9/19/2024: Look at me go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, but my chickens are finally laying eggs!

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Chapter 6: It Takes Two

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Later that evening, Jazz was home from the hospital and resting in bed. The painkillers made her tired and loopy, so Sam and Danny offered to stay the night in the guest room so Tucker had help with Chase and tending to Jazz's needs.

The ghost was on the floor supervising while Chase threw a toy for DJ to fetch and bring back, the small child giggling every time the collie brought the ball back with a light 'woof'.

Sam was helping Tucker in the kitchen to prepare dinner for all of them. The dark-skinned male was actually a fairly decent cook, but Sam felt like he shouldn't be alone right now. Jazz was okay, but Tucker still seemed pretty rattled by the whole thing.

Thankfully, the meds the doctor gave her were working and she could stand to not only be around food, but eat it as well. She was pretty sure she'd gained at least five pounds.

Tucker had been fairly silent for a while, stuck in his own thoughts. But he needed something to bring him out of it. Finally, "When is your next doctor's appointment?" he asked.

"Next week," the goth answered. "I'll be 12 weeks along then."

He grinned. "Becoming a parent is so exciting. I'm really glad you guys get to experience it," he commented as he stirred the broth.

"It's also terrifying," she admitted, grabbing another onion to chop.

He chuckled. "It shouldn't be so bad for you, you watched Chase a lot, even as a newborn. But Danny doesn't have that experience."

She paused in her onion chopping. "I wonder if he's as nervous as I am?"

Tucker looked at her. "You haven't discussed this?"

"Some," she answered before sighing and putting the knife down. "Lately we've been focused on Vlad."

He gave her a sympathetic look, going back to stirring. "I get that, even I'm getting worried. But I do think you guys should take some time and talk about being parents."

Sam resumed chopping. "Do you think ghosts and humans can have children?"

He looked at her with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"

"I want more than one child. Can we have another?"

Tucker furrowed his brow, pulling the side of his mouth in an uncertain gesture. "I'm not sure. Honestly, I think you'll only know if you try."

Her cheeks tinged pink. "Well, we haven't…you know."

He looked at her incredulously. "Not even once since he's been back?"

She shook her head, moving on to cutting a bell pepper. "I think, subconsciously, we're both unsure how it works with a ghost…"

"He has all the same parts, right?"

"Oh my God, Tucker!" She said, ducking her head in embarrassment.

He laughed hard. It took him a while to control himself, Sam smacking his arm. "Look," he started as the giggles died down. "You won't know until you try. And no one who matters is going to care if you sleep with a ghost." He paused. "Well that ghost."

She rolled her eyes, trying to rid herself of the embarrassment while she finished cutting up the pepper.

Danny, who was trying to teach his nephew how to throw farther, suddenly stopped. His ghost sense went off, but this time it was clear, normal, and pointed towards the park. He grinned, picking up Chase, and flew to the kitchen.

He held the little boy out to Sam. "Take him, please!"

She grabbed the child with a raised brow, only to break into a grin when Danny said, "It's happening!"

"Go get him," she responded.

The ghost teleported outside, legs changing into a tail, before he flew off in the direction of the park.

He made it there in record time, buildings whizzing past, and aimed towards where he himself had formed just a few weeks prior. It seemed to be a hotspot for ghost formation.

He descended, legs reforming, and touched down fairly hard, bending at the knees as dirt and loose grass was kicked up. The area was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, the streetlamps too far to project their incandescence. The wind gently rattled the tree branches, the newly budded leaves swaying.

In the middle of it all stood a familiar figure, the white cape and striking black hair softly waving in the breeze. Danny watched as he looked around in confusion, clearly unsure of what was going on. Then he turned and noticed the young ghost.

It was then that Danny noticed the subtle changes from his previous ghost form. His skin, instead of the blue hue, was closer to Danny's–an off-white peach. Where his entire eye had been red before, Danny could now see the white's and it was just the iris that was red. His black hair no longer stood up at points, but instead hung around his shoulders.

Danny smiled at Vlad, and while the billionaire gave a tentative smile back, it was obvious he wasn't sure of who he was.

When Danny had formed, Sam touched him, not realizing that her hand had settled directly over his ghost core. It triggered his memories, so Danny figured the same would likely happen here.

