibility Detector?"
"Okay, that one doesn't work."
"The Specter Deflectors?"
"I hate those things with a passion."
Grandpa Joe looked like he was about to ask about another invention, but Jazz brought out the cookies, which instantly ceased the conversation as he shoved cookies into his mouth with a speed that only his father could rival.
"Hey Danny, can you turn into a ghost now?" Elijah asked.
Danny sighed silently while he nodded, knowing that one of them would be bound to ask eventually. He should've just transformed right after greeting them all and gotten it out of the way like he did at the press conference. The white rings formed around his waist, transforming him into his ghostly persona as his relatives gasped while Maddie and Jack smiled in pride.
"That's so cool! How do you do that?"
"I dunno, I just do," Danny answered lamely as he turned back to his human form.
"Oh my gosh, I just remembered! We have a present for you!" Grandma Rose stated excitedly as she started rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a DVD case with a picture of Danny's face on the cover, a white ring of light dividing his face into his human and ghostly halves. On the top is said "Danny Phantom: The Revelation."
"We made it," Grandpa Harry described.
"And we helped!" Grandpa Joe interrupted.
"Your Grandmother, of course, had to record everything on television that showed you after we found out. We decided to take those and make them into a DVD including a slide show at the end with all the newspaper clippings."
"We thought it would be a fun way to contain all the memories of the past few weeks and it'll be something fun to show your children one day too. We're planning on making more as more time passes."
"Wow, um, thanks," Danny thanked, not really sure what to say. He knew his grandma loved commemorating events with video recordings and pictures (and she sometimes liked to commemorate things that weren't even worth it, like using an entire roll of film on a flower) but this was a little extreme. Even his parents looked like they didn't know what to say. Tucker and Sam looked about ready to explode with laughter and Sam even had to excuse herself, claiming she had to use the bathroom.
"We brought one for each of you so you can have your own piece of the memory."
"We're planning on selling ours on Ebay later," Elijah informed him. "Hey, would you sign it? That would make it worth so much more!"
"No way. Danny and I already have an agreement that we get to corner the monopoly on signed Danny Phantom merchandise," Tucker argued. "But you can put yours up after I put mine up and I'll give you, oh, three percent of the profit for waiting."
"Done," Elijah agreed while Danny looked evilly at Tucker while mouthing "traitor."
"Hey, why don't we watch it?" Grandma Rose suggested. Danny felt ready to fake a ghost attack, but he knew that everyone would follow so he just slinked off to find a seat with everyone else while his parents put the DVD in, his mother's smile apologizing for her mother's actions.
So Danny suffered through the intro, which was a montage of clips of his human half in junior high and news clips of his ghostly half to the song "Holding Out for a Hero." Danny had to admit that it was very well done and he probably would have enjoyed it, were it not all of him. Jazz continued to look at the blushing Danny, giving him reassuring smiles that it would be over soon while Tucker and Sam tried hard not to laugh, out of respect for Danny. His mother, however, looked like she was having a hard time trying to hide her enjoyment of it, but Danny knew she'd probably like it. It was just one of those things that mothers, and obviously grandmothers, liked. His father just looked bored, unless the montage showed him, and then he enjoyed it, until the clip ended.
Finally once the introduction was done, the DVD flipped to a news reporter who was describing the ghost attack, trying hard to hold back her excitement at the news she was about to reveal.
"So, what did you think of the intro?" Grandpa Harry asked. Danny could only smile slightly, not daring to open his mouth, afraid of what might come out.
"Oh look, he's speechless!" Grandma Rose exclaimed happily, tears forming in her eyes. "I thought you'd like it, which is why we went to get it professionally done. Oh wait, here's the best part!"
Finally the blonde reporter didn't have to wait anymore to release her exciting news. "And I have been told that it has just been discovered that the Ghost Boy, or Danny Phantom as he prefers to be called, is none other than fourteen year old Danny Fenton, son of ghost hunters Jack and Maddie Fenton."
Listening to the report brought back so many memories of that eventful day, the day that had changed his life into what it was now. He remembered the first time hearing that while he was in his house, watching the television behind his parents, having just run through the reporters on the corner. He remembered his parents' shocked expressions of disbelief, his feelings of dread, knowing that his secret was done for.
"A few hours ago one of our camera men received a tip and caught the Ghost Boy in action fighting a horrifying ghost monster…" the news reporter continued as the familiar scene was played on the television, but Danny was no longer paying attention. Something the news reporter had said had caught his attention more than watching his secret get blown again.
Our camera man received a tip. That statement rang throughout Danny's head, reminding him of something he'd forgotten and foolishly never researched.
"Grandpa, did you put the press conference on here?" Danny asked while Jazz, Tucker, and Sam looked at him curiously.
"Of course we did."
"Go there, to the part where Skulker comes in."
"Who?"
"The ghost that I fight. Go to that part."
"Okay," his grandfather agreed, not sure why he'd want to skip ahead, but obeying anyways. He skipped chapters until the fight.
"Oh man, not here!" Danny heard himself say on the stage while the camera turned around quickly, focusing on Skulker.
