Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or X-Men: Evolution. They belong solely to Butch Hartman and Marvel Studios respectively.

A Summer Birthday

As time moved forward, it was the final month of the summer before the new school year would begin. There was one other detail that only the Fentons were aware of: Danny's birthday. Jack and Maddie were planning to surprise their son for his 15th birthday with a party at the Institute. However, the difficult task was to get Danny out of the Institute for the ample time needed to set up.

Right now, Jack and Maddie were in Xavier's office with Logan and Ororo as they were having a discussion.

"Well, we do have plenty of room here to throw a surprise birthday party for Daniel." Xavier said.

"However, we will need him out of the Institute so we can take the time to get everything ready." Jack adds.

"Yeah, but how do we get Spooky away from here?" Logan asks in wonder. "That's the question."

Maddie had a thought before she said.

"Perhaps we can ask someone to take him out somewhere and keep him distracted for a good amount of time."

"A good suggestion, but who can we ask?" Ororo says in curiosity as she too pondered how to remedy the situation at hand.

However, the adults were not alone.

In the hallway, Rogue was walking to get to Xavier's office. She was about to pass by when she heard the adults talking through the door. The mutant goth girl was able to hear enough of the details about Danny's surprise birthday party being planned by Jack and Maddie, but are trying to discover how to keep him distracted.

Back inside the office, Jack finally suggested

"Perhaps Sam and Tucker could get him out of the Institute for a while. Of course, it should be long enough to set up."

"But honey, Danny would get suspicious if they take him somewhere all of a sudden." Maddie counters.

Jack thought for a moment before he understood his wife's meaning as he said to her.

"Hmm... you're right, honey."

"Perhaps one of my students can provide the distraction needed." Xavier suggests. "Also, it should throw off any suspicion Daniel may have."

Outside the door, while the rest of the adults agreed with the professor's suggestion, Rogue felt that this was a golden opportunity for her. If she did volunteer, not only will she have a chance to get to know Danny better, but she'll be able to have her questions finally answered that's been bugging her for quite some time.

Soon, Rogue knocked on the door before hearing the professor say from the other side.

"Come on in."

Rogue opened the door and saw that all of the adults were looking at the door being opened as the goth walked in.

"Professor? Maybe Ah can help."

Professor Xavier gestured for Rogue to continue on what she had in mind.

"Ah can take Danny out to town and disguise it as a hangout with him."

The adults considered Rogue's suggestion as she continued.

"Ah'm pretty sure he'll agree to it if it means getting him away from here."

"Very well." Professor Xavier said in response.

Then, Jack said

"I'll see if Sam and Tucker want to help decorate while Rogue gets Danny out of the Institute for a while."

"Sounds like a good plan." Logan said.

"Yes, we just need to make sure that it isn't obvious that we're planning it all out." Jack says in agreement.

The other adults nodded as well before they left the office along with Rogue. However, instead of going to the room that she shared with Kitty, she went directly to Jean and Jazz's room before knocking on the door. In an instant, she heard Jean's voice allowing her to enter.

Once Rogue stepped inside, she immediately saw Jazz on her bed reading a book as she asked.

"Jazz, can Ah talk to ya for a minute?"

Jazz closed her book before stepping out. She had a gut feeling that it was something important before she asked.

"What is it?"

Rogue looked around to see that no one was in hearing range or present before she said.

"Look, Ah know that Danny's birthday is coming up. Ah need to know what he likes so Ah can have an idea for his birthday gift."

"Okay." Jazz began. "Listen to me very carefully."

Meanwhile, Danny was downstairs in the lab. Apparently, the Box Ghost escaped again. After placing the annoying specter back into the Ghost Zone, he phased through the ceiling to get to his room. Once he transformed back to his human form, he breathed a sigh of relief and annoyance.

"Man! The Box Ghost doesn't quit at being annoying." he mutters to himself.

Suddenly, Danny hears a knock at the door and a voice asking

"Danny? Are ya there?"

"Yeah, Rogue. Come on in."

Rogue enters Danny's room after taking a deep breath subtly.

"Listen, since your birthday is coming up, Ah was thanking that, weh could spend tahme with one anothah as friends? What do ya say?" she asks.

However, in her mind Rogue was thinking

"Are ya serious?! How lame can ya sound?!"

Danny was silent at first, being taken aback that Rogue was actually asking him out as friends in her words. Then, Danny found his voice once more as he said.

"Um... sure. I'd like to do that."

In his mind, Danny thought to himself

"Way to go, numbskull! You should've given her a better answer!"

