Chapter Eighty: He's Back!
For the next three months, all they would talk about was the baby and how fast he was growing. They wondered if he had ghost powers, until he vanished from his crib one day and they found him floating fast asleep by the ceiling, his legs changed into a little tail. Danny had gotten him down and they decided a tether was in order, which they harnessed to his chest to keep him from straying too far.
Danny waited until Lucretius was five months old before he took him to the Ghost Zone to show his friends, holding him close as he flew from lair to lair. Dora had returned to her home with him and he waved good-bye before leaving without her.
"Well, hopefully he didn't inherit your intellect level." Ghostwriter remarked when he was shown the baby.
Daniel had let out an excited gasp while Dark and Clockwork attempted to hide the "aww" expressions that crossed their faces when they were introduced to Luc. Seeing it in an orb was one thing, but really seeing the baby up close was a much another.
"Do you want to hold him?" Danny asked Dark. Dark mumbled something before holding out his hands for the baby. Danny smiled and handed him over.
Danny had to admit it, Dark was a big softie at times. Ever since he had started teaching them, he had been progressively nicer and now he was looking at little Luc with an expression that would melt the heart of the cruelest person on Earth. Daniel came over to look at the child in Dark's arms, and they exchanged a quiet conversation before Dark handed the baby back.
"Here. I'm sure you have others to make coo and swoon or whatever." Dark said as Danny took the baby. "I'm going in my room." He turned and walked in, a green blush on his cheeks. Daniel chuckled and followed him in, waving good-bye.
"You once said that all someone needs is a second chance." Clockwork said, smiling as the door closed. "Apparently that applies to him as well."
Danny grinned. "Yeah. Everyone deserves one. See you, Clockwork." He kicked off and flew out the open door, holding Luc close to his chest.
'Everyone deserves a second chance; even dad.' Danny thought.
'That's up for debate.' He heard Dan reply.
Danny chose not to respond, flying to the next destination. Right now, he was focused on the present and the future, not the past.
"So…what do we tell Valerie when she visits tomorrow?" Danny asked, looking at Sam.
"Tell her it's James' kid?" Sam shrugged.
"That works. Not exactly a lie, either." He smiled at Luc slowly walking from one parent to the other. Danny and Sam were on chairs that were facing each other, and Danny had his hands out to Luc to take.
Lucretius still didn't say any real words, just babble, but he knew how to fly and turn invisible and intangible – thank goodness he'd gotten the Wraith Wrangler from the Guys in White, though he never told Sam where he got it. She just assumed Vlad had one. – and Danny was sure ecto-blasts weren't far behind.
When he used his ghost powers, Luc's eyes glowed green like Danny's did when he got excited, and otherwise there seemed to be no physical indication aside from the dull glow that surrounded his body and the white rings that changed him from ghost form to human form.
Anyways, he was well-developed with his ghost traits, but his human traits were sorely lacking. Which is why, seven months after he's born, his parents are finally getting him to walk on the ground.
"Just think, next you have to teach him to talk." Dan remarked, leaning against Danny's chair with a wine-glass in his hand.
"You're still underage." Danny remarked, glancing at him.
"I'm a ghost. Do I look like I care about human laws?" Dan raised an eyebrow.
"Plasmius should've never taken you to that club. Don't have a hangover tomorrow." Danny sighed. "Crap…how are we going to keep these ghost powers hidden from Valerie?"
"Same way we did as Danny Phantom." Dan replied. "Well-timed distractions."
Sam sighed. "We'll figure it out. Phantom, don't drink around Lucretius."
"Jazz is coming with Valerie, too." Danny sighed.
"Fun times will be had by all." Dan walked out of the room with his wine-glass.
"He's only seventeen." Danny sighed. "He shouldn't be drinking."
"So, tell Plasmius to stop giving it to him." Sam replied.
"I have been." Danny frowned. "Constantly."
Sam sighed. "He's been getting worse, hasn't he?"
"Between his revenge kick and hanging out with the wrong crowds, yeah." Danny huffed.
"You mean Johnny and Plasmius?" Sam smiled a bit. "But you're friends with them."
Danny stared silently at Lucretius as he finally reached him without attempting to fly once. "There's some new ghosts have been showing up." Danny frowned. "Plasmius told us to avoid them until he figures out their deal, but they've been causing some trouble in the area, issuing a challenge to us and harassing the living. I think that's partly why Phantom's been so tense."
Sam pursed her lips. "Do you think the plane will be okay?"
"We can't exactly call for a bodyguard." Danny sighed. "Not with Valerie on-board."
"I hope they'll be okay." Sam nodded.
Danny lifted Lucretius into his arms. "Yeah. I hope so, too."
The next day, Dan stood on the balcony and watched the skies for any sign of the plane. A blue mist escaped his lips and he clenched his fists, removing the bracelet and setting it on a dresser. "Plasmius said to avoid them, but I can't. Not now." He ran to the balcony and flew out, flying towards the direction he sensed the hostile ghosts in.
His hair was a bluer shade of white and long enough to put into a ponytail, but otherwise he looked the same as he did back then. He sped across the sky and saw a plane being harassed by blue and green figures. "Kch." He flew over and blasted one of them. "Get out of here, back to the Ghost Zone!"
