1/22/25: Holy crap on a cracker, people! Chapter 50?! My goodness, this certainly is shaping up to be far longer than I expected. My poor novel I'm supposed to be writing in order to publish…

Please note that I have NOTHING against the military. I have family who served, my husband served, and I tried to serve myself (was rejected for health reasons). I mean no offense when Danny says "dog of the military", he just doesn't want to be controlled like a weapon again.

I feel like this chapter just became really unhinged…sorry.

The song in this chapter is "Mine" by Sleep Token. Yes…more Sleep Token LOL.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

–

Chapter 50: Mine

–

Danny appeared in his bedroom, chest heaving. He grabbed onto the low dresser and steadied himself by leaning onto it. He'd been distracted all day and hadn't thought about what day it was. But now…

He knew it shouldn't affect him like this–he was technically alive. He supposed a lot of what he was feeling was failure. He hadn't expected to be here at this point in time–he had hoped they would be living a normal life.

Instead, he was a broken, trembling mess.

His emotions were also running high from his proximity to Sam during the dance, so that didn't help. It overwhelmed him, setting his nerves ablaze. Why the hell was he suddenly panicking? It was just another day…it didn't even matter.

But for part of him, it did matter. Another part of him was ashamed that it mattered because at least he still has the chance to see his kids grow up. Other people didn't get that chance…he should be grateful.

But dammit, why couldn't he be grateful and sad at the same time? He understood why ghosts who formed from humans didn't normally retain their memories–being a ghost came with its own challenges. Yes, he would see his kids grow up, but he'd also have to bury them. Sam? She'll grow old without him and die while he's forever twenty one.

That was the crux of it: he was sad because of the things he was going to miss out on in a normal human life–growing old with your partner, having a normal job that you could retire from, having your kids bury you, play golf and throw your back out. That last one seemed like an odd thing to dream about, but to Danny it was such a simple human thing to grow old and start to hurt–a simple human thing he didn't get anymore.

And what of him now? He got a second chance almost no one else gets and he squanders it by being a weak, pathetic, wretch? How could he be the man the city needed, when he couldn't even be the man she needed.

'I hate myself!' he thought.

'I don't,' he heard in his father's voice. 'I can't tell you how proud I am of the man you are,' Jack had said. 'Not only am I proud of who you are, but you're my role model. You are my hero.'

Danny stood there, staring at the wall as Jack's words replayed over and over in his head. He growled in frustration when they became intermingled with his own self-deprecating thoughts. Finally, he reached over and jammed the on button for the radio hoping it could calm his racing mind.

It was on a country station and just ended one song when another started. The ghost froze when he heard the melody, gaze snapping to the radio. The man's deep voice rang out as he began to sing and the lyrics pierced the ghost's core.

What was wrong with him? He closed his eyes and hung his head, arms still supporting him over the dresser.

How could he have forgotten his promise?

He couldn't be the man he wanted to be if he didn't even try. And he didn't even have to do it alone. If he was going to be the man his kids could be proud of, he needed her.

He stood there for a bit longer as the song played. He wasn't sure how long he remained, but when he finally seemed to come out of his funk, the radio station was on commercial. Before his determination left him, he turned and walked out of his room and down the hall towards Sam's room.

He knew she was there now from her signature. When he made it, the door was open and he could hear music coming from the room. Music seemed to soothe them both when they were upset.

He peeked in, carefully keeping his signature dampened. Sam was getting the twins down for bed while "Mine" by Sleep Token played on her phone. Aurora was already down and falling asleep, but the goth was finishing getting Jackson in his pajamas.

The song was completing the first verse and going into a faster part before the second verse started. Sam was dancing a little, swaying to the melody. She sang a little when the second verse started, a gentle smile on her face as she looked at her son.

We balance fire in the earth we walk

She finished buttoning up his onesie and then picked him up, settling him on her hip as she bounced around to the song.

Will never stop me reaching forth,

To see you again.

The ghost watched her smile at their son as she sang, her movements graceful as she spun them around, Jackson giggling. His core ached with a longing he had missed dearly.

With colors over all the wasted years

Sam then lifted him up and placed him in the crib, rubbing the hair from his brow.

Eternity will bring you near,

She gingerly kissed his cheek.

I know you can see.

The goth turned around then, startled to see Danny standing in the doorway. The look on his face was both love and pain, an odd combination that gave him an almost desperate look.

