Author: loosedefense
Title: Weak
Pairing: Danny/Dash
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is the property of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. This story implies nothing about the characters nor does the plot of the story have any effect on the show itself. This story is pure fiction and fantasy.
In his frustration, the doctor had told Danny that there wasn't much he would be able to do if Danny kept lying to him over how he got injured; rather than give in, Danny had opted to storm out, mentally wishing the man a painful death, and went home. His parents noticed his sullen attitude during dinner, but he simply brushed off their questions with a not-untrue excuse about being worried about his upcoming exams.
"Don't worry, son," Jack said sunnily. "Those things don't really matter; the colleges have already accepted you anyway."
Maddie shushed him, but gave the boy a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll do fine, Danny," she said. "By the way, you've never really told us how your college applications have been getting along."
Danny chewed slowly, aware that all eyes were on him. His heart pounded almost painfully quick against his chest. "Uh, it's uh – going good."
"Where did you apply?" Jack asked.
Danny swallowed, quickly trying to think up names as quickly as possible. "Uh – Syracuse, and … UCLA … and NYU … Princeton," he recalled Sam's choice university.
Maddie's eyebrows rose. "That's an impressive list. Very reputable."
"Oh, yeah, definitely reputable," Danny nodded, then ducked his head in attempt to divert any further questions.
"They'd probably need some high grades," Maddie continued.
Danny nodded silently, stuffing his mouth full of tuna to save him the trouble of answering. His parents shared glances then returned to their own dinners.
"So," Jasper spoke up, then lapsed into silence again, "Hillary and Obama, huh?"
The atmosphere lightened immediately with enthusiastic chatter from Jack and Jazz. Danny glumly picked at his food with his fork and refrained from volunteering his opinion, but he couldn't help noticing that his mother wasn't saying much either.
"It's going to feel so good to have a woman in office for once," Jazz stated confidently.
"There's no way she's going to gain the nomination," Jasper refuted. "This election has been all about Obama."
"I don't doubt it," Jazz sneered. "America was stupid enough to re-elect Bush in 2004, they'd be stupid enough to vote Obama now."
"Oh, honey, you're not being fair," Jack chided.
"Yeah," Jasper nodded. "They both have the same stands on issues—"
"The same stands on issues?" Jazz shrieked. "Is that why Obama's health plan leaves out approximately 15 million Americans? Not to mention that he has no experience on Hillary's 35 years—"
"He was a senator," Jack pointed out. "Don't you think you're being a little bit biased because you're a woman?"
There was a deathly silence again as Jazz slowly turned to face her father and cocked her head dangerously.
"Really wrong thing to say, Mister Fenton," Jasper muttered.
Jack seemed unapologetic. Nevertheless, he compromised saying, "Well, no matter who gets it, it'll sure be great to have a Democrat in office again. Right, sweetheart?" he turned to Maddie.
Maddie looked up. "Hmm?"
"I said it'll be great to have a Democrat in office again. Right?"
Maddie gave a small shrug. "Yes, it will certainly be a change of pace."
The other four occupants in the room shared at her in confusion. Jack blinked.
"Well, at least even having McCain in would be better than Bush," Jasper offered diplomatically, to which Jazz nodded animatedly
"Like I said," Maddie resumed taking a bite of her food, "it would be a change of pace."
Jack gaped. Jazz froze. Danny's eyes darted from one parent to the other.
"Mom," Jazz said slowly, "are you … a Bush-sympathizer?"
"Well," Maddie said, "I think perhaps he's received a bit of a bad reputation…"
"Maddie, what are you talking about?" Jack said aghast. "How can you say that after everything he's done? What about Iraq? And Afghanistan?"
Maddie threw up her arms. "They hurt us first!"
Jazz let out a scandalized squeak. "God, Mom, you sound like one of those people who voted him back in office in 2004."
Maddie cast her daughter a sympathetic gaze. "Honey, I did vote for Bush in 2004."
There was a collective gasp.
"I thought," Jack said in disbelief, "that we were all for Kerry."
"Oh, please," Maddie spat. "That man was a flip-flopper. I'm not saying Bush was the greatest candidate," she continued when he opened his mouth to object, "but at least with him, I knew what I was getting."
It appeared that no one could comprehend what they were hearing. At that moment, the phone in the living room rang.
"I'll get it," Danny jumped up.
"No, let me," Maddie beat him to the punch, eager to get away from the scene. Danny cursed inwardly; he had been hoping to make his exit and avoid any further questioning on his plans for college. His father didn't seem too bothered though. He sat there with a dark look in his eyes.