The guy let out a yell as he was hit and then looked over. "Well, well! If it isn't Phantom! I was wondering if you would ever accept our challenge!"
Dan punched his fist into his open palm, then formed ecto-blasts in his hands. "I said to get away from the plane!"
"Make us!" One of them laughed, sitting on the top of the plane.
'I can't shoot them now, or use the Ghostly Wail.' Dan thought, then smirked. "Pft, I knew it." He shrugged. "You're cowards, as Plasmius said. You can't even fight another ghost without involving the living!"
"What was that?" The one on the plane got off, scowling. "Take that back!"
"No." Dan smirked.
"Take it back!" The man charged at him, but Dan just dodged aside before flying further away from the plane. As he planned, they followed suit and chased him away from the plane as he blasted at them. Once he was far enough away, he turned to them and let out a Ghostly Wail.
While they were unharmed, the plane felt some turbulence from the Wail and Valerie looked out with wide eyes. "Phantom…he's back?!" She breathed.
"Wow, guess he's not dead after all!" Jazz said, looking out as well at the distant black and white figure battling the blue and green figures. The figures fled, and he took off in pursuit. "Wonder where he's been?"
"I'd like to know that." Valerie frowned. "It's just not fair to me for him to vanish without a word!"
Jazz chuckled. "Well, maybe he came back to save the plane from the ghosts?"
Valerie fumed. "If he's still around, I'm going to have a loooong talk with him!"
"What; is he your ex?" Jazz joked. Valerie shot her a look of death.
When Valerie arrived at the house, the first thing she did was hurry to Vlad's study. "Mr. Masters! Phantom is back!"
Vlad blinked, looking up from his desk. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! He was fighting ghosts by our plane! He looked a bit different, but it was definitely him!" Valerie said firmly.
"Well, then I suppose he's still around." Vlad said calmly. "You have your equipment, I trust?"
"I never leave without it, sir." Valerie assured him.
"Good. I'd like you to keep this discovery between us; we wouldn't want someone taking away the chance for you to have your revenge, after all." Vlad stood up.
She nodded firmly. "Understood. I doubt Jazz will tell her parents, they've had a bit of a falling out recently."
"Isn't that her business?" She heard Dan ask and gasped, turning to see him running a hand through his red hair.
"Dan!" Valerie smiled and hugged him. "I missed you!"
"And yet you passed right by me. Should I be jealous of Phantom?" Dan asked teasingly.
"No, of course not!" Valerie shook her head. "I'm sorry; I'll pay attention to you now."
'Her attention never left him.' Vlad thought, amused by her personality shift from determined warrior to doting girlfriend.
"Hi, Valerie." Danny said, walking up to her in his James form. In his arms was Lucretius, and Jazz was already cooing and "aww"ing about him.
"Hey." Valerie nodded. "So…the kid is yours, huh? I'm guessing she's never telling her parents."
"They would kill me." Danny said, nodding firmly.
"Where is Sam, anyway?" Valerie asked.
"She's up in the den, reading." Danny pointed to the stairs – Lucretius made a sound of protest as he was jostled.
"I'm going to go say 'hi', then." Valerie kissed Dan and then walked off to the stairs. Just in time, because as soon as she left for the stairs Lucretius took the moment to sneeze and turn into his ghost form.
"That's gonna need some stopping fast." Dan remarked.
"He just can't control it." Danny sighed. "I used to turn invisible and intangible all over the place, remember that?"
Dan grinned. "Yeah. That was amazing."
"That was awkward and embarrassing and got me in all kinds of trouble!" Danny huffed.
"Like I said, 'amazing'." Dan hummed.
"This is your fault." Danny pointed at Vlad.
Lucretius whimpered and changed into his human form again, clinging to his father.
"May I hold him?" Jazz asked. "Please?"
"Sure." Danny handed her over.
Jazz gently held him, smiling. "Aww, he looks so much like you did as a baby…well, aside from the eyes." She looked at Danny fondly. "I'm so proud of you, little brother. He's beautiful."
"I'm going to go join Valerie and Sam." Dan said, walking off to the stairs.
Danny nodded, smiling at Lucretius. Then he frowned and looked at Vlad. "Phantom went after those ghosts we were told not to. Now they know his face and will come after him again for sure."
"It's going to be noisy." Vlad pursed his lips. "I better tell Plasmius."
"I'll do it, you just make sure to keep an eye on the sky and set up the alarms." Danny nodded.
"What ghosts?" Jazz asked.
"Some new ghosts. We'd managed to make allies with all of the known ghosts, but then these guys crop up and apparently find us a threat. They started issuing challenges and threats and attacking the nearby city." Danny explained.
"Oh no…" Jazz frowned.
"The Guys in White have gone after them, but I'm honestly not confident." Danny admitted. "They were pretty pathetic against Danny Phantom, had to have him handed to them by Plasmius to actually hurt him. These guys…" He sighed heavily. "They're…dangerous. Dan had trouble chasing them off; we might have to ask Dark for help."