Edit3: 5/20/18: Next wave of grammar fixes and wording tweaks.
Edit2: 7/4/16: Little extra tweaking to better fit character personalities.
Edited: 6/30/16: Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.
zzz- normal separation
ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)
Mental thoughts, past speech, or distant speaking unless indicated otherwise
"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." ~Gloria Steinem
zzz
Team Phantom got back home from Clockwork's lair and helped Danny onto the couch. He was still warm for a ghost, but only a degree or two above normal for a human. He was slowly cooling further, but it would take a while. The teens got their plan together just as Mr. and Mrs. Fenton walked in the front door.
"Jazz, Danny we're home!" Maddie called out as she and Jack moved into the living room, both wearing their jumpsuits. Jack rushed into the kitchen, muttering something about fudge; Maddie froze when she saw Danny laying on the couch with Sam holding a cold rag on his head and Tucker and Jazz sitting nearby talking casually.
"Danny are you alright?" Maddie asked and walked forward before looking up at the others, "What happened?"
"He's been feeling bad today, mom. We brought him here after school. He has a slight fever," Jazz spoke up.
Maddie nodded and gave a Danny a pitying look, "My poor baby boy."
Danny groaned at her nickname for him and slapped a hand over his eyes, while Sam and Tucker tried to stifle their giggles.
"Well you probably need to stay home tomorrow then," Maddie sighed and put her hands on her hips.
Jack popped halfway out from the kitchen with fudge smeared about his mouth, "Danny-boy's staying home tomorrow?"
"Yes, Jack," Maddie smiled brightly at her husband.
"Well I hope you get to feeling better, son!" Jack bellowed before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Danny couldn't stop the smile that came to his face against his will. No matter what, he'd always love his parents; they were good parents even if they were weird and a bit oblivious.
Eventually Sam and Tucker said goodbye for the day and left, promising to come early tomorrow when Maddie and Jack wouldn't see them. Luckily Jazz knew that her mom and dad were going for a meeting tomorrow at Axion Labs. Recently, FentonWorks and Axion Labs had started really trying to make much stronger connections between one another in their attempts to study ghosts and protect Amity from said ghosts. After Sam and Tucker had left, Jazz stood up and turned to Danny now that their parents had gone down into the lab.
"I'm going to fix you some soup." Jazz nodded.
"Jazz, you do realize I'm not really sick, right? Just really really hot," Danny huffed.
"Hmmm… Maybe some cold soup then? Some Gazpacho?" Jazz smiled.
Danny shook his head in amusement. "Whatever."
Jazz laughed happily and went into the kitchen. Danny sighed and threw an arm over his eyes. He could feel his temperature lowering ever so slowly.
"Tomorrow's going to be a long day," Danny murmured.
zzz
When the next day came, Maddie was reluctant to leave Danny at home alone, but he assured her, as he laid on the couch in a tank and some sweatpants, that he'd call Jazz if he needed anything. After Maddie and Jack had left for Axion Labs, Sam and Tucker arrived and helped Jazz get Danny into the Spector Speeder. Jazz stayed behind to keep watch, just in case their parents made a surprise return visit.
The trio traveled through the Ghost Zone and eventually arrived at Clockwork's. After talking for a brief while, dropping Danny off, and saying goodbye, they left for the Human World to head to school. Jazz was heading to the library for research purposes but would be going to Casper High to get Danny's make up work later.
zzz
Danny listened carefully to Clockwork as the two moved towards the main viewing room in the tower. The young man looked up to Clockwork immensely. Though he was always indirect in how he helped, Danny had come to accept and understand why Clockwork did things the way he did. If anything, Clockwork was glad at how much trust Danny put in him. The ghost of time was used to people hating him and blaming him for all kinds of things, even cursing him when he wouldn't help. To have someone understand why things couldn't always be fixed magically and perfectly, was… a kind of relief to the old ghost. From his knowledge of everything time related, Clockwork knew Danny didn't just trust him because of Clockwork's actions and involvement with saving his family. Danny understood Clockwork's job, the good and the bad.
"You won't easily come to understand your Pyrokinesis in one day, but you will be able to contain it in your core and switch between the cold and hot cores you possess. Being able to control the heat and switch back to a cold core will be the most important thing to keep your identity hidden. Then once you have this kind of control, you can come here whenever you wish to practice some of the finer things about your Pyrokinesis. Unlike your practice with cryokinesis, I understand you don't have a couple days of no responsibility to spare."
Danny nodded, "Yeah, last time with my ice powers, the whole town was taken over. School wasn't happening, my parents weren't aware, no one was for that matter… Right now, I don't have spare time. It's the middle of a school week."
"Indeed." Clockwork nodded and switched from his middle-aged form to his old man form. He floated over to the set of doors that led to his main viewing room and turned to Danny, "I'm going to introduce you to an old friend of mine. I will warn you to try and show respect, even if he doesn't exactly behave kindly. He's kind of a purest and the idea of you being both a ghost and a human at the same time is odd to him. He's a pretty powerful ghost, but he's also one who enjoys his alone time, much like myself."
"Oh great, another fan," Danny grumbled sarcastically.
Clockwork smiled in sympathy. "People fear change and difference. Ghosts share those same qualities even after death."
Danny smiled. "This is when Sam would say something about people being too stubborn to except the different and unique or something like that."
Clockwork chuckled, "You know your friends well, Daniel. Come, I would like you to meet Hakan." Clockwork opened the doors and directed Danny's gaze towards a ghost in the center of the room.
He looked like a traditional Native American chieftain. He had no chief's hat though; his dark brown dreadlocks flowed down his back and over the front of his shoulders. A couple feathers were bound to a few strands of his hair. His eyes were squinted as he gazed at Danny and Clockwork. A large pipe was held in his hand and he let out a breath of smoke from his mouth and nose. He didn't have the same odd skin-tones that most ghosts had in the Ghost Zone and instead he appeared as a sort of clear visage of a normal human form. It was odd for powerful ghosts in the Zone to take the appearance of something more akin to a shade or weaker ghost; he almost seemed to be more like the kind of traditional things people thought of when they thought of ghosts before a portal to the Ghost Zone had been created.
