Chapter 3: Frigid Rage

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"I think of a hero as someonewho understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." Bob Dylan

Chapter 3: "Frigid Rage"

(Saturday-November 14, 2009)

Sometimes it's amazing how the weather works. There are days were nature itself reflects the mood of the people in it.

When there is a wedding, people would prefer to have a bright, sunny day to celebrate the union of two lovers. During Christmas, people would rejoice if snow fell from the heavens. And sometimes, during a sad occasion like a funeral, the sky itself will cry.

Today, that was not the case.

Despite the grief in the air and the somber mood everyone had, the sky remained sunny. In fact, there was no cloud in the sky.

Today was the funeral of Sam Manson. It was a small funeral. Only the closest of her family members came.

There was no casket to bury or body to cremate, so the only thing her family could do was engrave her tombstone.

Everyone at the funeral was crying. They were mourning the girl who never had the chance to live her life.

Sam's parents who usually wore clothing that used to make Sam gag were wearing pure black. Pamela was sobbing into her hands as her husband Jeremy who failed to hide his own tears tried to comfort her. Sam's grandmother could barely force herself to look at the grave. Other more distant relatives were there, but Danny could not recognize any of them from his spot on the hill behind the funeral.

He felt that he had no right to be amongst Sam's family. He was the reason she was gone, and they knew it. They would just yell at him to go away. But he had to be here. He had to.

Danny was released from the hospital into Vlad's custody a few days ago. His new guardian bought a new mansion in Amity Park. He knew that Danny could never leave this city to be overrun with ghosts, even if said city only brought pain to the young halfa.

Danny was grateful to Vlad for all he did for him. The older half ghost even paid for his family's graves.

There was no funeral. Danny did not want anyone to disgrace their memory by faking grief. That did not stop Danny from standing in front of their graves from dawn until dusk two days ago.

Tucker's funeral was yesterday. Danny did attend it. Tucker's parents, Angela and Maurice, did not take their son's death well, but they did not blame Danny. They knew that Danny could do nothing to help their son.

They even asked for him to speak during the service. He choked out a few words about his best friend before his voice stopped working. The pain in his soul was unbearable when Maurice gave him one of Tucker's PDA's after the funeral.

"You were Tucker's best friend. He would have wanted you to have at least one of his 'babies'." Maurice had said to him with a weak smile.

Mr. Lancer had no family to pay their respects. Not even that sister he told Danny about. (Realizing that the picture was Mr. Lancer in a dress was horrifying.) Danny still stayed at his grave a good hour and showed his respects to the one teacher that never gave up on him.

The past two days were hard on Danny, but this was by far the worst.

His relationships with his family and Tucker were set. Their status could never had evolved. His parents would always have been his parents. Jazz would always have been his sister. Tucker would always have been his best friend. Sam, however, could have been something different than his female best friend.

Their relationship could have been more. Danny saw this now. Even though they were fourteen, they had a connection that people rarely achieved.

She was the reason he had ghost powers. She was the reason he became a hero. She was his sense of reason itself.

Danny would admit that he lacked common sense, but hey he was fourteen. Sam had always been more mature and more intelligent than him. She usually knew what Danny needed to hear and do.

Now, all that was gone.

Sam was gone. She could no longer advise him or help. All that was in the past. And any future they might have had was destroyed.

Danny waited until everyone left, then he walked down the grave.

The tombstone was big and extravagant. Sam would have hated it.

Samantha Manson

September 16th 1994- November 4th 2009

"Beloved Daughter and Friend"

Anguish surged through him. Like every day since the incident, Danny felt the agony of his grief tear away at his soul, yet he could not bring himself to cry.

It had nothing to do with pride. Danny could not physically show his grief in the form of tears.

Crying would show that he was in the process of accepting their death and moving on. That was not something a ghost could just do. Ghosts don't accept death and move on. They wouldn't be ghosts if they did.

Danny was a half ghost, though. He could find his closure, but it would be a long and difficult process. That was if he ever did.

As he stood there, Danny did not noticed how they ground below him began to freeze and a layer of frost began to cover his body. He felt a coldness that would be unbearable to any normal man, but he actually enjoyed it. The cold numbed the pain.

"Be careful Daniel, letting a power run free like that will be your end if you let it." Vlad's voice sounded behind him.

Danny slipped a little when he turned around. The ice surprised him. "What is this…"

"It seems that your recent outburst of emotions has unlocked a new ability form your ghost half." Vlad was staring at the ice covered ground intensely.

