Danny

My life is over. This is it. I'm screwed.

I looked at the two men sitting across from me at the table. They were talking, making polite conversation with mom and dad. The shorter guy, Dean, was looking at Jazz in a way that made me uncomfortable. Both of them seemed fairly normal. Except for the fact that they were here to kill me.

"Danny, a couple of men are going to be staying here for a couple of days. It's nothing that you need to worry about, but they're going to be arriving tomorrow and are going to stay upstairs." Mom looked at me intently, half expecting me to react… somehow. "Their names are Sam and Dean Winchester, and they'll be in the spare room upstairs."

I looked at her, too stunned to say anything. The bounty for my head, or rather Danny Phantom's head, was common news, but never in a million years did I expect my dad, the infamous Jack Fenton, to allow anyone who calls himself a ghost hunter into his home. Learn something new every day.

I played off my initial shock and laughed. "Dad's letting ghost hunters stay here? Did he really agree to that or have you just not told him?"

Mom smiled and couldn't resist a chuckle on her part. "Your father is well aware of it. While he may not like it, he's stuck with it. These men are here on business, and I'm not going to get in the way of that. Plus," she leaned over to whisper in my ear, "they sounded very serious."

"Whatever you say." I leaned back against the wall and contemplated this. So far the only responders to Vlad's stupid competition were some half-witted freak shows and an incredibly overpaid government ghost-hunting team "Guys in White." Needless to say, I wasn't too concerned about the appearance of another group.

"Alright, well make sure the house is cleaned before they get here. I want this place looking ship-shape for them." Mom walked away, going downstairs to her workshop.

I took this opportunity to call a meeting with Sam and Tucker. Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door, and Tucker let himself in, followed by Sam.

"Yo, what's this about?" Tucker questioned absentmindedly, checking his phone.

"You're never gonna believe this guys." I said. "My parents are letting two ghost hunters live with us while this stupid competition goes on." Just saying it made me want to laugh.

Sam and Tucker both looked at me with their jaws dropped. Sam spoke up first after a pause.

"There's no way." She said in disbelief. "Does your dad know?" She didn't seem as amused as I was.

I smiled and nodded. "Don't look so worried, Sam. Have you seen the people who answered the call? This is all just one big joke, and Vlad is at the center of it."

Tucker frowned. "Dude, no offence, but literally any ghost hunter is better than your dad. I'm pretty sure anyone who has any lick of experience and lives with a ghost might be able to figure it out. I mean, you're not exactly subtle."

"And while nobody seems to notice, someone from out of town might." Sam finished. She suddenly realized where they were and what they were talking about, and dragged Tuck and I up to my room. We all sat on my bed and thought for a minute.

"So what should I do?" I asked, genuinely curious to see what they should say. "I mean, I can't exactly fly away from this."

My friends thought for a moment. "I mean," Tucker said hesitantly, "you could always come to my place?" It was a horrible suggestion, but something nonetheless.

Sam and I both shook our heads at the same time. "I don't think that would work in our favor." Sam said. "I think right now it's best if you played it cool." She looked at me seriously.

I laid down and put my hand to my forehead. Ugh. "Well, there's nothing I can really do, so I might as well do what I've always done."

Sam and Tucker flopped down as well. We just laid there for who knows how long, trying to come up with a game plan. Ideas were had, and ideas were shut down. We talked until my door flew open and Jazz flew in. She was as pale as a ghost (shut up) and was visibly shaking. Maybe I should be worrying about this.

"Danny." She said panicked. "Have you heard?"

The three of us sat up and nodded in sync. A knot formed in my gut.

"What are you gonna do? Oh man, I think these guys are bona fide ghost hunters, too." Jazz looked on the verge of tears.

Sam jumped up and ran over to her, trying to calm her down. "We know, Jazz. That's what we're trying to figure out. Don't worry about it, ok?"

"Don't worry about it? Of course I'm worried about it! Danny, you're in danger!"

I felt myself pale at the sheer panic in her voice. "Jazz, calm down, ok? I appreciate your concern, but right now we don't need anyone freaking out."

Jazz visibly calmed a little. A weak smile formed on her lips. "I know, I know." She took a deep breath. "Dad's not happy."

I smiled. "I figured as much."

Tucker's eyes shifted to each one of us. "Well, I don't know about you," he said, trying to lighten the mood a bit, "but if we're trying to act normal, it's dinner time, and I'm starving. How's about we get some burgers and calmly discuss this like normal people." He raised an eyebrow, and the tension lightened a bit.