I know you can see…

That you. Danny abruptly closed the distance in one long stride and grabbed her face in his hands, lips crashing down on hers.

Will. Sam's eyes went wide, completely shocked. There was a sudden spark, a surge of energy, that flashed between them.

Be. She closed her eyes, deepening the kiss and bringing her hands up to lay on his chest.

Mine. He ravaged her lips like he never had before, sending chills down her spine as his core rhythm sped up, creating a frosty air around him.

Her core responded in kind, radiating heat through his body where she touched him. She nearly squeaked into his mouth when arms came down and wrapped around her back, lifting her up and into his chest. Her arms enveloped his neck as her feet left the ground.

The goth felt like her head was going to explode. The current passing between them was sparking behind her eyes like a thousand supernovae. Danny was becoming addicted to the feeling he was getting.

As the music picked up again, he set her back down on her feet long enough to pull away from her and grab her legs, lifting her again and wrapping her legs around his hips. He then practically slammed her against the wall, pinning her there with his hips as his hands found her neck and face again. She was left breathless from his kiss, chest heaving.

When the lyrics started again, he sang them. "I have waited…paralyzed by my own will." He set his forehead on hers, the focus of his gaze switching between her eyes. "Viciously reminding me still, I'm born to believe."

He stooped his head and captured her lips again before pulling them away from the wall and spinning her around. Danny dropped her back on the bed and then settled on top of her, leaving her eyes wide.

"I am certain…you and I are a crashing course." He smiled. "Driven by a holy force. I know you can see…" He pinned her arms above her head and kissed her deeply, a small feeling of satisfaction coursing through him as she surrendered against him.

He felt her trying to pull his shirt up and he suddenly felt self conscious. He went to stop her but her hand slipped up under his shirt and glided over where his core was located in his chest. He gasped at the surge of heat that slammed into his core and the goth stalled, pulling her hand away.
"Are you okay?" she asked, brows drawn in confusion.

He looked just as confused, eyes darting around. "That was…weird." Then his eyes met hers. "But can I do it, too?"

He placed his cool hand on her chest over her core and she went rigid as a shock of cold bombarded her, causing her to shiver before he pulled his hand away. "What was that?" she asked.

"I don't know. I didn't even do anything, just put my hand there," he said, leaving his hand hovering over her chest.

Sam looked into his eyes and could see the swirling vortex of neon green power in his eyes, but as she concentrated, she could see that it was more than that. The neon green power was intermingled with an icy blue, a jagged, crackling kind of power that spiraled around the wisps of green ecto-plasm.

As for Danny, he realized he could see the raging violet tempest that was Sam's power within her eyes as well, with blazing red and orange fire zipping around it in a wild and untamed way.

Without really even meaning to, they each placed their hand on the other's core. The pair gasped once again, but instead of the feeling becoming overwhelming quickly and needing to pull their hand away, it seemed as if their arms were acting as conduits, with the energy looping from one to the other and back.

The glow from their eyes intensified and became like shining beacons. Sam watched, enraptured as the scar over his eye glowed as well.

Finally, they pulled their hands away, each panting and looking at each other in wonder and awe. "What the hell is that?" Sam asked again.

"I don't know," he responded before his eyes became hooded. "But let's explore that later. I'd like to explore you now, if you don't mind," he said with the growl she loved so much.

"Oh, mother," she giggled as he went for her neck.

–

Hours later…

Sam's breaths were finally calming down as she lay on her side facing the window. Danny was behind her–wrapped around her–as he trailed his fingers up and down her upper arm in a lazy motion. "Mmm," she hummed, relishing the feeling.

After several moments, Sam shifted, turning over so she was facing him. She noticed him stiffen up a bit when her eyes landed on his chest and the scars there. When she glanced up at his eyes, she could see the uncertainty there. It was obvious he was struggling to not cover them.

Her gaze dropped back down to the scars and she tentatively reached out, glancing up every now and then as her hand got closer. She placed her palm on his left pec, purposefully avoiding his core so she didn't get that surge of power, and gently brushed her thumb over the 'a' in Mira's name. She felt him flinch under her hand.

"It's okay," she said, gaze flicking up to his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with scars; they just show that you have one hell of a story to tell." She gave him a warm smile.

His gaze switched between her eyes several times before he finally returned her smile and settled a little further into the bed. It showed he was relaxing a little.