A couple of minutes later, Maddie stepped back into the room, a stunned expression on her face. Jack's eyes immediately filled with concern. "What happened?"
Maddie's jaw moved uselessly for a moment before she managed to croak out, "That was the hospital."
Danny felt a cold shard of fear pierce his heart. Had the doctor somehow found a way to contact his parents and told them Danny had come to him about his burn?
"The hospital? What did they want?"
Maddie sat herself back down, ignoring the half-full plate before her. "They said Vlad's been with them for days waiting for surgery."
"I never knew Vlad was in the hospital," Jack said. "Since when?"
"A couple of days, they said."
Danny's mind lingered on what his mother had just said. Vlad was waiting for surgery? Why hadn't he known that?
"But that's not why they called," Maddie said. She sounded strange, as though slightly dazed. Jack raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to elaborate. "Vlad's missing."
"Vlad's missing?" Jack echoed blankly. "Vlad's missing? What does that mean?"
Maddie shook her head. "The nurses don't know where he is. He was in his room last time they saw him, and when they went to check on him earlier, he was gone. They checked the entire hospital – he wasn't anywhere to be found. So they called us. Vlad listed us as his emergency contact in case anything went wrong. They want us to come to the hospital. His lawyers and the police are there right now."
Danny realized his mother was in shock. She had to be – he felt as though he was in shock and he wasn't the one who received the call.
Jack was on his feet immediately. "Well, let's go," he urged. "Kids, you stay here."
"No way!" Jazz jumped up as well. "We're going."
"We are?" Jasper questioned.
"Vlad's lawyers would be a perfect way to gain more experience," Jazz cheered. "Just think of it as on-the-job training."
"Jazz, that's not very nice," Maddie scolded. "Danny, maybe you should take your car in case your father and I have to stay longer."
"Yeah, sure."
"We'll go with you, Danny," Jazz placed an arm around her brother's shoulders, leading him out the door.
Through the entire ride, Jazz briefed Jasper on Vlad's history, going over the history between their parents and him, and his brief career as mayor of Amity Park. Danny gritted his teeth, but found that she had not let anything about Danny's personal history with the man slip out, and so kept his words to himself.
His annoyance with Jazz only increased in the hospital. While waiting for a doctor to attend to them, she kept hissing instructions to Jasper. "And when the lawyers get here, maybe you could try to ask them how much they bill Vlad; it would give you an idea of a benchmark figure to work towards when you begin your career..."
Even Jasper seemed to be growing irritated with her. "Jazz, I know what to do, I'm the law student here!"
Jazz gaped, then crossed her arms and looked away. Danny sniggered.
"May I help you?" they heard a rude voice call over. Danny turned his attention to find the same sour receptionist he'd met earlier in the day.
"Yes," Maddie said, following her husband over to the counter, "we're here about Vlad Masters? We were told he'd gone … missing?"
The receptionist's eyes widened "Oh, yes. Hold on, let me page the doctor."
The family – and Jasper – waited impatiently for a few minutes before a graying man in blue overalls approached them, extending his hand to shake with Jack and Maddie.
"We've called the police, and the lawyers," he said in lieu of greeting. "You were on Mister Master's emergency contact sheet, so you were the first we notified."
"How could this have happened?" Jack asked loudly.
"Jack, please," Maddie shushed, placing a comforting hand on her husband's arm. She turned to the doctor with piercing eyes. "How could you have allowed this?"
"Sir – ma'am – please," the doctor tried to reassure them. "We have our hospital staff investigating the matter; we're waiting for the police, no doubt they'll want to conduct their own investigation as well – we're doing all we can."
"But what happened?" Danny couldn't refrain from asking. "I mean, did he just walk out and no one noticed he was wearing a hospital gown…?"
"We're not exactly sure how it happened," the doctor clarified. "We're questioning all staff members present on the floor at the time."
The main doors to the hospital swung open and a group of well-dressed men Danny recognized as Vlad's lawyers marched in, gripping expensive-looking briefcases and thunderous expressions, and right behind them – Danny's heart jumped to his throat – two very familiar men dressed in white suits and dark sunglasses. "Oh, here we go," the doctor muttered to himself, hastily abandoning the Fentons to rush over to the approaching groups.
"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded when Agent O and Agent K crossed their paths, having brushed off the doctor to be picked at by Vlad's wolves.
"Not that it's any of your business," Agent O retorted just as rudely, "but we are investigating the disappearance of one Vlad Masters."
"I didn't know a missing person's case would be of interest to the Feds," Jazz sneered, her eyes drifting over their uniformed figures with obvious disdain, "or some ludicrous branch that wishes they were FBI, for that matter."