He cautiously approached the newly formed ghost, making sure his body language indicated he was not a threat. He carefully reached out, pausing to raise a brow and ask permission. When Vlad didn't move, he took it as approval and placed his hand in the center of Vlad's chest, directly over his core.

Vlad winced, closing his eyes against the onslaught of memories. Danny waited patiently, watching as the new ghost reconciled who he was with who he had been.

Finally, Vlad opened his eyes, his red orbs meeting Danny's green ones. "Daniel?"

The ghost in question grinned. "I may not have been able to keep my promise, but you kept yours. Welcome back." Without warning he hugged the new ghost.

Vlad was taken aback at the show of affection, but eventually returned the hug, his mind still reeling from the memories. When they pulled apart, he had a small smile on his face. "I'm glad to be back, my boy."

–

Minutes later, the pair of ghost's descended from the chill night sky and into Jazz and Tucker's home. They touched down in the living room as Tucker was moving dinner from the kitchen to the dining room table, Sam settling Chase into his high chair.

"You have room for one more?" Danny asked with a grin.

"Vlad!" Sam and Tucker said at the same time. Tucker put the soup down on the table and turned to get a good look at the newly formed ghost.

"You look…different," he noted, going over to give the man a light hug.

The billionaire returned the gesture with a confused look. "I do?"

Sam nodded. "You look a lot less evil," she replied before smacking Tucker out of the way. "My turn!" She exchanged her own hug with the man, relieved over the fact that her child will know their Godparent.

Vlad smiled. "I suppose that is not a bad thing," he started before clapping his hands together. "So, what have I missed?"

Tucker waved his hand. "Just regular Tuesday stuff," he answered, going over to the table to make a bowl for Jazz.

Vlad raised a brow. "Regular Tuesday stuff?"

"Yeah," Tucker nodded. "Someone attacks us, one of us gets hurt, Danny goes on a murderous rampage. You know, regular Tuesday stuff."

The techno geek shrunk under the dark glare his ghostly best friend sent him. "Too soon?"

"Considering it was my sister, your wife, that was injured, I'd say so," Danny admonished him.

"Is Jasmine alright?" Vlad asked, brows drawn down in concern.

Sam nodded, setting the table for the rest of them. "She has a broken arm and is pretty loopy from the meds, but she'll be fine."

"Should I take a look?"

Tucker shrugged. "If you'd like to, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I was about to take her dinner up to her, if you want to take it instead," he said, holding the bowl out.

The billionaire took the bowl. "Will do."

–

Since Vlad had returned, Sam and Danny were urged to go home. The billionaire assured them he would tend to Jazz's needs through the night so Tucker could sleep and focus on Chase if need be.

So the pair were now back at Sam's place and getting ready to settle in for the night. Danny wanted to do his usual stargazing and was delighted when Sam asked to join him. She didn't every night, as she was always tired, but she enjoyed this time with him and so made herself stay up some nights.

Sam leaned against him, eyes half-lidded in her sleepy state, not really paying attention to the stars, but instead enjoying the constant thrum of energy she could feel through Danny's skin. It was comforting, in a way, as it was a constant rhythm not unlike what a heartbeat would be.

The air brought with it the scent of spring, something Sam loved. She would never admit to anyone, lest she harm her goth reputation, but she loved watching the flowers bloom this time of year.

Danny put his arm around her shoulders, letting her sink further into his side, before he gently reached up and started running his fingers through her hair. "I don't know about you," he started, "But I feel so much better now that Vlad is back."

She hummed in agreement. "It's like a weight lifted," she responded before stifling a yawn.

"You should probably go to sleep instead of staying up here."

The goth straightened up, stretching her legs out and rubbing her eyes. "I don't want to just yet." He chuckled lightly which caused her to give him a sleepy glare. "What?"

"You may slap me for this, but you're adorable when you're sleepy," he answered with a soft smile.

She rolled her eyes before stifling another yawn. "Dang it," she said, eliciting another chuckle from him.

She settled, taking a deep breath and looking out over the skyline. Her conversation with Tucker earlier came back to her mind and donned what Danny liked to call her 'thinking face'. "Whatcha thinking about?" he asked.