"So, not that I'm complaining, because Lord knows I'm not, but what caused all this?" she asked, brow raised.

She watched his look soften as he shifted his position, getting a little closer to her and placing his head at the end of his pillow so his face was right in front of hers. "I was reminded of my promise."

"What promise?"

He surprised her when he reached a hand out, caressing her cheek, and started singing. "There's just some things that leave a man no choice. Like a compass needle needing its true north. Even if I knew the day we met you'd be the reason this heart breaks, oh, I'd love you anyway."

She grinned, moving forward and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. She then turned back around and settled into a position with her bare back against his bare front. He pulled the sheet up over them and wrapped his arm around her stomach, softly kissing the back of her neck. He then whispered in her ear, "Round four?"

Sam giggled, using her hand to shove his face away. "Go to sleep, energizer bunny."

–

The next morning…

"Have you seen Sam today?" Jazz asked her husband who walked into the kitchen.

He shook his head. "I have not," he answered, navigating his way to the dining room table. He was practically an expert with his crutches now.

Chase padded behind him, holding his arms up to be picked up and placed in the high chair.

Jazz looked out of the kitchen even though she couldn't see Sam's door from here. "She's usually up before everyone else, even her kids."

"Let her sleep in," Tucker said, placing his son in his high chair. "She never gets to."

His wife clucked her tongue. "Yeah, but she's pregnant, and I'm pretty sure she didn't eat last night." She turned back to the stove and flipped the pancakes. "I'll get this plated up and go see if she wants breakfast."

"Do you want me to do it?" her husband asked, pausing as he went to take his own seat.

Jazz waved him off. "I'll do it. It takes you longer." She pulled the pancakes and placed them on plates along with scrambled eggs and toast. She placed one down for Chase and handed another to Tucker before heading out of the kitchen.

She went through the living room and past her brother's door. He didn't eat with them anymore, so she wasn't even going to try.

The redhead went down the hall two doors further and knocked. Silence greeted her so she knocked once more. Again nothing.

Jazz opened the door slowly and looked around. The room was pretty dark with the only light coming from a small nightlight near the still sleeping twins.

"Sam?" she whispered. "It's late, do you want breakfast?"

No answer so she stepped over to the wall. There was a small lamp on the nightstand that shouldn't disturb the twins if turned on. "Sam?" she said again softly before hitting the wall switch for the small bedside lamp.

Danny startled and sat up quickly, green eyes glowing intensely from the fright. His sister yelped in surprise when he popped up, instinctively ducking.

Sam simply groaned. "What the hell is wrong with you two? I want to sleep."

"Danny?" Jazz asked, her brain struggling to comprehend he was not only in Sam's room, but also in her bed.

And naked. Aside from a small sheet barely covering him, he was definitely naked.

The redhead immediately screeched and turned around, hiding her blazing red face. "Jesus, Danny!"

"You're the one who walked in here!" he cried, pulling the sheet up further.

The twins started fussing then, having been woken up by the noise.

"Seriously, guys?" Sam complained before sitting up, using a hand to keep the sheet at her chest.

"I'm sorry! I came to see if you wanted breakfast, I didn't know he was in here!" Jazz said, still a little freaked out. "You don't normally sleep this late."

The goth rolled her eyes, shoving a pillow in Danny's face for him to use to cover himself while she stood, taking the sheet with her. "Hey!" he protested, jamming the pillow in his lap.

"We were kinda up all night," Sam said in an annoyed way.

The redhead made a face. "I really don't need to know–wait…all night?"

The goth shook her head and dropped the sheet around her hips as she pulled a bra from her dresser, not caring at all that Jazz was technically still in the room.

Her brother smirked and wagged his brows, though she couldn't see it. "Yeah. You know, I could give Tucker some pointers…"

"Gross, Danny! I don't need lessons on sex from my brother!"

Dash, who had been innocently walking by the doorway, froze on his way to the kitchen. "Uhh…" His eyes went wide as saucers as he looked in and realized Sam was naked from the hips up.

The goth, endlessly frustrated that she'd been woken up and the twins had been woken up, was now annoyed at being gawked at. She stomped over past Jazz, to the bedroom door, chest still bare, and glared right in Dash's face. "Go away!"

The poor former jock startled as if finally realizing what was happening and nearly sprinted down the hallway screaming, "My virgin eyes!"

