7 Chapter 7: Trust

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks." Isaac Watts

Chapter 7: "Trust"

(Tuesday-January 19, 2010)

Everything was so foggy. Nothing seemed real. There was only grey mist and silence.

'What happened? Last thing I remember is talking to Ember…Yeah, I said no to her. Hope she doesn't take revenge or anything…But that's not all there was. I…I was in a fight….With who, though?

'I remember that Val was there. Then…then…Colossus. That's right we fought that huge ghost…Val was knocked out…Cujo was hurt…Dani took them away…I lost badly…

'…Damn…Damn it all to hell…I lost…I lost completely and utterly…Am I really this weak…All that training and no results…I fell so pathetic and alone…' Danny thought.

"…nny!…Da…Danny!" A voice called out to him. Even in all this silence, though, it was still hard to hear.

Slowly, the fog began to fade and the terrible silence was broken by the noise of reality. Then the pain hit. It wasn't as bad as before. This time, Danny could make coherent thoughts. Nevertheless, the pain was still there and it was rather annoying.

"Ung…" Danny groaned as he tried to open his eyes. The lights were too bright and were hurting his over sensitive eyes.

"Danny!" The cheerful voice of little girl met Danny's ears. "Dad! Danny's awake!"

"Not…so loud…" Danny mumbled. The new noise was causing his head to throb.

"Oh…sorry…" She was still too loud, but Danny couldn't bring himself to admonish her again.

"Hello, Little Badger," Vlad was now by him. "It's good to see you awake and still half-alive."

Danny could now open his eyes. He looked over to the two other halfas. Why were they in their ghost forms? "Hey…How long was I out?"

The two shared a look, then Dani spoke, "…Four days…"

"…You better not be messing with me. Because if you are joking, so help me…Ung, my arms…" Danny grimaced at the pain in his arms and looked around. The room seemed to be covered with ice. Various…pods…tubes…something. Where was he?

"It is no joke, Great One," Frostbite walked over and smiled. "Plasmius, young Phantom, and your friends brought you here four days ago. You were in very bad shape, luckily we were able to patch you up mostly. All of your life threatening injuries were taken care of, but your arms and your ribs will not work well for another few days at least." Frostbite explained.

"Man…Thanks so much for your help, Frostbite," Danny thanked his friend.

"It was not trouble at all! My people and I were glad to help a good friend!" Frostbite smiled. "But I do have to question your judgment in fighting Colossus. His power is very close to matching the Ghost King's power. Plus, he doesn't have to use a power source, but he does tire far faster than Pariah Dark. The Ghost King could fight for months if he had too…Sorry, I'm rambling."

Danny laughed and then groaned in pain. Wow, his side hurt like crap. "It's okay. It was pretty stupid, really."

"You did great, though!" Dani piped in. "Colossus actually stopped by here to check on you. He asked if you were okay and told us how you dislocated his jaw."

"Yet another achievement to add to your list, Oh Great One," Frostbite laughed.

"Yeah, I got a lucky hit in during my ass kicking…" Danny groaned.

"Luck is part of the battle, Daniel." Vlad noted. "In all honesty, luck wasn't really on your side during that battle. Considering that, you were already exhausted beforehand…I must apologize for not stepping in, though."

"…It's okay. I never expected-" Danny was interrupted by Vlad.

"I was going to help you and stop Danielle from getting involved." Vlad glared at the clone. "But after I saw her flying away with Valerie and Cujo, I noticed that some reporters and civilians were considerably too close to the fight for comfort. I moved them away from the area…then I had to calm them down. Apparetnly, I look like a vampire." Vlad shook his head.

Everyone else snorted.

"Your Haunting Aura knocked them out before they could ask too many questions, though. I made sure to shield them from the majority of it, but normal civilians cannot handle that level of mental stress. No harm done, but I would be more careful next time." Vlad shrugged.

"Thanks for the help, Vlad. I kinda lost control there." Danny smiled at the older halfa. A few short months ago, Vlad would have scoffed at the idea of helping others like that

"It was a pleasure. But we will have to find a way to make sure something like that doesn't happen again." Vlad nodded seriously.

"Danny!" Klemper's voice interrupted the conversation as said ghost rushed into the room.

"Klemper! I'm still injured!" Danny stopped the incoming hug.

"Oh….sorry Danny. Got carried away there…personal space, right?" Klemper corrected himself.

"Yeah, personal space," Danny sighed in relief. He doubted that he could survive one of Klemper's hugs.

"Your friend here has been a joy to have around, Great One." Frostbite but his hand on Klemper's shoulder. "He and my people have gotten along very well over the past few days. I am surprised that there is another ice ghost in the Ghost Zone. Especially one that is a friend of you."

"Yeah, life is full of coincidences." Danny tried to get up, but realized that one: he was in his ghost form and two: his suit was gone. He could understand the ghost part. Frostbite's medic team must have transformed him to help him heal, but that did not explained the being in his underwear part. "Uh…Where is my suit?"

"…It was torn and ripped. We repaired it, but we would not suggest fighting in it." Frostbite suggested.

"…Great, I'll need to get a new one…" Danny grumbled.

"Don't worry, Danny," Dani spoke up. "We got you a new one!" She then handed her a package.

Danny took it and inspected it, "This isn't something stupid as a joke, right?"

"…I wanted to do that, but Dad…" Dani looked at Vlad.

"…said no…" Vlad finished as he glared at his adopted daughter.

"Okay, then…could I have some privacy, please. I am kind of half naked under the blankets."

Changing into his new clothes was very difficult. Some part of it was sentimental reasons. He had died in his old clothes. It was hard not to be attached. But considering that he would still have his old jump suit, moving on wasn't that hard. No, what was really hard was trying to put his two still healing arms into the sleeves.

Yeah, that was not a fun experience.

Eventually, Danny finally did get his new clothes on, and he was quite pleased. The new clothes were not skin tight suit. His new black pants were made of a jean like martial and had a long white stripe on each side all the way down to the bottom where white flames danced around the trimming. His boots were white on the top half and black on the bottom half. Danny now wore a sleeveless black shirt with white stripes and his signature DP symbol on the front. What was really new, however was the trench coat. His trench coat was black but had white on the trimming and on the seams. The back of the coat also had his symbol, but this one was surrounded by a pentagon.

In all, Danny thought he looked pretty badass.

"Wow, Danny!" Dani said as Danny exited the building. "You actually look cool!"

"…I didn't before?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

Dani blushed, "Ugh… yes?…"

Danny laughed, but was interrupted when Vlad extended something to him. It was a belt…no…It was the disguise belt he had been working on.

"I know you wanted to finish it, but with what happened, I thought it would be best for you to have it as soon as possible." Vlad told Danny.

"Thanks." Danny understood perfectly. A battle like the one he had with Colossus was the exact reason he thought of the belt in the first place.

Danny took the black metallic belt from Vlad and put it on. In an instant, whit rings went around it and change its color to white.

'Good, Vlad remembered that I wanted it to change when I change. Wouldn't want something insignificant like that to ruin my secret identity,' Danny nodded to himself as he turned the belt on. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then…nothing seemed to happen.

"Wasn't it suppose to do something?" Klemper asked.

"It did," Danny grinned as white rings transformed him into a human. This time, he still looked completely like Phantom.

"…So, that's it?" Dani asked.

"That's it. Nothing supper fancy." Danny transformed back.

"Looks pretty fancy to me…" Valerie's voice sounded out to Danny.

Danny froze. Slowly, he turned his head to see Valerie in full ghost hunter uniform. The only thing he could think was, 'Oh, crap.'

"H-hey there Red, how long have you been here." Phantom looked desperately to the others in the group looking for help. None of them looked even a little shocked. Did they not see the ghost hunter in front of them.

"A few hours. I didn't know when you would wake up, so I came to visit every day since the fight." Valerie acted as if it was obvious.

"But how did you get into the Ghost Zone?" Danny's still tired brain didn't really process the fact that his old nemesis was actually worried about him.

"She used our portal, of course," Vlad stepped forward. "She very well couldn't use the Fenton Portal. It is in lockdown."

"Our portal…" Slowly, the truth dawned upon Danny. Valerie knew. "Oh…"

"Your right, oh." Valerie glared at the half. "I can't believe-"

Vlad quickly interrupted her. "I think that this is a conversation you two should have alone. The rest of us should go inside." The elder halfa looked over to Frostbite.