"The child of the spirit caught between the earth and the heavens." Hakan murmured and put the pipe to his mouth again for another breath.
"Does he mean, Halfa?" Danny asked and quirked an eyebrow at Clockwork, who gave a silent nod.
"Come, child," Hakan spoke and let the smoke out from his nose and mouth again.
Danny glanced at Clockwork and his guardian nodded. Danny took a breath and walked forward.
"Hello, uh Mr. Hakan sir," Danny spoke and put out a hand to shake.
Hakan obliged. "A strange creature you are. Not quite man and not quite spirit."
"Yeah I get that a lot." Danny cringed slightly.
Hakan stood straighter and muttered, "The flesh and spirit should not occupy the same body in the way it does for you. It is a disgrace to the balance we have." Danny's face suddenly fell and a slight scowl came to his features. "I feel hesitant giving power or control of power to such a being, but Father Time has assured me it is okay. I do this for him, not you," Hakan expressed.
Danny glanced over his shoulder at Clockwork with a pleading look on his face. This guy was starting to remind him too much of the Observants, who thought Halfas were unnatural and unneeded. Clockwork gave a sympathetic smile again and placed two Cryodiscs on a nearby table, "I'm going to leave these here. I'm fairly certain you will need them."
Danny's face grew frustrated after Clockwork somewhat sheepishly left the room. Danny sighed.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I would actually rather be at school today."
zzz
"I'd much rather be with Danny today, even if we got accidentally fried," Tucker grumbled.
"You said it," Sam agreed.
The duo's day had been less than fun to say the least. Even though they'd helped Danny very early that morning, they had still been late because of the Box Ghost appearing. They had both agreed that they should at least handle the Box Ghost while Danny was temporarily out of commission. After getting late to first period and earning a detention for that afternoon, they had run into Dash between first and second period who had asked them where Fen-toad was. Tucker got locked in the janitor's closet since Danny wasn't there for the bully's pleasure. They had also missed the first half of Lunch to go with Jazz to make sure they got Danny's make up work from Principle Ishiyama's office. When they finally got the chance to sit down outside at their favorite bench, Valerie had approached them, halfway through eating.
"Tucker, incoming," Sam hissed when she spotted Valerie walking towards their table.
"Who?"
"Valerie."
"Oh, snap. You don't think?"
"Maybe, hush."
Valerie stopped and raised a brow at Sam and Tucker hunched over their table. They sat up sharply and gave giant fake smiles.
"Hello, Valerie," Sam said, trying to seem normal.
"Um, hi…" Valerie said and then shook her head. She put her bag on the bench and then sat next to Tucker, who tensed up. "Look I need to talk to you guys seriously about something. First where's Danny today?"
Sam and Tucker looked at each other and took a more serious demeanor than previously.
"Danny's sick today. He should be back tomorrow," Tucker replied.
Valerie nodded. "I guess that's good actually."
Sam and Tucker glanced at each other with a brow raised each.
Valerie sighed, "I don't know if you've noticed, but the last couple days I've been avoiding Danny."
"Well kinda… I think he noticed you were looking at him funny. Is there something wrong?" Sam asked.
Valerie frowned, "I… I was wondering since you two seem to like Phantom…"
Sam and Tucker watched her as she spoke and looked at them.
"Do you know what connection there is between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom?" Valerie asked.
Sam and Tucker glanced at each other nervously.
zzz
"Fire is the opposite of Ice. So instead of letting all the energy inside, out, in order to regain control, you need to contain it. Pull it in. Once it is pulled back as far as possible, it no longer has anything to burn and extinguishes until you give it fuel again. Like anger, fire must be controlled or you will no longer be the one in control," Hakan explained and let out another breath of smoke.
"I always heard bottling up anger is dangerous," Danny murmured suspiciously.
"It is. You aren't putting a cork in it, but you are keeping it mostly contained. The 'steam' so to speak is allowed out, but the fire stays in until you need it," Hakan muttered.
"Okay… okay, so I just push it down?" Danny asked after he'd transformed into Phantom.
"Yes," Hakan replied, eyeing the new form Danny had taken with some weird mix of curiosity and disapproval.
Danny nodded and stood straight before starting to concentrate on the heat in his chest. Then he moved to the heat in the rest of his body and slowly started to push it towards the center. It was resisting though and Danny started to sweat from the strain and from the heat that was increasing from it being condensed.
"RRrrrrRRaaaah!" Danny cried out and forced it down harder and harder. His hands were balled into fists and he was clenching his teeth. He suddenly couldn't keep it up and the heat still hadn't gotten past the point of containment. Danny lost his focus and the heat washed back over him and flew out from his hands when he spread them out. "AAaah!" Danny fell to his knees and panted as sweat started mat his hair.
Hakan sighed, walked over to the table, and picked up one of the Cryodiscs. He came back over and pressed it against Danny's chest. It clicked and started to glow. Danny looked up at Hakan in slight surprise.
"You will try again after you cool down. Father Time informed me that it's most important for you to able to hide the fire and keep it in check today, then more tutelage can come later," Hakan explained.
Danny sighed and fell onto his butt, waiting for the device to cool his core just enough.
zzz
"Uh… What do you mean connection between Danny and Phantom?" Sam murmured.
Valerie looked between the two friends and furrowed her brows, "I mean you two seem to always be around with Phantom. I just assumed Danny helped too… unless… do his parents not approve of that?"
"Yeah. You know the Fentons. They don't like Phantom very much," Tucker laughed lamely.
Sam nodded at Tucker and then looked back at Valerie after she heard the bell ring, "Uh look Valerie, me and Tucker need to go. We really can't be late for another class today."
"We'll see you later, sometime," Tucker nodded before hurrying after Sam.
Valerie nodded to them both as they walked away and then sighed.