"Well then, Ah guess Ah'll...plan on what weh should do." Rogue said shyly.

"Sure thing." Danny said shyly as well.

After Rogue left Danny's room, both she and Danny thought in sync

"What the heck is wrong with me?!"

Rogue was in her room, lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. Thankfully for her, her roommate Kitty was elsewhere. Otherwise, the brunette would likely pester her since she was a total sucker for romance. She pushed that aside to try on what to get for Danny's birthday gift as Jazz advised her in secret.

Eventually, Rogue decided to keep on thinking about it as his birthday would approach. The mutant goth girl realized how hard it was due to distancing herself when her mutation kicked in. Now, here she was, thinking of what to get for an individual she met not so long ago.

Days have passed, and it was now Danny's birthday. As Rogue promised, she took Danny out of the Institute to spend time with him in Bayville as well as keeping him from discovering their plan for the festivities prematurely. Sam and Tucker arrived at the Institute an hour after Danny's departure.

"Glad you two made it." Jazz said as she allowed them entry.

Sam and Tucker were amazed at the interior of the Institute when they entered.

"Wow! This place sure is a lot bigger than the mansions at Amity Park." Sam commented.

"I'll say." Tucker adds.

Then, the two teens face Jazz as Tucker asks

"Where is Danny any way?"

"He's gone out with Rogue." Jazz answers. "She's keeping him away while we set up everything."

Sam went into a slight shock, discovering that Danny was out with another girl.

"In other words, they're out on a date?" she asks.

Tucker had a sly smile before he said to her.

"Jealous much?"

Sam elbows him with a glare as Tucker yelped.

"Ow!"

"Come on, guys." Jazz said, calming them down. "We got to get everything together while Danny is away."

As Tucker went to help out, Sam was a little reluctant as she looked towards the front door of the Institute with a longing look.

"Danny..."

In Bayville, Danny and Rogue were walking through the streets side by side as the mutant goth girl asks.

"So what is this Amity Park lahke?"

"Consider it this way," Danny begins. "A bit similar to Bayville, but smaller compared to here."

"If Ah may ask, what made ya move here?" Rogue patiently asked.

"My old high school got closed down and demolished." Danny simply replied.

Rogue raised an eyebrow as she asked.

"Demolished?"

"Yeah." Danny says in response. "The school faculty would always turn a blind eye to bullying by the popular kids. As a result, someone spilled the beans, and all of the teachers and the principal got fired. That's how I ended up here with everyone else who will begin attending Bayville High soon."

Rogue was silent at the details that Danny had given her. Never before has she ever heard of a high school closing down because of teachers letting bullying run rampant.

"Ya don't say."

"Yeah." Danny replies.

Then, another thought hit him.

"By the way, I never got a chance to see Bayville Mall when I first got here."

Rogue had a light smile before she said.

"You're in luck. It's already been re-opened since the repairs are already done."

"Cool." Danny said with a shrug.

As the two towards their intended destination while they talked, Rogue was seeing that for the first time, she had met someone who wasn't intimidated of her. While talking to Danny, she saw that he wasn't afraid of getting close to her.

She wanted to ask him out of the blue how her powers didn't activate when she touched him during their first encounter, but she put it aside for the time being. Eventually, the two arrived at Bayville Mall as Danny and Rogue entered through the front door of the complex.

"First time for me to be in here... without fighting any ghosts." Danny whispered the last part.

"Lahke, what happened last time?" Rogue asks innocently.

Danny slightly winced at that part.

"Hey, don't worry." Rogue assures while placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. "No one's blaming ya for that."

"Thank goodness." Danny said after breathing a relieved sigh.

"Was it lahke this back in your town?" Rogue asks.

"Yeah. There were people here and there who were skeptical about "Danny Phantom" despite the other ghosts who terrorize people on a daily basis." Danny said.

Rogue leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"If it's that bad, imagine when mutants get out in public."

"No kidding." Danny whispered back.

Then, the duo see a poster of Trinity of Doom that Danny was absolutely familiar with.

"Huh. Sam would've loved to hear that they're playing that in theaters." he says.

Rogue sees the poster before making a face of disgust.

"Are ya serious? That movie is as lame as it is terrible." she says with heavy criticism.

Danny looks at Rogue with a raised eyebrow before he asks.

"I'm guessing you didn't find it appealing?"

"Honestly, the producers oughta get sued! Ah mean, Femalien, Terminatra, NIGHTMERICA?!" Rogue emphasized the latter part. "They ain't nothing but total rip-offs of Predalien, Terminator, and Freddy Krueger, respectively."