"…So I can freeze stuff now?" Danny asked.

"In simple terms, yes. You seem to have developed Cryokinesis, the ability to use ice as a weapon. Elemental powers like that are rare and hard to control… This will not be something that I can train you in, because unlike you, I don't have any elemental powers…But there are ghosts who can." Vlad smirked.

"Please, for the love of God, tell me that your not talking about Klemper." Danny groaned.

"No, I have someone else in mind…" Vlad trailed off.

"Welcome, O Great One, I am honored with the opportunity to not only meet, but also to train the warrior who beat the Ghost King!" A large white yeti creature greeted the young halfa. The ghost was very intimidating in appearance with his large size, sharp teeth and claws, and frozen arm with bones visible in said arm. But, his eyes showed kindness and generosity.

Danny was sure he would never hurt anyone who did not deserve it.

"Daniel, this is Frostbite. He is the leader of the Realm of the Far Frozen. He has graciously agreed to train you." Vlad in ghost form spoke to his young charge.

"Yes, despite Plasmius'… infamy in the Ghost Zone, I heard him out and am glad I did. The opportunity to train the Savior of the Ghost Zone is not something that comes often. This is a day of celebration!" The large yeti ghost proclaimed. He seemed very happy.

"O…Okay…" Danny was a little amazed at this situation. The only ghost who was friendly with him was Wulf, and even that was shaky at first.

This ghost was praising him constantly, too. No one had ever complimented so much in two minutes without a sneer or sarcastic remark behind it. Danny did not know how to react.

"This will be about the basics only, O Great One. I will show you how to stop the cold from controlling you and some basic attacks. If you require more, though, I along with my kingdom will be honored to help." Frostbite smiled at him.

"Thanks but …Are elemental powers as hard to control as everyone keeps saying?" Danny asked. First Vlad and now Frostbite, Danny was now concerned.

"Yes, they are incredibly powerful and are linked to your emotions. An example would be a fire user being very passionate and quick to anger. Earth users are very down to earth (Danny could appreciate bad puns) and stubborn. And we ice users are usually laid back." Frostbite was very serious as he explained this.

"…So if our emotions control the element, then can we use the element to control our emotions?" Danny remembered how the cold stopped him from feeling sorrow. This could help with his personal troubles and his hero troubles.

Vlad gave Danny a side glance. He knew what Danny wanted to do. He would not stop the younger halfa, though.

"Indeed! But it is very advanced. You would need a lot of practice." Frostbite once again smiled.

"Then we better get started, right?" Danny gave him a the biggest grin he could muster. It was hard for him to do.

"Right!"

The day had been productive. Danny learned that his ghost core was incredibly cold and his Ghost Sense was a part of his new power.

Frostbite was a good teacher. He was patient and kind. He did not get mad when it took Danny a while to activate his powers at will. But when Danny did free his power, Frostbite was full of praise.

He didn't even yell at Danny when some of his people were injured during his training. Danny wished all of the teaches at Casper High was like Frostbite.

The other yeti like ghosts were also kind, despite using his training as entertainment. They did, however, keep their distance after a few frozen shards sort of stabbed them…

"Now that the cold is unlocked, it will be constantly trying to escape. It is your job is to regulate it. It may be quite a task at times, but your will must overpower your own ability." Frostbite told Danny.

"…Power is a burden…" Danny remembered the words of the Ghost King. He recently realized how true those words are.

"Yes, controlling strength is a task, but it matters not if you can control it, if you use it for the wrong reasons." Frostbite commented.

A vision of a ghost with flaming hair, blue skin, red eyes, and a forked tongue popped into Danny's mind. "Yeah, your right."

By the end of the day, Frostbite cleared Danny to go. He had enough control to stop himself from freezing to death, at least.

Danny's next goal was freezing over his emotions. That would have to come another day, though. The pain would stay for while…

"Thank you, Frostbite. You were a big help." Danny gave a genuine smile this time. It was the first one he had given since the accident…

"Your welcome, Great One! It was a pleasure to have such a great student! (Danny had never been called that before.) I am incredibly impressed by you. Your talent for combat is quite astounding! Are you sure you can't stay for a while? We could have a feast in your honor!" Frostbite said as he shook Danny's hand.

"Unfortunately, young Daniel and I must be on our way. You know people to see, things to do…" Vlad dismissed Frostbite's invitation. It was easy to see he did not want to stay in this land any longer.

"Thanks, anyway Frostbite. Is it okay if I come to visit, though?" Danny was glad for the distraction. Plus the ghosts of the Far Frozen were incredibly friendly. They were nice to be around.