Maybe it really was just a dream… Maybe it doesn't mean anything…
"All because I went to bed thinking about Dani and half-ghosts. Why does everything with Phantom involved have to be so-" Valerie paused. An idea started to slowly form in her head. Dani Phantom changing into her human form, that ghost turning into Vlad Masters, Danny Phantom calling Dani his cousin. Her dream flashed through her mind and she could picture the white rings Dani had around Danny Phantom's waist. Her arms fell limply to her sides and for the first time in a long while, Valerie started to cry. She ran away from Casper, transformed into the Red Huntress in a place she wouldn't be spotted and flew home. At the moment, she was feeling pretty sick too. Her mind was preoccupied, school wouldn't stand a chance for her attention for the rest of the day.
zzz
"I don't know if I can do this," Danny sighed in agitation. He was sweating even more now. He had tried three times already to quell the fire in his core.
Hakan grumbled and walked over to Danny. He clutched the disc on Danny's chest and yanked it off. It made a click noise coming off and Danny yelped in shock.
"I'm surprised. I thought one who can wear their soul on the outside would be stronger willed than this." Hakan shook his head.
Danny frowned. "Soul on the outside? You mean my Phantom persona?"
"Indeed. Perhaps you lost your spirit instead when that mouth of thunder half killed you," Hakan mused.
"Mouth of thunder, the portal?" Danny murmured and then looked up with irritation. "Are you trying to say that I lost my determination or something?"
"Did you lose it?" Hakan asked and rose a brow.
Danny growled, "No I didn't. I wouldn't get up in the early hours to fight ghosts if I had! I wouldn't keep fighting when I'm aching all over or bleeding profusely if I had! I will protect the people I love and I will never stop." Heat started to come in waves from Danny's body as he stared at Hakan. The old ghost didn't seem worried and let out another breath of smoke.
"I don't value your word."
Danny growled more angrily and threw his hands forward. Orangish white flames shot from his palms and rushed towards Hakan. Hakan didn't move except for taking the pipe away from his mouth. He took a breath and dark blue flames flew from his throat like a fire-breather. They completely engulfed Danny's flames and the fires canceled each other out. Danny stumbled back a bit and glanced down at his hands in fear.
"I… I didn't mean to…"
"Control the anger. Control the fire. Pull it inside," Hakan spoke and took yet another inhale of his pipe. "All emotions are necessary, like fear. Hatred is something that can be controlled and managed like all emotions. Do you want to hurt people?"
"No! Of course, I-"
"Do you want to hurt your family and friends?"
"NO!"
"Do you want to hurt your enemies?" Hakan pushed further, floated closer, and towered over Danny partway.
There was a pregnant pause and for a moment Danny was gapping like a fish, until-
"No." Danny whispered.
"What was that?"
"No." Danny replied more firmly and then sighed. "I've never really wanted to hurt… anyone."
Hakan looked over Danny while the young man continued to glance at the ground in shame. Finally, Hakan sighed. "You are an interesting one, child. You are a disgrace to the balance and yet, you behave like a Great Guardian."
"Huh?" Danny asked and cocked his head in confusion.
Hakan smiled. "Great warriors of my people that were known for their bravery and just nature."
Danny gave Hakan a smile, "I'm sorry for… attacking you."
"Bah, you think it's the first time I've gotten someone angry at me?"
Danny laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.
"So now, where were we?" Hakan nodded and put the pipe to his mouth again.
Danny smiled and closed his eyes. "Pulling in the heat."
zzz
Valerie wasn't surprised when she didn't find her father at home. He was supposed to be having a meeting with Danny's parents today at Axion. After working so hard as a security guard, the company had finally allowed him into the communications department which dealt with some minor business ventures; she wasn't sure if Vlad had any part in that decision or not, but she tried to focus more on how happy her father seemed. She dropped her things at the door to their apartment and walked into her room. Her eyes were red from crying some and she simply fell onto her bed. It was all too much. Maybe she was just inventing things? Danny Fenton being Danny Phantom? It was just, but no. That had to be the reason no one had figured it out, why no one had figured Vlad Masters out. Sometimes the most obvious things are the most difficult ones to notice.
She took a deep breath and tried to relax, but her dream flashed back into her mind like a cruel reminder. She stood up and started to pace.
"Okay let's see where this goes. What do Fenton and Phantom have in common?"
Fenton leaves and Phantom appears, though that could always be a coincidence. Danny did say once that he's afraid of ghosts. They look the same in body type and such. Fenton started to change some since that accident a couple years ago. He seemed to be doing worse in school since then, he wasn't as personable except with his two best friends, and he seemed to always need to go to the bathroom. The accident was also about the time that Phantom first appeared. Phantom seemed to be aging, even his body had started to change like a growing teenage boy should and ghosts don't change slowly. They tended to only change at all if they were granted power in some way.
"If Danny Fenton was actually Phantom, then he probably would've been trying to help people and all those times he tried to say he was helping-"
No. What about him stealing and hurting the mayor before Masters!?
She growled in frustration, trying to put everything together. She needed answers from the source itself. They needed to talk. At the same time, she was worried she was just falling into the ghost's trap, the same one she'd sworn she would never fall for. Valerie then sighed and flopped onto her side on the bed. Her nightmare had followed her beyond her pillow.
zzz
"Aaaaaaah…" Danny sighed happily as he kneeled on the now cold floor. Ice curled and spiraled around him. Some of the smallest of crystals would break off from the spiraled structures around him that he was building and float about his form like snow and cool him like mist. "I will never take my ice powers for granted again."
Hakan chuckled, "You have figured out how to control and pull in your fire. I suggest meditation for a time after very stressful days to prevent yourself from losing control. Come back when you have the time and I will try and teach you how to harness the power you have. Before you go, quickly… I want to see you switch between your hot and cold core as effectively as you can."
Danny nodded and stood up. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The ice around him slowly started to melt and Hakan could feel heat waves pulsing from the young Fenton. Then suddenly the heat started to fade away and the hissing water on the floor started to crystalize and turn into solid ice as a chill reentered the room. The heat returned once more and then the cold yet again. Finally, Danny opened his eyes with hope in them.
Hakan was smiling broadly, "I have to say, I think I see now why Father Time has taken a liking to you, child."
Danny smiled back. "Thanks for your help, Hakan. I hope to see you again soon when I have the chance to come back and visit."
Hakan nodded and walked over to the table, pulling the extra Cyrodisc from it and handing it to Danny.