Danny had to whistle, completely impressed on how blunt and critical Rogue was being.

"Good thing Sam isn't around to hear you say that."

Rogue rose an eyebrow as Danny saw it in an instant

"She takes her flicks pretty seriously." he says, causing Rogue to nod.

At the Institute, Sam was busy inflating some balloons before she stopped while looking up at the ceiling.

"Sam? What is it?" Jazz asks.

"I don't know why, but I feel like someone is literally calling my favorite movie and heroes rip-offs." Sam says in curiosity.

Jazz rose an eyebrow before she shrugged as both girls got back to setting up the balloons.

Back at the mall, Danny and Rogue were at the food court enjoying their own milkshakes as they were sitting down at the table.

"I never took you for the strawberry milkshake type." he comments. "I thought you would prefer a chocolate milkshake."

"Ugh!" Rogue says in disgust. "Ah tried it once, didn't lahke it."

Danny nodded in understanding. However, he noticed something was off about Rogue. The ghost boy decided to find out what's eating her as he asked.

"You've been quieter than usual, Rogue. Is something wrong?"

Rogue was caught by surprise. At that point, she decided to come clean and said to him

"Remember that day when weh met while ya were fighting that ghost?" she sees Danny nod. "And ya saw meh without one of mah gloves on?" Again, Danny nods. "Well..."

Rogue removes one of her gloves before raising her bare hand for Danny to see.

"If Ah were ta touch someone, everything would flow into meh: life-force, memories, and powers, if Ah touch a mutant. When Ah touched ya that night, Ah felt nothing, and Ah can't figure out why."

Danny understood as he remembered seeing Rogue with a bare hand and staring at him after he sealed Technus into the Fenton Thermos. At first, he was confused, but now, with Rogue's information, it was beginning to make sense to him.

"I think it's because I was in my ghost form." he replies. "Since ghosts are typically dead, that's how you didn't get anything from me."

Rogue nodded at Danny's information before she said to him.

"Ah ain't sure if the same will happen to ya, in human form."

Danny shrugged before he said

"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"

Rogue was surprised that, in a way, Danny was willing to let her touch him, to test out the theory. She was worried about how it may affect him, but she sensed that he was sincere. Holding her breath, Rogue very quickly and lightly tapped Danny's cheek.

Nothing.

Danny saw Rogue looking like she wanted to shed tears as he said

"I'm sorry, Rpgue."

Rogue smiled before she said to him.

"Don't beh. In fact, Ah'm glad that Ah didn't harm ya."

Suddenly, Danny and Rogue heard a feminine voice; one that was familiar to the former, while sounding like nails on a chalkboard to the latter.

"Ick! Loser love in the air!"

Rogue sees the individual who said that: a Latina girl with black hair, teal eyes, and tanned skin wearing a pink, midriff exposing top, sea green pants, and white shoes.

Paulina stopped to get a good look at Rogue before she said in a critical tone

"Oh great! The goth freaks are starting to multiply."

Rogue immediately got ticked off before she stood up and got dangerously close to Paulina as she said

"Hey! Ya got some kahnd of grudge against meh?"

Paulina took a step back, completely surprised that this girl literally got in her face. However, she glared as she said in a warning tone.

"You better get out of my face if you know what's good for you!"

"Or you'll what?" Rogue shot back in a challenging tone.

Paulina was caught off-guard that, in a way, this girl had the gall to challenge her. Rogue scoffed when the Latina couldn't think of a comeback or a repercussion and said.

"Why am Ah not surprised?"

"Just, who do you think you are?!" Paulina demanded.

"A gal who ain't intimidated by a shallow, ditzy bimbo lahke you!" Rogue answered.

Paulina looked she got slapped in the face from Rogue's insult as she said

"Oh no! You did not just call me shallow, did you?"

"Ya bet that Ah did!" Rogue replied. "Ah can walk the walk as well as talk the talk. So, if ya want to keep pushing meh, go ahead and try meh. Ah dare ya!"

Paulina was speechless. Normally, girls would instantly back down from her, but this new girl she has recently met was not like the others. Not wanting to risk damage to her flawless skin, Paulina just huffed before walking away with her head up high.

"Don't inhale a fly on your way out!" Rogue cracked.

Danny watched in awe how Rogue just stood up to Paulina without any intimidation and was seriously willing to carry out her subtle threats against Paulina.

"Man, that's hot!"

When Rogue rejoined Danny, she asked him while pointing to her backside with her thumb.

"Ah take it ya know that bimbo?"

"Unfortunately, yeah." Danny replied. "That's Paulina: easy on the eyes, horrible personality as you just witnessed."