Sam pulled the sheet back up around herself and yelled down the hallway at Dash, "You poor virgin! Maybe you should go stare at some boobs now and then!"

She went back in the room and shut the door, turning around to find a shocked Jazz and a fiance who could not stop laughing. "What?" she snapped, Shade bleeding through.

"I'd be so damn jealous right now if that wasn't so funny," Danny said between chuckles. He then looked pointedly at his sister. "Now, can you leave so I can get dressed? Unless you want me to come to breakfast naked."

His sister made fake gagging noises. "I'm leaving!" She said quickly before bolting out the door and closing it again.

Seeing as how Danny wasn't absolutely freaking out at Shade being loose, Sam let her keep control for now as they went over to the dresser to get clothes. Thankfully, the twins seemed to settle on their own, going quiet and slowly going back to sleep.

Danny went to get out of bed when his phone went off. He picked it up off the nightstand with a confused look as he noticed a message from Mark. His eyes scanned the message and Shade looked over when she heard a soft "Shit," from him.

Sam immediately took over. "What is it?" She asked, again abandoning her quest for clothes and getting on the bed. Danny was sitting there with his legs over the edge of the bed. Sam sat behind him, her chin on his shoulder, and read the message.

"Well, f* me with a candlestick," Shade said, causing Danny to stare at her like she'd grown a second head.

"Sorry," Sam apologized. "But that isn't good."

"No," he replied, his gaze going back to his phone. "It's not."

On his phone was a link Mark had sent–a news article with the headline of: "Government declares war on half ghosts. Terrorist group labeled "Hybrid's". Amity Park now under Martial Law."

The rest of Mark's message was a warning that the government would be on their way now that they'd declared full on war on Amity Park.

The ghost dropped his phone on the bed and covered his face in his hands. "How the hell do we win a whole freaking war?"

Sam dropped the sheet, wrapping her arms around the front of him. "First, I want you to win the war you tell nobody about," she said, cheek now resting against his shoulder. "I want you to win the war within. I think only then can you win the war without."

She felt him take an unneeded breath before he shifted a little so he could turn his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. Unfortunately, she was on his right side, so he couldn't see her from this angle. It took the goth a moment, as his eye simply stared at a fixed point, to realize she was on his bad side. Sam let him go and moved around his shoulder so she was in his view, watching when she came into his field of view and his eyes snapped to her.

"You've made a lot of progress, but your sleep was very restless. I know you're still fighting your demons," she explained, eyes soft.

"It's the first morning I didn't wake up to a nightmare," he admitted.

"See?" she tilted her head with a gentle smile. "Progress."

Danny's eyes searched hers and could only find love and support. He brought a hand up and rested it on her cheek, placing his forehead on hers. He gave her a light smile before he closed his eyes and savored the moment. "This life would kill me if I didn't have you."

–

Not long later they joined Jazz, Tucker and Chase for lunch, each holding an infant. The twins were champs at sitting up, so they had their own high chairs.

Just as the two couples were sitting down to eat, there was a knock at the door.

Jazz and Tucker looked confused and were even more confused when they saw the looks of dread on Sam and Danny's faces.

"Do you know who it is?" Jazz asked, putting her fork down on her plate.

Her brother didn't respond, instead getting up and going to the front door. He looked through the peephole before sighing.

"Is it the government?" Sam asked.

He nodded. "The government and the military."

"Oh, God," Tucker commented.

Danny opened the door. "Gentleman," he greeted.

There were two men, one in a business suit and another in Marine dress blues. The one dressed in business attire gave him a fake smile. "Good morning. I trust you are Mr. Phantom?"

"I am," Danny replied, doing well hiding his anxiety at shaking the man's hand.

"Good!" The man said. "I am Congressman William Caulsy and this is General George Hammond, the 39th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. We have a lot to talk about. Is it okay if we come in?"

"You don't mince your words, sir," Danny replied, his look openly suspicious.

"I don't, no," he said as the two men entered the house. William was average height with blonde hair that had grey streaks through it. He had green eyes and a large hooked nose.

"Follow me," Danny said, stepping back to let them in before closing the door and indicating for Sam to follow. The ghost led them to a study down the opposite hall from the bedrooms and they entered, taking seats on opposite sides of a desk. Sam followed, sitting next to Danny.

"I'm sorry, but this pertains only to Danny Phantom," the man in the blue business suit said, glancing at Sam.

