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 13: Family, Friends and Foes

After School

Dani was currently flying home, she already spent a few hours with Lucy at the library, where the pre-teen bibliophile wasted no time in showing her all her favorites that the grand building of knowledge has to offer, they spent about 2 hours just reading and hanging out before Lucy's mother came to pick her up and the little ghost girl was currently on her way home, feeling positively more upbeat.

Why wouldn't she?

She got to hang out with her best friend, unravel Lilly's stupid plot to use her and also possible found another friend in Sebastian as well, despite all the drama she had with him today. She still couldn't believe that he and Lilly could possibly be siblings, much less twins but they were and she nearly made a horrible mistake over her misunderstanding of his role in Lily's stupid rumor.

But the good thing was that now they were okay and that she also got to look forward to going with both Sebastian and Lucy to the Aquarium this Saturday and she knew that she could hardly wait for it and it was only Wednesday!

"This Saturday is going to rock...'She said giddily as she even did a somersault in the air, just enjoying the fact that she likely made another friend and nothing could spoil this moment.

"I wonder-..."Suddenly a blue mist escaped her mouth and she realized what this meant...

A ghost was around...

"Oh man...'Dani looked around, true she was still trying to convince Danny to let her fight and he was still being too stubborn about it but she realized she was alone and that there was a potential danger around and only she had the power to stop it.

Not even Danny could stop her there...

"Now where is it?...'She muttered as she looked around, in hopes to find the potential spook to fight.

Suddenly she heard a bunch of loud screaming and saw a bunch of people running from a department store and Dani saw a bunch of blasts could be heard in there.

"Bingo...'She muttered as she flew in and saw a bunch of the electronic devices all pilling together with a laughing white haired ghost with shades at the top of it.

"HAHAHA! With these glorious devices at my disposal, I, TECHNUS, Master of all technology, will rule all!...'He shouted loudly despite the fact that only Dani had been in the area.

"Oh, I don't think so...'Dani shouted as she readied her ghost ray, from what she could see, this guy didn't look to threatening, just annoying and she was certain she could handle it.

"Who dares interrupt me?...'The ghost named Technus bellowed, only to look confused upon seeing her.

"I do, Dani Phantom is the name..."She said proudly only for the tech ghost to look even more baffled.

"Do not take me for a fool, I, Technus, master of all-..."He was cut of by Dani who looked annoyed all of a sudden.

"It's short for Danielle and I'm his sister and the person who's going to-..."Dani rant was stopped when she felt a hand on her should, turning around she saw her brother giving her a firm look.

"Going to safely sit on the sidelines while I clean up this mess..."He flat out ordered and ignored the pout that Dani was giving him.

'Big brother..."Dani said unhappily to him while Technus looked confused.

"What's going on here whelp? Don't tell me that you tried duplicating yourself again..."Technus said with a critical eye.

"What's he talking about?...'Dani asked to her brother who shook his head.

"It's not important, just go wait for me Dani while I take this guy down..."He said to his sister who still had a stubborn frown.

"But I-..."She was cut of by her brother.

"I thought I already told you that you aren't ready for fights yet..."He said angrily to the white haired girl who looked just as angry.

'And I thought I told you that we're not done on that subject, not to mention the fact that this guy came out of no where and you haven't showed up yet..."She angrily pointed out.

"Don't give me that, sit now..."He said as he pointed to a corner, far away from where Technus was.

"You can't be serious..."Dani said in an incredulous voice.

"Either do as I say or I'm telling mom and dad..."He said flatly, causing the little ghost girl to look even more unhappy before sighing in defeat.

"I can't believe this..."She muttered angrily as she marched to that appointed stop, stomping her feet as well.

Danny sighed before turning his attention to Technus who was glaring down on him hard.

"No matter, one or two don't make any difference to me..."He said as he summonsed all the tech around him to make a big, robotic like suit.

"True, since your going down either way..."Danny quipped to the tech-ghost.

"We'll see about that ghost boy...'Technus sneered before sending a blast to him.

Danny easily dodged it before facing of against Technus in a curb stopped battle. While the teenaged ghost boy fought the technology-obsessed ghost, Dani was angrily sitting on the ground as she witness the fight, feeling absolutely insulted that she couldn't take any part of it. She was forced to watch her brother send numerous ghost rays and ice blasts and dodge whatever Technus threw at him and she was growing more and more bored by her lack of participation.

"If he'd just let me fight, that chump would already bee crammed in the thermos right about now..."She thought as she watched the battle continue.

