CHAPTER 45: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

A long time ago, in a city named Amity Park, there lays a small business known as Fenton Works, a business built on hunting and catching ghosts and exploring the theorized extraphysical realm of existence known as the afterlife, run by a family going by the name of Fenton. As per usual in this establishment, not much progresses by way of events.

With the very existence of ghosts and any life beyond death being a nothing more than mere fringe theory, a vague hypothesis at best, there is no place for ghost hunters in today's world. With no use for their inventions, the numerous contraptions created by the Fentons are left to rot in the laboratory stationed in the basement of their home, left untouched and used.

Today, however, three curious children inspect the tools, hoping to find some amusement from the ghost-hunting equipment. These three friends are:

Danny Fenton, the youngest of the Fenton family...

Sam Manson, a goth girl belonging to a rich family...

...and Tucker Foley, a tech-savvy and self-proclaimed ladies' man.

Most often, the friends find their boredom satiated with many activities typical of youths their age, spending time in and out of arcades and fast food restaurants like Nasty Burger. Today, the three friends get ready to explore the pièce de résistance of all the inventions created by the Fentons:

The Ghost Portal, an experimental portal meant to be a gateway to the realm of the undead, to the supposed alternate dimension where people who once were living and breathing beings now exist as vapid forms partially resembling the living creatures that they once were.

Bored as he is to check the equipment, he is not brave enough to explore it unprotected. Finding a safety jumpsuit among the inventions, he placed it on himself, taking precaution before entering the portal. As he changed into the suit, Sam pulled out a camera, taking a picture of Danny just before his venture into the gateway.

"Smile!" Sam said.

The camera gave a blinding flash of light, causing Danny to experience some mild disorientation, coming to him quickly and leaving him just as fast.

"Okay, I showed you the portal, can we get out of here now? My parents could be back here any minute. Besides, they say it doesn't work anyway." Danny said.

Sam and Tucker approached the portal with Danny reluctantly following them; the latter of the three feeling too nervous to step inside for his own safety.

"Come on, Danny, a Ghost Zone? Aren't you curious? You gotta check it out." Sam said.

Hearing his love interest ask him to head inside the device, Danny seemed more courageous from Sam's words, subconsciously wishing to impress her with his bravery.

"You know what? You're right. Who knows what kind of awesome, super-cool things exist on the other side of that portal?" Danny asked.

With his mind made up, Danny zipped up the jumpsuit, preparing to step inside the portal. Before he could do so, however, Sam stopped him to correct one last detail.

"Hang on." Sam said.

On the front of Danny's jumpsuit laid a sticker of the face of Jack Fenton, Danny's father, giving the suit an obnoxious and tacky look to the rest. Sam pulled it off the jumpsuit without a second thought, removing the offending sight and making the jumpsuit more visually appealing to the group.

"You can't go walking around with that on your chest." Sam said.

With the sticker off the suit, Danny nervously stepped inside the Ghost Portal, still carrying his own fears on his chest, investigating for anything of interest.

While Danny searched for something for the three to marvel at and satisfy both their curiosity and boredom, Sam and Tucker remained outside of the portal, patiently awaiting his return. Like any teenager with a phobia of boredom, their time spent in anticipation of Danny's re-arrival, they spent their time talking to one another.

"So, what do you think Danny's gonna find in there?" Sam asked.

"Honestly? A lot of nothing. I like technology as much as the next guy, but I'm still not sold on the whole idea of ghosts and the undead in general, like you are." Tucker said.

"Then why'd you bother to come down here in the first place?"

"Because, 1: There's a whole lot of weird, cool tech involved. You know me, I'm the tech guy through and through. If it's tech-y, I gotta have it. 2: I'm a skeptic, but I'm also open-minded. I'm not sold on the whole concept of ghosts, but Danny's parents seem to make a pretty good case. There was this one weird event that they were going through back in college where they were making a prototype of this thing, something with a guy named Vlad Masters, and they supposedly almost broke through to something. I'm curious as to what they could've-"

Then, something happened which made them both go silent.

What happened to them is something that neither of them can explain, cannot fully articulate the feelings and change they felt, but the best description that they could hope to make is that the two had seemed to wake from a nightmare, even though they were wide awake and talking seconds ago.

The event is one that made the two stop and solitary each process their experiences, but their moments are each cut short by a scream. The scream had come from neither of the two, nor from upstairs, but instead from the one place where the only other person they were aware of was still present:

The Ghost Portal.

