10/9/2024: I have about two pages on this already written. It was a scene I needed to get out of my head before I forgot what I wanted.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, this is where the major player shows up, and where a big part of the plot begins to play out. While we will see some cutesy family moments still, the story is going to ramp up from here, adding more action and angst. I just really hope SamXDanny doesn't want to throttle me after this one.

There is a song theme for this chapter. It's "Never Know" by Bad Omens. I do not own the song.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom!

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Chapter 8: Never Know

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Two weeks later, it was now the end of June and Danny and Sam were heading to Jazz and Tucker's for dinner after her anatomy scan.

"They're so small," Danny commented from the passenger seat.

Sam smiled, stopping for a red light. "They sure don't feel small. I'm only halfway through this pregnancy and I already feel so bloated," she sighed. "I'm dreading how big I'm going to get."

Danny reached over and placed a cool hand on her thigh. "I think you're even more beautiful."

"Looking for brownie points, huh?"

He chuckled. "No, I'm being honest."

She bit her lip, accelerating when the light turned green. "Are you scared or nervous?"

He thought about it for a moment, staring ahead. Finally, "I am."

"You hide it well," she replied.

He shrugged. "Probably from years of being taught not to show weakness, but I really am nervous. I've never been around children that small."

"You're really good with Chase," she commented.

He smiled. "Thanks, but he's not exactly a newborn."

Sam waved off his comment. "Newborns are easy and far more resilient than you think. All they do is eat, sleep and poop."

"What about things like colic?"

She slowed down, putting on the turn signal before going down another street. "Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We're going to be sleep deprived with twins, we're going to get spit up on, and peed on. But we'll be fine."

He watched her. "You're not scared?"

She glanced at him with a smile. "Of course I am, especially about labor. And honestly, a few weeks ago, I was super nervous. But I felt like I was driving myself crazy worrying about it, so I'm trying to look at it differently. And I do have some experience with Chase."

Danny grunted, a sound that made the goth glance at him with a brow raised. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just, as usual, you'll be the one to ground me."

"Is that a bad thing?"
He chuckled. "No. It just used to be different when we were in school. I was always the one grounding you."

Sam shrugged. "Circumstances change all the time. As long as we can ground each other when the other needs it, we don't have to worry."

The ghost watched her fondly as they pulled up to his sister's house and parked. As he unhooked her seatbelt, he went intangible and flew through her to stand outside her door. He reached down and opened the door for her. "My lady."

She stepped out of the car with a shake of her head. "Such a gentleman."

He gave her his signature winning lopsided grin and she felt her insides melt just a little. DJ then hopped out of the car, slipping and face planting on the sidewalk, completely ruining the moment, though it did make the pair chuckle at his antics. The collie stood and shook himself, giving them a look that said, 'You didn't see that'.

They entered the house, waving at Jazz and Tucker's yelled greetings from the kitchen. Vlad was reading the newspaper on the couch, and nodded his greeting.

"People still read those things?" Danny asked as he plopped on the couch next to the other ghost.

Vlad raised a brow. "Those of us who are civilized still do."

Danny put on his best 'Vlad' face and repeated the statement in a mocking tone, chuckling when the billionaire rolled his eyes at his antics.

Chase came running from the kitchen and straight to Sam, saying "Up! Up!" with his arms raised.

The goth smiled at the happy toddler, now 17 months old. She reached down and gently picked him up, situating him so he was on her hip and out of the way of the growing baby bump.

Jazz came out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel. "You'll spoil him if you pick him up every time he asks for it."

Sam shrugged. "They're small enough to pick up for only a short time. One day, he'll be too big and you'll be sad it's gone."

The redhead paused before giving the goth a contemplative look. "I think I just got out psychology'd. Good point! Just be careful as you get closer to your due date; he's heavy."

"Aww, he's just a good eater," Sam said in a baby voice. "I could just pinch those cheeks!" She reached up and tickled Chase along the neck, eliciting giggles from him.

Now Tucker entered from the kitchen with his thumb pointing behind him. "The pot pies are in the oven so we've got time to play a game or something."

Danny's hand shot up. "Ooh! Phase 10!" It was a game they'd played a few times now, and it had quickly become one of Danny's favorite card games.

"Sure," the techno-savvy man replied, going over to the cabinet where they kept the games.

The group gathered around the table, Sam putting Chase in his high chair. The hand was dealt, including some to Chase so he felt included.

As the game progressed, the conversation inevitably turned to the babies. "Have you started the nursery yet?" Jazz asked, face turning into a scowl when her husband skipped her turn.

Danny made a noncommittal hum, staring intently at his cards.

Sam rolled her eyes at his answer. "I've picked out what I want, and the colors, but we haven't purchased anything yet," she started. "Or even cleaned out the room," she added a little sheepishly.

The redhead nodded. "At least you've done that, but you should probably purchase everything and get it all set up. Twins almost always come early."

That got Danny's attention, the ghosts' head popping up. "Early?" he asked, voice almost squeaking.