The yeti ghost nodded. "That would probably be for the best. Come, we are preparing a feast for the awakening of the Great One. My people might need some help."

The group left, but Dani and Klemper looked back and gave an encouraging nod to Danny. Now, Danny was left alone with what could be an angry ex-girlfriend. Danny really hoped that there would not be a fight.

"…Great One, huh?" Valerie crossed her arms in front of her.

"Yeah, they call me that because what happened with the Ghost King." Danny shrugged.

"I know. It's just that…You as the Great One? A year ago, I would have laughed, but now…I kind of agree." Valerie surprised Danny.

"You do?" Danny was wide-eyed.

"…Yeah, you fight ghosts. You save people. You…you…you didn't tell me." Valerie gave him a look of sadness.

"I'm sorry, Val. I couldn't tell you. I wouldn't be able to stand it if you hated both parts of me." Danny looked down at the ground.

"…I do understand that. I was pretty hateful to both sides of you, at one time. I wouldn't have told you either, but…it's so hard to believe. Danny… you're dead." Valerie gained sad eyes.

"Yes, I am." Danny confirmed.

"…Mr. Masters and Dani explained about halfas. They told me how you and they are half human and half ghost." Valerie rubbed her arms.

"They told you?" Danny was shocked.

"Not all of it, but enough." Valerie shook her head. "I was a little afraid, at first. I though Mr. Masters was going to threaten me. But Dani calmed him down and reminded him that even if I did tell anyone, no one would believe me. I still think that he still suspicious and paranoid about me knowing, though. He really cares about you and Danielle a lot."

"Yeah, he does," Danny nodded.

"Everything makes so much sense now. How you knew my secret identity immediately. How you can escape so fast. How you can get past ghost shields. Not to mention why Fenton would trust Phantom so much." Valerie gain a look which said 'I can't believe I was so stupid.'

"Are you mad?" Danny questioned.

"A little. Not as much as the beginning. I had time to think it through. Use logic instead of emotion, you know. And…I'm sorry." Valerie apologized.

"You're sorry? I'm the one who lied to you constantly and was partly responsible for your family's troubles." Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

"I lied about being the Red Huntress. And you didn't mean to hurt my Dad's work. If it wasn't you and Cujo, it most likely had been some other ghost. Plus, I hurt Fenton emotionally and Phantom physically. Even when you were only trying to help and befriend me. I was in the wrong, I will admit it." Wow, apparently Valerie wasn't too proud to admit she was wrong.

"…Let's just call it all even and restart okay?" Danny gave her a small smile. "Soon enough, I'll probably do something stupid soon enough anyway and you'll be in the right again."

Valerie laughed. "Okay, but don't think that all this means that I won't still keep beating you at ghost hunting. I'm still the best ghost hunter." Apparently, all of this didn't affect Valerie's competitiveness.

"…As if, I could beat you any day of the week," Danny teased.

"You think so, spook?" Valerie smirked. "We'll put that to the test when-"

"Hey there, Babypop!" A voice interrupted Valerie.

"Ember?" Why were all the girls in his life trying to confuse him.

The siren ghost landed by the two and smirked. "Good to see you up, Danny. I thought that I would have to wake you up myself soon."

"Why are you here, ghost?" Valerie glared at Ember. "I thought I told you to stay away."

"You did, but I decided not to listen." Ember grinned at the seething ghost hunter.

"Why are you here, Ember?" Danny asked. "I thought you would still be mad at me."

"Mad? Naw. At least you acted like a real man and said 'no' straight to my face. Besides, I'm not one to give up so easily. Especially the things that are hard to get. That makes things even more fun and satisfying when you say 'yes'." Ember gave him a seductive look.

"Excuse me. We were having a conversation." Valerie stepped in front of Danny possessively.

"That's nice, but now I'm here, so Danny doesn't need you here anymore." Ember glared. "Why don't you leave now, Little Hunter."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…." Danny gained a confused look.

"I was here first." Valerie pointed out. "Besides, I don't think a hot head like you will do well in this place anyway."

"Oh! You're calling me a hot head? You're the one going around in a red suit shooting stuff. Besides, I have experience in this kind of area…I'll have my revenge for that latter by the way, Danny." Ember must not have forgotten when he trapped her with Klemper. Back when Klemper was annoying and she was trying to take over the world.

"See? You still act like Danny's enemy. After you trying to take over the world twice, I can't trust you alone with him." Valerie stood tall.

"And who was the person constantly try to kill Danny? Oh! That would be you…so, yeah. You lose in that argument." Ember grinned.

"I apologized!" Valerie shouted.

"I apologized first!" Ember shouted back.

Danny took a step back in fear. It looked as if sparks were about to go off between the two. Poor Danny didn't even realize that they were about to fight over him….Clueless…

"Excuse me," Frostbite's voice interrupted the two girls. The three all turned to the large ghost. "The feast is ready, so I think it would be best if we postponed this disagreement."

Danny sighed in relief, but the two girls were still upset.

"It will only take a few more minutes, Mr. Frostbite." Valerie glared at the female ghost again.

"Yeah, Ice Cube. We will be right there." Ember glared back.

"I said…" Frostbite smiled and let loose what felt like a…calming and happy Haunting Aura. "…that the feast is ready,"

Both girls relaxed and smiled. "Okay, lets go eat." "Yeah…good idea…"

"Excellent!" Frostbite cheered.

'Wow,' Danny thought. 'Frostbite is S-rank…I knew he was powerful, but…well, glad he's my friend. Last thing I need is a new powerful enemy.'

The feast was amazing. The yeti people had gone all out. Various dishes from various nations and lands had been set all around. Everyone was smiling and laughing from their various tables. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Danny had barely noticed, though. He was too busy trying to stuff as much food down his throat as possible…What! He had been asleep for four days after a battle that pushed him past his limits. He was hungry!

"Yahayahayaha!" Frostbite laughed from his place next to Danny. "It is always good to see a guest enjoy himself!"

"Jeez, Danny slow down. There are ladies here you know." Valerie frowned at the halfa.

Both Ember and Dani looked up. Ember had been slurping spaghetti. Dani had been trying to feed herself and Cujo, who was on her head while in puppy form, at the same time. Neither said anything and just went back to the food.

"Don't be hard on him, Miss Huntress. This is the way of a warrior who just came back from battle! After a big fight, a warrior will rest. After pushing himself past his limits, a warrior will feast. After walking the line of death, a warrior will laugh and enjoy the company of friends! Yahayahayaha!" Frostbite grinned.

"…If you say so…" Valerie went back to her food. She obviously was still not at ease around ghosts. Even if those ghosts were nicer than most humans.

Danny finally came out of pile of food and said, "Sorry, Val. Didn't realize how hungry I was."

"It's okay. Just slow down, please." Valerie said.

"Okay," Danny did slow down. Not much, really, but he did slow down.

Glancing around, Danny noticed how much some of the people here had changed. A few months ago, Vlad would never willing stay in a frozen wasteland, but now he was breaking bread and feasting here. At one time, Klemper would have been forced out of the land for being annoying, but now he had several ghosts laughing at his jokes. Not long ago, Valerie had a vendetta against all ghosts, and now she was sitting awkwardly around a whole village of ghosts.

Ah…progress.

"Great One…" Frostbite got Danny's attention. "I know that you are feasting right now, but there is something I would like to talk about with you in private."

"Okay," Danny wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up. "Let's go."

As the two walked away, neither of them noticed as Dani's eyes followed them. They and everyone else also didn't notice as the ghost girl tucked her puppy under her arms and began to sneak away.

Dani stealth fully followed the two ghosts. Not that either of them were looking for followers. They were walking up to a large shrine like cave.

"I didn't want to show you this with Plasmius here. The power in this object is infinite and many could succumb to its power, but he has changed since he was last here. I can only hope that my revealing this will not end in disaster." Frostbite commented as they walked into the cave.

"What is it, Frostbite?" Danny asked.

Dani peaked into the shrine and saw Frostbite put his hand on a chest. When the chest opened, a scroll levitated out of the chest.

"This, O Great One, is the Infi-map. It is a map of the entire ghost zone and all the entrances connecting the Ghost Zone from the Human World." Frostbite explained.

"There is more than the Fenton Portal and Vlad's Portal?" Danny questioned.