Looking to the Ghost Portal, they saw that it was not on, nor showing any signs of trouble, even though the loud scream they heard rendered these signs irrelevant. The scream they both knew had come from their friend, and nothing else mattered except to move inside and save their friend.

Moving inside the portal after Danny, venturing where he had began to step as he did, they went inside to find him on the floor, cuddling himself in a fetal position while shivering. Neither understood the reason behind his sudden and frightful reaction, but the reason was not relevant either, as they still remained focused on the task of helping their friend in need.

Crouching down to Danny, Sam is the first to go to his aide, grabbing him and holding him, putting his head to her chest, close in a manner that someone only more than a friend would do. She is not consciously aware of the intimate action, feeling comfortable in it as if she had done it many times before, even though this is the first time she has ever made such a display of affection towards Danny Fenton.

Whether done for the first time or last, it is still taken with great acceptance from Danny, who took some degree of comfort in her hold, no longer shivering as much.

"Danny, oh, god, oh, baby, what happened?" Sam asked.

"I... I... I don't know. I was walking down this way, I had my hand against the wall, then I felt this... this... thing come over me. I don't know what it is, but... I just felt so horrible... Like the world just ended..." Danny panicked.

Taking a look at the wall where Danny's hand once was, Tucker took notice of a large ON/OFF switch, put at a position where it could be easily pressed by accident.

"Whoa. I don't know, what happened to you man, but you should be thankful it did. You almost flipped this switch from the inside, and you could've got fried from the inside out in this thing." Tucker said.

The luck pointed out by Tucker is made note of by Danny and Sam, who looked to the switch as he called attention to it. The shock and anxiety Danny once felt is compounded once again by the close call, a miss nothing short of divine inspiration, were he any less skeptical...

...but, seeing the switch, he somehow has a knowledge that the switch is what caused him to feel what he had felt before, and sent him falling to the floor. The sight of the switch brought back his feelings of fear once again, making him whimper and tremble at the very emotions it brought up.

Gently shushing him as if she would quiet a crying baby, Sam quieted Danny's cries and panicking, rubbing his hair and wiping away his tears.

"Shh, shh, shh, don't cry, Danny. I'm here for you. I'm not going to let you get hurt. I've always got your back. That's the deal I took." Sam said.

Quieted down at last, Danny's fear and anxiety seemed to be gone from him, and in its place was a feelings much warmer and pleasant than the terror he once felt. He has felt an emotion akin to this current one in the past with Sam, but what he feels now is much deeper and more trusting than that, as if the single emotion he felt before had since grown to something greater.

Without hesitation, the two came together for a kiss, doing so as if they had done so many times before in the past. The kiss has its moment, but it is soon broken off, and the two parties involved in it then looked to one another in surprise; aware now of what they had done, but unable to understand how familiar and natural it felt to do so.

The one person nearby is not at all familiar with seeing such displays of affection between the two, and his awareness is spoken out loud as they looked to him.

"Uh... I don't want to take away from the serious subject, but... Where did that come from?" Tucker asked.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"You guys just kissed. I mean, I kinda saw it coming, but, you guys are just friends, right? Like, I knew you always liked each other since you met, but... That's a pretty big jump you just made, isn't it?"

The facts of the situation laid out by Tucker made Danny and Sam once again more introspective of what level of affection that they had just shown each other, re-evaluating the status of their friendship as they defined it. All logic and reason are in defiance of this one moment, saying that such a deep connection cannot be yet possible...

...but if there is one human understanding about love, it is that it can cross over time to survive.

"Well... if it is, then maybe it's just a leap of faith. Like you said, we've known each other for so long, why hide the ball?" Sam asked.

Still unable to comprehend the bizarre chain of events that took place, Tucker tried to raise his hand in protest, opening his mouth to speak, but no words could come to his mouth, letting his hand down with an unenthusiastically accepting sigh in surrender to the situation.

"Eh... Okay, sure, I guess." Tucker shrugged.

"Hey! We heard a scream down here! What's going on?!" Jack called.

Hearing the voice of Jack Fenton booming from down the stairs, the three friends collected themselves to step outside the portal, coming to greet the Fenton parents as they arrived. Exiting from the portal, the sight of Jack and Maddie Fenton, coming prepared with comically large experimental ectoplasmic-based weapons, are the first things they see, rushing down in a commando fashion.

Assuming the scream to be a sign of ghost activity, they are vigilant as ever in their desperation to fight the undead, ready for battle like a Minuteman at the notice.

"Where's the danger?! There a ghost somewhere around here?! Somebody trying to get in my basement?!" Jack shouted.