"Danny, I don't…" his mother began to ask, somewhat concerned with how closely Danny was looking at the television.
"Quiet!" he hushed quickly, paying attention to Skulker, making sure to hear his message again, the message Danny should have paid more attention to the first time he heard it were it not for the problems he was facing at school.
"Ghost Child, I bring a message," the Skulker on the screen stated.
"From who?" he heard himself ask as the camera flipped back to him.
"I have been asked not to say. But, I have come to tell you that your torment is just beginning."
"My 'torment is just beginning', what's that supposed to mean?" The television was silent as Danny looked lost in thought. "This ghost that sent you, he's the one that tipped off the reporter! That's how he knew exactly where to place the mike and the camera, and that's how he knew I'd be there!"
"He also said to offer his congratulations for figuring it out, as he knew you would. Although, I must say you figured it out much earlier than I would have supposed. Well done Ghost Child. Now to collect my reward for delivering this message…" Skulker trailed on while Danny ceased focusing on the screen.
He had totally forgotten about the revelation he had at the press conference. Someone had set him up, and he had been too busy with trying to just survive that the ghost that had done this still had gone unpunished. A feeling of anger surged through Danny (coupled with an exploding trash can outside) as he realized that this was exactly what the ghost had planned. He knew that Danny would be too occupied with just trying to get his life back together than focusing on catching him. He could be well hidden by now. Danny felt another surge of anger as he realized the irony of Skulker's comment. Sure he figured it out earlier than expected, but he didn't act on it, which is probably what Skulker was referring to in the first place. In the end, the message was just a way of mocking him later when he finally got around to researching it.
"Danny, are you all right?" Maddie asked, noticing the look of concentration present on Danny's face and hearing the explosion.
"Uh, yeah, of course. Um, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and I need to go upstairs," Danny stated standing up, his two friends rising immediately after him as well.
"Now Danny, whatever you need to talk about you can talk about down here. It's not like you have secrets anymore. Now something about that scene was important, so what is it?" she demanded, flipping off the television.
His other relatives looked on in earnest, excited to witness the daily ghost fighting problems of Danny Phantom and see the solution and plan being talked out between Danny and his friends.
"I just remembered something that I totally forgot, something really important. In that news clipping, the lady said the cameraman received a tip from someone and then at the press conference I figured out that whoever Skulker's working for at the moment is the one that tipped him and thus exposed me, but I never looked into who did it! I just let him get away with it!" Danny yelled as the lamp exploded while everyone jumped. "Sorry," he apologized.
"Don't worry Danny, it's not too late," Jazz comforted. "We can still track down the ghost that did this. We can always ask the news crew who gave them the tip."
"Or we can just go beat it out of Skulker," Tucker suggested.
"I like that one better," Danny replied.
"Danny, do you really think that the mastermind behind this is going to let Skulker wander freely throughout the Ghost Zone so you can beat the information out of him? Think about it, that's the only appearance he's made since your secret was blown."
"Alright, then we'll go beat it out of the camera man."
"Danny."
"Threaten it out of the camera man?"
Jazz sighed. "Fine, since that's probably the only way he's going to reveal his source to you."
"Alright, then let's go now," Danny stated as he went ghost and flew into the air.
"Danny, do you realize what time it is?"
"Time to get some information out of the camera man that ruined my life?"
"I was thinking more along the lines of time to be going to bed."
Danny looked at the clock and realized his sister was right, as usual. He floated back to the ground and turned back to human form.
"Alright then, first thing tomorrow, after school of course," Danny added as Jazz glared at him.
"Sleep! Oh my gosh! I never thought about that! How're we going to fit everyone here?" Maddie asked a she looked at everyone in the room. "Well first things first Jazz and Danny you're going to give up your rooms to the grandparents." Danny and Jazz didn't groan because they both expected that one to happen. They were always the first to get booted out. "And let's see…we've got that pull away bed under the couch in the study, so we can clean that out for Steven and Sofia, but that still leaves the kids…"
"Danny and Jazz can sleep over at my place," Sam offered. "We've got more than enough extra rooms."
"Oh nonsense, I'd hate to impose so much upon your family. We'll find a place for them here, that won't be a problem."
"I've got it!" Grandpa Joe shouted. "The Fenton Portable Bed!"
"Of course!" Grandma Mary added.
"Come again," Danny asked, almost afraid.
"I'll go get it." His grandfather ran out the door and returned with a metallic suitcase. "This baby is one of our newest inventions. I knew we brought them all along for a reason. This baby is going to change ghost hunting forever! Observe, a touch of the button and voila!" he described as the suitcase unfolded into a cot. "It may look uncomfortable but I assure you its quite cozy and has some of the best defense systems around! Check this out!"
He pushed another button and a ghost shield emerged from the center of the bed, spreading out around the perimeter of the bed, Danny jumping back and out of its reach.
"Oh, sorry Danny," he apologized. "But see, it works! A ghost can't get anywhere near you while sleeping in this baby! And it also has a cloaking device." He pushed another button, but Danny didn't see any outward change.