"Indeed. There are many natural entrances from your world to the Ghost Zone that only the Infi-map can reveal. For example, the area you call the Bermuda Triangle." Frostbite gestured to a triangle shaped portal on the Infi-map.

"That explains all the disappearances…" Danny mumbled. "It also explains how ghost get out of the Ghost Zone without using a man made portal. They find a natural portal and go out through that."

"Yes. Traveling ghosts can pass through a natural entrance. Yet, not necessarily form the time period that they wish to go to. Though, many ghosts know of portals that lead to the current time period." Frostbite nodded.

"So, the map doesn't just lead you to earth, but through time too?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"The Ghost Zone is constantly shifting. Entrances appear at many different periods. Most only remain open for a short time until closing forever." Frostbite was very solemn. "In the wrong hands, the map can be very dangerous. And you must never stray from its indicated path."

"So…you don't want to tempt Vlad with this power, because he could be vulnerable to abusing its power." Danny squinted at the map.

Dani hid a gasp. Did they really think that her Dad would do that? He was a good person! Why would they suggest such thing!?

"Yes, although I can see that the darkness in his heart has faded quite a lot, something like this could bring it back up." Frostbite nodded.

"Yeah…but why would you show this to me. I'm just a teenager. I wouldn't be able to use this without abusing it either." Danny admitted his own weakness.

"Yes, but you admit it. That is already different than the majority of people who would use it. The reason I am showing you this is because of this." Frostbite took the map and pointed to an area deep in the Ghost Zone. "You see this? This is not a natural entrance. Someone is trying to drill into the Ghost Zone. They are failing, too. The entrance is constantly closing, but every day the entrance they drill is a little bigger. Eventually, they will succeed."

"The Guys in White…" Danny growled.

"Perhaps, but perhaps, not." Frostbite commented. "I have talked with an old friend, and he says that it is not them. He says they are working on a temporary portal, but do not have the means to drill into the Ghost Zone to make a permanent entrance like this."

"Who is your friend?" Danny asked.

"You have met him. It is Clockwork." Frostbite told the halfa.

Dani heard about Clockwork before. He apparently was the master of time and some kind of past with Danny. What was his purpose in all this?

"…Then the Guys in White aren't doing it. Clockwork wouldn't be wrong about this. But then, who is it?" Danny glared at the map.

"I do not know, that is why I am going to ask you to investigate." Frostbite pointed to Danny.

"Me? Why me?" Danny all but shouted. Dani was now intrigued. She could smell the adventure.

"Clockwork has many restrictions placed on him. He cannot interfere whenever he wants. And I have my people to worry about. If I go poking around, I could start a war and I cannot allow that to happen." Frostbite gained a very serious look.

"…I understand, but I don't think I should be the one to do it." Danny said. "I have the male Fenton gene of losing things. If I take that map, there is a good chance that someone else might get it."

"I was never asking you to take the map with you, Great One. I just need you to investigate and possibly stop the construction of the entrance." Frostbite place a hand on the halfa's shoulder. "Please, friend, this is an very important incident. You would be doing not only me, but also the whole Ghost Zone a great favor."

"I would be happy to help, but I don't know how I will be able to get in if the portal keeps closing…wait, friend…That's it!" Danny exclaimed.

"What is it?" Frostbite asked.

Dani leaned in closer to the entrance to get a better view. She was on her toes and the snow was starting to slide beneath her.

"I have a friend that can open entrances between the human world and the Ghost Zone at will. This is the perfect excuse to get him out of Walker's jail. I'll just need to figure out ho-" A shout interrupted Danny.

"Ahg!" Dani screamed as she slipped and fell on her side. She made sure not to land on Cujo, though.

"Dani!" Danny shouted in surprise. "Were you listening to us?"

"Ummmmmm…maybe?" Dani gave a sheepish grin. Cujo then wormed out of her arms and ran next to Frostbite in the cave.

Danny looked like he was about to get angry, but then just let out a long breath. "You shouldn't have followed us, Dani."

"It is all right, Great One." Frostbite cut in. "She obviously meant no harm."

"Yeah, but she knows better that to ease drop." Danny helped Dani to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Danny." Dani apologized. "I was just curious. And I never get to be involved with ghost stuff."

"Is that what this is about?" Danny sighed as he knelt next to his clone. "I told you. It's not safe for you to be out fighting ghosts."

"It's not safe for you! You're always out there alone! What happens if you get hurt again, and I wasn't there to help you?!" Dani exclaimed.

"I won't get hut again." Danny told his younger sister.

"You can't promise me that!" Dani shouted. "I could help you, Danny!"

"Danielle…" Danny looked back at Frostbite. "Now is not the time to talk about this…"

"Then when?!" Dani yelled in anger. "You and Dad say I'm too young for stuff, but if you keep delaying everything, I'll be an old lady by the time I am allowed to do anything!"

"…Soon, Danielle. We'll talk about this soon. At home, though. And when my arms don't fell like they been shoved through a wood chipper." Danny compromised.

"…Fine…" Dani mumbled.

"Sorry about that, Frostbite. I'll find a way to get my friend, then we'll come back." Danny stood and turned to the other ghost.

"Do not worry. This isn't a major problem right now, but in a few months it might become a disaster. I would suggest, though, that you get ready as soon as possible."

Danny groaned as he walked into his room. The trip home was terrible. Dani was mad at him. Valerie was on edge because Ember traveled with them. Klemper decided to stay in the Land of the Far Frozen for a while and Vlad was silently laughing at his predicament, so he had no support.

The words "are we there, yet" defined that little trip.

After transforming back into a human and turning of his belt, Danny threw his torn human clothes into the closet. They most likely would have to be thrown away, but Danny couldn't bring himself to care at that moment. Then Danny put on some relaxing clothes (sweats and a superman shirt…don't you judge him) and flopped onto his bed.

The pain in his arms and ribs were still there, but there was no longer any physical signs of injury. His arms looked completely normal now. That was good. It would be hard to explain how he was hurt like that.

Now completely alone, Danny reflected on all that had happened. He got his ass kicked in a terrible fight. Valerie now knew his secret. Someone was trying to drill their way into the Ghost Zone. Tucker's PDA was broken…Dear God, Tucker's PDA was broken…

It may seem insignificant, but that was all Danny had left of his best friend. He had know Tucker for most of his life. He was a constant that was as close to family as a non-blood related person could get. Now…he was completely gone. Danny no longer had anything to remember Tucker other than old pictures and memories.

Danny felt a wave of hopelessness hit him. He kept losing everything. He lost fights. He lost loved ones…

'Well, crap…' Danny sat up and went over to his computer. The halfa turned on it on, typed in his password, and began to look through some his enemy files to distract himself.

He began to make one on Colossus. The large ghost may not be evil, but he was still a threat. He probably could take down the entire city with ease if he wanted to…

Halfway through his project, Danny thought about Colossus' last words to him after the fight. To use his frustration and anger to improve himself…it was a good suggestion. He needed to prepare himself for future battles…but he was already pushing himself to the limits with training as it is…

Danny sighed. There was that, then he had to free Wulf, then he had to get the equipment he had made for Batman to the Dark Knight…

According to Vlad, Batman had contacted him when Danny was asleep. He understood that Danny was injured, but had asked when the next batch of equipment would be ready. Luckily, all the stuff had been finished a while ago and the Dark Knight was sending someone to pick them up sometime soon…

Danny once again sighed. He would worry about all that stuff later. He was in no condition to do any of those things right now…

…But there was one thing he could do right now…

Danny closed the ghost files and opened the project files. The project files were all the information he had on his and his parents inventions. Most of the time, Danny just built onto his parents old designs, but maybe it was time to start branching out…

Making a new file, Danny thought about what would be the best name for what he had in mind. It would need to have style and flair. It would have to sound cool. It would…have to be in honor of Tucker.

Now that he no longer had the PDA or his phone, which was also broken in the fight, Danny knew had to have something to keep himself informed and to help him keep in contact with others. He could just bye something, but… that was not the Fenton way. Plus, he had to do something to make up for losing Tucker's baby…

'What would Tucker name it…well, that would be obvious,' Danny let a smile grace his face, but it soon fell back into Danny's cold depressed face.

Danny began to type on the computer when he heard a tapping sound coming from the window above his bead. Turning in confusion, Danny was shocked by what he saw. Jenifer was outside his window…but how? There was no tree or anything outside his window.