"And trying to get their ethereal hands on my kids?! Let me at 'em! I'll blast them into pieces and send them back where they came!" Maddie shouted.

Once his parents were in his vicinity, Danny immediately ran out from the arms of Sam, going to theirs instead. The parents had no understanding as to why he was so scared and terrified to come to their arms, but they nonetheless complied with his nonverbal request for comfort, both bringing him close for a hug, all while keeping their weapons lifted.

Danny does not know why he has felt the need to run to their arms, but he has an instinctive knowledge that he must hold them and feel them, to know that they are there, and savor the feel of their bodies and warmth. Militant and paranoid against any potential undead threat, Jack and Maddie kept their son close, instinctively offering him all protection they could.

"Don't worry, Danny, we're here. You just tell us where the ghost is." Maddie said.

"He didn't go for your swimsuit area, did he, Danny? That's what happened to Ray Stantz, don't you know? They always come to you when you're asleep and vulnerable!" Jack said.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, call off the cavalry, there's no ghosts here. Everything's cool." Tucker said.

Disappointed with a sigh of relief at the lack of a ghost to fight, Jack and Maddie sadly lowered their weapons at the false alarm.

"Blast! Years of planning all this, spending all our life savings on all this equipment, and we still haven't fought a single ghost! Now I'll have to get a day job for sure." Jack lamented.

Still trying to show support of her husband in difficult times, Maddie laid a sympathetic pat on Jack's back, calming him as he began to loudly weep in his hands.

"There, there, honey, it's okay. I have to get a real job and suffer just like you. Now, what's going on down here, you three?" Maddie asked.

"We were just looking around down here at your stuff when Danny just screamed all of a sudden. He was just showing us around and went inside the Ghost Portal before he just... screamed and got terrified all of a sudden. We have no idea what happened." Sam said.

Without the fear of ghosts to keep their attention, the Fentons both turned their attention towards their son in full, questioning his actions prior to the incident.

"Danny, what were you doing in there? This is all dangerous equipment, you could've been seriously hurt!" Maddie said.

"I'm sorry... I just... wanted to show my friends something cool. I don't know what happened to me, I just... felt something. I don't know what happened to me, I really don't, but I really felt awful when I went in there. It was like I felt everything around me just end, and I was all alone, I couldn't... I couldn't..." Danny cried.

Once again providing the comfort her son needed, Maddie brought him in for a hug, wiping away his tears.

"Oh, Danny, Danny, Danny, calm down, it's okay. Nobody's gone. We're all right here." Maddie said.

As Danny was given calming words and support from his mother, another woman close to him like a mother also stepped down, making the family complete with the presence of Jazz. Stepping down the stairs to investigate the matter going on as well, she entered the basement with just as much confusion as the others.

"Hey, guys? This another one of your weird ghost-hunting drills? I really don't-" Jazz began to say.

Before Jazz could complete her sentence, Danny broke off from his mother to grab Jazz in a hug as well, leaving her even further confused over the scene.

"Whoa! Uh... Okay, Danny's in a hugging mood, apparently. Is there something I should know about?" Jazz asked.

"No, Jazz, everything's alright. We've got it under control." Maddie said.

"Yeah, no big deal. Danny just had a huge panic attack and went crazy, going on about how he thinks the world was about to end." Jack said.

Angered by Jack's blunt admission of embarrassing facts about Danny, Maddie scolded him with an elbow to his stomach, making him grunt in pain.

"What? He did." Jack said.

"Jack, we were trying to not embarrass our son while he had a moment." Maddie said.

"N-No, everything's alright. It's okay. I just... I just needed to see all you guys. Can you... Can you all just please come here? I just need to hold you all." Danny said.

Though none understood what need could call for an action, the Fentons and friends all complied with Danny's request nonetheless, offering him what he needed during his moment of weakness. Congregating around him, the group all came around Danny in a hug, giving him the physical reassurance that he needed to calm down again.

Feeling their bodies around his, knowing their presence around him, Danny has at last found his fear subsided, and can smile once again.

"Okay... I'm okay now. Thank you. Thank you all." Danny said.

Given leave to disconnect the group hug, each family member stood as individuals once again, allowing Danny his moment to breathe. Hoping to take away from the tension of the situation, Jack Fenton took out his wallet, scavenging out a few bills to hand over to his son and his friends.

"Tell you what, son, sounds like you've been cooped up around here for too long. Maybe you and your friends oughtta get some outside time. Why don't you kids go to the arcade together?" Jack asked.