"Hide it somewhere if there's an emergency and here," Hakan spoke and floated towards a window that had a view the Ghost Zone. "See over there?" Hakan pointed to a mountain range floating far behind Clockwork's tower. "Beyond those mountains, there is a valley that houses a beautiful waterfall and many trees. My home is there. Go there when you want to learn more about your fire."
Danny smiled and nodded. "I'd love to see your home. You're a good teacher Hakan. I like meeting the nicer ghosts here, like Clockwork, Frostbite and some of the others."
Hakan barked out a laugh. "I should've known Frostbite was the one to teach you those ice powers. It turns out our lives before this spiritual place weren't too different you know? We were both chieftains where we came from… but that's a story for another time. Piuraa, my friend."
Danny seemed confused.
"Goodbye." Hakan laughed and took another breath of smoke. He eyed Danny again and offered the pipe to the young man. "As my friend, would you like a breath?"
Danny laughed nervously. "I appreciate it, really, but I could get in trouble with my parents if I did that. The time I live in isn't so lenient with that sort of thing. I hope you understand." Danny finished with a sad look and worried look on his face. Hakan nodded.
"I understand child, now go. We will meet again soon."
Danny smiled and floated into the air. "Thanks, see you soon! Tell Clockwork I said bye!" Danny then shot out of the tower and floated off into the Ghost Zone.
Hakan coughed as Clockwork floated up beside him from the shadows he'd been hiding in.
"I now understand your interest in him, friend."
Clockwork laughed as he changed into his middle-aged form from his child-form.
"Indeed, he's a good boy. Believe it or not, sometimes we need a little disturbance to set the balance right again."
Hakan rose a brow. "Oh, is that so?" Clockwork laughed. "I believe you Father Time, after all… you see all," Hakan murmured.
"Yes, yes I do," Clockwork answered as he floated out of the room; a sad and uncomfortable look was on his face, which no one saw. Hakan continued to look out of the window Danny had left from, smoking his pipe with a contemplative look on his face.
zzz
Danny poked his head through the Ghost Portal carefully, looking to see if his parents had come home early. When he saw no one, he floated in and transformed before running over and closing the portal. He let out a breath and smiled as he walked up the stairs to the den. Everything was as they'd left it. He nodded and walked over to the stairs, kicking off his shoes and making his way to his room. He traipsed over to his desk and sat at his chair lazily. Danny looked at the clock and saw it was about two forty, so Sam, Tucker, and Jazz would be there shortly to check on him in an hour or so. He saw his Chemistry book open and some problems half-finished next to it. He grumbled and pulled out a pencil.
"Might as well get it done while I have the chance-" A wisp of blue mist escaped his mouth as he said those words.
"I Technus, Master of all things Technological, shall infest your cities' computers with my powers and-"
Danny banged his head against his desk before the familiar white rings enveloped him.
"Hopefully I can get this over with soon," Danny muttered and flew through his bedroom wall intangibly after grabbing up a spare Fenton Thermos from his desk. Immediately he spotted Technus floating before him.
"Technus, I thought we talked about this," Danny sighed.
Technus frowned. "I did it again? Didn't I?"
"Yeah." Danny nodded.
"This bites!" Technus growled and then grinned. "You get it? bites? Nanobytes?"
Danny facepalmed, "Close but-" Danny spoke and then uncapped the thermos for it to start sucking in Technus, who wailed a bit in defeat. Technus disappeared into the thermos and Danny snapped the lid on. "-no cigar!" He nodded and then looked around to make sure no one saw Danny Phantom enter the Fenton's home. He transformed and settled back into his desk chair. He then went back to working on his homework and successfully finished a few problems before he got stumped on a question. He scratched his scalp and bit his pencil a bit before sighing and looking at the thermos. He grabbed it up and spoke.
"Hey Technus, you there?"
"I'm not speaking to you."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Fine I guess you don't know basic Chemistry then…"
"I beg your pardon! I'll have you know that wrote several large textbooks on the subject in my time!"
"Writing one's thing, but can you solve the questions?" Danny huffed.
"Of course!"
"Prove it!"
"Very well!"
"A 6.0 L sample at 25 °C and 2.00 atm of pressure contains 0.5 moles of a gas. If an additional 0.25 moles of gas at the same pressure and temperature are added, what is the final total volume of the gas?" Danny questioned.
"Bah! That's the best you can throw at me? For this example, V i = 6.0 L and n i = 0.5 moles. When 0.25 moles are added, n f = n i + 0.25 moles, n f = 0.5 moles = 0.25 moles, and n f = 0.75 moles. The only variable remaining is the final volume. So-"
"I got it!" Danny exclaimed and continued to finish the problem. "The answer would be nine liters. Thanks, Technus!"
Technus fumbled, "Excuuuuuse me!? Did you just use me!?"
"Well sorta. I figured it out on my own though after you gave me the hint I needed for the first half." Danny shrugged even though Technus couldn't see it.
"Darn it," Technus grumbled.
"Hey, at least now I'm… done! I can send you back to the Ghost Zone before my parents come home and find you. That would end messily, probably for both of us," Danny muttered and grabbed the thermos from his desk after snapping his textbook shut.
"Hmph," Technus spoke.
Danny grunted and ran down the stairs and then went towards the lab. He got into the lab and clicked the thermos into the slot. "Remember to at least try and cut back on the monologuing or you'll just keep embarrassing yourself more and more."
"I can't believe I'm receiving your pity. How revolting." Technus grumbled.
"Whatever. See ya later, I'm sure," Danny replied and clicked the button. He heard a flush and Technus called out one more time.
"I will take over the world one day, Ghost Child! And there will be nothing you can do about iiiiitttt!"
Danny took out the thermos and chuckled. "Reverse psychology on ghosts. Gotta thank Jazz for that idea later."
