You guys omg... I'm so burnt out its actually ridiculous (it's the chapter titles), but I'm trying my best cuz I can't let my commitment issues keep me down. Also I heard something about people selling other peoples fanfiction and that scared me somehow like I'm good at this or something.

Anyways let's get this part over with

Reviews

Invador Johnny: Definitely, but denial is one strong.. emotion(? It's 3am rn). As for why he's stubborn about it.. well, it'll get revealed later.

kazikamikaze24: First off, love the name. Second, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! (Third, it's slow for me too. I'm off my plans)

I haven't done this in a while, but quick reminder that the Danny Phantom and the characters belongs to Butch Hartman.

Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter XX:

Everything stays, but it still changes

Danny wondered if it was a bad idea to take Ellie with him.

'Why was he wondering that the moment after leaving the Ghost Zone?' You ask.

The answer was simple. She blabbed. They had just got back in the apartment and saw Jazz and Valerie talking about whatever, then his wonderful daughter greeted them. Normal, so far. Danny had did the same before separating from the kid for the first time of the day, to get something to drink. Making himself a glass of water before propping himself up behind the kitchen counter. He heard Jazz ask how the interaction went. Not a hard question. 'It was good, we learned a lot.' Or even 'We know how to move there, so that's one step done.' But, no. It was none of those, or anything in between.

Ellie, the little brat, decided it was the perfect time to shout; "Danny has an obsession!" With the brightest smile on her face.

Upon hearing that, Danny choked on his water, eyes flashing green. His hand flew to his mouth to cover his coughs until they calmed down. "Elle!"

"What?"

Danny just frowned and opened his mouth to say something. Only to be interrupted by the two on the couch. "Yeah, I can see that." "Makes sense."

Traitors. All of them.

Danny turned his attention to the two with a disbelieving look. "You can not be serious." He threw his hands up once he received a shrug in return. "I don't have an obsession!"

The room became dead silent.

"Unbelievable." He said, his face now buried in his hands. He moved one up to his hair as he peeked through the other to look at them. "Alright," he sighed in defeat. "Go ahead."

"I guessed your whole hero shtick was an obsession." Jazz was the first to admit.

Ellie immediately nodded her head. "Me too! Especially with how Vlad described you."

All eyes turned to Valerie, who froze and face flushed for some reason.. "You probably don't want to know the first one I thought of. Just know it changed once I realized you were," she cleared her throat and motioned to him "You." Ah, embarrassment.

Danny continued to stare at the three of them. A blank expression on his face until he raised his hand. "Let's not have this conversation right now," His hand on the counter then slid it to the side. "Or ever." Before anyone could protest, he continued. "Now to properly answer your question."

Danny took that time to relay what Clockwork said in the tower. Minus the obsession talk, since it was already out of the way and he'd rather it stay that way. Ellie chimed in a few times, even giving her opinion on the ghost. Once they finished, the room was quiet for a moment. Jazz was thinking about the information dump and Valerie looked skeptical.

"And there's really no other way of doing this?" Valerie spoke up.

Danny's head snapped to her with a ghast look, "That's what I asked!" He sighed and slumped against the counter. "But no, apparently, that's the only way."

"That we know of," Valerie pointed out, earning a look from Danny. Was she implying something? By the look in her eyes, it seemed that way. But why? He shook his head. Later.

He turned his attention to Jazz, who just shifted in her seat with a hum. The more Danny looked at her, the more she looked.. nervous? Uncomfortable, maybe. It was similar to how she was with their parents, but also so different. 'But wasn't she also like that with,' His eyes narrowed at the thought. Then he tuned back into the conversation, putting it in mind to talk to his sister later.

Danny managed to avoid anymore obsession-talk. He's had more than enough for the day. Clockwork was expected, but the rest? Not on his watch. (Seriously though, did they really think him trying to fix his mess was an obsession? Who wouldn't help people with these powers, excluding Vlad?.. Not right now, Daniel.)

Instead, the conversation switched to Dani's mini not-so-secret tour of the Ghost Zone. Danny wondered if he should've taken someone else or went to the Zone alone. But as quickly as the thought came, it disappeared from seeing the girl's bright smile. Though, mid way through, Jazz excused herself to take a breather and left the apartment. As Jazz passed him, Danny's eyes briefly landed on Valerie, who was watching the redhead as well. They nodded to each other before Valerie turned back to Dani and told her to continue. Meanwhile, Danny grabbed a red baseball cap and put it on as he followed after Jazz.