Given the promise of money and the chance to spend it on recreation, Danny gladly accepted his father's gift, eagerly taking the chance to leave.

"Okay, thanks, dad. C'mon, guys, you heard him. Let's get on out of here." Danny said.

And so Danny and his compatriots left the house in search of new ways to relieve their boredom, hoping to leave the moment behind and replace it with fun instead.

As the children departed, Jack, Maddie, and Jazz Fenton were left alone in the basement, all looking to one another, each carrying a question and answer alike in each of them; none of their questions or answers they could fully understand, nor knew how to ask one another for them, but they all knew they each knew something important, not unlike the departing three who did as well.

"So... Why were you guys coming down here in the first place?" Jazz asked.

"Why were you coming down here, Jazz?" Maddie asked.

"I... I... I don't know. I was coming down here for something, but I can't remember. I... felt... something... that told me to come down here."

"Huh. That's funny. I had that same feeling, too."

"Well, we came down here because we heard Danny, didn't we?" Jack asked.

"No, we were already coming down here for something else, then we heard the scream. I was coming down here because... Ugh, Jack, do you remember?"

"Oh, we came down here for... Uh... For, um... For the... Because... Hmm... I don't remember, either."

The three Fentons stood in contemplation over the strange phenomenon which brought them downstairs, none understanding why they came here nor possibly able to.

"That's funny. Uh... Listen, I think I need to go back upstairs." Jazz said.

Jazz left her parents as promised to return to her room, leaving the two older Fentons alone to think over the strange phenomenon which brought them all to the basement. Unable to articulate what force or feeling that could have brought them to their uncertain emotional state, they were forced to try to think the feelings over, as if trying to recall a dream or understand its meaning.

And they are not alone in this strange contemplation.


[Soundtrack Cue: John Lennon - God]

Danny, Sam, and Tucker are long gone from Fenton Works, the home of the Fenton family, in search of an arcade to spend their money and find a source of entertainment for them to share together. Like the Fentons back at home, they are all carrying an uncertain feeling within them, and all left alone in order to discern it and understand it.

Danny feels a sense of powerlessness and loss that he cannot explain, thinking as though a part of him is missing, or he is incomplete in some way. The hollowness he tried to rationalize away by listing off the family and friends that he has, thinking a simple act of counting his blessings will cure his ails, but they have no effect.

His loss of self he does not understand, and he is left to think over it in attempts to understand it.

Sam also has a sense of loss, and something just as personal, but hers is of something of a different definition in part of herself. Laying a hand over her womb, she takes notice of a strange emptiness in it, as if something was missing inside it that was once there, or had left before its time.

Her loss she does not understand, nor will she at a young age when feelings are meant to be had in adulthood, preferably in a loving marriage.

Tucker as well has a changing feeling come over him, but his does not come with a sense of loss. Instead, his is one of shame and wrong, feeling as though he is not a good person as he is, or was. The experience he had makes him think over his own choices in life, pondering whether they are more selfless or selfish, and leans towards the latter.

His realization comes with a hand to his neck, feeling some undefined phantom pain over it.


Jazz Fenton is also among those who feels something strange and changing come over her, her experience something more of an epiphany or the touching of an enigma. Thoughts she would have never had before come over her, making her start to question the very universe itself, and what place she has in it.

Her experience is one that only the very few have, and less can follow to become great thinkers and geniuses.

Jack and Maddie Fenton have as well their own feelings that come with this indescribable event, and theirs bring them to look to the past. Taking out a college yearbook from a bookshelf, they both look to a photograph where the two are present, as well as an old friend named Vlad Masters.

The sight of their old friend is one of mixed feelings, realizing the bad that they shared together, but also knowing much of the good.


The Fenton family and friends are not alone in feeling this shared motion, as evident with Valerie Gray. Once noted as one of the popular girls at Casper High School, she held a sense of superiority in which she placed herself above others, but that soon washed away from her. In the wake of the strange loss of ego, she looked at herself in a mirror, feeling her face, as if feeling it again after losing it.

The sudden change of heart she feels is akin to that of years of trials and tribulations of effort and misery, all coming in a single instant.

The other popular children at her school also share the strange phenomenon together; theirs collectively felt in a silent pain that they all had to process. Dash gave his chest a rub, Kwan rubbed his temples, Paulina rubbed her eyes, and Star gasped for breath, all as if they had some unpleasant pain in these areas.

Like Valerie, they all feel a humbling sensation come over them, the reason for why they cannot know or articulate.