"Of course come back anytime!" Frostbite said.

The entire village gave them large cheers of farewell, even the ones injured during Danny's training.

As the two half ghosts were flying away, Danny could some what hear. Frostbite yell, "May destiny be kind to you, Great One…"

When Danny went out for patrol, the sun had already set. The November air would be cold to the average person, but to Danny it was nothing.

This was the first time since the incident that Phantom had made an appearance. It would probably be all over the news tomorrow. The press was going to eat him alive, if the past broadcasts were any indication.

As Danny flew over the town, he felt the rush of flying overcome him. Even after so many month, Danny never got sick of flying. It was a freedom no normal man had ever experienced. To fly without the use of a machine. It was intoxicating.

There were a few ghosts causing a little trouble, but they were minor ghosts. They usually never caused much of a problem. Danny barely didn't even bother to catch them. They ran back to the Ghost Zone the minute he showed up.

Danny took a moment to rest. The moon was full tonight. It was quite beautiful. Sam would…

The wave of grief hit him again.

'Damn, I need to keep myself distracted…' Danny thought. It happened every time Danny let his mind wander. His train of thought would always go back to them.

As he sat on the edge of the roof, Danny looked over his city. It was beautiful at this time of night. So peaceful. Almost as if there was no threat of ghost attacks.

He tried not to think about his growing problems. The Guys in White were going to be hunting him again. More ghosts were going to come challenge him. The Justice League was now trying to find him…

Danny closed his eyes and listened to sounds of his city. The birds and crickets as they sang. The cars as they moved on the street below. The sound of an ecto-gun being shot…

Phantom threw himself to the right. He barely dodged the blast of ectoplasm as it blew a hole on the roof.

After he landed in a crouch, Phantom looked at his attacker.

'Of course, she had to come and make my day even worse,' Phantom thought.

"What do you want, Valerie? Are you here to try and destroy me again?" Phantom asked the Red Huntress.

"For once, ghost, no. I'm hear to find out everything you know about the Nasty Burger ghost!" Valerie yelled as she pointed her wrist gun at him.

Danny would be the first to admit that Valerie's new suit looked awesome. It was black and red like the old one, but this one was far more intimidating, powerful, and advanced. It fit her well, too.

The half ghost knew how attractive his ex-girlfriend was. Her looks and money were part of the reason why she used to be part of the A-list. With the money gone, she only had her looks.

That's what Danny thought at least. Until he got to know her that is. He learned that she was smart, funny, stubborn, and caring to those close to her. Even though their romance was forged by Technus' plot, Danny grew to care for her.

When she wasn't shooting at him, at least.

"…You want to know about him… Why?" Phantom questioned. He had an idea, though.

"Because of him, the Fenton's, Tucker, Sam, and Mr. Lancer are all died! He needs to pay for the pain he caused Dann… everyone." Valerie covered her slip up well, but Danny caught it.

"The Fenton kid, huh? I'm surprised. Never thought that you would fight for someone's revenge." Phantom lowered his guard. Now, was not the time to fight.

Danny could see Valerie's eyes flash behind her face shield. "Just tell me about the Nasty Burger ghost!" The Red Huntress now had multiple guns pointed at him.

"…He is a ghost of pure evil. He exists only to destroy and ruin lives. No other ghost can cause pain like him. That's why, for the rest of eternity, he will be locked up in the ghost zone. There is not a ghost in existence that can escape Clockwork, so don't worry about him. He will never cause trouble again." Phantom solemnly promised.

"Take me to him!" Red Huntress yelled.

"He he, I can't do that," Phantom said.

"Why's that?!" Red Huntress' eyes narrowed.

"One, if I do that we will both be killed. Two, even we weren't killed, you would just free him. And Three, there is no possible way for you to kill him." Phantom remembered the future Valerie. She was stronger, faster, and more experienced than this Valerie, and she was no match for Dark Dan.

"Shut up! I'm sick of your arrogance. You think that you can beat him, and I can't?! Think again!" Valerie then began to shoot at Phantom.

Phantom dodged the blasts by flying around the roof. Each blast came dangerously close to the half ghost, but Danny had this under control. He fired his Ghost Ray a few times at Valerie, but her shield blocked it.

"I only won because he was only playing with me and I was lucky. If we fought again, he would kill me in an instant." Danny shouted as he blocked some of the blasts with a Ghost Shield.

