Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom as it's the property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International. I am just a loyal fan and nothing more.

Dani Fenton: School Daze

Chapter 10: Sebastian

That same afternoon

The local Park

Sebastian had gotten out of the limousine and took a stroll through the park with his nanny Hilda who also served as his bodyguard. He had a long day of school, lessons and trying to avoid an obnoxious brat who he will not be thinking about at all right now.

He wanted some peace and quiet as well as a chance to relax.

He had just finished his piano lessons and he wanted some fresh air and a chance to take more pictures. He could always count of photography to help him unwind and so far he managed to get some great ones about a family of squirrels and even a humming bird among the flowers.

"A little closer...Got it..."He whispered as he managed to get a snap shot of the hummingbird sitting on a daisy.

"Sebastian...Would you care to sit down, I believe it's snack time..."Hilda called out as she took out his favorite PB&J sandwich and grape juice for her purse.

"Good idea Hilda..."Sebastian said as he sat next to her on the bench.

"Managed to get anything good?..."Hilda asked and Sebastian showed her all the pictures he managed to get today, mostly about small animals and plants.

"These are very nice Sebastian, you are a regular little Andy Rouse..."Hilda said proudly to her young charge who was smiling widely.

"Not really, I think my style is more similar to Joel Sartore than good old Andy..."Sebastian pointed out to his grinning caretaker.

"Regardless, I think you give it more justice than they do..."Hilda said to the boy.

"Thanks but these are nothing compared to the pics I'm going to get of the beluga whale with dad this Saturday...'Sebastian said happily but got confused when Hilda had a troubled expression on her face.

"Um..Sebastian darling...about that?..."She started out nervously and Sebastian had a sinking suspicion he knew what was happening thought he hoped otherwise.

"What?..."He asked his nanny.

"I'm afraid your father won't be available this Saturday, apparently his conference got moved to this Saturday so he won't be able to make it..."Hilda said sadly, as this was something she was used to telling him and she hated seeing the disappointment on the child's face.

"Oh..."Was all Sebastian said.

"I'm sorry Sebastian..."Hilda said only for Sebastian to shake his head.

"It's okay, I get it, he's busy and all I really care about is getting that picture really..."Sebastian said with a smile before going back to taking pictures around the park.

He didn't want to make his nanny feel worse but he was kinda upset that his dad bailed on him but he knew it wasn't his fault, he was a really important business man and he had a busy schedule but he did try and spend time with him as much as he could during his time off. He even attended his piano recital two weeks ago and watched his fencing match last Friday and despite coming in second place, his father congratulated him for his hard work and even said he was a regular musketeer.

"Dad..."He thought to himself as he tried to find something worth taking a picture of.

The Hayward family was a very rich and important family and as the first born son, he was expected to follow his father's footsteps and join the family business one day.

Sebastian honestly didn't mind so much, he was a straight A student, and he did like playing piano and fencing but the lessons and etiquette was what bothered him the most as well as his pre-planned destiny, which included countless lessons and expectations for him to uphold, which includes doing well in school, taking a boat load of extracurricular activities and so much more.

He loved his dad but sometimes he really hated being his son, especially when he was grooming him into taking on the family business known as The Hayward corporation, a large computer company that was ever expanding.

He wasn't sure if he wanted what was planned for him but he decided not to think about it so much as he went back to taking pictures and just enjoying his brief moment of freedom.

"Nature really is a beautiful model..."He thought to himself as he snapped away.

Meanwhile

At Fenton Works

Danny Fenton a.k.a. Danny Phantom had arrived home after enjoying a nice afternoon with his girlfriend Sam, despite the occasional ghost fight and the annoying fan. However, once home, he ran across his adoptive little sister who was still refusing to speak to him.

It's been days since this started and he was sick of it, he wanted to see her smiling and talking to him again but she was totally stubborn.

"This has got to stop..."Danny thought as he watched the little ghost girl continue to act like he wasn't there.

He sighed, he had to stop this, it was killing him.

"Hey Dani….Do you ever plan on talking to me again?...'Danny asked to the little girl who was still blatantly ignoring him.

"Come on Dani, it's been over 4 days..."Danny insisted but groaned when Dani still didn't say anything.

"Come on….Let's go on a flight together and I'll buy you some ice cream….'Danny offered to the little ghost girl who still didn't budge.

Okay….Dani loved sweets almost as much as his dad loved fudge and that was saying something, especially since she somehow inherited his big appetite.

"Man...She must really be mad if she's passing up the chance for free ice cream...'Danny thought before sighing.