This time, Vlad answered as he laid down his phase, smirking at Jazz's glare. "She is correct. Twins come an average of 4 weeks sooner. It's more taxing on a woman's body to carry multiples, so they rarely go to term."

Sam raised a brow at her boyfriend. "Were you not paying attention to Dr. Dorr at the last appointment?"

Danny shrugged. "I was too busy looking at the screen," he responded before giving her a look. "Wait, you knew?"

"Of course," the goth responded, throwing a card away and grabbing a new one, her face clearly saying she got the card she wanted.

"Why didn't you say something? We need to get the stuff like now!"

Sam shook her head with a smile. "I'm twenty weeks; even 4 weeks early is still 36 weeks. I'll order the stuff this week and we can start setting up."

It was Chase's turn and Tucker helped him. "Alright bud, you want to keep these ones," he pointed. "This one is no good, so you should get rid of it and pick a new one."

Chase looked between the cards before laying down the one his father suggested with a "Meh," noise.

"Do you want the pick from the discard pile, or a new one from the draw pile?" Tucker asked patiently.

Chase looked between the two carefully before saying "Meh," again at the draw pile.

"Good choice," his father praised before handing his son the card. Chase looked carefully between his cards.

The look made Vlad chuckle. "He's so serious."

"He's always serious when it comes to games. He gets it from his mother," the dark-skinned man answered, pointedly ignoring the glare his wife was giving him.

"She's always been extremely competitive," Danny chimed in, except he grinned at his sister's glare. "What are you gonna do, hit me? I'll just go intangible," he stuck his tongue out at her.

He then yelped when his girlfriend's boot connected with the side of his shin. "I can get you for her, though, because you didn't expect it from me."

The ghost rubbed his shin while making his best impression of looking like a kicked puppy.

Sam grinned at him before changing the subject. "Your arm seems fully healed now. No pain?" she asked Jazz.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, I've been out of the cast for a few weeks, but still had some pain. I haven't in several days though."

"That's good!"

Vlad hummed his agreement. "It is. On that note, I've decided to no longer intrude on your space."

"You know you have a place here as long as you want it," Tucker said, discarding from his hand.

The billionaire smiled with a nod. "I know, and I thank you. However, a couple should have their own space, and as I am not sick any longer, I have the ability to live on my own. Also on that note, I trust you all received your inheritance?"

There were nods around the table, most of them still shy about having been given that kind of money. Vlad shook his head with amusement. "Good. I hope you use it well."

"I can help you find a place, if you'd like," Jazz offered, happy to finally be laying down her phase.

While Vlad could easily do that on his own, he accepted her offer. He was realizing that having people in his life meant he didn't need to do everything on his own. He was allowed to lean on others.

"Just remember he has expensive taste," Danny chimed in with a grin.

The comment didn't bother the billionaire in the slightest as he could not deny it. But before he could reply on the subject, he noticed Danny's demeanor changed instantly. "Daniel?"

Sam had felt the rush of cool air from her boyfriend as he'd just turned and faced her. "Another half ghost?" she asked.

The young ghost nodded, concentrating on trying to pinpoint where it was. This was the fifth one he'd encountered, and so far, they hadn't been particularly strong or dangerous–at least not to him–but it still unnerved him. They were hard to get an exact location on because of the warped ghost sense, but he could usually get a general direction and area. This one felt as though it had flown close and then veered off, possibly towards the botanical gardens.

He leaned down, giving Sam a quick kiss. "I'll be right back," he said before going intangible and flying off through the ceiling. He paused above the house, closing his eyes and trusting his sense to show the way. Again, it felt like it was somewhere near the gardens. Opening his eyes, he took off, brows drawn down in a serious look.

It took only a few minutes to reach the area. He stopped, hovering above the gardens, and drew his mouth down in a frown. This signature was larger and spread over a bigger area than the others had been, making it harder to pinpoint. That likely meant this one was stronger than the previous ones he'd encountered.

He tapped his core, feeling the thrumming energy pulse quicker and brighter, allowing the extra energy to help narrow down a location. Once he had it down to a few block radius behind the gardens, he went that direction, touching down gently in a back alley.

He shivered a bit, memories from the last time he was in an alley like this suddenly coming to mind. It made him uneasy.

He stayed put, knowing that if he got close enough, the half ghost's would come to him like a moth to a flame. And he was right.

Danny heard the sound of heels clacking on the pavement and looked towards the entrance to the alley to see a woman coming his way, hips sashaying as her sultry gaze held his.

The woman had very long light brown hair that stopped just at her hips. Her eyes were bright blue, and while she had the defined features of her mother, she was nothing like the prim and proper woman. She wore a skimpy outfit, the black bra-like top loose towards the bottom. A gentle breeze would be enough to flash people. It had straps criss-crossing the chest and back, some straps leading up to a choker. She also had a black mini skirt that left little to the imagination, the curve of her bottom plain to see. It didn't take much for Danny to recognize her.