In a shocked daze, Danny made his way to the window to open the window. For a second, he observed the strange girl. She seemed to have climbed up the side of the mansion. The halfa finally opened the window. Jenifer then flung herself in and landed on his bed.

"Sup?" Jenifer asked.

"Well, you showed up and…yeah…Why are you here, by the way?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"You never called me." Jenifer glared at him as she sat on her bed. "That is unacceptable."

Danny inwardly grimaced. It wasn't like it was his fault. He had been unconscious for four days. "I'm sorry, but some things came up."

"What things?" Jenifer questioned.

"It's complicated…Wait a minute! I barely know you. Why are you giving me the third degree. So I didn't call you, it's not like no other person hasn't done that before." Danny realized the situation.

"No excuses. I gave you my number and told you that I wanted you to give me a tour around the city. You agreed and thus you will take me out." Jenifer nodded at her logic.

Danny once again sighed, "Look, I know what I said, but I'm tired and…" Danny trailed off.

Jenifer was now pouting. Her eyes were big and her lips were trembling. She was giving him a look that could make even the hardest of hard asses give in.

"…Fine…let me get dressed." Danny went over to his closet.

"Alrighty then, Superman!" Jenifer saluted.

Danny grumbled, "Oh and you relax in your best clothes, I suppose."

"No, I relax completely naked." Jenifer teased.

Danny froze for a moment as that image ran through his mind. He could actually picture. Jenifer reclining in a chair. Her legs were creamy and smooth. Her….

'No! Fenton, no. Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts.' Danny mentally reprimanded himself. 'Stupid hormones…'

"Really…" Danny said weakly.

Jenifer laughed. "Hahahaha. Yes, Really!"

Pulling out a new hoody and hiding his groans of discomfort and pain, Danny said. "How did you even get up here anyway?"

"I climbed. It was rather easy with the way the building was designed. The hard part was finding your room. It took a few tries." Jenifer commented.

"Weren't you worried about falling?" Danny asked as he pulled his hoody on.

"Nah, there are shrubs around the place. If I fell, the bushes would have broken my fall." Jenifer told the halfa.

"Never thought of that…" Danny began walking to the door.

"You know? You have a comfy bed. I could just stay here all day…and maybe all night too." Jenifer sighed contently.

"Huh?" Danny turned and saw Jenifer spread out on his bed.

Error. Unable to process. Higher mental functions turning off.

Error. Hormones on a rampage. Look away now…Look away now…

Mental crash. System failure. Danger. Danger.

Reboot. Restarting motor functions. Fixing vocal problems.

Reboot. Stop gapping like a moron. Pick your jaw off the floor. Do not drool.

When Danny's mind finally restarted, Danny realized something, "…You're a huge tease aren't you?"

"Why, yes I am." Jenifer smirked.

Danny sighed. This is just what he needed. He already a hardcore ghost hunter and a rocker ghost siren to mess with him. Now he had a tease to deal with?

"Alright let's go then…" Danny looked back to Jenifer. "Are you coming?"

"…Let's go out the window." Jenifer climbed into the window seal.

"Why?" Danny questioned.

"Do you really want to explain to your guardian why there was a girl he doesn't know in your room?" Jenifer questioned.

"…Good point…" Danny walked over to the window.

"Great!" Jenifer grabbed Danny and pulled him out the window with her.

"Wai-Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Danny yelled as he was forced out of the room. He tried his hardest not to let his voice crack from both the surprise and the intense pain in his arm.

A few minutes later, a knocking sound came from the door, "Daniel? I just got a message from your bat friend. He is sending someone over to pick up the equipment…Daniel?"

Vlad slowly opened the door. "Daniel? Are you in here?"

He received no answer. 'Daniel must have went out on patrol or something…He should know better…He's injured after all…'

Vlad sighed and was about to leave when he noticed that Danny's computer was on. That was unusual. Danny always turned his PC off before he left. Deciding to turn of the computer himself, Vlad walked over to the PC.

As he was about to turn the device off, Vlad noticed that a file was opened. Curiosity getting the better of him, Vlad read the text and was surprised.

"What on earth is a Tucker Phone?"

"Would you put that stupid hood down," Jenifer once again pulled Danny's hood down from his head.

"Stop that!" Danny quickly brought his hood back up.

"You look ridiculous like that." Jenifer complained. "Are you trying to be a ninja or something?"

"Or something…" Danny mumbled. "Look, I do it because I don't like to draw too much attention to myself."

As of this moment, the two had already been through most of the city. The streets were easy to navigate and Danny knew all the short cuts. Most of the trip had been uneventful. Except for the zoo…a certain gorilla remembered him…

Throughout their tour, Danny couldn't help but wonder why he had agreed to this. Sure, he was having a good time, but the whole situation was weird. He rarely did anything like this anymore. Yet, he had agreed to give a tour to a complete stranger.

Why did he do that? It wasn't like he had never seen a girl pout before. Dani did it all the time, and she was the master at it, too. Danny had just felt compelled to be with this girl. It was unnatural…like a spell or something…

"Why? You should relish in your fame. Use it to your advantage." Jenifer suggested.

"To my advantage? How can I do that?" Danny raised his eyebrow.

"Please…" Jenifer rolled her eyes. "You're a survivor and a hero! People trip over themselves trying to please people like you. Plus, with that kind of money behind you-"

"Is that what this is about?" Danny's eyes narrowed.

"What?" Jenifer looked confused.

"Money. Fame. Prestige." Danny stated. "Are you hanging around me for all that?"

"Huh? Why would you ask that?" Jenifer looked taken back.

"Not many people would willing hang out with me before the incident, let alone drag me out my window into the bushes." Danny stared intently at her. "I might seem rude here, but I don't get it. I have not really been the most friendly person lately. What other reason would you have to be around me except for fame or money?"

"…Alright, I know you've been through a lot, so I won't get mad…" Jenifer took a deep breath. "There are plenty of reasons I would want to be around you besides money or fame. You're different from the other guys in this city. You're funny, witty, brave from what I've heard, not afraid to speak your mind, and you have yet to ask me out or do anything inappropriate."

Danny snorted. "I've had feminism shoved down my throat all my live. I know better that to do anything that would get my but handed to me by a tough woman."

"Good to know." Jenifer giggled. "But you see, there are plenty of reasons. Plus, I just get this vibe from you…it's like you are meant for greatness."

"If you say so…" Danny mumbled.

"I do say so." Jenifer nodded. "If it makes you feel any better, I promise you on my very soul that I am in no way interested in your fame or money."

Danny stated at her for a moment, then nodded, "Okay…sorry about that…"

"Don't worry about it." Jenifer stated.

"Well." Danny stopped and looked up at an all too familiar building. "And the end of the tour…Fenton Works."

"Never would have guessed with the giant sign and huge space base on top…" Sarcasm dripped off of Jenifer's voice.

"Yeah, my parents never were subtle." Danny nodded. His hood and hair the deep sadness in his eyes.

"It looks abandoned…Have you not been in there for a while?" Jenifer asked.

"Some…not a lot…not yet…" Danny almost whispered.

"…With it like this, aren't you afraid that someone will break in?" Jenifer looked concerned.

"No way, I activated the security system before I left. Any one that breaks in is toast and the only person who can turn it off is someone with Fenton DNA." Danny informed her.

"…Wow…" Jenifer mumbled. Danny didn't notice, but her eyes were staring at the building like a hawk.

Both of the teenagers remained there for a few moments. Each had their own thoughts of both the past and the future. So lost in their thoughts, they didn't even notice as someone approached them.

"Hey, Jenifer!" Danny and Jenifer flinched at this voice. They both turned and saw Dash Baxter walking over to them.

"…Hey, Dash…" Jenifer greeted unenthusiastically.

"You never answered me if you wanted to out on Saturday," Dash waggled his eyebrows.

Jenifer sighed. "I told you, Dash. I going out of town this weekend to visit my dad…You even listening this morning."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot…Well! That's okay, then. Let's just go get something to eat right now and we can talk." Dash's eyes quickly darted down form her eyes and back up again. Danny knew what the jock was doing and couldn't bring out any real feelings of indecency. Danny had looked at Jenifer a few times himself…What? He's a teenage boy for crying out loud.