He raised a brow when her cheeks suddenly burned pink. "I know we haven't…you know," she started. "And you said that ghosts aren't technically dead, but…"

"Ahh," Danny said, understanding where she was going. "You're still unsure about compatibility."

"Kinda," she said, now fully awake because of her embarrassment. "Does he even have the right parts?" she whispered to herself.

"Do I even what?"

She looked at him wide-eyed. "Oh God, you weren't supposed to hear that!"

He looked at her like she was nuts. "Then maybe don't whisper things near a ghost with super hearing?"

She covered her face. "It was something Tucker mentioned."

Danny blinked several times, bringing his hands up with an incredulous look on his face. "Hold up, what the hell? Why were you talking about that with him?"

Her neck was now beat red. "You know how Tucker is! He just says stuff to get a rise out of us."

Despite the conversation, Danny couldn't help but think how cute her embarrassment was. He shook his head. "Yeah," he started, before getting a wicked grin on his face. "But you know, if you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask."

He laughed openly when she punched his arm. "Both of you are impossible!"

Once his laughter settled, he looked back out over the stars, a grin still in place. "I get it, though."

She finally pulled her face from her hands. "You do?"

"Yeah," he started, lowering his gaze to the buildings around them. "As far as we know, this is new territory. Ghost's don't make a habit of having relationships with humans. There's a lot of questions, a lot of 'what-ifs'."

Sam followed his gaze, sighing. "So, I'm not the only one who's been thinking about this."

He glanced at her with a soft smile. "No, I've thought about it a lot."

She licked her lips, biting the bottom one. "What kind of questions do you have?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

He thought for a moment, leaning back and supporting himself with his arms behind him. "I wonder about the big stuff, I guess. Whether we can have more children, will I age…am I going to have to watch you grow old and die and then live without you forever…" he ended, voice soft.

She watched him, noting the sadness in his eyes at his last remark. Her heart clenched for him and she reached over, running her fingers through his hair. "I hadn't actually thought of that."

He leaned into her touch, eyes closed. "I think the scariest part about being a ghost is watching everyone you love die. Not everyone comes back."

Sam paused in her ministrations, causing Danny to open his eyes and look at her. She had such a stricken look on her face that he instantly regretted his words. "I feel so selfish," she said. "I was so happy to have you back that I never really thought about the implications of you being a ghost."

He reached to her, hand cupping her cheek and making her look at him. "Hey, it's okay. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but it's worth it because I still get to spend your life with you, and their lives with them."

She gave him a sad smile before they went back to looking at the stars. Danny was upset with himself for voicing that particular concern out loud. He felt really bad that he had upset her with it.

Suddenly, she looked over at him. "So…wanna get naked?"

His head turned to her so fast he was sure he gave himself whiplash. "Where did that come from?"

She shrugged. "Hormones. Hormones are a bitch."

He laughed, the tension he had been feeling melting away. "It's not like I can make you more pregnant, right?"

Sam rolled her eyes.

–

Sometime later, they were in bed cuddling, both on their sides, Danny behind the goth. Sam let out a satisfied sigh. "Nice to know everything works the same."

"Jesus, Sam!" Danny barked, sitting up and staring down at her like she'd had a stroke.

She laughed. "You're such a prude."

He gave her a lighthearted glare. "No, you've just been spending too much time with Tucker."

"Meh," she said in a 'whatever' sort of way, rolling over so she was on her back and staring up at him.

Her eyes went to his chest where his death scar sat glaringly in the middle. His other scars he'd received as a human were gone, but this one remained. She reached up and pressed her hand to the hard muscles there, feeling his core thrumming right beneath the surface.

Danny was surprised when he felt what seemed like warmth transferring from her to him through his core, and not just that her hand was warm, but it was as if she was transferring energy to him. His core absorbed the warm feeling and then pulsed, sending it throughout his body. He reached up and placed his hand over hers.

"I guess it shouldn't surprise me that you'd have a scar from how you died," she commented.

His chest rumbled as he hummed his agreement. "Not a good place for a ghost though. It's like a target directly to my core that says 'aim here'."

Sam made a face. "You're probably the first half ghost to die, and you died from your core being pierced. It's almost ironic."