Jazz and Sam looked at me. I hate it when they look like that.

Twenty minutes later, we were getting food at Nasty Burger and trying to maintain a decent conversation. Turns out we're not very good at that. Then again, ghosts were all this stupid town could about, so I guess we did fit right in.

After we finished, I reluctantly parted from my friends and walked home with Jazz. It was dark, and neither of us spoke much. We both went straight to our rooms when we got back. I didn't sleep much, and the next day felt even worse. The knot in my stomach tightened, and I tried to avoid people as much as I could. Video games didn't help, and school felt like a prison. Then again, school always feels like prison, so that's not saying much.

Sam and Tucker came home with me, and we were immediately greeted with the smell of lemons and lasagna. Mom's been busy today… We hung out in the basement for a while, which was empty since mom was forcing dad to help her with cleaning. That in itself was a recipe for disaster. I contemplated taking a trip through the Portal, but decided against it. Sam and Tuck were concerned for me, which didn't help my mood. I must've looked awful, maybe even as awful as I felt.

Before we knew it, it was 10:00. I felt exhausted but knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, so once the two of them left and I finished helping mom, I transformed and flew around town for a while. It felt nice, and it relaxed me for a bit, but deep down I knew what a mess I was in. The ghost hunters would be arriving around 2 tomorrow. I couldn't tell if it was a blessing or a curse to be the weekend, but it would be Saturday all the same, which meant I would have that much longer to think about it.

I returned to my room after an hour of flying in circles, and managed to sleep for a couple of hours. The morning came too fast.

Sam and Tucker were at my house before I even woke up, but they didn't wake me. I'm not sure if I should be glad or mad, but it was noon when I woke up. We moved into the basement and reviewed our options one more time, and then tried to talk about anything else. It was too soon when Sam and Dean arrived. I could hear them upstairs, but they didn't come down.

We talked in hushed voices and waited, but it still surprised us when Jazz led the ghost hunters down stairs. I turned to look, and despite my preparation, I could feel the color drain from my face and a cold sweat on my back. We decided it was best to avoid as much direct contact as we could, so as soon as they entered the lab, Sam, Tuck and I brushed past them and ran upstairs.

While we were trying to make a bee-line for my room, mom grabbed my arm as I ran past.

"Danny, it's time for dinner. Sam, Tucker, you're welcome to eat with us if you'd like." She paused and took a closer look at me. "God Danny, you look awful. Are you feeling ok?"

I tried to push down my fear and nodded. "I'm fine. Upset stomach. I'm really not hungry, I'd just like to go to my room please."

Mom looked sympathetic, but stood her ground nonetheless. "Honey, you've got to eat with us. Sam and Dean are here and I'm sure you'd like to get to know them. Plus I made your favorite lasagna." She put her hand on my shoulder briefly and then walked to the kitchen to prepare the food. "Come sit down, kids. Grab a plate."

I don't remember getting my food or sitting down. My insides were churning. Shoot shoot shoot shoot, kept repeating in my mind. I tried to appear as normal as possible.

"So Danny, what grade are you in?" One of the dude's rough voice snapped me out of my fevered thoughts. It was… Sam? No, Dean, the smaller one. He was eying me up and down. He looked gruff, with serious eyes and a five-o'clock shadow. He looked like a guy who could kill.

"U-uh, I'm a freshman." I stumbled. Thankfully, Sam was right on time with the backup. I love this girl. Not like that, like, as a friend. I'm an idiot.

"We all are." She gestured to Tuck and I. "We go to Casper High." She smiled and took another bite of lasagna.

"Ahh. Good ol' high school." Dean said, amused. "Can't relate, but what're ya gonna do?" It wasn't a question.

"So, Mrs. Fenton," Sam (the man) spoke up, "how long have you been in the hunting business?" His hair was wet, like he just took a shower. I think he did. Rumor had it that dad half-maimed Sam with one of his plasma bazookas. Pretty sure it's the truth, and Sam's strained expression highly supported that.

Mom considered this for a minute. "Well, Sam, Jack and I have been hunting ghosts since we met. A mutual interest of sorts. I prefer to study, but Jack is all firepower." She looked affectionately over at her half-witted husband. I'm sorry, that was mean. But true. My family is wild.

"What about you boys?" Dad boomed. "You don't have a lot of stuff. What do you do then?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Sam spoke first.

