A/N: HELLO EVERYONE~~! I was looking through old reviews, all the way back to JOS recently, and I just wanted to say...I LOVE YOU ALL! Especially my dears who waited nearly 2 years for my hiatus to end. ^^ I appreciate all you do!
Now, a little note: There is a somewhat out-of-place moment in this chapter, because it was supposed to happen in the past few chapters...but I'd forgotten until I was writing this chapter, and thought, "OH YEAH, I WAS GONNA DO THAT!" So, I apologize, but I'm not moving it back into earlier chapters to make it fit. I don't want to send you back to read these little sections. So...bear with them, at least for now.

Review SHOUT OUTS!

Joy Phantom: I literally cried because I was laughing so hard at your review. XD It makes me curious, though...what gender do I come off as? And apparently my name is Max now. You could've just called me by my pen-name, you know. ;P

Ashley Bolton: No fear, I HATE it when FF authors never finish something. I wrote two books for the purpose of getting to this. You bet I'm finishing it!

HEB807, Yurika the Wordsmith, The Talent, Starfang's Secrets, GeekyZelda, and a few others that I recognize from the beginning days of JOS! So glad you're all still here! (Haven't seen KodiakWolfe13 though...They were a guest, so they wouldn't know I'm back, would they? Anyone seen them anywhere recently?)

Chapter 23: Fall

"This is so stupid," Dani pouts into her cafeteria lemonade, gazing longingly at her usual spot outside.

"I-it's for our own s-safety," Ashton adds hopefully, "It-"

"Don't you dare say it," she hisses, her hand clapped over his mouth.

He nods.

"Fenton!"

"Ugh," Dani groans, "Carlita…"

Carlita Sanchez, A-Lister and cheerleader, stands behind them, her arms crossed in front of her too-bouncy chest and her perfect lips pressed into a frown, "What did your freak-show family do this time?!"

"Don't know what you mean," she sighs.

"Don't play dumb!" she sniffs, "Your stupid family did something that caused this quarantine! What will my fans do if I can't update my Instagram account?!"

"Oh, the horror."

"Make your parents get these stupid feds out of here!"

"Look, they're causing problems for us, too," Dani growls, "They've taken over our house!"

"W-we're all in the same b-b-boat," Ashton placates, "G-getting mad and b-b-blaming someone's parents isn't going to s-solve anything."

"They aren't even her real parents!" Carlita spits.

The other students fall silent, eyes wide.

"Danny was a real troublemaking loser in high school too," she adds, "A king of losers!"

"Carlita…" Connor mutters weakly, his wide eyes locked on Danielle Fenton.

"You know he was involved in that cruise ship fiasco, right? The one caused by that...Biker...Seventeen...whatever-fellow? Face it, the Fentons are ghost magnets!"

"Carlita…" her friend, Luna, whispers urgently, "I think-"

"We hadn't had any huge ghost issues until Danny Fenton came back to town! Maybe we'd have been better off if those stupid pirates had killed-!"

She tumbles back, into the table behind her, clutching her stomach. Eyes wide with rage, she accepts an offered napkin to wipe her mouth.

"Shut. Up," Dani growls, keeping her head down to hide the ectoplasmic green of her eyes, "Or next time, I'll kick you hard enough to knock every one of your bleached teeth out!"

"Danielle Fenton!" one of the teachers shouts, while a few others kneel by the fallen Carlita, "You're coming with me to the Principal's Office!"

"That won't do anything!" One of Carlita's friends yelps, "Principal Lancer is soft on the Fentons!"

"Enough out of you!" she frowns, "Now, Ms. Fenton!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Dani sighs, picking up her things.

"D-dani…" Ashton stutters.

"I'll be okay," she dismisses, "Enjoy the rest of lunch, Ashton."

ZzzzzzzBREAKzzzzzZ

"You...kicked miss Sanchez?"

"Yes, Principal Lancer."

He looses a long sigh, sinking into his chair, "You Fenton kids don't make my life any easier, do you?"

"Sorry, Principal Lancer, Sir."

"...did she deserve it?"

"Totally."

"...Does that mean you should've taken the bait?"

"...no…"

"Well, we've accomplished one thing," he chuckles dryly.

"She said Danny should've died back on that cruise ship!"

"Now that was awfully mean of her. But what power does her 'wish' have?"

"...None…"

"You let her goad you, Ms. Fenton."