Danny spun on his heal and made his way back up to his room and sat down to get onto his computer. He reached to the back of the monitor and pressed a special button Tucker had installed there for him. As soon as he did this, a usually invisible folder popped up. Danny clicked on it and typed in a password to open it. His documents on all things ghost related then appeared before him and he started to sift through it. Team Phantom had decided that a normal password protected folder would be suspicious if Danny's parents ever snooped on his computer as some would think Danny was hiding other things rather than info on Ghosts. Keeping a paper trail was decided against also, so Tucker had come up with this idea so that the info was kept as safe as possible. Tucker had installed the folder's own memory bank into the back of the monitor as well, so the government or other hackers wouldn't find it, especially the GiW. Inside there were several sub folders:
-Danny
-Danielle
-Vlad
-Friends
-Enemies
-Neutrals and other
-Artifacts
-Lore and History
-Other Timelines
Danny's eyes locked onto the one labeled Danny and double clicked on the folder. He opened a document that listed his abilities and powers. Scrolling to a certain place, he typed up as much as he knew about his new Pyrokinesis. Once done there, Danny backed up and went to the Friends folder and made a new document and labeled it: Hakan. Danny cracked his knuckles and started to type.
Name: Hakan
Home or Lair: Unexplored
Abilities Known: Master of Pyrokinesis
Danny went on like this for a bit before finishing his work and backing out of the main Folder. He then reached back and pushed the monitor's button again. He sighed contently, feeling accomplished for getting everything on his plate done. He then heard the front door open downstairs.
"Hey! Danny, you there!? It's us, Sam, Tucker and me!"
Danny smiled and turned intangible before floating through the floor and finding them. He landed neatly on the ground.
"Hey guys." Danny smiled.
"So?" Jazz asked with a smile.
Danny noticed the strained looks on Sam and Tucker but turned to answer Jazz's question first.
"I've had… an interesting day." Danny shrugged and motioned for them all to sit on the couch with him. He then retold his story about learning to control his fire powers.
zzz
"I even finished my Chemistry homework." Danny sighed, "I wish more days could be like this."
Jazz smiled brightly at the rare relaxed smile on her brother's face before he and she both noticed Sam and Tucker's anxious shared glance.
Danny's relaxed smile turned into a worried frown. "What is it." It was more of a fact rather than a question.
Tucker sighed and then began, "First off me and Sam, adverse to you, had a looooong day-"
"Tucker, that's not important," Sam grumbled.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Anyways," Tucker continued and gave Danny a serious look, "Valerie asked us directly today what was the connection between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom."
Danny and Jazz's eyes opened wide.
"What did you tell her?" Jazz asked, her voice rising a little due to her worry.
"We said that your parents don't let you help Phantom like… we apparently do." Sam winced. "And that was that. Point is, I think she's catching onto us if she hasn't already figured it out."
Danny started fidgeting his hands. "Well damn it."
"Danny," Jazz hissed slightly at her brother cursing and then shook her head, "Never mind. I guess that's somewhat justified."
"Oh, I think it justifies a-" Sam started and Tucker raised his hand.
"Don't finish that sentence, Sam," Tucker sighed. Sam crossed her arms and looked back at Danny.
"Regardless, what should we do?"
Danny was staring at the ground for a bit, seemingly not hearing his friends or sister.
"Dude?" Tucker pressed.
"Danny?" Jazz spoke and placed a hand on his shoulder. Danny looked up at all of them.
"I guess the only thing we can do, I need to go talk to her as Phantom. Either I can make her doubt any conclusions she may have drawn or I come clean if I feel the need." Danny sighed.
"Danny are you sure?" Jazz asked nervously.
"Danny are you nuts!?" Sam shouted and stood up, "This girl has been trying to kill you! Kill you! Do you really think she'll accept you that quick!? We shouldn't rush into this!"
Danny frowned, "Sam, she accepted Dani for the most part and I'm already dead, sort of."
Sam's face grew more frustrated, "Danny you know good and well what I mean and how do you know she'll do the same for you? She's had a grudge on you for about two years almost. She didn't even have a deep-seated reason to hate Dani. Remember? She's shoot first ask questions, never!"
Danny stood up and surprised Sam by reminding her that he was finally a bit taller than her.
"I know that! You think I don't know that!? I just want to see if she-" A pained look entered Danny's eyes. "Maybe you're right. Maybe… I just want people to not hate me."
Sam's aggression immediately melted at the slight desperation in his voice. She could only really imagine how hard this was for him. She had always felt like she was the one no one could ever understand or accept before Danny's accident, but that had been untrue for longer than that if she was honest with herself. When she met Danny and Tucker, they accepted and understood her like no one else could. Danny had a different kind of existential crisis to deal with than her.
"Danny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so mad. I just worry about you. I don't want you to get hurt."
Danny sighed. "I already get hurt Sam. I-"
"I meant here, Danny." She explained and poked him in the chest, near the place his heart was.
"Ugh… You guys are so killing me here!"
Danny and Sam turned to look at Tucker, breaking the intense eye contact they had shared for a moment. Tucker was glaring at them and tapping his foot.
"Can't you two just freaking kiss! Hell, I'd even sit here and watch you make out if you two would just get togeth-OUCH!" Tucker yelped when he found Sam's steel-toed boot slammed against his shin. He immediately grabbed the hurt area.
"Shut-up Tucker!" Sam growled.
Danny was growling at his friend and whipped his head around when his sensitive hearing told him Jazz was snickering.
"What?" Danny asked, suspicion in his voice.
Jazz straightened up. "Hm? You talking about me? Oh nothing, nothing."
Danny grumbled something under his breath as a blush formed on his cheeks. He turned back to Sam and Tucker.
"So?" Sam asked, "Have we even decided on anything?"
Danny shrugged. "I don't know."
"I think you should talk to her. If she's feeling guilty, then maybe she's in the best mood to actually be accepting, psychologically speaking of course," Jazz expressed.
"Feels a little under-handed," Danny murmured.
"You and your dang hero-complex," Tucker spoke and rolled his eyes.
Danny groaned slightly in return, "Fine. I'll talk to her as Phantom as soon as the opportunity arises."
Everyone looked at each other hesitantly but with resolve. After a bit more casual talking, Sam and Tucker got up and left for home. Danny and Jazz walked into the kitchen to fix a little snack when they heard their parents arrive home.
"Danny-boy!? Jazzy-pants!? Guess what I got to do today!" Jack's excited voice boomed from the den. He poked his head into the kitchen and found them there.
"What dad?" Jazz asked with a bit of annoyance.