He knew why she was so angry, it was because he was leaving her out of his ghost battles but he just couldn't let her take that risk, ghost hunting was a very dangerous and stressful lifestyle and she's already been through too much of that.

"I'm sorry Dani, I really am but you have to understand that...how hard it is for me to see you in danger..."He said softly to the little girl who still pretended not to listen.

But he knew otherwise.

"Dani...It's not because I think you're weak...I know you are a strong girl...It's just...I've been living this lifestyle for nearly two years and it's not easy..."Danny said looking down and Dani was looking at him now but still not speaking.

"I know you probably think this is all fine with the weapons and the ghost powers...but you don't understand yet how hard it was for me to do this...The secret identity, the constant attacks and keeping a double life and that's nothing compared to all the close calls I've been through…."He continued.

"I don't regret what I do….It's my duty to protect the city as much as I can but I was thrust into this life when I was 14...and you...you've already been through so much...I just don't want to risk you getting hurt...again...."He said looking down and Dani realized what he was talking about.

It seems she wasn't the only one who couldn't forget about that day...and it seems that Danny wasn't done talking yet.

"Please...for me...just try looking at it from my point of view...You're not ready for the ghost fight yet...and neither am I..."He said in a pleading tone and now Dani was directly staring at him.

She hated feeling this way, a part of her was still angry he forbade her from the fights...but she could see the sincerity of his eyes...She knew he meant each of his words.

"Danny...You….These powers are a part of who I am...I want to do something good with them..."Dani said, finally directly speaking to him after 4 days of deliberate silence.

Dani sighed as she rubbed her arm and tried to ignore the bothersome feelings she was experiencing right now.

She didn't like thinking about her origin, that she was a mistake from the start and was only meant to be used by a manipulative monster who didn't care about her at all and only treated her like a tool and would have destroyed her as soon as it was convenient. However, fate gave her a chance to escape all that when Danny came into her life and showed her the truth, that Vlad was nothing more than a lying monster and that she did matter to the people that cared about her.

Now she was free...She was finally her own person, away from that monster and she could finally have the life she always wanted. She now had a home, a family and a friend as well...The thought abut Lucy made her smile briefly, she was really happy that she finally managed to find a friend in the well read girl.

True, none of it was exactly how she imagined it would be. but her new life was still precious to her.

She had a family, a friend, a home and her entire life ahead of her, the only thing that was left was her powers...If she couldn't use them to save people and help her brother out on his duties, she might as well not have them...but they were a part of who she was.

"If I can't use my powers to be a hero...then what can I be?...'Dani asked, more to herself than anybody.

Danny blinked when he heard her voice and was staring at her now.

"You'll be my little sister..."He said with a smile to the little girl who still refused eye contact with him.

"Dani...Please...I know you think I might be acting a little crazy but...someday you'll understand why I'm doing this..."Danny said honestly to the little girl who was no longer glaring.

"Danny..."She muttered to the boy.

She wanted to argue with him more...but she was just so tired about this...Danny was really stubborn….but he was also the person who cared about her the most. She wanted to please him but she still wanted to do something with her life.

She wanted to do something good.

"Can you at least stop hating me?...'He asked the little girl who finally let go of her frown who was giving him a cheeky grin.

"I could never hate you Danny..."She said, with the first smile he had seen all week on her cute little face.

"But we're not done talking about this big brother..."Dani explained to the boy who sighed.

"I figured but I'm just glad you're talking to me again..."The ghost boy said to the little girl who rolled her eyes but smiled as well.

"So...About that ice cream…."Dani said with a sly grin and now it was Danny's turn to roll his eyes.

20 minutes later

At an ice cream shop

Danny and Dani were now sitting enjoying their ice cream, they had managed to come at a good time since the shop was having a slow day which meant that his fans and the press weren't bothering them and the staff was kind enough not to make a big deal about them there after their initial shock that the world hero and his sister were patrons.

Now Danny was still enjoying his strawberry cone while his little sister was inhaling her treats with much gusto.

"Where does she put it all?…."Danny thought to himself as Dani wolfed down the ice cream like there was no tomorrow.

He still couldn't could comprehend how such a little girl could rival his dad's fearsome appetite for anything sweet.

Once done, Dani sighed and rubbed her belly after eating her third ice cream sundae, her lips were covers with whip cream and chocolate syrup and she even let out a small burp much to her brother's annoyance.

"Hey, you forgetting something?...'Danny teased to the his sister who gave him a cheeky grin.

"Oh yeah, "excuse me"...There happy..."Dani said dryly to her brother who chuckled a bit.

"Yeah...So...Now that you're not stuffing your little face, can you tell me how's school's been for you lately?...'Danny asked as he took a sip of from his water bottle.