She groans, slamming her forehead onto Lancer's desk, "I know…!"

"Now, you haven't been bullied or teased too much. Not as much as your cousin. People are just stressed, and they're taking it out on you because your family works with ghosts. It'll blow over, just like this quarantine," he smiles, "Now, I'm going to have to assign you detention for your actions. Because this is the first offence of this nature, I'm not going to suspend you. Be careful not to let them under your skin again, alright?"

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

"...well, you're definitely more polite than Mr. Fenton was."

"You've been a real help."

"I get a lot of flak for it. Regardless, you're scheduled for a week-and-a-half's worth of detention. You're free to go, Ms. Fenton. Get to class, and try to keep a low profile."

"Yes, Sir," she returns to the hallway, where the local circuit is still broadcasting, at the request of Mayor Grey. This allows the public to remain somewhat aware of the situation in Amity Park.

As if on cue, the shrieking cry of the ghost alarm begins to sound, and the school's main lights kick off, leaving only the red emergency lights.

"All students to the gymnasium," Lancer drones - in the same monotone as always, "All students to the gymnasium…"

She stands, frozen for a moment. Her first instinct tells her to toss her backpack, go ghost, and kick some ectoplasmic butt. She's supposed to keep a low profile, supposed to avoid going ghost…

"Dani!" Ashton waves, out of breath as he approaches,"Still here? Let's get to the gym!"

"Oh! I, uh…"

"Let's go!" he insists.

Probably for the best, she decides, letting her core sink, "Yeah, it's dangerous out here!"

He nods in agreement, and they move hurriedly through the halls.

Wait a moment…"Ashton, you didn't stutter!" she smiles.

"O-oh?" he laughs shyly.

"Getting comfortable around me?"

"I-I'm not so s-sure about that," he laughs, "I guess I was j-just relieved to s-see you."

"If you say so."

ZzzzzzzBREAKzzzzzZ

~Two Days Ago~

"I still can't get this to look right!" he groans, dropping his sketchbook and pencil onto his bed, "That's it! No more drawing for tonight!"

He sighs, staring forlornly at the uncompleted version of Danielle Fenton. He's messed with it so many times, the paper is ruined. He might as well toss it.

Feeling uninspired, he pulls his laptop onto the bed and begins to browse aimlessly on the internet until he finds himself watching ghost fight videos - as tasteless as it should be, living in Amity.

"You're mine, She-Whelp!"

"Eat it, you Tin Can!"

He jumps at the voice. While almost distant and metallic in quality, it sounds somehow...familiar. He pauses the video, "Was that...Destiny Phantom?"

Who does she sound like?! he resumes the video, watching her carefully, I just can't place it…but I like that pose...he takes a screenshot, moving the photo to his 'reference' file.

The next video is Danny Phantom versus some sort of computer ghost.

There's something familiar about him, too... he realizes.

It's right there, somewhere under the surface. He feels as though on the verge of something important...and dangerous.

~Yesterday~

Well, if the internet is down...guess I'm back to...he looks at his sketchbook. Maybe he just needs to drawing something, someone other than Dani. He clicks through his reference files, settling on the screenshot he'd gotten of Destiny the day before.

"Destiny Phantom? Why not?" he mutters to himself, curling up to draw.

Yet, there's something as he draws, the same feeling he'd gotten yesterday.

What is so familiar about her? he frowns, looking at the face appearing on the page before him. A determined expression, eyes that are just daring someone to try something. A confident smile…

His eyes flick to the ruined drawing of Dani he'd torn out of his sketchbook the day before. He snatches it, nearly crumpling it with the force.

Determined eyes, alight with a powerful fire.

The voice...his pencil falls from his fingers, rolling down his sketchbook and into his lap.

Danielle...Destiny...Danny Fenton...Danny Phantom...a rare curse trickles from his lips, echoing in the room. If he's right, it's the secret of the century. It explains everything; Dani's frequent absences, the injuries Connor mentioned, Danny Phantom's absence...everything.

"He showed back up the same day Danny Fenton got back into town," he whispers, "Of course."

Now the Guys in White are here. There's a possible ghost invasion looming over their heads. The nation is torn on the edge of an anti-ecto campaign as it is.

If that happened...what would happen to Danielle?

Bright, determined Dani. What would happen to her? Would she be killed? Locked away in some laboratory somewhere to be dissected and tested?

...What is she, anyway?