It just made her so mad that he would do this to her, sure she understood his reasons since he wanted to protect her but this was just too much. It felt as though she was just going to waste like this, she wanted to jump in and take part of the action, she wanted to have some fun and adventure and most of all...she just wanted to do something good with her powers. After what felt like an eternity, Danny had finally managed to destroy Technus's robotic-body and sucked him into the thermos. Once he put on the cap, he rejoined his little sister who still looked absolutely angry.

"Thanks for waiting..."He said with a smile that irritated the little ghost girl to no end.

"Like I had any choice..."She said in a defeated voice which Danny tried not to let get under his skin. He still stood by the belief that he was doing the right thing and he wasn't going to deter just because she didn't like it.

"Let's get home..."He said and the two halfa's flew out before the paparazzi could arrive to hassle them.

Unknown to them both, someone had been watching the entire battle from a distance with a pair of binoculars, though he was more interested in the lack of actions from the little ghost girl and the fact that her so-called big brother was keeping her out of the fight.

"Hmmm...Interesting..."The figure said before putting the binoculars down before he retreated from the area.

An idea was forming in his mind, one that involved the little halfa known as Dani Phantom.

A few days later

Saturday morning

Fenton Works

The next few days had been almost painfully slow for Dani, between school, dodging Lilly and her posse as well as being forced to sit on the side lines while her brother and even her parents handle the ghost attacks. The only good things that happened were her hanging out with Lucy and occasionally Sebastian when he wasn't busy. However now it was Saturday and she was finally going to the Aquarium with her friends and she couldn't wait for it.

"Now this is what I'm talking about..."Dani said proudly as she admired her reflection. She was wearing a comfortable light blue t-shirt, a pair of white shorts and a pair of blue sneakers. She felt as comfortable as she looked and that was how she liked it.

"You look very cute sweetie, I hope you have a nice time with your friends and promise me that you will behave for Ms. Hilda..."Maddie said to her youngest child who was still doing her hair.

"Don't worry, I will..."Dani said as she put her hair in her signature pony tail.

"Perfect...'She said as she winked at her reflection before going down stares. It was about 10:55 and she knew that Sebastian said that his nanny would pick her up around 11, so they would be here any minute.

"Thanks again for letting me go with Sebastian and Lucy to the Aquarium mom..."Dani said to her mother who placed a backpack in her hands.

"It's alright dear, now promise me that you will stay close by to them and listen to whatever the nanny says..."Maddie said to her daughter.

"I will..."Dani said with an eye roll, having already had this conversation before.

"Also I took the liberty of packing you a lunch, and some money in case you want a souvenir, an umbrella and also a scarf in case you get cold, also be sure not to go to the bathroom or anywhere unaccompanied and-...'Maddie was still speaking and Dani almost cringed as she realized she was getting into "fussy mother" mode once again as she kept repeating her the rules she had to remember just because she was going to hang out with her friends.

"I know...I will...Mom, I'm just going to the Aquarium...I'll be fine..."Dani insisted to her mother. Suddenly some honking was heard from outside and Dani knew her ride had just arrived.

"That must be them, see ya later mom..."Dani said as she ran outside, taking her backpack with her.

"Be sure to call me when your about to go home, alright..."Maddie said to her daughter as she walked outside.

"I will...'She called back as she made it to the car, it was a nice black BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer and she saw Hilda coming down and she could see that Sebastian and Lucy were already in the back seats.

"Hey Dani..."Lucy waved to her friend.

"Hey guys..."Dani said as she climbed inside the vehicle and was even more impressed by the spacious interior.

"Nice van Sebastian...'She remarked to the boy who looked embarrassed for some reason.

"Thanks..."He muttered as he still fiddled a bit with his camera while his nanny was still talking to Dani's mom. Soon Hilda came back the they were now on their way.

"I can't wait until we get there..."Dani said happily as she practically moved in her seat.

"You're really excited to be going to the Aquarium aren't you Dani?...'Lucy noted to her friend who was practically bouncing.

"You bet, I've never been to one before..."Dani said, surprising her two friends and Hilda who said nothing as she was focusing on the road.

"Are you serious, you've never been to one before?...'She asked in a surprised voice, with Sebastian looking just as astonished.

"Huh? Oh yeah well...before I was adopted, I was constantly moving from place to place so I never really had the time to enjoy something like this..."She said, trying to sound as vague and casual as possible.

She liked both Lilly and Sebastian but she still wasn't sure if she could tell them her origin yet. As nice as they were, she felt it was still too soon for such a thing. Also, she didn't want to spoil their day by bringing up her life's story. Thankfully they both chose not to say anything though she wondered what was going through their heads.