"We saw a weird Techno ghost guy earlier, before he zoomed off, and I got to use the Ghost Gabber on him and it worked! We never figured out where the ghost went, but the point is the Gabber worked!" Jack said excitedly.
"That's great, dad," Danny replied passively but in a friendly manner. Even with the Valerie thing, he was still in a decent mood.
"That's great, dad. Fear me."
Maddie was now in the kitchen and everyone paused at the machine's voice.
"Darn it!" Jack grumbled, "I thought for sure I fixed that. I don't know why this thing keeps doing that to Danny."
Maddie walked forward and put a hand to Danny's forehead before he could protest, "Your fever seems to be gone. You almost kinda feel cold though."
Danny backed away slightly, "I uh, you know… had the thermostat way down before Jazz got home. That must be it!"
Maddie nodded and then smiled. "Well I'm certainly glad you're feeling better, sweetie."
Jack was still scratching his head in confusion and looking at the Ghost Gabber.
"I guess I need to rework this thing, again." Jack huffed and thudded away.
So, with most everything settled down, the Fenton family had supper and the kids went to their rooms and the parents went to the lab.
zzz
Danny was sleeping soundly in his bed; a soft snore came from his mouth as he tossed the covers slightly and revealed one of his legs. He had abandoned his sweats and wore only his boxers with his tank. His eyes snapped open when a blue mist escaped his mouth.
"I wonder if she'll be there…" Danny murmured and transformed while still in bed. He glanced at his alarm and saw it was one o' clock. "She usually isn't for most night hunts." He went intangible and flew out of his covers which fell and trapped the heat he'd had. He then drifted into Jazz's room and nudged her shoulder.
"Danny? What is it?" She asked and rubbed her eyes after sitting up. Danny was floating over her bed.
"I was just… going to tell you I'm going out to hunt a ghost. Valerie might be there. I just thought you'd want to know," Danny answered.
Jazz nodded and then smiled. "Thanks Danny. I appreciate it. Be careful and see you later."
"Yeah, go back to sleep." Danny nodded and then vanished from her sight. She sighed and laid there for a moment before trying to fall back asleep.
zzz
Danny grumbled as he capped the thermos. It had only been the Box Ghost. Normally he'd be sorta thankful, kinda, but he always got annoyed when the Box Ghost was one to wake him from slumber. Danny glanced around and exhaled. No sign of Valerie. He started to turn around to disappear and fly home when he heard the click and then the charge of a ghost weapon.
"Phantom."
Danny gulped slightly and turned slowly to lock eyes with the Red Huntress.
"Oh, hey there, Valerie."
"That's the Red Huntress to you."
"Oh uh, sorry." Danny gulped. They stood there silently as Valerie continued to aim her bazooka at him.
"Well? Are you going to run?"
Danny flinched. "Uh. I was kinda thinking maybe you wanted to uh, talk? I mean that Sam girl and Tucker guy told me that you were wondering about me and that um, Fenton boy."
Valerie seemed a bit surprised and lowered her gun a bit. "You heard about that, huh?" Danny noticed the bazooka she was holding was starting to wobble slightly.
"Valerie?" Danny asked. "Val?"
Valerie froze at that shortened version of her name, like the ghost was more familiar with her then he technically should be. She slowly looked up and locked eyes with him. "Danny?" She whispered. "Danny… Fenton?" She whimpered more clearly. She saw a sorrowful look cross Danny's face before a resolved half-smile came.
"Yeah?"
"No." Valerie murmured and let the bazooka hang limply at her side, "How? This… this can't be happening. It's a dream or a nightmare, but this just doesn't make sense."
Danny frowned and then motioned to her. "Come on. Let's find a place to talk about it, okay?"
Valerie surprised him by giving him a slightly suspicious look.
Danny waved his hands frantically in front of him and kept them raised as he spoke, "I promise I'm not doing anything funny. Just trust me once, really trust me, okay Valerie?"
Valerie's face fell a bit and she put her weapon away. "Okay. Lead the way spo- I mean, Danny."
Danny nodded and flew towards Amity Park, Valerie trailing behind.
zzz
Sam was laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She'd been that way for at least an hour or two. After enjoying some video games and watching a movie she'd rented recently, she'd finally gone to bed… or well gotten in bed. Truth be told there were only two things that caused her to lay awake and stare at the ceiling like this. The first was her poetry. Sometimes the inspiration refused to come some nights. The second, the one she was thinking of now and wishing it didn't cause her such conflict was, Danny.
She kept wondering what would happen if Valerie did accept Danny. Don't get her wrong, she would be horribly upset if Valerie dared to say one hateful thing to Danny once she knew who and what he was, but at the same time…
I'm afraid.
She could remember the discomfort, jealousy, and confusion rise in her from seeing him walk with Valerie and talk with her when they were technically dating before. Valerie had really been the first other than Sam to appreciate Danny Fenton for who he was. Now though she couldn't help but notice how a few girls would look at him when he walked through the halls with her and Tucker. Even Tucker was getting a little attention too, whether he realized it or not. As for her, she thought so but then again, she was never really bothering to notice. Some who'd also matured in their later years of high school and started to look past trying to fit in, would also bother to notice the things about Danny that had drawn Sam to him when they first become friends. His kindness, his laugh, his dedication… Sam grit her teeth.
Manson, you aren't supposed to think that way. Fawning over some guy would be silly. Just because you like him, doesn't mean you need to think about him any differently than before.
She groaned in frustration. It was difficult not knowing how to handle her emotions and their relationship; however, it had been two years since she'd first started to feel more deeply about Danny so she at least had practice keeping calm and not showing many hints of her feelings. It also helped that Danny was somewhat clueless. To make things even more complicated, it was only within the most recent months that she'd finally admitted to herself that she really liked him more than a friend and wanted to try and maybe date him, but she didn't know if he'd ever feel the same and even the idea of accidentally ruining their friendship because of her selfishness, unthinkable. She sighed in defeat and tried to close her eyes to sleep.
As long as we can be friends, I'll be okay.
zzz
"I didn't want to believe it. I still don't want to believe it," Valerie murmured.
She and Danny were sitting under a large tree in the park. She'd taken off her suit and Danny was still sitting as Phantom.