"The disappearance of a prominent figure under mysterious circumstances within a town riddled with paranormal activities? We got the orders to relieve the case from the local authorities as soon as word got back to the Pentagon," Agent K smirked. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have nurses to interrogate."
"Those guys really burn me up," Maddie grumbled as they shoved their way through the circle the Fentons and Jasper had enclosed them in.
"Don't worry, mom," Jazz soothed, her eyes still trailing the two men as they walked away, "we'll get them on Saturday."
But Danny wasn't so sure a little student-led demonstration would carry much of an effect anymore. A man had vanished into thin air; the Guys in White were becoming all the more involved in the community, and now he was even less certain there was anything he could do about it.
He excused himself from the group, citing a need to stretch his legs, and made his way to the elevator, riding it up all the way to the level that Vlad had been placed in. A man couldn't simply disappear without a trace – unless he was a ghost. Was it possible that Vlad was still around but hiding? Danny rejected the idea almost as soon as it came. Vlad had given his ghost-half over to Danny; how could he still have retained any of his supernatural powers? Unless he hadn't surrendered over the Plasmius half – Danny's suspicious mind went into overdrive. He had entertained the idea that Vlad had been lying to him the entire time before, that the container the older man had passed over to him contained nothing, but those suspicions had faded over time as he had never dared to check for fear of the Plasmius soul inhabiting him if it were ever released.
An angry man's voice reached Danny's ears as soon as the doors to the elevator slid open; he decided it would probably be best to turn himself invisible and make his way around. He slipped past unnoticed by the large man berating a cowering orderly on the verge of tears and made his way into Vlad's room only to find the other agent frowning heavily as a small device in his hand crackled.
"K!" the first agent boomed, bursting into the room. "What's your status?"
Agent K turned to his partner and thrust out the arm that palmed the device. "The ectoplasmic reading on this thing is off the charts," he explained. "Whatever happened to Masters, there must have been a supernatural entity involved."
"Vindication," Agent O stated humorlessly. "Let's draw up the graphs and send the report over to headquarters."
"I still want to do a reading of the entire hospital," Agent K shook his head. "And you still have to question the rest of the staff."
"These idiots don't know anything," Agent O snapped. "It'd be a waste of time."
"Do you want to be the one to tell the President that?" Agent K pointed out. Danny rolled his eyes. He seriously doubted the President himself knew nor cared about what was going on in Amity Park, let alone be the one to authorize these goons to do as they pleased.
The two agents left the room grousing about the respective jobs, and Danny had himself turn visible again. The gears in his head started to turn. 'Off the charts', the agent had said; was it because he was in the room? Danny didn't think so – if that thing was meant to measure ectoplasmic energy, surely it would not assign such a high reading to one half-ghost that happened to be present at the time.
Danny stalked all the way back to the lobby where his family, Jasper, and the lawyers were chattering up storm, mulling over the suspicious reading the entire time. The receptionist grabbed a pen and rapped the desk hard with its end. "Quiet!" she snarled. "This is a hospital!"
"By the time we're through this hospital is going to have so many cut-backs, your patients will have to go to Africa to receive better treatment," one of the lawyers promised.
The elevator door slid open and the two beefy agents stormed up to the group, waving their device around. "This entire place is blanketed with ectoplasmic activity! We're shutting you down!"
"Don't be so stupid," the receptionist hissed. "We're not going to close down just because the Ghostbusters tell us to."
Agent K pulled out a cellphone and began tapping buttons furiously. "We'll see about this."
"What are you doing?" Agent O queried.
"Texting the Chief. This hospital needs to be quarantined."
"Shut up!" one of the nurses howled as the group burst into loud conversation again. This only added to the noise. Danny distinctly began to feel as though he were in a zoo. Various people waiting to be admitted stared at the group curiously.
"I'm going home," he announced suddenly, catching the attentions of Jazz, Jasper and his parents. The conversation came to an abrupt halt as he pushed his way through the group of suited men, trying to reach the doors.
"Don't think this is over," one of the lawyers waved a threatening finger in the receptionist's face.
"We'll be back," Agent O added. "This ghost-infested city is going down, and this hospital is first in line!"
Danny didn't get one wink of sleep that night. The parting words from the Guys in White kept replaying in his head, along with intermittent questions about the ectoplasmic readings. He heard pots and pans and dishes cluttering around downstairs, which told him he wasn't the only one having a restless night; rather than join whomever was down there for an early breakfast, he opted to lie in bed and stare at his ceiling.
Around six-thirty, there was a knock on his door. "Danny, Dash and Tucker are here," Jazz informed him through the other side. "Your Senior Breakfast is today."