Far away, in the state of Wisconsin, the aforementioned Vlad Masters, too, takes part of this experience, and his reaction is much more intense than the others. Falling to his bedroom floor on his hands and knees like a man in worship, the feelings that bring a man of his ego down are feelings of shame, regret, forgiveness, and acceptance all alike, in a moving of a heart he never thought he still had.

Through his experience, he is now a better man, and, though he knows there is much more ground to cover, he must still continue on to be better.

Below him, there is a secret laboratory meant to conduct experiments and create technology based in the unknown and not yet explored factors of the universe. It is here where a girl named Danielle Phantom was born not a year from now, who would grow to become an important part of the life of Danny Fenton.

But in a world without a Danny Phantom, this is just a laboratory, a womb without a child to speak of.

[Soundtrack Cue End]


Some time has passed from the event, leaving those in its wake time to feel its effects and think over it. Their thoughts have come to no sure conclusion over what has happened, and the experience is dismissed as a strange feeling or some other mere natural occurrence, left on the backburners of their minds to be forgotten.

But it has influenced the Fentons to make a decision to meet an old friend, making a trip to see this person once more.

Somewhere past the border between Illinois and Wisconsin, the Fenton Family rides to their destination in an armored automobile of their design named the Ghost Assault Vehicle, or G.A.V. for short. They are off to an estate belonging to a college classmate of years past, who they have not spoken to for many years.

This man of course, is the one by the name of Vlad Masters. One time and lifetime ago, the Fentons and this man were considered sworn enemies, eventually to fight on opposite sides of an unholy war; their years-long friendship having devolved into a horrible twist of fate gone wrong.

But that timeline is now long gone and over, and ahead of all of them is a new future to be made, and a new opportunity for friendship to be repaired. The sins of the past have been buried in a future that no longer is, never was, and never will be, and only a new one is before them.

Now, the future in hold for the drivers and passengers of the G.A.V. are to meet with the self-made millionaire after years apart, making a fun family trip out of the ordeal.

The parents were both all too eager to meet with their old college friend, cheerily driving along on the trip with large, bright smiles. Danny and Jazz Fenton, never before having met this man (again, in this timeline), are not as enthusastic about the journey. While Danny quietly sat alone to himself, Jazz indulged herself in a book, choosing to read Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion.

Danny's silence is made all the more uncomfortable with how the event affected him, leaving him with a trauma that has made him far less cheery and lively than a teenage boy should be. Still the true mother figure even in this new future, Jazz lowered her book to check on Danny, asking him about his mental status.

"Hey, Danny. You okay?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Just... Just thinking, I guess." Danny said.

Overhearing the conversation, Jack, looking in the rearview mirror, interjected to check on Danny as well.

"What's the matter, buddy? Nervous about something?" Jack asked.

"I'm fine, Dad, guys, really. I'm okay." Danny said.

"Just checking in, Danny-boy. Ever since you had that weird episode, we just need to be sure."

Upset over Jack's callous and ignorant comment, Maddie slapped him in the chest with the back of her hand.

"Jack, we agreed not to bring that up." Maddie mumbled.

"Oh, c'mon, honey, he's fine. Just a teenage boy with raging hormones, that's all. We've all been there once." Jack said.

"...And thank you for making this even more uncomfortable for Danny."

"Guys, really. I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm fine now." Danny said.

"Well, we just need to make sure, Danny. We all love you very much, and we want to make sure you're doing okay."

"He said he's fine, Mom, really. I just needed to ask him once. He's not a baby." Jazz said.

"Could've had us fooled, the way you baby him sometimes. That old 'protective big sister' instinct. Say, why don't you put that book down and have a chat with Danny or us or something? Are we that boring now that you've got to read about secret romances and vampires and... I don't know whatever it is you kids read?" Jack asked.

"This isn't a romance novel, Dad. It's about science. You know, the thing you guys were supposed to have jobs in?"

"Well, dear, it all didn't quite work out the way we thought. That's how life is. Your father and I had to get jobs in places we didn't want to, but we had to do it anyway." Maddie said.

"You know, maybe you wouldn't have to if you didn't spend a lot of your money building stuff that doesn't work. How much money did you put into this old R.V. alone?"

"In my defense, I did mention all of the upgrades we made to the G.A.V. to the guy at the dealership, but he still wouldn't give us a good price. We couldn't even afford a Ford with the money he offered us. You know what 'Ford' stands for, don't you, honey? 'Fix It Again, Tony'. That's how bad those cars are."