Shade broke through, the goth unable to hold her back. "That's too bad, hun."

General Hammond was an older gentleman who was mostly bald with short cropped, white fuzz around his head and bright blue eyes. He was shorter in stature with a portly figure, but a kind face. "Now, now, Mr. Caulsy, this does pertain to both of them," he said.

The congressman didn't seem happy to be corrected. He leaned over and whispered to the general, "Given her history, you don't think she's a national security threat?"

"Whispering doesn't work around half ghosts," Shade said, arms crossing over her chest. "You can think whatever you want of me, but where Danny goes, I go," she added with a raised brow as if asking him to challenge her on it.

William had the decency to look chastised, while General Hammond did his best to hide a smirk at her remark. Danny was finding he liked the general; though he couldn't say the same for Mr. Caulsy.

"May I ask why you're here?" Danny interjected, already knowing the reason for their visit, but not wanting to let on that Mark had warned him.

The congressman cleared his throat. "I am sure you've been following the situation in Amity Park closely and have likely heard that the United States has declared war on the terrorist group now known as the "Hybrid's"."

Danny nodded, to which William responded in a suspicious tone, "Speaking of which, may I ask why you haven't been seen out there fighting against them?"

The ghost clenched his jaw in distaste before answering. "There's a myriad of reasons why. For one I've been recovering from–in case you missed the news on it–intense and violent torture," he said sarcastically before adding, "We were also concerned about retaliation on the citizens if we tried to intervene. Not only that, but we were told to stand down so you guys could negotiate with her. I assume that didn't go so well?"

"You look fine to me," William said with a raised brow.

Before Shade could make a smartass remark, the general stepped in. "Mr. Caulsy, you are here as a courtesy, not a requirement. Do I need to ask you to leave?"

General Hammond had a deep, gravely 'dad' voice with a southern accent, one that put both Danny and Sam at ease, except for now. He spoke with the authority only a man of his status could have. William visibly shrunk.

The general glared at the congressman a moment before returning his attention to the pair across the table, his eyes softening a touch. "I have the unfortunate task of requesting you join the United States Marine Corp. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, son, it's not going to be all scotch and roses. I can tell by your eyes that you're a man who already has military training and has already seen his own kind of hell. It makes me hate that I'm asking you this."

"But you're not really asking are you?" Shade challenged.

Danny put a hand up and glanced at her. "Shade," he warned.

She looked at him, noting his breathing. He was already nervous and doing well at hiding his anxiety, but Shade constantly coming out was going to cause a problem. Sam's darker half scowled as she retreated, letting Sam take control.

'I'm getting tired of being caged.'

'I know,' Sam replied. 'But right now it's more important that he doesn't panic.'

"What she means is, I don't really have a choice, do I?" Danny said, eyes returning to the general.

General Hammond sighed, bringing his arms up on the table and intertwining his fingers together. "If it were up to me, son, you would. But it's not up to me, which means I cannot offer any protections should you refuse," he said, glancing at Sam briefly.

Danny got the message: Sam would end up the property of the government, hidden away in some secret lab and dissected for science.

The ghost dropped his gaze to his lap briefly, leg now bouncing as his nerves started getting the better of him. "What does this entail? You have to understand that I've been in this situation before. I won't become a dog of the military, I know my rights."

"You're a ghost, what rights do you have?" William interjected.

Danny immediately sensed the heat coming from Sam and put an arm out in front of her before she could stand or say anything. The goth was struggling to reign Shade in. The congressman didn't miss the intense glow of her eyes as they flashed in rage.

The man sat back some. "See? This is why you should be locked up; you can't be trusted!"

"Mr. Caulsy, I think it's about time you leave," the general said sternly.

"Did you see how she reacted?"

General Hammond pinned William down with a hard glare. "A reaction well warranted. Now, get out."

Sam couldn't keep Shade quiet any longer and she slipped through. "You're the one who had me arrested!" she accused, finger pointing.

"And I'd do it again in a heartbeat!" the man said animatedly.

The admission triggered something in Danny, something that had been dormant since he left China. He could feel the wild, untamed creature within begin to stir.

Before Sam could even respond, she felt the temperature in the room plummet and she glanced at Danny. Though he was deadly calm, she could see the beast just beneath the surface.