"Mira," Danny said, voice nearly growling.

"Ooh," she shivered as she stopped a few feet from him. "Say my name like that again."

He glared. "Over my dead body."

Mira grinned, sashaying a little closer. "News flash, honey, you already died. I guess that means you're mine."

Danny clenched his fists at his sides, floating back some to keep distance. "I'll never be yours. Not then, and not now."

She shrugged before wagging her eyebrows at him. He sneered in disgust. "Where's your mother?"

Mira reached a hand up, finger twirling a strand of her long brown hair. "She's dead. Unlike you, she didn't come back. You just have little old me." She batted her eyes. "She can't stand in the way of us any longer."

"Again," he growled, "I'll never be yours."

"Oh, come now," she playfully rolled her eyes. "You really don't think that human is what you need, hmm? She can't understand you like I can," she said, using the opportunity to get a little closer. "I was there; I know your dark side, and it's magnificent!"

The young ghosts' glare darkened. "All that's behind me."

She shrugged. "Doesn't really matter to me if it is or not. But you know, you've already been mine," she grinned wickedly.

Danny's expression turned uncertain for a moment before he shook his head. "You're wrong. I never even entertained the idea of you."

Mira stepped even closer, the young ghost not realizing he was now backed against a wall. "Are you sure about that?"

He sneered. "I would neve–"

His sentence was cut short when her lips crashed into his, her body suddenly pressing to him and pushing him against the wall. In his shock he completely forgot he could turn intangible, instead bringing his arms up to shove her away.

She relented, allowing the shove and watched as he doubled over, unexpectedly accosted by memories long forgotten.

Danny held his head as image after image played in his mind. He could see Mira removing her shirt, could see her body as it wrapped around his, remembered the feel of her skin and his hand tangled in her hair. He knew what she felt like, what she smelled like.

The memories stopped coming and his head shot up, looking at her in shock, completely unsettled by what he just saw. "What the hell was that?"

Mira smirked, hand on her hip. "Mother dearest felt our little tryst was getting in the way of your training, so she blocked your memories of it."

The ghost shook his head, the dread and disgust at himself overwhelming. "There's no way in hell I'd ever touch you. That can't be real."

She shrugged. "Tell me, do my lips taste as you remember?"

That unsettled him even further because she was right. He couldn't stop the tears that trailed down his cheeks. He hated himself more than he could imagine.

"I can see you need time to adjust," Mira started. "I'll be back, my Danny." She then flipped her hair and went invisible before flying off, leaving a devastated full ghost behind.

Danny stood there, slumped against the wall, trying to make sense of these new memories. His core ached and he wished these memories had stayed repressed.

What could he tell Sam? He had a feeling that 'Hey, I just suddenly remembered I had a sexual relationship with the Headmaster's daughter,' wouldn't go over very well.

He slumped further until he was hunched over on his knees. He stared down at a puddle, suddenly hating the man staring back at him.

He felt completely choked by the memories, and the more he thought back, the more snippets of memories came to him. He was drowning in them. He felt breathless even though he didn't even need air.

The ghost covered his ears and clenched his eyes shut. He wanted them to stop! "Please…I'm okay to never know…" he sobbed. "I don't want to know…" He curled further into himself. "Make it stop," he begged.

The self-loathing and disgust he felt at himself was a feeling so strong, he could hardly comprehend. What had made him do that? Part of him refused to believe it, but the memories were so vivid.

Oh, God, Sam…how could he face her now? How could he break her heart like that? He had to pull himself together before he got home; he couldn't let on that something had happened.

He slowly opened his eyes and uncovered his ears, wiping the tears from his cheeks. He didn't think he was strong enough to handle the fallout. If there was one thing he knew for sure:

She could never know.

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10/15/24: *hides* I promise…there is a method to the madness, so please hang in there. 6 days on this one, much better than the last chapter.

This does answer the question of whether or not the Headmaster returned, and by Mira's admission, she did not. When the first half ghost said "She will come for you," he meant Mira, Danny just didn't know it then. We have a brand new villainess! And she's got even more screws loose than her mother!

As mentioned above, this chapter is brought to you by "Never Know" by Bad Omens; particularly the lines:

"Lying in the between the memories, choking me and I don't know which way to go. But I'm okay to never know."

Honestly, this song is responsible for this little plot twist…and subsequently a whole slew of stuff that happens in later chapters. I've had that song on repeat so much the last week my 3.5 year old son now sings it lol.

Sam's comment on Chase being small enough to pick up for only a short time hits home for me. My son is only 3.5, but he's already 42 inches tall, and 41 pounds. To put that into perspective, he's 2 inches shorter and weighs the same as my 5 year old nephew. I have a badly damaged spine from an accident and can't easily lift him, so I can't really pick him up anymore. It makes me sad :(, especially as he will be my only child. Health issues meant I had a hysterectomy last November. On the plus side of that, I can now say I have 3 completely separate diagnosed chronic pain conditions, instead of 4 _.

Hold your children while you can!