"No kidding." Rogue comments. "So, what's her deal?"

"Basically, she's obsessed with my ghost half when I first saved her life back in Amity Park." Danny replies.

Rogue rose an eyebrow and looked at Danny as if he said something crazy.

"You're pulling mah leg, right?"

"I wish I was." Danny said. "Also, despite her horrible personality, a lot of guys still drool over her."

Rogue shook her head in annoyance before she said.

"Just when Ah thought she could not possibly get more pathetic."

"Yeah." Danny said. "I should know because...I was one of them." he glances away in shame.

Rogue stared in suprise at Danny's honesty as he continued.

"Back then, I wanted to fit in and be part of the popular crowd. However, I've outgrown my desire, just as I've outgrown my crush on Paulina, once I finally realized their true colors."

The mutant goth girl couldn't judge Danny at all. The fact that he was blunt in his honesty told Rogue volumes that he had a good heart. Soon, she placed a hand on his shoulder and said in an assuring tone.

"Hey, just beh glad that ya woke up ta realize that they ain't worth it. Besides, that was pretty big of ya to tell meh the truth."

Danny had a small smile at that. However, he didn't know that Rogue was in her own deep thought. In her opinion, Danny was somehow able to get past her walls and defenses easily. She guessed that with his friend, Sam being a goth like herself, it would be easy for him to get her out of her own shell.

Back at the Institute, everything was finally ready in the backyard as Logan got the coals into the barbecue but refrained from igniting it until the festivities officially began.

With the final adjustment, everyone hid the balloons into position, along with the cake and other party favors. Then, Jazz went up to Jack and Maddie and asked while pulling out her cell phone.

"May I?"

Upon seeing her parents nod in approval, Jazz speed dialed Danny's number and waited for a few seconds.

"Hello?"

"Danny!" Jazz called in faux frantic.

"Whoa! Jazz, ease up." Danny said through the other line. "What's going on?"

"You and Rogue better get here!" Jazz said in terror. "Something's happening to the Ghost Portal, and the Institute is being overrun by ghosts! Hurry!"

After Jazz hung up, she smirked while hearing Kitty and Kurt snicker, but everyone else stared at her for what she just did.

"What? Only way to get him here." she says. "Now, hurry! He's on his way!"

Everyone quickly hides and waits for Danny to return to the Institute.

Back at the mall, Danny hung up his phone, but he didn't realize that Rogue knew that it was all a ploy to get him back to the Institute and surprise him. Before she knew it, she felt him grab her gloved hand as he said to her in panic.

"We got to go!"

Rogue played along as she asked in faux curiosity

"What's going on?"

"Something bad is going on at the Institute!" he replies.

Danny takes Rogue to an empty alley of Bayville Mall before he transforms into his Danny Phantom persona. After picking up Rogue, bridal style, which caught her off-guard, he turns them both invisible before flying off in haste to resolve the supposed emergency.

The mutant goth girl was scared at first, but then she relaxed, knowing that Danny would be extremely careful with her.

In merely minutes, they reached the Institute before Danny put Rogue down and then reversed his transformation. The two enter the Institute to find it empty.

"Hello?" Danny asks as he looks around.

Danny and Rogue looked around the inside of the Institute. To see that nothing was damaged made the ghost boy become suspicious as he continued his search. Eventually, they reached the lower levels and entered his parents' lab to see that everything was still intact and the portal was still functional

But there was still no sign of his family or the X-Men.

"Something's weird." he comments. "It's too quiet."

However, he didn't know that Rogue received a telepathic message from Professor Xavier to lure him to the backyard. In a minute, she suggests to Danny

"Why don't weh try the backyard."

"Sure." he said with a shrug. "Maybe we may find something left behind."

In mere moments, Rogue leads Danny to the backyard. The ghost boy looked outside before he said to Rogue in concern.

"Stay here. I'll check it out."

After Rogue nods, Danny steps outside cautiously, looking around. However, while he saw that there were tables, making him suspicious even more, Danny didn't realize that Rogue knew where everyone was hiding. Once she saw Jazz, she nodded at her in a signal-like fashion.

Instantly, Danny hears two banging sounds before he sees flares launched into the air.

"What the heck is...?"

Suddenly, the balloons popped up as the confetti was launched into the air before almost everyone jumped out of their hiding places as two more flares were launched with a bang.

"SURPRISE!"

Danny looks to see his friends, the X-Men, his sister, and his parents, who held the flare guns, indicating that they were the ones who fired the flares.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Danny begins to piece together that everyone planned all of this. He even realized that Rogue took him out of the Institute to distract him, despite genuinely wanting to spend time with him as he couldn't help but smile at the fact that they got him good.