"That's a Fiat, Dad. The car you almost imploded because it was too small for you."

Realizing his mistaken use of the acronym, Jack counted the letters on his hand and mouthed them, realizing the mistake made.

"Blast. I can't even get my cars right anymore. Maybe I'm just not cut out for anything." Jack lamented.

"Oh, don't worry, baby. You're still doing good at your job at the factory, right?" Maddie asked.

"Oh, yeah! That reminds me, honey, I came up with the greatest food invention of all time the other day: Fudge Pancakes! It's fudge, but with the exact consistency of a pancake! I'm going to suggest it to my higher-ups in a few days, see how it goes over with the brass."

"Gee, Dad, that sounds amazing. I can already feel my pancreas stop working." Jazz joked.

"I know, Jazz, it's gonna be great! Oh, look, we're here!"

At last, the G.A.V. arrived in the driveway of the mansion of Vlad Masters, bringing their journey to an end. Disembarking from the vehicle, the Fentons stepped out and made their way to the front door. With a ring of the doorbell, a reunion many years in the making was about to be finally come to be, creating a fresh start for them all.

After seconds of anticipation that seemed to last several minutes, the door finally opened, showing the one and only Vlad Masters standing in the doorway to answer. His excitement to see the Fentons is outmatched only by Jack Fenton, all too eager to see his old friend once again.

Running straight up to Vlad, Jack greeted him with a rough, friendly hug, grabbing him and picking him up with a speed that nearly cracked his back. Despite a slight groan from Vlad, both he and Jack shared a hearty laughter together, feeling delighted to see one another as friends.

"Vlad-man! How've you been, old buddy?" Jack asked.

Vlad, not prepared for a sudden and rough greeting from Jack, took a moment to recuperate from his hug before replying.

"Whoa, there, old friend, I've been just fine. I'm trying to keep it that way. Another hug like that, I might not have made it." Vlad said.

"Right. Sorry about that, old friend. Just too happy to see you." Jack said.

"All good, Jack. How've you been?"

"Oh, been doing just fine, Vladdie. Me and the wifey got some new jobs, finally gave up all that ghost-hunting crap we did in our college years, been living the normal life. Not so bad, I gotta say. I kind of like working 80 hours to exhaustion without a break."

"Ha! Well, good to see you've been taking care of yourselves. Oh, and here is the lovely Maddie, as beautiful as ever."

Vlad took Maddie by the hand and laid a kiss on it, bringing forth a laugh out from her.

"Oh, Vlad, you dog. Still as flirty as ever." Maddie said.

"Can't be helped, my dear. You were the hottest thing back in college." Vlad said.

Not taking kindly to another man flirting with their mother, Danny and Jazz quietly expressed their discontent over his amusing gestures.

"Gross." Jazz said.

"Blech." Danny said.

Hearing the sarcastic whispers, Vlad turned to face the Fenton youths, smiling at the chance to meet the two.

"So, I heard that you and Maddie had some kids, this must be them?" Vlad asked.

Jack and Maddie stepped aside to show Danny and Jazz, formally introducing them to Vlad.

"Yes, sir. This here is Danny, and this is Jazz. Our little boy and our big girl." Jack said.

Jack brought the two forth to Vlad, allowing them to share a handshake with him. Taking Jazz's hand, Vlad gave her a proper introduction first.

"Ms. Fenton, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Vlad said.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Ass-kisser- I mean, Mr. Masters." Jazz joked.

"Jazz!" Maddie scolded.

"Ha-ha-ha... Oh, don't be hard on the girl, Maddie. I always love a good jest. And here we have the young... Danny." Vlad said.

Stepping to face Danny, both Vlad and the last Fenton shared a small moment of silence, seeming to have a shared understanding of one another, not unlike the event which happened days ago, but made mutually between the two and shared in a way that none of the other Fentons had with Vlad.

"Well, Danny, don't leave the man hanging, shake his hand." Jack said.

Following their brief silence, the two slowly took each other's hands, shaking them in a friendly greeting.

"N-Nice to meet you... sir." Danny said.

"Yes, y-yes. So nice to see you again, Danny." Vlad said.

Hearing Vlad's suspicious answer, Jack and Maddie questioned it to understand what he meant.

"'Again'? You two already know each other?" Maddie asked.

Both carried some kind of knowledge that would make their answer a 'yes', but all logic overcame the reality, leaving them both to answer...

"No." Danny and Vlad said in unison.

"Uh, guys, as much as I'm enjoying the conversations going on here, could we please step inside now? It's way too hot out here." Jazz asked.