"Poor child...Hilda thought in sympathy as she kept driving. She knew about the girl from the news, that she was the adoptive sister of Danny Phantom and that she somehow possessed the same powers as him but the Fenton's refused to divulge any information other than the fact that she was now in their custody.

Hilda honestly didn't want to pry into it, it wasn't any of her business anyway, the only thing is that the girl was a friend of Sebastian and she would now be her responsibility for the afternoon, though she felt her heart sink a bit when she heard how casually the girl mentioned that she's been "from place to place' before being adopted.

She must have been referring to the Foster Care system and from how she said she likely never went to an aquarium and possible other similar places, it must have been that she might have been living in less than financially adequate homes before...though maybe she was looking too much into it. It wasn't any of her business and she wouldn't do anyone favors by jumping to conclusions about the girl's past. Whatever it was, she at least now seemed to have a nice home and Mrs. Fenton, her adoptive mother seemed to be a very kind and doting parent so she really shouldn't be thinking about this.

All she should be thinking about was making sure that the three kids she would be responsible for this afternoon would have a nice, safe and fun time at the Aquarium.

Later

At the Aquarium

The three children and the nanny were having a lovely time enjoying the sights of the majestic, underwater creatures. Dani and Lucy had enjoyed admiring the stunts of the dolphins and otters while Sebastian was taking a picture of each sea creature he thought was unique as possible, which to him, meant each and every specie the place had to offer. Lucy was particularly liked a family of sea turtles that had swam closer to the glass and Sebastian even took a picture of her with them while Dani insisted they all take a group photo with Sebastian included in it.

Soon, however, they had arrived to the whale exhibit and Sebastian was almost being hyper with excitement as he readied his camera for the picture he wanted to quite a while.

"There she is..."He pointed to the tank and all three of the children with the nanny stood in amazement as they finally saw the animal he wanted to see most of all.

It was a large, pudgy, gray baby beluga who had swam closer to the glass upon seeing them. The creature stayed close and even make some sounds, as Hilda kept reading the information to them.

"Her name is Brook and that she's about 8 months old...According to the Aquarium, she's making a good recovery and should be able to rejoin her own kind when she's old enough to survive on her own... 'Hilda explained but the children were still too taken in by this animal, especially Dani who couldn't look away from it.

She was momentarily stunned once she saw the creature before slowly melting out of it and-

'Awwww! She's so cute~...'She squealed and even giggled when she saw the baby whale make funny faces and even blew some bubbles to get their attention.

"Oh man... this is incredible...'Sebastian said excitedly as he kept snapping away to his hearts content..."It stinks that I couldn't bring my professional Nikon camera but I'll take what I can get..."He muttered as he kept taking pictures of the unique animal who almost seemed as if she was actually posing for the pictures.

"Hey there Brook..."Dani said to the baby beluga who responded by blowing a bubble ring much to the girls delight.

"I think she likes you..."Lucy said in between her giggles as she kept admiring the adorable whale.

"You think?..."Dani said as she moved her hand closer and to her amazement, the baby whale moved it's flipper as if it was mimicking her.

"Did you guys see that?..."Dani said excitedly while Lucy and Sebastian looked just as excited.

"That was totally awesome, do it again Dani, I have to take a picture of it..."Sebastian said as he prepared the camera.

"Oh...Okay...'Dani said as she moved her hand and even spun her finger around and to her amazement, the baby whale nearly spun around as well.

"Did you guys see that?..."She asked to her friend who nodded.

"Got it on camera..."Sebastian said proudly as he presented them the picture, a well time snap shot of Dani and Brook in the exact same pose.

"I see you are getting acquainted with Brook..."One of the employee's said to them..."She really enjoys attention which is good since she's become rather popular around here ..."He said, just in time to see said whale keep swimming around them, getting more attention of the Aquarium's patrons...

"She's really amazing..."Dani muttered and ignored the tour guide's facts about whales, as she was still too captivated by the fun, cute creature who kept looking at her with her unique features, it almost looked like Brook was smiling at them.

Soon lunch came by and Dani ate the lunch Maddie packed her while Lucy bought some stuff at the snack bar and Sebastian ate the lunch that Hilda prepared for him. They spent the rest of the day admiring and taking more pictures of the sea creates and even made a stop by the gift shop where Lucy bought a cute stuffed sea turtle and Dani bought a fluffy white stuffed beluga whale plushie and Sebastian, being a boy, just bought a T-shirt that had a cartoony great white shark on it.

Soon it was already nearing 5 and Hilda knew that it was time to be heading out now...

"Now wasn't that a fun day..."Hilda said as she guided the children out of the aquarium who were still in lively spirits.