Danny adjusted the cap on his head, pulling it down over his face. He didn't bother to put on a hoodie today. (Because he was lazy, not because Val told him to wear something different.) Instead of a hoodie, he wore a green plaid shacket over a plain black shirt. He adjusted the sleeves on the jacket with a small frown. The halfa wasn't expecting to leave the apartment after coming back from the Ghost Zone. There was a sudden pang of self-consciousness the moment he stepped through the door. But he managed to will it down to focus on his sister, who he was a few steps behind. He kept quiet as he followed her down the hall, out the entrance doors, and down the sidewalk. Not what he was expecting when she said she needed fresh air. He continued to follow her, pulling down his cap every couple of minutes. Eventually the two were a few feet away from the apartment complex. Danny was wondering if he should say something, not wanting it to be any more awkward than how it felt already. Until she turned to look at him with a sharp glance.

He tried his best not to shiver at the unexpected gaze and sheepishly chuckled. "What a coincidence, huh?"

Jazz stayed quiet for a moment, then sighed. Danny was about to say something before he looked at the small smile that graced her features. "Did you follow to check on me, Danny?"

"What?" Call it habits or whatever, but the urge to deny the statement was welcoming. Yet, Danny tried not to cringe and shrugged. "I guess," he said. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Jazz cooed. "So my baby brother really does care about me."

Danny couldn't hold back his face scrunching up, nor the flushing. "Don't make this weird," he grumbled. Then his expression softened. "Of course I care about you. We're family."

Something changed in Jazz's eyes, but it left too quickly for Danny to catch it. "Yeah, but family doesn't kidnap their own kid for a year." Oh?

Oh..

"Something's wrong," he stated, but it sounded like a question. Either way, Jazz's sour expression made it clear. They walked in silence, the people passing them lessening.

"I'm thinking of getting my own apartment," Jazz spoke up, catching Danny's attention.

"Like.. by your college?" He didn't think there was anything wrong with that. "That's smart. It would be tiring to keep driving from FentonWorks to the university."

"Near here."

Danny paused. "Here?" Jazz nodded, furthering the halfa's confusion. "Here? Why? What about your classes?"

"I'll," the older sibling dragged out the word. "Figure something out."

"Jazz."

"Danny."

Sigh. "What are you planning?"

Jazz's pace slowed down, the two now walking side by side. Danny stayed quiet, patiently waiting for a response.

"That first night you disappeared," Jazz started. "I looked for you everywhere through Amity Park. Went to all your favorite spots and more. I was so focused trying to find you that I didn't realize the sun came up. By the time I did, I missed half my classes."

"You've looking for me since then..?" Danny interrupted.

Jazz didn't seem to mind his interruption, instead she casually responded. "Of course I was. I wanted to help you with mom and dad."

Danny couldn't help but feel guilty so far. He didn't think much about what Jazz did after he left her to help Ellie. From what he was told when he got back, Jazz just shared to Valerie and Star that he was missing. He didn't ask about the details. That worsened his guilt. But he was also touched, in a way.

There was a moment of silence between the two. Danny just didn't know what to say. Jazz, on the other hand, did.

"I don't want to lose you again, Danny."

Danny looked at Jazz, a frown creeping on his lips as he saw her expression. Her face screamed of guilt, worry, concern and disappointment. From what he had heard so far, the disappointment wasn't targeted at him.

"You're the only family I have left, baby brother. Mom and," she paused. "Maddie and Jack stopped being a part of my family the moment they tried to trick you that day."

Danny silently agreed.

"But it's not like there's anything I can do about that."

They fell into another silence at Jazz's last sentence. She had trailed off and Danny was left thinking. He understood how she felt, he went through something similar. It's not like she could get a completely different family and be satisfied. She needed the ones she loved and trusted together.

A lightbulb appeared over Danny's head. In a swift motion, he leaned closer to her, whispering his plan in her ear. Jazz was shocked, to say the least. It was obvious that she hadn't even thought about what Danny did. Such a simple solution. Not just that.. but it was exactly what she needed.

"Good idea," She told him with a smile. "Let's do it."

Is this my shortest chapter? I don't keep count. Either way, if it felt short, the next one is longer.

Anyways, Danny Phantom is officially 20 years old!?? Never guessed I would be older than this show. Here's a topic that I'm kind of curious of; What are your guy's thoughts on the idea of Tom Holland playing Danny in a live action adaptation? Like it, hate it, or just tired of live action stuff these days?

Personally, I'm very 'eh...' about it. I think it's time to put any live action to rest. After PJO and ATLA, I think it's time to do some new animated stuff.

I'm interested to hear other takes on it, only if you guys want to.

Okay. Remember to eat and hydrate yourselves! Have a wonderful night/day! Until next time, guys, gals, and non-binary pals!

Up Next:

Danny gets some ghostly advice; Jazz takes the first step