"Oh, yes, of course. Far too warm outside for this kind of get-together. Come in, please." Vlad said.

Vlad opened the door further and stepped aside, making a proper entry for the guests to his manor. Stepping inside, the Fentons followed Vlad as he closed the door, leading them on further into his manor for a small tour, guiding them along his many possessions and fortunes.


After a short tour around the manor, followed by many hours of pleasant conversations, hearty laughs, nostalgic trips, and half a bottle of expensive wine, Vlad, Jack, and Maddie found themselves all having a splendid time together as old friends again, each of them forgetting about their troubles of their own lives and enjoying the moment together.

The future has held a chance for these friends to reunite once more, the chance has been taken, and it has succeeded.

As Jazz returned to her book, chiming on on the occasional question, and eventually having a long, interesting discussion on science and religion, Danny still remained quiet in thought. Still the introvert as the experience had left him, he does nothing but politely listen throughout the entire trip, agreeingly tagging along.

Now, the family are together in the foyer with Vlad, where the conversations still linger on for fun.

"I'm still surprised that you gave up your big dream of ghost hunting. I mean, we were all so close on finally breaking that barrier, you'd think you guys would've had more luck than me." Vlad asked.

"Yeah, well, I guess that's what you get for having a dream in the first place: You always end up failing. Then, you end up working for a soulless corporation instead of pursuing what you love anyway. But, I guess we all gotta grow up sometimes." Jack said.

"Well, you know, you two were always the best minds in the field, besides yours truly, of course. But I could always use two more geniuses in my R&D department. We'd all make one hell of a team."

"Oh, Vlad, you're such a kind man, but we're not ones to take charity." Maddie said.

"Come now, Maddie, this isn't charity, it's just friends helping each other. You want to chase after ghosts, I want to chase after ghosts, we can all do it together, and we all get paid for it."

"As much as we'd love to do that, Vlad, we've still got the kids to take care of. The girl's gonna go to college soon, and Danny's not too far behind. We'd like to earn it our own way, you understand." Jack said.

"I respect that. You always were a man of good ethics, Jack. You and Maddie both. But I am here to help if help is needed. If there's anything I can ever do for any of you, just give me a call."

Vlad set his glass of wine down, turning his attention to the children in a serious manner.

"Speaking of futures and work, what about you two? Any particular futures either of you have in mind for yourselves?" Vlad asked.

"I was thinking something in science, honestly. I've been reading a lot of science over the past few days, just finished some Harris and Hitchens yesterday." Jazz said.

"Ooh, the New Atheist movement. Always interesting to see a young woman take up interest in science. It's so interesting, in fact, that I have something that may interest you as well."

Reaching into his suit pocket, Vlad pulled out a brochure for a scholarship program, focusing on women in STEM fields.

"This scholarship program comes around every year, giving out scholarships to only a select few young minds, and entries are coming 'round in a few weeks. I happen to know a few people on the committee. If you can write up an essay on what you're read so far, you can consider yourself one of those few." Vlad said.

Given the easy way to acceptance through material providence, Jazz's previous impartiality towards Vlad turned to joy, leading her to cheer in excitement.

"Oh, my god! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is gonna help so much!" Jazz shouted.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm, yes, of course. I always try my best to see my friends' children succeed. Danny, what about you? Any particular dreams you have?" VLad asked.

"Uh... I don't really have anything. I don't really know. I kinda of wanted to be an astronaut a bit, I always liked the idea of flying." Danny said.

"Oh, getting to be an astronaut's a tall order, my boy. You've got to be nothing short of one of the most brilliant people on the planet just to get a shot. Don't get me wrong, I know you're of a good family where you've got that chance, and plenty of time to get there, but you gotta start somewhere."

"Well... There was this one idea I sort of had in my head. I had this... weird experience not too long ago, and it sort of grew into an idea in my head, and then I started putting it on paper."

"A create writing assignment? Pray tell, what kind?"

"Well... Uh... You like comic books, Vlad?"


Some months later, at the publicly-funded learning institute known as Casper High School, where many students would normally sit around and talk, doing whatever kids of many varieties would do between classes to spend time alone or with one another, the vast majority of the school came together for one specific purpose, joining a large and much-anticipated event that took place on this day.

After months of hard work, the premiere issue of Danny Fenton's successful comic book 'Danny Phantom: The Living Ghost' has become a smash hit, not just among all the students of Casper High, but among all audiences in general, becoming one of the most top-selling independent comics of all time.