"How'd you piece it together?" Danny asked. He noticed a small glance she gave him, when she thought he hadn't seen.
Valerie frowned, "I saw Dani change forms. You had told me that Dani was partly human. After we helped Dani escape, I went back for Mr. Masters and saw him transform into that other ghost. You had also said Dani was your cousin-"
"There's got to be something else-" Danny added.
"I had a dream. I-" Valerie seemed to choke on her words.
"It's okay Valerie. I'll understand." He was getting the feeling it wasn't a pleasant dream.
She gulped and continued, "I finally got Phantom, shot him in the back and he fell. He hit pretty hard and suddenly before I could get closer, a bright flash blinded me and…"
"And?"
"And Danny Fenton was bleeding on the ground instead," Valerie finished, "I was horrified."
Danny nodded. He kept noticing her glancing at him with slight suspicion in her eyes. Perhaps to most it would be well hidden, but Danny could feel small pinpricks of animosity coming off of her.
Valerie looked over at him, "So…"
"Yeah. I won't lie this time. Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom. It's just a name. Phantom doesn't exist."
Her voice shook, "Could you?"
Danny nodded as a ring of white light appeared, split about his waist, and traveled up and down his body turning him into Fenton. He blushed when he realized he was still in his boxers.
"Ah Damn it."
Valerie couldn't help but laugh. "I guess any worries I had of Phantom overshadowing you or something were just extinguished. That's a Fenton move, definitely."
Danny chuckled a bit and changed back into Phantom to be more decently clothed. Valerie had on her school clothes still for some reason, though she lacked her shoes, yellow headband and her jewelry she normally wore.
"Uh by the way, why are you in your day clothes?" Danny asked and then blushed, "Not that I was uh-"
Valerie sighed. "I left school today the moment the pieces fell together. I told my dad later I had had felt sick and kinda fell asleep on my bed in my clothes until my ghost alert told me a ghost was nearby."
"Oh Valerie. You don't have to feel so guilty. I mean it is my fault I didn't tell you."
Valerie shook her head, "Before I argue about my innocence or lack thereof in the matter, let's start at the beginning. If that's okay?"
Danny nodded. "Yeah. I owe it to you."
Valerie asked her first question, "Okay. How?"
"My lab accident. My body was infused with ecto-energy the moment I was zapped by the portal. I was inside it, not just near it. It technically half killed me. I'm a Halfa, half human and half ghost, caught in limbo of sorts. I still need food, oxygen, most of the time, showers, and pretty much everything a normal human needs. My heart rate and temperature are lower and slower than normal but higher than full ghosts. I'm super strong and super-fast as well. Then of course I have various ghostly abilities, if that isn't obvious, and ghostly tendencies like having my own obsessions and being able to sense emotion to some degree."
Valerie nodded and tried to digest the new info before looking back up, "Okay, why did you let that dog-"
"Cujo." Valerie gave him a slight glare which put Danny on edge. Danny frowned in irritation. "Cujo was a watch dog at the Axion Labs. When guard dogs were no longer needed they were put down. Cujo just wanted his squeaky toy. I was still learning how to use my powers and well, I couldn't easily stop him then. It was an accident, I swear."
Valerie sighed. "Just like you'd said."
Danny nodded. He flinched when she suddenly stood up and glared at him. He frowned in anger, already figuring where this was going.
"How the heck do I know this isn't just some big trick!? You're evil! You've done a bunch of bad things and Phantom and Fenton are like two completely different people!" She growled and clenched her fists. "Do you realize how foolish I feel!? You could've told me!"
Danny could tell she was flip-flopping between betrayal, suspicion, and frustration. He stood up to face her, knowing he was angry at her too.
"Excuse me for not wanting to be seen as some kind of inhuman, unfeeling thing! You know Valerie, you kept thinking how bad your lovely life had gotten, but think about this, what if you were afraid of almost everyone you knew? What if, you were constantly wondering if you were going to be discovered and picked and prodded at? I kinda didn't like the idea of some whack job group of scientists, picking me apart or heaven forbid my own parents! I need people to trust me Valerie! I NEED that, otherwise if someone starts to pick me apart and I turn into a human, then they'll just keep picking. You believed in Dani's humanity when I told you she was half human, please believe in mine."
Valerie faltered for a moment, most of her anger dissipating, but Valerie being Valerie, hung onto her doubts to the bitter end.
"But Dani never did half of the evil things you have!" Valerie growled and got closer to his face.
Danny was much calmer now and didn't flinch at her closeness. He spoke evenly and confidently. "Give me your reasons for doubting me and I'll tell you why you're wrong."
Valerie put her hands to her sides. "You stole all that money and merchandise from those stores, banks and museums."
"The Circus Gothica was in Town. You remember Freakshow, the guy that was arrested for the possession of said stolen goods? He had this staff with a crystal orb that controlled ghosts."
Valerie flinched and seemed to give Danny a sympathetic look. "You mean you-"
"It was completely against my will. I swear I was trying to fight it, but-"
Valerie interrupted him, her eyebrows furrowing, "And the mayor, the one before-" She growled out Vlad's name. "Vlad?"
"There's this ghost named Walker. He's like a corrupt sheriff that inhabits the Ghost Zone and he has it out for me. Because I escaped his prison, since he locked me up for crimes that were unjust, he decided to make my prison 'the town I live in' so he overshadowed the mayor, put me in a headlock I couldn't escape from, and framed me."
"And Vlad Masters? What has he been-"
"He's been trying in every way possible to make things harder for me."
Valerie finally seemed to be calming down again. She took some deep breathes and then closed her eyes before leaning against the tree. Both teens sat in silence for a moment before Valerie broke the quiet with yet another question that was slightly off topic.
"Who's Dani, Fenton? I know you don't have a cousin like her." She looked up after Danny didn't respond immediately. He had pulled his legs up and was floating with them crossed under him; he was staring at nothing in the distance. Quite suddenly, he looked right into her eyes and she felt like he was staring into her soul.
"If I tell you, will you promise not to think any less of her? Will you promise not to cause her harm in any way, even if you decide to turn me into the GiW-"
Valerie opened her mouth to speak but Danny silenced her by raising his hand.