She doesn't act like a ghost, she doesn't have a ghostly aura - except for her time as Destiny Phantom. Is she ghost or human? Is she a human girl being overshadowed by a ghost? What about her cousin?

She's not just some obsession-driven collection of ectoplasm, he decides, that much is certain.

"...How has nobody seen it?"

~Today~

It'd been a nice, peaceful lunch period. It'd been going so well...until someone had to open their mouth, practically begging to get hurt.

"Fenton!"

"Ugh, Carlita…"

Carlita Sanchez, who is admittedly a very attractive girl - in looks only - is glaring down at their table. At Dani.

"What did your freak-show family do this time?!"

"Don't know what you mean."

"Don't play dumb! Your stupid family did something that caused this quarantine! What will my fans do if I can't update my Instagram account?!"

...really? ...That's what's got you angry?!

"Oh, the horror."

He stifles a snort of laughter at Dani's less-than-impressed tone.

"Make your parents get these stupid feds out of here!"

"Look, they're causing problems for us, too. They've taken over our house!"

This could get bad.

"W-we're all in the same b-b-boat," He placates, "G-getting mad and b-b-blaming someone's parents isn't going to s-solve anything."

Don't poke the superhero with a stick, you idiot!

"They aren't even her real parents!" The idiot spits.

The other students fall silent, eyes wide.

Oh crap.

"Danny was a real troublemaking loser in high school too! A king of losers!"

"Carlita…" Connor mutters weakly.

Think, Ashton, think!

"You know he was involved in that cruise ship fiasco, right? The one caused by that...Biker...Seventeen...whatever-fellow? Face it, the Fentons are ghost magnets!"

"Carlita…" her friend, Luna, whispers urgently, "I think-"

"We hadn't had any huge ghost issues until Danny Fenton came back to town! Maybe we'd have been better off if those stupid pirates had killed-!"

Dani moves faster than he can even follow, her kick well-practiced and natural. It's so obvious...why hasn't anyone noticed?! He can see a faint green glow beneath her bangs - the green of Destiny Phantom.

"Shut. Up. Or next time, I'll kick you hard enough to knock every one of your bleached teeth out!"

"Danielle Fenton! You're coming with me to the Principal's Office!"

"That won't do anything! Principal Lancer is soft on the Fentons!"

"Enough out of you! Now, Ms. Fenton!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Dani sighs, picking up her things.

"D-dani…" Ashton stutters, Why can I never help anyone? Even though I have to be the only person in this room who knows what you do for this town...how much danger you're in right now...

"I'll be okay," she smiles reassuringly, "Enjoy the rest of lunch, Ashton."

He watches her leave, and clenches a fist in anger. The other students are helping the crying Carlita stand, cooing soothing words to her.

"Dude, Dani just lost it!" Connor yelps, "Carlita is a witch, with a capital 'B', but...dang!"

"So Dani gets in trouble because Carlita couldn't keep her stupid, shallow mouth shut?!"

"...excuse me?" Carlita groans, "I just got kicked by that brat!"

"Look at all of you," he growls, "You run around, patting yourselves on the back, 'Oh, the Fentons, we have the Fentons! We have the leading ghost experts! We're so lucky! Ghost capital of the world, leading in Ectoplasmic Studies, Amity Park!', but the moment something goes a little pear-shaped, you think it's okay to blame everything on them?!"

"Ashton…" Connor squeaks, "Taking a dive straight off of the popularity cliff right now…"

He whirls to face him, "And you, Connor, you just sit back and laugh with them because you're desperate to avoid getting bullied. Calita just wished someone were dead, just because she's a little inconvenienced! Doesn't that strike you as wrong?"

Connor shrinks back a little, "I, uh…"

That may have been a little harsh, Ashton admits to himself.

"Listen, you little punk!" she snaps, "You're new here! You don't know anything about what we've gone through because of those stupid Fentons!"

"Whatever," he huffs, picking up his tray, "I'm out of here. Just stay here and blame everyone else for your problems, you hellion."

He slips into the hallway, his eyes glancing up at the televisions placed periodically above their heads, set to the local news station. So far, no further information on the situation has been released.

Just great.

Just as he leaves the bathroom, the Ghost Alarm begins to wail, and the emergency lighting flicks on.

"All students to the gymnasium, all students to the gymnasium…"

He slings his backpack over his shoulder, where's Dani? She can't turn into a ghost and fly off to save the day, can she? Not with all of those agents running around! He begins to nearly run, taking a route to the gym that passes by Principal Lancer's office.