He really was curious on how things have been going for her since she started, he knew and predicted that her first week wouldn't be fun and he feared the same had happened as well this week.

Danny blinked a bit when he saw a small smile grow on her face.

"I made a friend..."Dani said softly.

"Really?...That's wonderful..."Danny said happily while his little sister.

"Who is it? Come on, don't leave me hanging?..."He asked to his younger sister.

"Her name is Lucy...She's in my class and she's the only girl in the whole school who wasn't star struck by me or made a big deal about me being related to you..."Dani said happily, though her brother blinked a bit at her last words.

"Has..Has she really had trouble making friends...because of me?..."He thought guiltily but Dani sense this and moved her hands a bit.

"It's not your fault Danny, it's just that a lot of those kids at my school are spoiled brats who only care about what's the hottest topic...some more than others…." She muttered as she recalled Lilly and her stupid posse.

"What do you mean?..."Danny asked though he had a sinking suspicion.

"It's nothing, just some stupid, spoiled kids who think there too good for everybody and want me to be just like them…"She said with some disdain in her voice and Danny knew his suspicious was correct.

"A-Lister's right?...'He guessed.

Dani nodded and he groaned a bit.

"So there also there..."He said in annoyance though he should have suspected that.

That apparently snobbery and arrogance had no age limit.

"It doesn't matter, I want nothing to do with those phonies, they aren't worth it…."Dani said with her arms crossed.

Danny smiled, she really was smarter than he was at that age.

"You're definitely wiser than I was at that age, it took me till a while before the Disasteroid to learn that trying to impress a bunch of popular kids who don't care about you isn't worth it..."He said to her.

"So...Tell me about Lucy?..."Danny asked her.

Dani soon explained about the last few days, about meeting Lucy, getting paired up with her and dealing with the stupidity of the A-Listers...of Lilly who flat out ordered her that she wasn't allowed to play with Lucy due to that stupid "Unpopular by association" rule they made up only for her to blow up and ignore them.

She even told him about what went down when she was at her house and how it ended in them becoming friends and all Danny could do was smile at this point.

He was really happy that she seemed to have managed to find a person that seemed genuine.

"I'm glad to hear all this Dani...Lucy sound really nice..."He said smiling.

"She is..."Dani said warmly to her older brother.

Soon Dani ordered another round of sundae's and Danny was surprised she was still hungry.

Ten minutes have passed and Dani was still enjoying her ice cream while Danny was full after two ice cream cones.

"I'm getting thirsty..."Dani said as she wiped her lips with a napkin.

"Here...Go buy another bottle of water but no more ice cream, I think you had more than enough..."He said seriously to her and Dani rolled her eyes at that.

"Fine...Fine...geez, you can be as bad as mom sometimes..."She said as she took the dollar bill and went to get her drink.

Suddenly she heard a jingle at the door and Dani turned around, worried that the fans might have found them, only to see Sebastian with his nanny.

"Hey Sebastian..."Dani greeted to the brunette boy who smiled as soon as he saw her.

"Hey Dani, what's up?..."He said nicely while Hilda went to get a table.

"Nothing much….Just enjoying some ice cream and about to get some water..."She said casually to the boy.

"You?..."She asked to the brunette boy who shrugged.

"About to do the same? Wanna join us?..."He asked her.

"I'd like to but we're about to leave, and according to my brother, I had "more than enough" ice cream for the day...'She said with air quotes.

"He's here?..."He asked but Dani noticed his tone. It wasn't an excited or star struck tone that most others would get, it was more "curious" than anything.

"Yes...Over there...Though I imagine he's invisible now since he heard the door open..."She said with an eye roll when the booth looked deserted.

"Oh...Okay..."He said awkwardly before getting his order while Dani still chatted with him.

Across the room, at the same booth, an invisible Danny was wondering what was taking his little sister too long, however he heard the door open and he quickly turned invisible since he didn't want to risk his fans annoying him again.

However, he soon turned around to see what was taking Dani so long in getting her water...only for his jaw to drop when he saw her talking to...to a BOY?!

"What the?...What's she doing?..."He thought as he saw her continue to chat with the boy.

He couldn't hear what they were saying but he noticed the look on Dani's face….she seemed to be getting a little friendly….and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

"Dani..."He thought, feeling his protective side acting up only a tad.

Meanwhile with the two pre-teens, Sebastian received his ice cream and Dani bought her water bottle.

"So how's the assignment going?..."He asked her.

"Pretty well, we already finished and all that's left is give a rocking presentation..."Dani said before taking a sip of her water.

"That's good...I hope it all goes well..."Sebastian said to the dark haired girl.