"Sorry, but I'm kind of with someone right now and it would be rude to just walk away. Especially considering the fact that I dragged him out against his will…" Jenifer mumbled that last bit to herself, but Danny heard it.

Dash, however, did not. "I'm sure he doesn't mind. Do ya buddy?"

Dash then proceeded to push Danny back. Danny had to use all his willpower to not cry out in pain as he stumbled back. He was still incredibly sore from his fight.

"…No, not really…" Danny mumbled barely loud enough for Dash to hear to make sure the jock didn't recognize his voice. He really didn't want a confrontation with his old bully.

"See?" Dash turned back to Jenifer.

"Well, I do. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay, Dash?" Jenifer grabbed Danny's arm. This time, the halfa did let out a little groan of pain. "Come on, Danny."

As she was dragging him away, Dash asked, "Danny? As in Danny Fenton?"

Jenifer stopped and answered before Danny could. "Yep!" She then preceded to once again pull down his hood.

'For the love of God, woman!' Danny cried out in his mind. Why did she keep doing this? No one else hated on the hood like this!

"…Dash…" Danny nodded at the jock.

"…Fenton…" Dash greeted but did nothing else.

"Really? No Fen-turd? No Fen-tina? I'm surprised." Danny glared at his old bully.

"Look…I'm sorry about…everything that happened. If I knew what was gonna happen, then I wouldn't have been so hard on ya…" Dash responded.

"…I don't believe that you're really sorry…" Danny stared at the jock. "You fell guilty, yes, but that was because of that Nasty Burger incident." Danny's tilted his head down to hide the pain in his eyes.

"Hey! I'm trying to apologize here!" Dash looked output. "The least you can do is accept."

"No. The least I can do is nothing," Danny sighed and decided to be the bigger man. "..I…I do accept your apology, but it won't change anything. Tomorrow, you will go and be the same guy you always been. You will strut down the halls and treat everyone else like dirt."

"That's just the way things are! It's the law of the jungle. I'm stronger and better looking than them. I'm better than them, so I get to be at the top." Dash voice his beliefs.

"So it's your right to look at them like bugs?" Danny questioned. "They're people too, Dash. They feel pain when you punch and mock them. Even if you think they don't.

"You once told me that these are your glory days. Everything goes downhill from here. That might be true if you keep going like this. You have tons of bad karma coming your way, Dash, but it's not to late to change.

"I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, but will you even use your's? You've been a jerk to everyone and you enjoy every minute of it. That is not something that is easy to stop." Danny pulled his hood back up.

"I…" Dash's voice died in his throat.

"Think about what it is like to be the people you pick on, because if your football career is ended early, that is how it will be for you. Ask your self. Is this the person I really want to be? If it is, good for you. I hope you're happy. If it isn't, get your act straight and start acting like the leader and role model you're supposed to be." Danny turned and began to leave a stunned Dash behind him.

Quickly, Jenifer began to walk with him in silence. She stole a few glances at the halfa. Danny couldn't exactly recognize the look on her face, but it looked like…admiration and want…

Before he go to far, Danny stopped. Without turning, he said, "Our lives are shaped by our choices Dash. Think about how you want to shape yours."

"I'm impressed," Jenifer broke the five minute silence that the duo had been building. "You actually shut Dash up."

"It's just something that needed to be said," Danny grunted. "I would have preferred not to say anything but…I think that saying nothing about an injustice is sometimes in itself a sin."

"Pretty noble of you," Jenifer noted, "But it seems rather out of character. Don't get me wrong. Dash needed to hear that, but you and your whole hidden demeanor never gave me the sense that you were that outspoken…I knew that you were brave and had a hero complex, but…"

"Looks are deceiving," Danny pointed out.

Jenifer giggled, "That's true. Can't argue with that."

Once again, Danny felt that Jenifer was laughing at a joke that Danny didn't understand. Jenifer Laughed at the oddest things ad when asked about it, she said that it was nothing. Danny would usually become paranoid, but his ghost sense didn't go off and plenty of people had inside jokes. So, he dismissed any thoughts of paranoia.

"Well, this is my stop." Jenifer stepped onto some stairs leading to an apartment building.

Danny didn't even realize that they were heading back to her home. She must have discretely led him this way. Either that or it was just a plain coincidence…

"Alright, I'll just-" Danny was interrupted by Jenifer pulling his hood down. "Why do you keep doing that?!"

"I don't like hoods. They hide your face and eyes. I like to know where people are looking at. When you have that hood up, I can't look you in the eyes. Sooooo….I think that you should keep the hood down." Jenifer gestured to his hood.

"That doesn't give you the right to pull his hood down whenever you want." Danny grumbled.

"Maybe…just keep your hood down, okay?" Jenifer pouted again.

Danny was once again hit by a compulsion to agree with her. This time, however, Danny froze over these feelings. A wave of cold stopped the immediate "yes" that was already forming on his lips.

Danny pulled his hood up defiantly. Jenifer seemed surprised. It was almost as if she never expected him to say no.

"No, I…" Danny trailed off in thought. He had originally wore the hood to protect himself from the outside world. Now, though… now the world seemed to want something form Danny as both Fenton and Phantom and he was acting like a coward and hiding. A Fenton doesn't hide. A Fenton stands defiantly before all opposing forces.

Danny sighed and pulled down his hood. It was time to step up and take whatever life threw at him. "I guess you are right. I don't need to hide behind a hood…"

The look of surprise faded from Jenifer's face and was changed into a brilliant, beautiful smile. "Great!" Jenifer leaned in and gave Danny a small kiss on the cheek. "This time, I'll call you, because you've proved yourself irresponsible."

"My cell phone broke!" Danny shouted indigently.

"Then I'll just look up your home number. Bye Danny, see you later." With that, Jenifer opened the door and began to enter the door. Before completely closing the door, Jenifer blew a kiss playfully and giggled.

Walking away, Danny chuckled. He had to give it to Jenifer. She made him laugh. It was a quality that Danny was beginning to appreciate more and more.

As he began to head home, Danny gained a little fantasy of sleeping in his bed. It had been a long and confusing day. He was still sore. All he needed now was a good long rest-

Danny gasped out a wisp of blue mist.

'Oh, come on! Now!? What did I ever do to deserve this? I don't remember ever kicking a puppy or anything…' Danny mentally wept.

Quickly looking around, Danny spotted an nearby alley way. Running behind a dumpster, Danny took a good look around to make sure no one was watching. Then, "I'm going ghost!"

A bust of whit light later, Phantom rocketed out of the alley. After reaching a high viewpoint area, Phantom scanned the area. There didn't seem to be any chaos or destruction. A ghost was around but where…there!

A small, thing ghost was flying through the sky. He seemed completely ordinary with green skin, red eyes, and tiny body. The weird thing was that the ghost seemed to be running…err floating…in a desperate attempt to get away from something. Danny recognized this sign. It's a trap!…

'Heh, Star Wars reference-focus Phantom focus!' Danny reprehended himself mentally. 'This is most likely an attempt to draw me out…Usually I wouldn't mind fighting Skulker, but I'm sore and tired right now…Maybe I could get the jump on him and capture him stealth fully' Danny turned invisible and slowly circled around. He made sure to stay a good distance away from the distraction ghost. Examining the surrounding area, Danny tried to spot Skulker. Usually, the hunter ghost perched himself in a high area…

After a few minutes, Danny saw nothing. Maybe it wasn't a trap. The small ghost could be out for a joy run, but Danny's instincts were still telling him that something was up.

'Maybe I should just go home. Skulker won't hurt anyone other than me…well at least when he isn't fighting me…It won't hurt anything to postpone this a few days…' Danny was about to leave when the ghost he was following was suddenly sucked up onto a nearby roof.

For a moment, Danny thought that it could be Valerie, but soon dismissed such thoughts. The Red Huntress usually gave ghosts a sporting chance. She didn't just suck up ghosts without some kind of confrontation.

'Found you…' Danny smirked.

Slowly, Phantom approached the roof. Skulker was obviously not using a sensor. If he was, he would have spotted Danny by now. That means he was going by sight and could easily be sneaked up on…

"…at it for hours." Agent K's voice caused Danny to freeze. "He obviously isn't coming out today."

"He might still be injured." Agent O answered his partner. "You saw the battle cite. It looked like a war zone and Phantom couldn't have walked away uninjured."

"That would explain his absense the past few days…" Agent K agreed.