"We travel light." He gave a fake smile. "Comes with the job."

Dad seemed to be satisfied with this short answer. Weird, but I'll take it any day. I was just glad to not have to talk. I wasn't lying earlier when I said my stomach hurt- I felt like I was gonna puke. It took everything I had to not get up and leave.

Jazz and Dean started talking, and mom and Sam (the man) started a long and indistinguishable conversation about science and all that stuff. Can't say I understand it, but hey, in my line of work, I don't really need it. Line of work. Heh.

I sat there, not talking for the next ten minutes. Sam and Tuck followed suit, until mom declared that dinner was over by standing up. The three of us took this opportunity to escape upstairs. I'd rather have left the house altogether, but Sam figured with the new arrivals it probably wasn't the best idea.

I'm not gonna lie, I don't remember the rest of the night. My head might be empty under normal conditions (at least that's what everyone says), but that night it was filled with horrible thoughts and panic. So I'll skip to the good stuff.

Sam and Dean were out of the house before I got up. I yelled up to my parents to let them know I was going to Tucker's house, and left. With an alibi set, I casually walked into the nearest alley and transformed. I know I shouldn't've, but I needed to clear my head, which was pounding. Heck, I didn't even need to go far, as long as I was up in the air.

That being said, I decided that the park was the best place to be alone. I went transparent and carefully made my way to the middle of town, finding refuge high in a tree. I sat there, leaning up against the trunk, for God only knows how long. Clearly it was longer than I had intended, because I opened my eyes to look down to see a little girl yelling something at me. I blinked in confusion, groggy, and smiled at her. Only then did I realize I hadn't transformed back. I was visibly a ghost.

The little girl was yelling for her mom, who I heard walking over to her daughter, hushing her. I panicked and jumped into the air, taking a moment to realize I should be transparent. I concentrated and saw my body disappear. The woman walked over and looked at where her kid was pointing, then frowned when she saw nothing. She picked up her daughter and walked away, then looked back. I could see the frost on her breath, and a wild look crept into her eyes. She carried the kid off quickly.

Shoot.

I kept my performance up and flew back home. If I was gonna seem normal, I decided, I should go home. I'm a high school drop-out, not some vigilante. And with that, I broke my concentration.

Right over the middle of town.

Where a group was assembling.

Of ghost hunters.

Including the newly settled Winchesters.

Who were staring at me.

Taking aim.

"F*ck."

I flew the hell out of that place faster than you can say "bazooka." As Jack Fenton fired a bazooka at me. Can ghosts sweat? Cuz if they could then I was drenched. Sadly I wasn't paying attention and it was cold out.

Somehow I got home alive (or… not? The rules still aren't very clear). I made sure I was alone in my room before I transformed again. Perfect.

I took a shower and put on some casual clothes, taking my sweet time going downstairs. I was greeted with the front door being slammed open and mom running inside. Her jumpsuit was on, but her chest was moving up and down, breathing hard.

I jumped a little, surprised. "M-mom! What's going on?"

Maddie Fenton looked up at me and paused, not expecting to see me there.

"Danny!" She exclaimed, her voice shaking. "I thought you were at Tucker's house? When did you get home?"

"Uhh a little while ago. What's happening out there?" I feigned innocence.

"Oh it's a circus out there like you wouldn't believe. The ghost boy showed up and everyone went wild, and then…" She went quiet. "I'm rambling. I've got to go help your father!" She ran downstairs, calling up, "Danny, warm up some leftovers for dinner! I don't know when your father and are going to get home."

She ran back up with some sort of contraption in hand and left as fast as she had come in. I stood there for a minute. I was lightheaded. It's not like I've never been "hunted" before, but it's never really been too serious. The Winchester brothers were professionals. I was just a stupid high school kid who never asked for this crap. Not that I'm complaining. I mean, I am, but I'm also not. It's not important.

I hid inside for a couple of hours, trying to sleep. I couldn't sleep. Morbid thoughts kept attacking my brain. It was like a little Skulker screaming at me in my own head. I was only 14. There was absolutely no reason why I should die now. Though I'm not gonna like I've thought about it before. Not anything to be concerned about or anything, but seriously, who hasn't thought about it?

The door opened loudly at around 7:30. I heard footprints, but I didn't get up. There was a knock at my door.

"Come in." No sense in getting up. It was probably just Jazz.

"Hey."

"Hey Jazz." Knew it.