"Thanks..."She said with that pretty smile of hers.

"Anyway, my brother is waiting...See ya Sebastian..."She said to the boy who waved.

"Bye Dani..."He said before joining his nanny who was sitting by the window.

Dani soon joined her brother who was no longer invisible.

"So, ya ready to go?...'She asked slyly only to blink when she saw Danny's expression on his face.

"I'm ready...but….who were you talking to?..."He asked, trying hard to sound casual and not like a crazy protective brother.

"Sebastian...He's a kid at my school..."Dani said with a raised eyebrow at his behavior.

"Just a kid?...'He pressed, trying hard to sound normal.

"Uh..Yeah...What's with you?..."She asked with her arms crossed.

"Huh...Oh...nothing...So...Let's head home..."He said quickly, surprising Dani in the process.

Dani kept sending him weird glances as they left the establishment and went home.

As she flown home, Dani at least felt a little better as she considered today a good day….She managed to make her first real friend since she joined Amity Elementary and she got to eat a boatload of ice cream and she and her brother are finally talking once more.

If only she could convince him that he didn't need to fear for her safety.

Meanwhile far away from the city...at a high level security prison just near the state line, a certain prisoner with a severe case of anemia was watching the news thanks to the brief TV time that the law permitted him and the other prisoners to have.

He was a man called Frederick Isaac Showenhower but he much preferred his alias of Freakshow.

He growled when he saw that it was another news report about that loathsome half ghost brat Danny Phantom and how the entire world was worshiping that little nuisance.

"Bah...Just because he has ghost powers and saved the world, they are treating him like he's a darn king or something..."Freakshow muttered as he laid in his cold prison cell, refusing to acknowledge any jealousy.

He wasn't jealous of a ghost...and most especially not a half ghost child who was basically the biggest cheater against death itself.

All he felt was hatred and a desire for vengeance against that idiotic little Phantom for sending him to this prison in the first place….Yes...He hated him and he wanted his revenge.

"There has to be something I could do….That brat has to have a weakness...but I can't leave this place without something..."He thought to himself as he tried to form a plan.

He already had a means of escape since he never used his one phone call but he couldn't leave here without a plan at hand, to not only ensure his escape but to ensure his revenge against that half ghost child who ruined him.

"How can I ruin you?..." He thought to himself, only to see the news giving another segment about Phantom and his adoptive sister.

"It's that girl again..."Freakshow thought as he studied her features.

Freakshow was surprised to find the existence of another half ghost brat in the world, especially one so young and that looked so much like Phantom to the point that they could essentially blood siblings instead of adoptive siblings. He knew Phantom was hiding something big when he refused to divulge any information about the girl, other than the fact that she's now his adoptive sister.

Wait….Maybe that could be it...Maybe that was what he needed.

"Hmmm….Perhaps...The girl might be of some use to me….'He thought with an evil smirk as ideas began to form in his sinister mind.

Half ghost or not, he could see from a mile away that she was a naive child and Phantom seemed to be completely concerned about her as if he was actually her only real family.

It was sickening...but it might be the weakness he was looking for.

"Oh guards..."Freakshow said in a false cheerful voice much to the annoyance of said guard.

"What do you want Showenhower?..."The guard barked at the prisoner who sent him an innocent smile.

"I do believe I have the right to a phone call?...'He said innocently, while on the inside he grinned at how close him freedom and his vengeance was.

No matter what, Danny Phantom was going to pay and little Danielle Phantom was going to help him one way or the other.

-To be continued-

Next time on Dani Fenton: School Daze

Lies from a grade school drama queen

A/N: Things have just gotten a little dark, now that Freakshow has designs on Dani….

But I'm glad Danny and Dani made up but their situation is still not over yet and they both realize it. Danny wants her safe while Dani wants to give her powers (and more importantly her existence) a purpose which is why they still aren't done yet but at least made nice for now.

Also, for those of you who are wondering Andy Rouse and Joel Sartore are both real life pro photographers. Rouse is best known for his television appearances, especially on Discovery Channel's Wildlife Photographer TV series. Sartore is a famous photographer who for 20 years, has contributed to National Geographic magazine.

REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers.

Kimera20 and DragoonSensei: Thank you :)

Rogue Deity Master: With Freakshow showing his ugly face, it might be sooner than we think.

Christina730: This chapter at least covers one of them.

LooneyAces: Next chapter will involve more Lilly drama, be sure of that.

Poofy: My main focus at this point is friendship and family but don't worry, I'll explain more about Sebastian and why Lucy seemed nervous around him soon enough.

:) Till next time beautiful people and don't forget to review :)