As the two were talking, Phantom thought about the situation. These two had been looking for him all day. Not even a week ago, Phantom had fought those two. They were prepared, though. They used new skills and better technology that caused the halfa to falter some.

'I won't be able to win with hurt arms and ribs…but if I ambush them, I can take or break their new weapons and send a message.' Danny looked over the edge of the roof to see the two. They were still talking an had their backs to him…not that it mattered, Danny was invisible…

'I can freeze their feet to the floor and knock them out before they even knows what hit them…alright, time to do this,' Danny turned visible and began to prepare an ice blast.

A loud beeping sound alerted them to Phantom's presence, but it was already to late. Before they could even pull out a gun, their feet were already frozen to the ground. Unable to turn around, they were almost completely defenseless.

In an instant, Phantom was directly behind the two agents. His full intention was to slam the agents heads together to knock them out. Unfortunately, despite their seemingly incompetent behavior sometimes, the two agents still had government training.

All Danny felt was pain as he was flung by his arms in front of the two agents. His injured arms and ribs screamed in pain as Danny landed on the hard concrete. He couldn't dwell on this, though. Agent K and O had already drawn their guns.

As he rose and turned to his enemies, Danny saw the two pull their triggers. 'Crap! I'm in point blank position!' Danny screamed at himself mentally to move. Miraculously, he did.

Moving the minimum amount of space possible, Phantom merely tilted his head and twisted his body to dodge the ectoblasts. On complete experience and instinct alone, Phantom almost danced out of the way of the incoming shots. He was moving like a mad man trying to prevent any further damage to his person.

It was not enough, though. Several of the shots grazed him. One even hit his shoulder. Hissing in pain, Danny forced himself to keep moving. Stopping meant death.

"Oh no!" Agent K paled.

"You hit the containment device!" Agent O shouted to his partner.

"Me?! It was your shot that hit it." Agent K shifted the blame.

"…No it was Phantom…" Agent O pointed to the ghost.

"…Yes, in the report, we blame Phantom." Agent K agreed.

"I'm right here, you morons!" Danny yelled at the two agents "And what containment device?!"

"Well…" Agent O didn't have to finish his sentence. A large black and white rectangular device began to smoke and beep. It must have been used to hold all the ghosts they captured…and it was huge, too! How many ghosts were in there?

Danny voiced his thoughts. "Exactly how many ghosts are in there?"

"Hundreds," Agent K was desperately trying to get his foot out of the ice.

As soon as the agent said that, the device completely shut downed and opened. A wave of ghosts pored out of the device. They all screamed for joy as they obtained their new freedom.

Usually freed ghosts would flee as soon as possible, but this was not the case. They seemed to sense the weakened states of the three beings below them. Revenge fueled grins grew on each of the ghosts faces as they realized the situations.

Phantom quickly realized the severity of the situation. Hundreds of angry ghosts were out for blood. Their targets were the weakened halfa and the two immobile agents.

Danny took a good look around. None of the ghosts had moved yet. They were all waiting for one of them to react. Plans ran through Phantom's mind, but none of them would end well. Basically, he was completely screwed.

Danny cracked his neck and said, "Well, crap."

And everything went to hell.

Dani in ghost form was sulking in her room as she stared down at the clothing on her bed. She had thought that if she got new clothes to hide her face, then she might get to go out and fight ghosts. The new clothes would hide her appearance more and hide the fact that her appearance was so close to Phantom's appearance, but she was never given a chance to tell her plan to Danny…

"I can't be too mad…Danny had a big fight and Dad most likely wouldn't let me go anyway…" Dani spoke her voice to Cujo. The little green puppy was staring intently out the window.

The young clone sighed. She had superpowers and she couldn't even use them in a constructive way. The only thing she used them for was traveling through the mansion and training. How boring was that?

She should be out there. There were ghosts to fight. There were adventures to have. There was so much to do, and yet she was stuck at home like a prisoner.

It was all really depressing to the usually perky ghost girl.

She understood that she was young and that Danny and her dad just wanted to protect her, but she handle it! Dani was strong and she could fight…but neither Danny or her dad would deny that. They knew and recognized her strength. They…just couldn't handle the thought of her getting hurt.

It would kill her dad if Dani was hurt. And Danny…Danny wouldn't be able to go on.

Dani sighed and looked to the ground. Dwelling on all this was making her sad. Well if she was already in a bad mood, then it was probably a good time to get her homework done.

"Roof!" Cujo's booming bark made Dani jump.

Turning to her dog, Dani was surprised to see that Cujo was in attack mode. The ghost dog was letting out a deep growl as he continued to stare out the window. He was trembling, but from what Dani didn't know.

Suddenly, the dog's head snapped to her. For a moment, the dog just stared at her. Then, he looked back and forth between Dani and the window.

"What is it boy?" Dani looked out the window, but saw nothing. It couldn't be a ghost. No ghost was stupid enough to attack her father's home.

"Roof!" Cujo phased through the wall and flew out a few meters. The turned around and gestured for Dani to follow him.

Dani then realized something was up. Cujo was acting as though Little Jimmy was stuck in a well. This had to be an emergency. The young halfa knew that neither her Dad or Danny would want her to go, but…something was up and Dani had to be there.

Dani was about to rocket out of the room when she paused. Quickly glancing over to the bed, Dani saw the new clothes. This was the perfect opportunity to try them out…

Slowly, a victorious grin developed on the halfa's face. This was going to be good!

Danny shouted in pain as he landed face first on the ground. Quickly rolling away, Danny continued to try to dodge the various attacks coming at him from all angles. Hundreds of ghost were circling him. While none of them were particularly strong, the small army attacking him was enough to easily overwhelm the halfa.

When the ghosts first attacked, Danny had freed, grabbed, and carried the two agents away as fast as possible. Phantom could barely lift the two in his state, so all he did was take them to ground level. He had no idea what happened after that, though. They started to run down the street as fast as possible as soon as Phantom let them down.

Usually, Phantom would be concerned about the two defenseless humans…even if they were jerks…but right now, the halfa had to focus on surviving.

"Argh!" Phantom cried out as an ectoblast hit his side. The ghost hero's vision began to blur for a moment, but he kept moving.

Right now, he couldn't attack. He couldn't defend. All he could do was keep moving.

There was no plan at all. There was no time to think. There was no time to do anything other than run for his life. His stamina would run out soon, though. Then, there would be no hope.

Luckily, the cavalry arrived in the form of a enemy-turned-friend.

A group of ghosts were blasted out of the way as the Red Huntress flew into the fray. Dodging the various attacks aimed at her, Red Huntress raced towards Danny. When she reached him, the female ghost hunter grabbed the halfa and began to pull him out of the chaos.

"It looks like you needed some help," Valerie continued to dodge the ghosts' attacks. "Remind me. Who's the best ghost hunter?"

"This is not the time!" Danny screamed at Valerie.

"Later, then!" Red Huntress smirked under her helmet.

Flying out of the mass of ghosts, both Phantom and Red Huntress fired behind them to stop some of their attackers. This only stopped a few, though, and there were plenty more to take their place. The large waves of ghosts began to chase the two ghost hunters.

"What do we do?" Danny continued to fire at the ghosts behind them.

"With you injured, we can't fight them all. We'll have to ditch them and regroup!" Valerie focused on flying her hover board.

"Sounds like the best plan I've heard all day!" Danny yelled. "But how do we get away?"

"…Still working that one out…" Valerie said just loud enough for Danny to hear.

"Doing better than me, at least!" Danny struggled to keep his vision focused.

A pattern began for the next five minutes. Red Huntress focused on trying to get away. Danny would focus on blasting the ghosts behind him. Both of them were trying…and failing … to think of any way to get out of this mess.

"I'm kind of running out of steam here." Danny's glowing hands began to slowly fade.

"I know, but there's not much I can do!" Valerie growled.

"…We have to fight!" Danny gained a look of conviction.

"Are you nut?! If you hadn't noticed, there's an army behind us! There's only two of us and you're almost out of it!" Valerie exclaimed.

"We don't have a choice! They'll catch us soon if we do nothing!" Danny prepared himself. "If we go in with Fenton Thermoses blazing, we could capture a large portion of them. Maybe that will be enough to get them to run away!"

"And if not!" Valerie questioned.

"Then we capture them all!" Danny exclaimed.

"That's the craziest plan I have ever heard!…I like it! Let's do it!" Valerie smirked.