"Nothing happened," Sam remarked bluntly.
"Well of course not! The cloaking device only works on ghosts! It prevents ghosts from seeing—"
"I can see it," Danny remarked.
"What?"
"I can see it. The bed, you standing near it, the shield, all of it."
"Oh, well, can you see me now?" he asked as he lay down on the bed and buried himself under the covers.
"Well not you specifically but I can see a human sized lump hiding under the covers."
"Oh drat, that one needs more work. But I promise you this one works. Built in hunting system! It tracks down the ecto-signature of ghosts and hunts them for you, so you can even catch them while the sleep. Observe!"
"Wait Grandpa no!" Jazz yelled as he pushed the button. Ecto-guns appeared around the perimeter of the bed and aimed towards Danny, charging green while Danny's eyes went wide. He immediately placed his hands in front of him and created an ecto-shield which absorbed the blasts from the bed.
"Oops, sorry!" his grandpa apologized while fumbling with the control panel on the bed. "Hmm, I can't seem to remember how to turn it off…"
"You've got to be kidding me," Danny moaned as he went ghost, the ecto-shield glowing brighter as it became stronger. Maddie rushed over to the controls, trying to find the right button while his grandfather just pushed random buttons, hoping to find the one that would stop it.
"How far of a range does this thing have?" Maddie asked.
"Um, pretty far."
"So flying away would do…nothing?" Danny asked.
"Well, it would probably blow a wall out while you flew out of the range."
"Of course."
After a few minutes Danny's shield started to weaken as he couldn't hold it up much longer while still no progress had been made in trying to turn them off.
"Oh, now I remember!" Grandpa Joe stated as he hit his head. "I didn't put an off button. It'll turn off once the ghost is dead."
"Alright Grandpa, I'm sorry to do this, but you've really left me no choice," Danny stated as he concentrated. One by one, the ecto-guns on the bed started blowing up, Danny's eyes glowing brighter each time they did. Once the last one was blown up, Danny dropped the shield and fell to the floor, turning human again.
"Alright, I think that's enough demonstrations with the bed," Jazz stated as she helped Danny onto the couch.
"Well, I guess that means it's time for bed!" Maddie announced.
"There's no way I'm sleeping on that thing," Danny stated. He never thought he'd find an invention that he'd hate more than a ghost shield or the Specter Deflectors, but he finally did.
"But where else are you going to sleep?" Grandma Mary asked.
"The floor? The table? Anywhere but on the bed that wants to kill me."
"You could always sleep in the Ghost Zone," Sofia joked while the others chuckled. Danny however, was not amused.
"Danny, you can sleep on the couch and we'll put the beds far enough away so that if one of the shields accidentally goes off it won't hit you, right after we dismantle the ecto-guns," his mother comforted.
Danny nodded while he stood up. "I'm going to walk Sam and Tucker home. I want to see all those guns gone before I get back."
Danny walked out of the house and walked down the sidewalk quickly, hoping no one would run after him.
"I think you can slow down now Danny, I don't think they're following us," Sam stated "and I think you passed my house."
"Sorry, it's just, I need some alone time," Danny replied, slowing down.
"Yeah, I don't blame you."
"Wow, you're house is just like school," Tucker commented.
"I know. Home was the place I could unwind and be free of the gawking people, and now even that's not fan free!"
"Just relax Danny. They can't stay forever and a few days isn't going to kill you. They might be a little obsessive now, but just like at school once they're around you for awhile, things will slowly start to calm down," Sam comforted.
"Yeah, let's hope."
"So, do we have a new invention to add to the 'Worst Inventions Ever Created' list?" Tucker asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Oh yes, that one definitely goes on there. I'd take the Fenton Boo-Merang over that monstrous excuse for a bed any day."
"And don't worry Danny, we can head immediately to the news station after school tomorrow and start figuring this out. Trust me, finding out who set you up and blasting them to pieces before sucking them into the thermos will definitely make you feel better."
"Definitely, I feel better just thinking about it."
"Oh, and speaking of blasting things to bits," Sam remarked as she pulled out her copy of the DVD. "Care to take a shot at this?"
Danny's mood instantly brightened. Sam threw it up into the air and Danny blasted it, watching joyously as the fragments fell through the air and onto the pavement.
Smiling the three friends headed slowly off to Tucker's and then finally Sam's before Danny headed home. He opened the door wearily and was grateful to find the remains of the bed's defense mechanism in pieces in the corner. The house was quiet and it looked like everyone had gone to bed, which was what Danny hoped would be the case. He snuck quietly to the couch and drifted into uneasy sleep, both looking forward to and dreading the next day.
A/N: I just wanted to apologize if I happened to forget some major fact regarding Jack or Maddie's families that they might have included in the show. If so, please let me know and I'll try to fix it. And I realize I didn't mention Maddie's sister, but I didn't think she was too terribly important, plus I didn't see her as the type to rush out to Amity just to see her half-ghost nephew. I didn't think she'd really care. Plus, there are already too many people in the house anyways. But I just based the family members off of what I figured them to be most like. Hope they weren't too much of a stretch for anyone to believe!