She stands, frozen in indecision. Her body tensed as though ready to fight.

Oh, no you don't!

"Dani!" Ashton waves, startling her out of her inner turmoil,"Still here? Let's get to the gym!"

Natural, Ashton, natural...

"Oh! I, uh…"

"Let's go!"

She relaxes, "Yeah, it's dangerous out here!"

"Ashton, you didn't stutter!" she smiles brightly, and he nearly trips over his own two feet.

"O-oh?" It just got hot in here...am I in love with a ghost? Am I crushing on a dead girl?

"Getting comfortable around me?"

"I-I'm not so s-sure about that," he laughs, "I guess I was j-just relieved to s-see you."

"If you say so."

ZzzzzzzBREAKzzzzzZ

The gymnasium is loud and hot, frightened students crowding together. Even hushed whispers, magnified by a few hundred, can become as loud as a busy intersection. Dani and Ashton wriggle their way in, trying to find a seat. Above their heads, the projector shows the local news.

"It's like Pariah Dark all over again," one kid whines.

"I don't want to go to the Ghost Zone!"

"Is that the Fright Knight?"

Dani pauses and looks up at the screen. The camera shows a large portal opening above Amity Park, and a skeletal army being led in by the Fright Knight. A flaming crown flickers on his head as he raises his gauntleted hand aloft.

"Hear me, citizens of Amity Park!" he bellows, "The time has come for us to take what's ours! We fight in the name of King Plasmius, the rightful King of Ghosts! Surrender yourselves or-"

A green explosion knocks him out of the sky, "No one is surrendering anything!"

"It's Danny Phantom!" someone shouts, "He's here!"

"Ah, Phantom. His Highness offered you so much, and you threw it in his face," The Fright Knight growls, drawing his sword as he floats upward, "You shall pay for your impudence!"

"Plasmius was out of his mind!" he draws a metal tube from his side. With a flick of his wrist, it extends, and ectoplasm runs along its sides, forming a blade.

"I see you've gotten yourself a toy," the knight scoffs.

"This?" Phantom grins, "Pretty cool, right? It's just a light metal tube organized so it can conduct ectoplasmic energy in a rigid pattern. Saw it in the Fenton's home a little bit ago and nabbed it 'cause it looked cool. Not like they can use it anyway, right?" he twirls it in his hand, "It's not a lightsaber, but it's pretty cool, right? Sturdier than my ice blade, too!" he lunges, thrusting at the Fright Knight's chest. A skeletal thrall throws itself in front of its master, getting pierced clean through in the process. It vanishes in a flash of green light.

"It also lets me channel ecto-energy right into you," Phantom flicks the sword, as if clearing it of blood, "I'm not playing around this time, Fright Knight!"

At his declaration, another portal spring open, and a wall of blue and white floods the field. They Far Frozen crash into the thralls, scattering them like seeds in the wind.

"For Phantom!"

"For the Eternal Realms!" The Far Frozen cheer.

"You-!" The Fright Knight roars, the flames on the crown burning hotter, "Phantom!"

The two clash repeatedly, the actual battle invisible to cameras that catch only the flashes of light exploding across the sky.

"You cannot beat me with power while I have the Crown!" A hot gust of wind knocks the cameras over, and the cameraman scrambles to protect it.

A cry of pain reverberates through the air, followed by a dark chuckle. The camera finally rights itself, and a cry of dismay erupts in the gym.

"Neither can a young upstart like you expect to beat me by the sword," The Fright Knight hisses, his own sword plunged deep into Danny Phantom's chest. Phantom's own sword is gone, knocked away in the fight. He grasps at his enemy, trying to summon a burst of energy, but it seems to drain away before he can catch it.

"The Eternal Realms will not fall to you," he gasps.

"It will with you gone," He rips his sword from the younger ghost's chest, "Halfing."

It was almost as though he remained, hovering for a moment, as time slowed to a crawl. Danny Phantom began to fall from the sky, haloed by the sun - or perhaps, by the glowing white rings that appeared around his waist.

And thus, Danny Phantom transformed into Danny Fenton on live television, for all of Amity Park to see.

A/N2: So, I WAS going to write more, but this is definitely a better place to end the chapter! I hope you all enjoy! Remember to review/fav/follow! Reviews remind me that I have an obligation to all of you, my lovely fans, to finish!