"I'll say...'Lucy said as she cuddled her toy sea turtle, feeling absolutely invigorated.

"I'm glad we managed to come, I got so many great pictures but my favorites are of Brook, I'll tell you...the camera really loved her...'Sebastian said as he kept checking the photos he managed to obtain about the baby whale.

"Yeah and she really loved the camera too...'Dani joked as she recalled all the cute tricks the whale made.

'Anyway, we should get going, I promise your parents I would bring you all back by 5:30..."Hilda said.

'Can I use your phone Nanny Hilda, I told my mom I'd call her when we were done...'Dani said to the woman who handed her the phone. She dialed her family' home phone number and in less than a minute, her mother had picked up.

"Hello..."Maddie said over the phone.

'Hey mom..."Dani said in a chipper voice.

"Oh Dani, did you have a nice time today at the Aquarium?...'Maddie asked her daughter.

"You bet, you should have been there, we saw all kinds of amazing fish and sharks and there was this baby beluga named Brook and she was really fun to be around...'Dani said happily into the phone.

'Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourself dear, so are you heading home now?...'The mother asked.

"Yes, we're just exiting this place and I should be back home in a bit.

'Alright, I'll be waiting, see you in a bit..."Maddie said before hanging up.

Soon the group hopped into the vehicle and were driving back to their destinations.

15 minutes later

"Oh, of all the rotten luck..." Hilda thought in frustration as she was still stuck in traffic and she still had to bring Dani home.

They had already dropped Lucy home since her address was the closest one and all that was left was to head to Fenton Works, which they should have arrived ages ago had it not been for this monster traffic jam. She wasn't the only one losing patience as Dani was dying of boredom in her seat with Sebastian who was preoccupying himself with his camera.

"I can't believe this..."Dani muttered, wanting to be home right now and eat dinner, as she was starting to feel hungry.

However it didn't look like the traffic was going to let up soon and it was still quite a drive to Fenton Works...though if she had used her flight, it would take her less than five minutes to get there.

"Excuse me Nanny Hilda, could I please call my mom again?...'Dani asked politely to the blonde nanny who handed her the cell phone. After dialing and waiting, she was soon speaking to her mother once more.

"Hey mom...Bad news, looks like I'm going to take a while, we're stuck in traffic..."Dani explained to her mother.

"Oh I know sweetie, I'm sorry but earlier your brother had been fighting against some rampaging ghostly bulls that stampede and did a lot of damage on the main road, which is causing the traffic jam..."Maddie explained and since she was on the phone, she never saw her daughter's bitter look upon hearing that their had been yet another ghost fight she has been left out of.

"A ghost attack huh?...'Dani muttered, not liking this at all..."If that's the case, is it alright, if I just fly home, I don't think it's going to let up for a while..."Dani asked, surprising both Sebastian and Hilda.

"What? But Dani, I promised that I would bring you home..."Hilda said sternly to the child who was still convincing her mother.

'Dani, I already told you that I don't like you going to places by yourself..."Maddie said sternly to her child.

'Mom, I'm just talking about flying home, and I don't see the big deal ,I've flown home from school before..."Dani pointed out to her mother.

"That's because it's close and you know the way...Not to mention that your brother's school is close there as well..."Maddie pointed out as well.

"Mom, I don't really see the big deal and I'm getting hungry, I know how to get home from here..."Dani insisted once more before hearing her mother sighing.

"Vey well but I want you to come straight home...Put Hilda on the phone right now...'Maddie ordered and Dani quickly handed the cellphone to the child caregiver and Hilda soon found herself conversing with the girl's mother.

"Hello Ms. Hilda...'Maddie said to the one she entrusted her child with.

"Yes, Mrs. Fenton?...'The nanny said.

"Looks like Dani wants to fly home..."Maddie said with a sigh.

"Are you certain that it's alright?...'Hilda asked the mother who said yes.

"Yes, I trust her to fly straight home, and I know that the traffic jam is still going on so I don't want to burden you with an extra stop...'Maddie said.

"It's no burden at all Mrs. Fenton...'Hilda said before complying to the girl request.

The phone call soon ended and Dani suddenly changed into her ghost form, startling both Hilda and Sebastian by her transformation since this was the first time they have seen it up close.

"Awesome..."Sebastian said in amazement as he witness the blue rings replace Dani Fenton with Dani Phantom.

"I had a great time today, thanks for taking me to the Aquarium..."She said to Sebastian who sent her a smile.

"Anytime, I'll see you Monday..."Sebastian said with a wave as Dani fazed out of the car, leaving the two people behind.