"Okay, on 3!…One…Two…" Danny tensed and got ready for what was to come.

"Three!" Both hunters shouted. Valerie turned and flew to the rioting ghosts.

Both hunters pulled out a Thermos and began to capture the ghosts. Very few of the ghosts were captured, though. In an instant, the two hunters were surrounded.

The swirling mass of ghosts was filled with laughter. They were now the ones in control. Without a doubt, they had won and they knew it.

Both hunters were still using the thermos, but the ghosts knew what they were doing now. Only about twenty-five ghosts were captured all together. That was only enough to make a dent in the total amount ghosts.

Standing back to back, the two hunters prepared for what came next. In unison, all of the ghosts fired an ectoblast. Danny tried to turn intangible, but he no longer had the energy. There was no where left to go for the hunters. It was over.

Things began to slow for Danny. He saw each of the blasts coming. He felt as Valerie tensed behind him. The only thing he heard, though was silence. Everything was quite. It almost seemed peaceful.

Danny was left to his thoughts for this brief moment. He thought of all that had happened over the past months. All the conversations and battles ran through his mind. This was as far as could come? He hadn't even gotten to his fifteenth birthday…

Yet, here was. Once again he was staring death in the face. The worst part of it, though was that he wasn't going alone. Valerie was going to suffer for his mistakes. That was what hurt the most.

For the second time that day, Danny felt completely pathetic and alone. Why was it that he couldn't win the most important battles? Why was it that he was always too weak?

These were the thoughts of Phantom as he awaited the barrage of blasts. Luckily, those weren't there last thoughts. Suddenly, Danny felt something grab his legs and pull him down. Unable to process what had happened, Danny was in a daze as he was phased through the road and down the street into an alley.

The next thing Phantom knew he being hugged by a smaller person. Looking down, all Danny saw was a black and whit bandana. He knew who it was, though. It was Dani.

"Dani… what are you doing here?" Danny questioned.

Danielle didn't answer his question. She asked one of her own. "Are you stupid!? Why are you fighting?! You're hurt you moron!"

"Wait, I-" "I don't care what your excuse is! You are not allowed to get even more injured!" Dani growled.

"…Sorry…" Danny apologized.

"Darn right, you're sorry…" Dani grumbled.

"Thanks for the save, Danielle…and you too, Cujo." Valerie eyed the huge attack dog beside her.

"It was mostly Cujo," Dani admitted. "He…knew that you were in trouble."

"Good dog," Danny petted the ghost animal.

"Yeah…" Valerie muttered. "…good dog…"

"We need to retreat, but…" Danny kneeled on the ground. "If we leave, those ghosts will destroy the city…"

"We can get Dad to help. He's probably still working in the lab. If he's here maybe we can win." Dani suggested.

"Yeah, that might be our…what are you wearing?" Danny finally took a good look at his adopted sister.

The ghost girl's clothes were almost the same. Now, though, Dani was wearing a black and white bandana to cover her hair and a black scarf with a white stripe down the middle to cover her face. The final change was the logo. She was no longer wearing the 'DP' logo. Instead, she had a white 'S' logo that was in a similar style with 'DP' logo's back flames.

"What are you the only one who change their style?" Dani questioned. "And when I'm like this call me Spirit."

"Wha?" Phantom was thoroughly confused.

"We can talk about fashion later." Red Huntress interrupted them. "We still have the rioting ghosts to worry about."

"…Right. We need a plan…" Phantom looked at the other three. "I've got nothing…"

"Me neither…" Red Huntress sighed.

"…Maybe we could-" Dani was interrupted by two blurs passing them and causing a huge blast of wind to pass them. "What was that?"

Suddenly, the blurs came back to them and answered her question. "Yeah, there! It looked as if you could use some help!" the red blur smiled.

"OMG!" Dani…err, Spirit squealed. "It's the Flash and Kid Flash!"

The blurs turned out to be the two speedsters. The Flash was dress in red spandex. His mask covered the majority of his upper face and head. Kid Flash was dressed in yellow spandex. His mask hid his face, but showed his red hair. Unlike the Flash, Kid Flash had a pair of goggles to protect their eyes. Both speedsters had a lightning bolt logo on their chests.

"Hey! A fan…Um, who are you?" Kid Flash tilted his head to the side.

Phantom answered for her, "This is Spirit…She's my cousin."

"Ghosts can have cousins?" Flash asked.

"Yes," Phantom and Spirit answered in unison.

"Okay, then." Flash didn't ask anymore questions. He respected their privacy.

"You know, three months ago this would have surprised me." Kid Flash rubbed his head. "But with all the hype spectralogy has been getting, nothing about you 'ghosts' will surprise me anymore…" He sounded very skeptical, though.

"Why are you here, anyway?" Phantom asked.

"Doesn't matter." Red Huntress interrupted them. "We really do need your help. There's a small army of ghosts we need to take down"

"Alrighty then!…Exactly how do we fight ghosts?" Flash asked.

"You're speed will help for sure," Phantom said. "Can you two make a whirlwind to separate the ghosts?"

Kid Flash snorted. "Of course."

"Alright, after you do that," Danny pulled out two Fenton Ghost Fishers. "Use these to tie up a the ghosts. They won't be able to phase through the wire."

"…This is a fishing pole…" Kid Flash bluntly stated.

"Good detective work, Sherlock." Phantom's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Thank you, Watson." Kid Flash rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you two," Flash stepped between the two before a sarcasm war started. "We need to stop those ghosts immediately."

"Right, let's go." Phantom nodded.

Around the corner, Spirit watched as the two speedsters created a whirlwind to spread out the ghosts. It was amazing how fast they were. She couldn't even see them!

Suddenly, the whirlwind stopped. All of the ghosts were separated throughout the street. That was when the real plan happened.

All six of the ghosts, ghost hunters, and speedsters went to work. In the space of a few seconds, over half the ghosts were either knocked out or captured. That time was all the remaining ghosts to regain their senses. Then the real battle started.

Spirit had already taken out five ghosts and was going six. A spring like ghost was jumping toward her. Quickly bobbing to the side, Spirit pumped ectoplasm to her left foot and lifted her leg. As soon as the ghost was right beside her, Spirit brought her leg down in a vicious ax kick knocking the ghost out

'Six down…a lot more to go…' Spirit smirked to herself. She was finally able to fight!

This time, five blob ghosts attacked her. They came at her at all sides. This only helped her though. Spirit shot up into the sky. After the five ghosts crashed into each other, Spirit sent a ball of ectoplasm into the pile.

Laughing to herself, Spirit took this moment to look around. The Flashes were running around and tying up all the ghosts. Cujo was blowing through the ghosts. Red Huntress was blasting groups of ghosts. Phantoms was capturing with the Fenton Therm….

"Phantom, look out!" Spirit blasted the ghost coming up behind Phantom.

Phantom looked shocked for a second then smiled. Flying over to Spirit, he said, "Thanks…I trust you to have by back, right?"

Spirit smiled. This is exactly what she wanted. To come out here and help Danny was the whole reason she trained with him in the first place. "Of course!"

"Alright, let's end this." Phantom smirked.

The rest of the fight was rather anti-climatic. The only thing the ghost had the advantage in was number. When the number was cut in half and the ghosts were separated, their advantage was completely wiped away. The ghosts were beaten and captured quite easily.

"Well, that was easier that I thought it would be…" Flash remarked.

"Those were weak ghosts." Valerie looked at her nails. "When they were no longer in one group, they can be easily cut down."

"Yeah, that was totally easy…" Kid Flash stood right in front of Red Huntress. "By the way, I'm Kid Flash. What's your name? Crimson Angel?"

Wow…was he flirting with her?

"No…it's Red Huntress." Valerie seemed surprised that a hero was flirting openly with her. "And not that I'm not grateful or anything, but…why are you here? Amity Park is a good distance away from Central City. Even if you have super speed…"

"Oh, we are just here..er…It's League business. I told Kid he could come because we both wanted to see ghosts. I think we got more than we bargained for." Flash rubbed the back of his neck.

Phantom and Spirit shared a look. The League business most likely had to do with Danny Fenton if the Flash didn't specifically tell them about it…They had to get back to the mansion.