She quietly closed the door and walked over, sitting on the end of my bed. "Are you ok?"

I didn't move. "Peachy."

She shifted to lie down next to me. "What a day, huh?"

I grunted. It sounded gruffer than I had intended.

"What do you think of Sam and Dean? They're pretty nice." She was trying to make small talk. She's not good at small talk.

I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at her and then looked back at the ceiling. "The greatest." My voice cracked.

Jazz sighed. "You should come downstairs. You're going to have to get up eventually." She sat up and nudged me.

I sat there for a minute, but I knew she was right. Jazz is always right. Usually always. Sometimes usually. She was right. I sat up and looked at her. She followed suit and we sat there. She took the initiative and got up first. I followed her this time. We silently went downstairs.

"Have you eaten yet?" She turned to ask. "I don't know about you, but I'd be down to get some take-out tonight. I know there's leftovers, but I don't think mom would be mad."

I nodded. It sounded really good, actually. "Where is everyone now?"

"Mom and dad are in the basement. Sam and Dean went out somewhere." She looked at me sideways. "You're acting weird. Are you feeling ok? I know what happened, but you look really awful."

"I'm fine. I have a headache." It's true- it never went away.

We made it to the kitchen, but paused when we saw Sam leaning on the sink. He didn't notice us right away, because his face was buried in pretty big book, but it didn't take him long. He looked up and smiled. I'm not the kind of guy who gets flustered or freaked out easily, but something about this whole situation made me insanely uneasy. I knew I shouldn't be, but it's one of those things where once you feel something it's hard to get away. It felt weird.

"Hey!" Sam put his book face down on the counter.

Jazz smiled back. It was genuine. She really liked these guys despite everything. I managed a smile. "Hey Sam. I thought you were going out?"

Sam shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah, Dean's out doing something but I figured I'd chill out here for a while and catch up on some research."

"Ooh, research on what?" Jazz gets excited at the prospect of any kind of research. She was working on some herself, actually, but it had nothing to do with anything that was happening now.

"Well, mostly on the history of Amity Park. You guys live in a pretty interesting town. It's like some sort of hot spot for paranormal activity." He sounded excited when he spoke. Kind of like Jazz when she talked about her research.

Jazz's eyes lit up. "That's really cool, actually." She paused before she could start rambling. "Say, Danny and I were going to get some take out – do you want some?"

Sam hesitated, then smiled again. "That sound good, now that you mention it."

I looked at Jazz, then at Sam, and back at Jazz. She gave me a knowing look and a little nod, then pulled out her phone. "I'll order ahead and pick it up in a few." She walked towards the stairs and made the call. It was just me and Sam left in the room.

"So, Danny, do you go back to school tomorrow?" Sam was obviously trying to make small talk, but he seemed so casual about it. Just how stupid could I be? Of course I'm not a suspect. I have literally nothing to worry about.

I nodded and went over to the table to pick up a piece of paper and pretend to read it. "Yeah."

"I heard through the grapevine that the school board is going to start taking, uh, safety measures for all this ghost stuff. Is this Danny Phantom guy really that bad?"

I laugh. "I don't know, but he's not the only thing everyone's worried about. I dunno, there's just been a bunch of weird stuff happening lately." More than you'll ever freaking know.

Sam looked at me weird, and a chill went down my spine.

"It's kind of funny that you and this Phantom character have such similar names, huh? Is he some sort of fan of yours? Phantom – Fenton, ya know."

No one had ever called that out before. It was so stupidly obvious but nobody was ever not stupid enough to notice it. But this guy – Sam Winchester – just called it as it was. Have I been found out?

"Now that you mention it, it does strike a resemblance. I don't know, there's a lot of Danny's around here. Dan, Daniel, you name it. Or… they do." I paused and put the paper down. "But yeah, that is weird."

"Well I –" Sam was cut off as his phone started to ring. He flipped it open and turned to talk. It was Dean.

I awkwardly waited as Sam finished the call, not sure if I should just leave or wait it out. Sam turned back to me.

"Sorry, that was Dean. Looks like he's gonna join us." He went to find Jazz to let her know, leaving me alone.

I took a seat and rubbed my head. Nobody in this backwards town had ever even raised an eyebrow. Looking back, the name was really stupid, but it had a nice ring to it, ya know? Either way, the Winchesters were one step closer to finding me out. I mean, they seemed like nice guys. Nice guys who would have no problem turning me in, or even killing me, for a little cash.