The ghost stood and leaned over the table, putting his weight on his fingertips as he leaned over William, towering over the shorter man. "With all due respect, sir," he said in a deep, dangerous voice. The glow of his eyes intensified, causing his scar to glow as well, giving him a unique–and slightly eerie–look. "She's not the one you should be afraid of."

Mr. Caulsy pushed his chair back and stood, stepping away with a frightened–and angry–look. "You don't want to be making enemies in the higher levels of government, Mr. Phantom," he retorted with a slight tremble to his voice before quickly leaving the room.

Danny watched him go, waiting until he was out of the room to power down his core. He sat back down in his chair and met General Hammond's gaze. To the general's credit, he showed no signs of fear.

"While I'm impressed that you stood up to him, he's right. Making an enemy out of him isn't the brightest idea," he said with a twinkle in his eye. Despite his words, it was obvious he found the whole thing funny.

Danny let a small smile slip through. "General, you'll find there's few things I'm afraid of, least of all puffed-up politicians." He sat forward in the chair. "Now, what do I need to do?"

General Hammond placed a briefcase on the table and opened it, pulling out two manilla envelopes. He put the briefcase back away and then slid one envelope to Danny and another to Sam.

The goth gave him a confused look. "I thought you only wanted Danny in the military?" she asked nervously.

The man nodded. "That's true. I have been barred by Mr. Caulsy from allowing you to take the oath. However, what he doesn't know is that I've decided to offer you a civilian contract."

Her eyes met his. "Why?"

He regarded her for a moment before answering. "If shit really does go sideways, my hands are tied–there's nothing I can do to help you. However, hiring you as a civilian contractor should afford you at least a modicum of protection from men like Caulsy, depending on the situation. We can at least say you were under the direction of the U.S. Marines." He sighed. "However, it does tie you to us, albeit in a smaller and less forcible way than Mr. Phantom. Just keep in mind that if you choose to go off the beaten path, even this contract may not protect you."

She nodded, mulling the information over in her mind as she opened the envelope and pulled the papers out. "I suppose I should thank you for thinking of this."

The general shook his head. "You don't get to my position without having earned the respect and loyalty of those you command. I would do this for anyone under me, so there's no need to thank me."

Danny, who had also opened his envelope, said, "Well, we thank you anyway. We're used to taking care of our own without any outside support."

General Hammond waited patiently as the pair read over their respective contracts. Sam's was shorter, so she sighed first, satisfied with the terms. While she would technically work for the Marine Corp, she was considered an individual contractor, meaning she could–for the most part–set her own hours and terms. The only real stipulations in the contract was that she follow the rules of war and do her best to answer to and obey General Hammond. She had a feeling that the 'answer to' part was the general's way of protecting her. Should she screw up, it would ultimately be on him, allowing her to effectively hide behind him.

The goth glanced over at her fiance and noted his strained look. When her gaze switched to the general, she had a feeling the man expected Danny's reaction.

Finally, the ghost looked up, annoyance and anger clearly etched in the lines of his face. "You're not even letting me have a leash, you're just directly holding the collar."

"I know, son, but they're the President's terms. Even I can't overrule them."

"What about my kids?"

"I'll make sure you see your kids," General Hammond said, voice full of conviction.

Danny's gaze fell to the papers again. "You realize how many people are going to die if I do this?"

"I don't think you realize how many people will die if you don't. I think you'll prevent far more deaths than you cause. And you can't honestly tell me you weren't already taking the half ghosts out," the general countered with a knowing look.

The ghost swallowed. "You're right, but now I know that not all of them are willing participants."

General Hammond gave him a sad smile. "Unfortunately, in war, you don't get the luxury of being able to determine that in the time it takes for them to kill you. You just have to respond in a way that means you stay alive."

Again, the man waited patiently as Danny came to terms with this. Though the ghost presented a tough front, the general could tell the young man was struggling with something profound–a deep hurt that scarred his soul.

Finally, Danny signed the papers before putting them back in the envelope and sliding it back. "Now what?" he asked, glancing at the general.

"Now you swear the oath," he responded. General Hammond stood and opened the door, calling William back in as a witness.

Then, Danny stood and swore the oath of enlistment. As the final words left his lips, he felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

He was now a dog of the military.

–

1/24/25: Hi! Poor Danny…

Yes…I shamelessly stole General George Hammond from Stargate SG: 1. He's like the military papa bear we all want lol. RIP Don S. Davis.

I do not own General Hammond!