"My...She is certainly...something isn't she..."Hilda said as turned her attention back to the road, already knowing to take a left which would lead them to hopefully a less clogged up path to the Hayward mansion.

"You got that right..."Sebastian said as he looked out to window as he saw Dani fly out of his sight.

He felt happy that he got to spend the day with her and Lucy, it still hurt that his dad had to cancel on him due to his conference today but he at least managed to get to see Brook the Beluga whale and he didn't have to do it alone.

All in all, it was a pretty fun day.

Meanwhile

In about 30 feet in the air

Dani kept flying on the route she knew from that point to her home. She was in particularly high spirits from having a fun day with her friends though a part of her was still bummed to know that there had been another ghost attack and that she had to miss out on it...to the point that her brother hadn't even told her that there even was one today.

"Why can't he see that I'm not helpless? I can handle any ghost just as well as he can...'She thought stubbornly as she took another left, she was just two streets away from her home when suddenly, she heard some commotion coming from a nearby ally.

"HELP!..."Was shouted loudly and Dani heard some screeches as well.

'Huh? What the-...'She shouted in concern as she flew down to see what the sort of trouble was.

Once there, she saw about three green ghost bats attacking a man with raggy clothes, who was lying on the ground as they were screeching, clawing and even biting him despite his screams.

"Help me! Someone please save me from these little beasts...'He pleaded as the bats kept attacking him.

'Oh no..."Dani yelled as she immediately shot a ghost ray at one of the bats, catching it as well as it's buddies attention away from the man and onto her.

Dani knew that her brother had forbade her from fighting but she couldn't take it anymore. They were just small ghosts and they were hurting some poor man who immediately retreated to the far end of the alley to get away from them. They were hurting him and no one, not even her brother could stop her from doing this.

"Come on you winged rodents...'She growled as she shot more ghost blasts at the bats, agitating them more as they tried to swarm her but she was much bigger and stronger then them. However she didn't have a thermos on her which meant she couldn't just fight and capture them...the best she could do was fight and hopefully scare them away from here.

'Take this! And that!...'She shouted as she managed to hit all three of them at one, causing them to shriek in pain.

"EEEEHHHGH!..."The ghosts bats let out before flying away from the area.

"Yeah that's right, and don't come back!...'Dani shouted before feeling positively pumped, she actually managed to fight a ghost and saved someone and not even her well meaning but stupidly protective older brother could take this away from her.

The little ghost girl turned around to see the man whom she just saved, still hiding in the shadows, obviously still scared about what had just happened.

"It's alright now, those pests are gone...'Dani said kindly to the man who still hid in the dark.

"That was quite an...experience...thank you very much dear child, for saving my life ..."The man said, and Dani finally got a good look at him.

She saw that he seemed to be a sickly looking man with very pale skin, and his eyes looked red and he seemed to be an albino. He was wearing worn out, dirty clothes that obviously must have been taken from good will and she realized that this man was likely homeless, judging by his appearance and he was giving her a smile with his reddish looking lips.

Needless to say, he seemed to be a rather unfortunate individual.

"It was no trouble at all sir..."Dani said kindly to the man as she approached him, hoping that they didn't hurt him too much.

"Oh my...Aren't you that ghostly girl that had been in the papers recently?..."He asked the child who had saved him.

"Yes, my name is Danielle Phantom but please call me Dani..."She said innocently to the man who was giving her a large grin.

"You, my dear child...can call me Fred..."He said with that same, strange smile on his face to the little ghost girl.

-To be continued-

Next time on Dani Fenton: School Daze

Stranger Danger

A/N: Uh oh...I think we all might know what 'Fred' is short for here...Stay tune to see how this turns out...

Also on an more positive, unrelated note... Admit it, Beluga whales are total cuties~ :)

The aquarium scene was influenced by one of my own childhood visits to an Aquarium and I got to see a Beluga up close for the first time...and I still think their downright adorable...

REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers.

Wiseguy2415 and LooneyAces: Thanks, I tried to make it as surprising as possible without making it look random. ...

Rogue Deity Master: I'm afraid there is one in every family out there... sad but true...

danifan3000: Well she is still a kid, a spoiled, impatient one that's not used to not getting her way, so you can't exactly expect more from her.

Kimera20: Indeed it is...

DragoonSensei: Maybe, maybe not but my focus for the time being is building on a friendship, they are still kids after all.

FowlFanKid13, Invader Johnny and May71115: Thank you :)

Spectre Kid: I'm not going to give any spoilers but I don't think I'll make Lilly that extreme, sure she's a spoiled brat, a very big one but I don't see her being murderous...

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