He nodded. "Sadly," he responded, his eyes then going to her neck where the skin was puffy, indicating a new scar. "How is your neck?"

"Much better. There's no pain, now it's just ugly."

He raised a brow before lowering himself and kissing her neck gently right over the scar. "It's part of you, which means it could never be ugly," he said softly into her neck.

She turned her head and kissed him, pulling him closer until their bare chests met. Sam marveled at the juxtaposition between them; her heart beat, the pulsing of his core, her heat, his chill. It was almost thrilling.

After a moment he pulled back and smiled at her before scooting down, rolling over so he could face her, and settling his head on her stomach, using his super hearing to listen to his baby's heartbeat for the first time since the ultrasound. He was looking at Sam and grinning at the rapid beats he could hear.

Then Sam watched as his grin turned into confusion and then concentration as he focused on listening.

He could swear there was something else…there!

He suddenly sat up. "I think I made you more pregnant," he said with shock clearly evident in his tone, eyes wide.

She tilted her head with slight alarm. "What are you talking about?"

His green eyes stared into her amethyst ones. "There's two heartbeats."

–

The next week, Sam and Danny were at her appointment. They hadn't yet shared with anyone what Danny was sure he had discovered in case he was wrong, but he was adamant he was hearing two heartbeats.

Sam wasn't as sure. The first ultrasound only showed one baby, so she was skeptical.

They both startled a little, having been lost in their thoughts, when a knock came at the door. It opened and Dr. Dorr came in with a large grin.

"How have we been the last few weeks?" she asked kindly, sitting on the stool.

"Good," Sam answered.

"Perfect!" the doctor said. "You didn't call, so I assume that the meds are working for your nausea?"

The goth nodded this time. "I've been able to eat and not throw up every time I smell food, though I do still get a little nauseous now and then."

Dr. Dorr smiled. "All things considered, a little nausea isn't so bad. Your weight from the nurse says you gained ten pounds, which is fantastic!"

Danny lightly elbowed the goth. "She definitely looks healthier."

The doctor brought her hands up and made it look like she was framing her face. "It's the glow."

The ghost laughed and the goth tried not to roll her eyes.

"Alright," the doctor started, standing and slapping the table. "Let's see that baby!"

"Uhh, about that…"

She turned and raised a brow at Danny who was rubbing the back of his neck.

"I think there's two," he responded to her brow raise.

She placed a hand on her hip. "What makes you think that?"

"I can hear the heartbeats."

"You can hear them?"

"I'm not entirely sure I believe it," Sam interjected.

Dr. Dorr bobbed her head in a noncommittal way. "The only way to know is to look."

Sam stood, going over to the table. "But we only saw one last time."

The doctor got the machine ready as Sam sat and laid back. "It's very rare, but it is possible that baby one was hiding baby two," she explained as she pulled up Sam's shirt. Then she paused. "Your lower abdomen is a little plump. I think you're starting to show."

Sam looked at her incredulously. "I thought it would be another six to eight weeks before I would show."

Dr. Dorr got the wand ready. "Usually, yes. But women tend to show sooner with multiples."

Danny joined Sam and stood next to the table, taking her hand. They both nervously watched the screen as the doctor applied the wand and moved it around.

After a moment, Dr. Dorr grinned and pointed at the dark round circle that showed up, along with a baby who was decidedly bigger than at the last appointment. Then she adjusted the wand and a second circle came into view with another tiny baby.

Sam gasped and Danny cheered. "It's a twofer!"

The goth stared at her boyfriend like he'd grown a second head. "A twofer?"

He grinned at her. "It's a two for one!"

The doctor couldn't help herself and laughed out loud as Sam groaned. "I forgot you used to be like this in highschool."

"Like what?"

"Weird," she answered.

He chuckled. "You used to like my impishness."

Sam groaned again. "Now there's going to be three of you," she complained.

–

9/24/2024: 5 days on this one. I knew exactly what I wanted in this chapter (because of my outline/timeline), I just kept getting stuck on the details. I can hear a certain someone squealing over the ending of this one lol.

The next few updates might be slower. The next chapter took me 16 days to write, meaning I'm currently writing Chapter 8. Definitely lost some momentum.

On to the next!