"-will you promise to not mention her even in passing?"
Valerie sighed. "I'm not going to turn you into those nuts, Danny, and I promise."
Danny watched her for a moment before taking a deep breathe. "She's my clone."
"Oh dear God, how-who?"
"Vlad."
Valerie shook her head and then clenched her fists. "He's… he's the most-"
"Seriously crazed up fruit-loop you've ever met?"
Valerie looked at Danny's smirking face and laughed a bit. "Yeah I guess that's the best description of him." She glanced down at her feet and they both lapsed into silence yet again.
Finally after a few minutes she spoke, "How do you do it?"
Danny flinched. "Huh?"
"How have you been dealing with this? All of this? All of us?"
Danny chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well I think I would've lost my head a long time ago if not for Sam and Tucker. They're the best friends I could ever ask for, scratch that, that anyone could ever ask for."
Valerie smiled. "I get it."
Danny nodded.
Valerie took a deep breath. "I believe you Danny."
Danny paused in his floating and hovered, still, in midair. "You mean that?"
Valerie thought for a moment to make sure she was certain. She glanced at Danny and looked over his face. She could see it now, plain as day. Danny's face was there, behind the white hair and green eyes. Even though Phantom behaved a bit differently at times, she could see more clearly now how both Dannys were alike. She herself put on a bit of a mask to hide the connection between Valerie and the Red Huntress. How in the world had no one ever figured it out for so long?
"Yeah I do mean it."
"…That means a lot to me, Val. Thanks."
Once more a pause in the conversation came, though it was much briefer.
"Now what?" Valerie asked.
"Now what, what?"
"Where do we go from here?" Valerie replied. "I mean I've been trying to waste you for a couple years now. God! How could I've been so stupid!"
"Sometimes, people can be misguided. We can all be guilty of ignorance, even though it's something so easily remedied."
"You sound like your sister or something."
"Well she's actually not too bad once you realize she has her moments."
"She knows too huh?"
"Yeah that helps too."
Valerie gulped. "Danny? Is there anything I could do?" He looked up at her. "You know, to help? It's the least I can do."
Danny smiled. "For now, I think it's best we try to act normal. Vlad still thinks you work for him. He might start messing with your life if he figures out you know about me and especially since you know about him."
Valerie's face turned determined. "I'm not afraid. I already lost almost everything without his help, no offense."
"None taken."
"-So, he doesn't scare me."
Danny frowned, "That doesn't matter. You don't have anything for him, so he could waste you without anyone knowing he did it. He wants me as his creepy perfect son and mom as… I won't say, but you? He just wanted you as a pawn to make my life a bit harder."
Valerie grit her teeth. "A pawn, huh? Sam and Tucker help you. Vlad could waste them at any time."
Danny sighed. "I wish they wouldn't but they're too stubborn. I don't want any more people to put themselves at risk for me. It's not just Vlad either."
Valerie shook her head, "All this time, you really were the hero almost everyone was thinking you were, except me and your parents."
"Yeah."
"That's just flat out depressing." Valerie frowned.
"Welcome to my life or uh half-life." Danny smiled lamely.
"I'm helping."
"Huh?"
"I have my suit. It's only mine and not Vlad's. It's attached to my body and not his. I'm going to start helping you. Slowly, but I will. Vlad will just have to get over it. I can't sit on the sidelines and watch you fight so hard for everybody and not have more help!"
Danny was frowning and then smiled. "Okay. Obviously, you're going to be just as stubborn as Sam and Tuck."
"You better believe it."
"It'll take some time, but we'll catch you up on things."
Danny stood up and helped her up as well. She glanced at him.
"I can't believe I dumped you to hunt you."
"Irony's funny, huh?"
She sighed. "That's aright though. You're a great guy Danny, really. And honestly, I think you belong to someone else. I was always kinda suspicious that you did."
Danny cocked his head and a blush formed on his cheeks. "Uh, what do you mean by that?" He asked and his eyes flicked from left to right and back to her nervously.
Valerie shook her head, "I've seen you two grow closer and closer these last couple months."
"Who are you-?"
"Tell Sam how you feel, Danny."
"What!? Sam?!" Danny's face turned a shade redder.
Valerie sighed. "Take a girl's advice. She likes you just as much as you like her."
Danny froze and he gulped slightly before looking away. "What If she-"
"She won't," Valerie answered.
Danny smiled at her. "I'll… I'll think about it."
Valerie nodded and gave a smile. Danny smiled back and started to float away.
"Danny?" Danny turned and looked down at Valerie again. "Thank you, for everything."
Danny's face went from happy to ecstatic. "Thanks."
She shook her head. "See you at school tomorrow then."
"Yeah you too, Huntress." Danny smirked and then gave a wave and shot off.
Valerie waved a bit after he was gone and then looked at her hands. She finally clutched them. "I will help them. I won't forgive myself otherwise. Finally, I know what team I should've been on."
She looked back up into the night sky before transforming into the Red Huntress and flying towards home.
After D-Stabilized I always felt like Valerie would catch on pretty quick. Danny took a big risk telling Valerie that Dani, who looks so much like Danny, was half human. Of course, he was more concerned about Dani's safety at the time, so it was a trade of sorts. My very first draft of their talk (before it ever saw FFN) didn't have Valerie getting angry or irritated as much, but then I realized that it lacked Valerie's 'passion'. When people like her are proven wrong and they've actually been doing something they would have thought under normal circumstances was wrong or immoral, they tend to try and justify their actions, get angry, or enter denial of some form. I also believe that it wouldn't take too long for her to forgive Danny and herself and move on, seeing as she was on semi-decent terms with Danny Phantom at the end of D-stablized. Overall, I hope I did a decent job of it.
Final Note: When Tucker said ten points above normal, he was comparing ten points for a half ghost to a human. Someone with a normal temperature of 98 would die if they went to 110 degrees. Danny went from 89 to 101, which would be fatal if he wasn't a half ghost (which can handle temperature extremes a bit better than humans).
6/30/16: Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.
7/4/16: Little extra tweaking to better fit character personalities.
5/20/18: Next wave of grammar fixes and wording tweaks.