The party was going really well as everyone enjoyed themselves. Despite Logan handling the barbecue, there were vegetarian foods, specifically for Sam, and much to her surprise, Kitty, due to both of them refusing to eat meat. There was chatter and laughter amongst the party goers.

After the cake was served and the gifts were presented, it was time to clean up as the sky became dark. The backyard was cleared in a short period of time due to everyone cooperating in the cleanup; as well as some of them using their powers to get it done even faster.

Inside the Institute, Rogue was in the hallway with Danny as he was walking towards his room, taking his gifts with him with the mutant goth girl walking beside him.

"I got to say, you did pretty good keeping me distracted." he comments.

"Your folks needed help in getting ya out of here, so ya wouldn't know what's going on." Rogue replies.

Danny nods in understanding as something else comes to mind.

"Well, I like the shirt you got me, but how did you know that I like NASA?"

Rogue smiled at his question before she said.

"A little bird told meh."

Danny had a sly smile before he asked

"Did this little bird have the name of Jazz?"

Rogue chuckled before she said.

"Okay. Ya got meh. Ah asked her long before today."

Downstairs, after Tucker left the Institute to get home, Sam was looking around in the Institute before she saw Jazz in the kitchen.

"Have you seen Danny?" she asks.

"I think he's upstairs." Jazz replies.

Then, Sam leaves the kitchen to go upstairs in hopes of finding Danny. She goes down one hallway to see that he wasn't there. Soon, the human goth girl in black went to the other hallway to try and locate him. However, as she got closer, she stopped and heard voices; one of which she recognized in an instant.

Peaking silently around a corner, she sees Danny, but he's not alone.

"Hey. I had a pretty good time at the mall, I'll admit." Danny said before he started rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Hopefully, we could... do it again sometime."

Rogue had a small smile before she said.

"Sure." she shuffles her foot. "Also, I do... have one more gift for ya; othah than the shirt I got for ya."

Danny was curious as to what Rogue was talking about. The next thing he knew, Rogue gave him a quick yet light kiss at the left corner of his lips. The ghost boy was caught by surprise that Rogue actually kissed him, despite that it was a small one. The two smiled at one another, not knowing what to say.

However, they didn't realize that they had an audience.

Sam silently gasped as she saw Rogue kissing Danny. The human goth girl didn't know what to think. At first, when she found out that Danny went out with Rogue, Sam felt like her heart stopped beating. But, right now, she felt like her heart shattered into pieces.

Then, she hears Danny's voice once more.

"I better go say "bye" to Sam and Tucker before they go."

"Sure." Rogue says in response.

Sam quickly ran downstairs to get to the entrance before walking back up as if she started to look for Danny. Then, she sees him as Danny says.

"Hey Sam!"

"Hey." Sam said back.

Danny looks around before asking

"Tucker just left?"

"Yeah. He had to go home before his parents started panicking." Sam said in response.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see you guys at Bayville High, then." Danny said.

Sam waved a farewell to Danny as he did the same. However, as he went back upstairs, Danny was completely oblivious that when Sam got out of the Institute grounds and made it past the open gate, she clenched her chest where her heart was and began shedding tears. Heartbroken, Sam looked up to the night sky and whispered

"Why...?"

Stay tuned for the next chapter when Danny and all of the former Casper High students begin attending Bayville High as their new school year starts.

DJ Rodriguez: Yes, Kitty's cooking was as bad in the X-Men: Evolution series, but you'll see how that will turn around. I also forgot to mention that the identity of the "Anonymous Whistle-blower" will be revealed in time. Also, Rogue couldn't figure out how her powers didn't affect Danny until now.

NiteOwl18: Thanks.

danifan3000: You've certainly raised valid points. I understand the hypocrisy completely on how mutants are treated horribly as if the segregation laws were never abolished, in comparison to non-mutant superheroes such as Spider-Man are worshipped as gods. When the time comes for Danny's secret identity and the existence of mutants to become public knowledge, you'll see how things will play out.

Runeion: I'm aware of Rogue's real in the comics, but in the episode Mutant Crush of X-Men: Evolution, Scott assumed Rogue's real name was Kate, but she corrects him saying that it is not. Also, her real name was never mentioned in the series in comparison to the comics.

Jebest4781: Thanks for the compliment.

YuukiHiro98: This also takes place before Growing Pains of X-Men: Evolution. As for Dani's first appearance and Danny getting his cryomancy, you'll see what I have in mind.

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