Danny had completely forgotten. With a sigh and a grunt, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers and slipped on a simple white shirt. "Thanks, Jazz," he muttered as he exited.
Dash, Tucker and some guy Danny had seen around in several classes but whose name he had forgotten over the years were sitting on the couch, making what one could barely classify as small talk with Jasper. "Alright, let's go," Danny gestured as soon as he stepped in the room. The three sprung to their feet, bid goodbye to the other two and made their way out.
"So, where are we going?" Danny questioned.
"Amity General," Dash said. "We're picking up Kwan."
"His doctor gave him the okay?" Danny asked.
"No point in keeping him there anymore," Dash shrugged. "They can't find any reason to keep him there. His parents told me to pick him up from the hospital and bring him home after school."
The ride to the hospital was silent, with Danny sitting in the passenger seat and wondering if Tucker and the other guy – who'd introduced himself as Matthew – could feel the tension Danny was surely experiencing.
"Wait right here," Dash instructed, pulling to the curb right by the hospital's entrance. "Danny, why don't you get behind – Kwan will be more comfortable in the passenger seat."
'What about my comfort?' Danny wanted to ask, but complied with the request. Dash quickly strode in while Tucker and Matt made way for the new occupant. A couple of minutes later, Dash was out again with Kwan by his side.
"So where are we going?" Kwan repeated Danny's earlier question as soon as he slid in the passenger seat. Dash chuckled.
"You'll have to wait and see."
The landmarks grew increasingly familiar as Dash rolled through until finally…
"Your big surprise is the Nasty Burger?" Danny stared up at the familiar emblem and gigantic burger that sat atop the joint.
"No," Dash said significantly, "the surprise is inside."
Nonplussed, the four boys followed their leader into the establishment.
Danny jumped when he heard a clap of cheers and a chorus of "Surprise!" ring throughout the eatery. Only then did he register a large banner hanging over the counter with the words Welcome Back Kwan painted on it and streamers taped to the ceiling. Kwan seemed struck, and Dash slapped a hand to his back, a wide grin on his face. A bright flash told Danny someone had managed to capture on film the dumbstruck looks four out of the five boys wore.
A burst of jealousy bloomed inside Danny's chest, but he quashed it with a stern reminder that Dash and Kwan were only friends, that everyone wanted to celebrate having their football star among them again.
"We wanted to throw confetti, but the people here said we would have to clean it up, and that is so not happening," Star said adoringly cozying up to the Asian boy. Sam made her way over to Danny and Tucker, casting a disdainful look at the blonde girl. "Come on," she nodded over to a corner booth. "I'm going to need some coffee to get me through this party."
The three went off on their own unnoticed and bent their heads close as Danny hurriedly told them about the events at the hospital the previous night.
"You were there at the time?" Tucker asked. "Couldn't it have just been reading you?"
"I thought of that," Danny said, "but I'm just one ghost – half a ghost! Why would the reading be 'off the charts' just because of me?"
"Well, you are the GIW's Most Wanted," Sam pointed out.
Danny shook his head. "Later they said that the entire hospital was hot with ectoplamic energy."
"How is that possible?" Tucker frowned. "If there was a ghost around, you would have sensed it."
"Not if it were inhabiting someone," Danny reminded. He turned to give Kwan a suspicious glance. "I have a theory: Kwan was in the hospital last night, right?"
"But, Danny, you went inside him and checked for that ghost; you said there was nothing there," Sam argued.
"Well, maybe I missed it!" Danny half-shouted, half-whispered. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but I have to find out."
He jumped when he felt a strong hand clap his shoulder. "Come on, you guys, can't you be social for once?" Dash chided. "We're playing drinking games."
Danny, Sam and Tucker stared at him as though he was crazy. "You're playing drinking games? At seven in the morning?" Tucker echoed in disbelief.
"Paulina snuck out a bottle of whiskey," Dash told them smugly. "'Course, the most we can do right now without getting kicked out is turning our coffee Irish, but it will have to do."
Practically pulling Danny's arm out of its socket, Dash ushered him over to a crowded booth and pushed him in next to Kwan before sliding in as well and wrapping his arm over Danny's bony shoulders.
Tucker and Sam were still staring, but Danny had to admit, cushioned up against Dash's strong body and feeling the warmth of the boy's attentions, insisting that he join in on the celebrations, it was things like these that made him feel loved.
Author's Note: Okay, I know this is a ridiculously short chapter considering how long I've been gone and I'm so sorry about how long it's taken me to upload this chapter. My connection has been crazy lately, but I'm going to put in more effort in getting the next chapter up quicker. Thanks for reading, everyone!