"Alright, unless the League business has to do with us, then I think we should let you go. Thanks again, though. We really owe you one…"

Danny sighed as he sagged into a chair in the living room. They didn't beat the Flashes to the mansion, of course. Luckily, Vlad distracted them long enough for them to get back home.

Danny had hoped that the two speedsters would leave after he gave them the package, but no such luck. They had many questions about ghosts, especially the skeptic Kid Flash. Danny managed to explain most of it to them. Both seemed satisfied with the answers, but after hearing how a ghost is created…they seemed like they just wanted to leave.

Meh…Maybe they weren't as comfortable with death as Danny was…

Now, though, Danny had a different problem. Vlad was currently lecturing Dani AKA "Spirit." He seemed quite mad. His face had even turned red.

"…was an extremely reckless thing for you to do!" Vlad ranted. "You have no experience out in the real world and you decide to go fight a small army?!"

"…I'm sorry, Daddy…" Dani pouted as she hugged puppy Cujo to her chest.

"That won't work this time." Vlad stated flatly. "This time you went too far-"

"Vlad!" Danny interrupted him mentor, "Come on. She saved my and Val's lives. Cut her some slack."

"I will not." Vlad turned to Danny. "And you. You went out even though you were still injured. Why would you do that!? There was no reason…It was a girl, wasn't it?"

"What? Why would you say that?" Danny blushed.

"It was a girl…" Vlad sighed. "That is the only reason a exhausted and full teenage boy would willingly give up sleep…"

"Who was it?" Dani asked. "Are you dating Val again? Or are you going out with that Ember chick?"

"Don't worry about it," Danny stated. "This isn't even about me. This is about you, Dani."

"Oh, I thought you would forget about me…" Dani grumbled. "Should have kept my mouth shut."

"The important thing is that neither of you two should have gone out." Vlad turned to his daughter. "Especially you, Danielle. I have specifically told you…"

"Vlad." Danny stood. "You're wrong on this one. We both were, actually."

"What?" Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"We were trying to keep her safe by denying her part of her very being. Her soul tells her to go out and fight. It is part of her obsession and it is wrong of us to deny us that." Danny explained.

"She is only a little girl!" Vlad seemed outraged.

"She is also a halfa. If you hold her back, she will only resent you. And if it makes you feel any better, I will be out there keeping her safe." Danny said. "Plus, I've realized that I can't do all this alone. I will need help besides Val and there is no one I can trust more that Dani." "Ruff!" "…And Cujo."

"Daniel…" Vlad whispered.

"Please, Daddy," Dani pouted and made big puppy dogs eyes.

Vlad groaned.

"Ruff?" Cujo also had big trembling eyes.

Vlad groaned even louder.

"Please, Vlad." Danny copied the other two and made a pouting face.

"Daniel! Stop that! That's just wrong!" Vlad shouted.

Danny just laughed.

Vlad sighed. "Fine, Danielle can go and help you fight ghosts…But! I'll have to up your training to make sure you stay safe."

"…Is it too late to change my mind…" Dani whimpered.

"Yes."

Omake 1

(Thursday-January 21, 2010)

"Ha!" Spirit shouted as she kicked Youngblood out of the sky. Almost all day, the child ghost had been causing havoc while playing cowboy. Aparantly, he wanted revenge on Phantom for foiling his past plans.

All Spirit really heard was bla bla bla...so on and so forth...

"You...Uhm, what's the word?" The freckled child ghost was currently dressed as a cowboy.

"Rack! Yellowbelly." The parot turned horse ghost answered his master.

"But I can see her stomach! It's clearly not yellow!" Youngblood waved his arms around for emphasis.

"It's an...oh, forget it." The skeleton horse ghost sighed.

"I'm here to fight Phantom, not a little girl!" Youngblood pointed at Spirit.

"We're, like, the same exact age!" Spirit did not like being called little.

"I've been like this for ten years!" Youngblood shouted. "Staying young and having fun is part of my obsession!"

"That doesn't concern us, Youngblood." Phantom's voice sounded behind Youngblood and the skeleton horse.

The two ghosts whirled around, but it was too late. Phantom grabbed both ghosts before they could get away. "Now, Spirit!"

Spirit pulled out a Fenton Thermos. "Pull!"

Phantom was about to throw them into the air when Youngblood spoke up, "Wait! I don't want to be trapped again! I'll just go back to the Ghost Zone, I promise. I was getting tired of playing cowboy, anyway."

Phantom glared at the two, sighed, and dropped them. "Fine. Just don't cause anymore trouble. Because if you do, I'll let Spirit fight you some more. And trust me, she does not fight like me. She'll turn you two into a giant pretzel...I'm not kidding either. She will cause you pain."

Spirit chuckled evilly.

Both Youngblood and his horse nodded frantically and and turned even paler. As quickly as possible, the two flew away. Spirit swore that she heard Youngblood mention something about playing astronaut.

"Good job, Spirit." Phantom complemented her. "Lets get goi-" "Phantom!"

Phantom cringed. As he saw a blond female reporter and a camera man running up to them. "Phantom! I'm Spring Whitiker. Who was the invisible enemy you were just fighting?"

"Youngblood? He was completely visible?" Spirit raised an eyebrow.

"He can't be seen by adults..." Danny rubbed his temples.

"Very interesting..." Spring noted. "And who is this girl?"

Phantom answered, "This is my cousin, and if you excuse us we-"

Spring once again interupted him, "Is she your new sidekick?"

"What!?" Spirit yelled in outrage. "No! If anything, he's my sidekick!"

"Really?" Spring's eyes shined in interest.

"Yeah! I'm the brains of this operation." Spirit smirked.

Phantom groaned and placed his hands on his face.

"Good! Phantom never answers any questions." Spring smiled sweetly. "Maybe you could answer some questions?"

"Of course!" Spirit stuck out her shoulders.

"What is your relationship with Red Huntress? Why does that ghost dog help you sometimes? Can you explain Phantom's new outfit?" Spring asked rapidly.

"Ummmmm..." Spirit's brain turned off.

"No comment." Phantom stepped between his partner and the reporter. "Come on, Spirit."

Phantom gestured for Spirit to follow him. As they few away, Spring continued to ask questions, but all of the questions were ignored.

"It is a bad idea to talk to reporters without thinking first," Phantom warned. "They will twist your words and ask difficult questions."

"Yeah, I understand." Spirit nodded. "...Hey, Phantom?"

"Yes, Spirit." Phantom answered.

"With the way I talk without thinking...I think we're going to need a publicist." Spirit commented.

Phantom just groaned. Wasn't that the truth...

Omake 2

(Monday-January 25, 2010)

Danny sighed as he continued to work on the Tucker Phone. So far he had made barely any progress. This was a lot different then ectoweapons. It had to lack the ability to hurt people...

Keeping that part out went against his Fenton DNA...

"Daniel," Vlad phased through the ceiling. "There is something you need to see."

"Okay..." Danny followed Vlad to the living room. "What is it?"

Vlad merely jestured to the television.

"What?...Oh crap..." Danny paled.

"Oh crap, indeed." Vlad agreed.

"Breaking news from Metropolis! The giant ghost from earlier this month has appeared in Metropolis." The reported said. "He appeared when Superman was fighting the villian known as the Atomic Skull. The ghost, who annouced himself as 'Colossus,' used what seemed to be a shock wave to knock Atomic Skull down a few blocks and then challenged the Man of Steel to a fight.

"Superman seemed relutant at first, but Colossus was persistent. Superman agreed to the fight, but only if it was over the bay where no one would get hurt. The battle that ensued was not seen by any witnesses. The various blasts of light and shock waves hid the battle from sight.

"About fifteen minutes into the fight, though, a plane began to fall about ten miles away from Metropolis. Superman proceeded to forfeit the fight and went to rescue the plane. Surprisingly, Colossus assisted Superman in landing the plane. Witnesses from the plane say that he said, and I qoute, 'I cannot let a worthy challenger lose because of an heroic act. If we both quit to save these people, then it was a tie!'

"After everyone was confirmed to be safe, Superman offered to continue to fight the ghost, but the ghost refused. He said that he was no longer in the mood to fight and flew off. There have been no sightings since his departure...In related new, Atomic Skull has disappeared since the incident earlier today. Be on the look out for..." Danny and Vlad stopped listening.

"...That was unexpected..." Vlad commented.

"...Why do I get the feeling that somehow in some way, this will come back to bite me in the ass?" Danny rubbed his eyes.