In celebration of its successful premiere, Danny has made a signing event at his school's gymnasium, done with the permission of the faculty and encouraged by the literary teachers such as Mr. Lancer. Joined by Sam, now officially his girlfriend, as well as artist for the series, and Tucker Foley, now his personal publishing and Sam gave out autograph after autograph to the many students of Casper High...

...as well as non-students alike, joined by people both too old and too young for high school coming for a chance to meet the creators of the comic book. Walking up to meet Danny and Sam, each fan was given a chance to meet the people who created the comic they enjoyed, gleefully submitting their copies to be signed.

In the midst of the signing event, Tucker was busy on the phone, trying to arrange more business deals for the three to make money on.

"Hey, you want a million copies more, it's gonna take a little more time. A week? What do I look like, the president? I don't have that kind of pull! You gotta wait like everybody else. Mmm-hmm. Yes, we can make 10,000 by the tomorrow. Well, I know a guy who does printing, but this isn't the cheap stuff, this is high-quality we're talking here, that's what you and I wanna sell. Mmm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, we can do that. Oh, and about that merchandising deal..." Tucker continued.

As Tucker continued his negotiations with the comic distributor, Danny and Sam gave a mutual laugh at his antics.

"You'd think he's the Jewish one, how tight he is with money." Sam joked.

"At least he keeps things moving." Danny said.

"Hey, Fenturd!" A familiar voice said.

Danny and Sam turned to the intimidating voice to face the more intimidating Dash Baxter, the head football champion of Casper High and its most notorious bully. Most interactions with this rage-filled individual usually resulted in a beating or otherwise unpleasant meeting, leading anyone in his way to expect such abuse.

As Danny found himself growing nervous at what Dash could want with him now, his expectations were subverted in the most pleasant way possible. Reaching into his vest, Dash revealed his intentions as well as his own copy of Danny Phantom, eagerly awaiting an autograph as the others did.

"Would you please sign my copy, too? I got the special variant cover." Dash asked.

Unable to believe his own school bully could be a fan of his comic book, Danny looked at Dash in disbelief, unable to process the information given.

"Wait... You like my comic?" Danny asked.

"Hell, yeah, I do! I thought this stuff was just for nerds, but my friends were all telling me about it, and I just had to read it. I didn't know you had talent like that in ya, Fenton. Sign on the bottom there, will ya? I don't want the name to get in the way of the art."

"Well, since you asked so nicely..."

Danny happily signed the front of the issue, obliging with his request. After signing the issue, he handed it back to Dash, giving him an excited sense of accomplishment.

"Sweet! Fenton, you and your buddies are officially on the party list. Just make sure you bring your own booze." Dash said.

"Yeah, great. Thanks." Danny said.

Danny turned his attention back to his fans, continuing to greet the hordes of comic fanatics and filling out many autographs.

While Danny continued on signing for fans, two fans in particular stepped away with their signed copies, taking to re-reading their issues. Enjoying the issues just as they had the first time they read them, their second readings are made to re-evaluate the material, seeking to find a deeper meaning in the text.

Both fans do indeed find their own meaning in the text, but neither have the same conclusion met. Conversing with one another, they shared their viewpoints with one another, trying to argue the case for their point over the other, making an attempt to stand victorious as the 'correct' answer.

"So, here's what I'm kind of seeing. Danny steps into the portal, and ghosts come out of it, right? Doesn't that make him responsible for unleashing the ghosts on the Earth?" One fan asked.

"No, it doesn't. He didn't know that was gonna happen. You can't blame him for doing all this by accident." The other fan said.

"But that doesn't change the fact that the ghosts wouldn't have shown up if he hadn't stepped inside. That's still him at fault, whether he meant it or not."

"But you can't put responsibility like that on someone who didn't have any idea that was going to happen. How could he be held responsible if he didn't know the consequences at all?"

"Because you're still the one who did it. If I hit someone with a car, but I didn't mean to do it, then I'm still at fault for hitting him."

"But everybody knows what happens if you accidentally hit someone with a car. He was going into something that nobody had ever seen before, and didn't have any idea what would've happened, or what the consequences would be. That's totally not his fault at all."

"Then what about the fact that the ghosts are still coming through?"

"He's at least trying to fight them off and send them back. Even if he was at fault, then he's at least trying to make up for what he did."

"But that still doesn't absolve him, he'd have to at least be..."

And so the two continued in their argument, both trying to come to the moment when one shall have the correct answer over the other.

And neither shall.

[Soundtrack Cue: Tool - Opiate; Plays Out]