"That's because you're weak!" A long mechanical claw grabbed Phantom by the front of his suit. "You were too weak do anything!" Danny cried out as electricity surged through him. "You were there and should have saved them!" The claw then threw Phantom to the roof and he crashed down hard. "All this time, you play the hero and the one time you're actually needed you fail." For extra measure, Valerie shocked Danny again as she stood over him.

"You're right, I failed. I could not save them and stop him at the same time. I was weak and I'm sorry." Phantom showed the regret he felt on his face, but that did nothing to stop the ghost hunter fighting him.

"Yes, you are! I bet you're happy about all this too. The Fenton's hunted you more than even I did! With them gone, you think that you can do whatever you want now, right? Well think again!" Valerie screamed at him.

"…What?…" Phantom barely whispered, but the Red Huntress heard it.

"You heard me! You let the Fenton's die because-" She was cut off.

Phantom fazed through the ceiling and came up right behind her. Before she could shoot at him, he was already up close and personal.

The Red Huntress was then hit with blasts and fists of freezing ectoplasm. Her suit usually controlled her body heat, but that did not work right now. All of her weapons were quickly frozen over and destroyed. Her suit began to malfunction because of the freezing temperature of the ice-plasm.

None of the hits actually hurt her body, but her suit was now shut down. It would take minutes for it to reboot. That was time she did not have.

Phantom's now blue eyes stared angrily into hers as he held her in the air by her throat. His face was one of complete fury. The ghost's body was trembling, and the Red Huntress was sure it was not because of the ice.

"How Dare You!" Valerie flinched at his voice. This was not the same Danny Phantom that she fought many times before.

"You accuse me of letting the Fenton's die?! Who do you think you are?!" Phantom's eyes seemed to bore into her soul.

"All this time, I put up with your accusations! You called me a thief, loser, destroyer, and menace! But now you have gone too far!" Phantoms hands began to glow green.

"You blame me for all your problems! Get over yourself! I did not ruin your life! I did not steal anything! I did nothing but try to reason with you! But that time is now over!" Danny cocked back his fist and was ready to deliver a punch that could kill a grown man.

"You want a monster, I'll give you a monster!" Danny threw the punch.

Time froze. Valerie saw her life flash before her eyes. Danny saw Dark Dan flash before his eyes.

He dropped the girl and fell too his hands and knees.

Valerie scrambled away from the ghost. Tears ran down her face. She had never been so afraid before.

Phantom, however, stayed where he was. He forced the coldness to cover him. The coldness hit him in giant wave.

Ice covered his body. The ground began to freeze. The burning rage and hatred slowly died. As he gasped for air, Danny's breath came out as blue mist..

Phantom came dangerously close to permanently freezing himself. The coldness in his core would have consumed him and he would have been lost. He stopped it in time, though.

By the time Danny came back to his senses, he was nearly completely frozen. Ice shattered as he forced himself up.

'Frostbite was not joking. I almost killed myself doing that…' Phantom thought as he willed the ice on him to melt.

To him, passing on would be better than what he was about to do. If he had hit Valerie…VALERIE!

Danny turned around at break neck speed.

There she was. She was crouched on the ground. Her body was trembling in fear. Her face was twisted. Her eyes were like a frightened deer's.

Danny had never seen the confident Valerie look so terrified before. Shame filled the young halfa's heart.

He had almost crossed a line. One second later, and he would have killed her. That was not something he could not allow.

As he stared at the frightened girl, Danny clenched his fists. Never again. He would never come that close to killing again.

"…I'm not a monster…" Danny didn't know if he was saying this to himself or her. "I'm not.."

One thing passed through Danny's mind as he flew away. 'Never again.'

When he was released from the hospital, Danny immediately moved into Vlad's new mansion. He could not stand staying in his old home. It was haunted in more ways than one now…

Thus after he left Valerie, he immediately headed for the richest part in the city. The only place Vlad's ego would let him stay in.

As he fazed through the ceiling into the large entrance hall, Danny took in all the Packer's equipment and mementos. It would take a while for him to get used to the cheese-head's decorations.

Danny had yet to start his training with Vlad. The funerals filled his time the last couple of days. Plus the who ice power thing put a damper on any plans for today. Not that he had any.

Sighing, Danny decided that now would be a good time to shower and go to sleep.

Before he could change back into a human, Danny's ghost sense went off.

He immediately went on guard and wondered which ghost wanted their ass handed to them.

"Relax, Daniel. It's only me." Vlad's voice sounded behind him.

"Do you have to sneak up behind me?" Danny questioned as he turned around.

"Yes, it is very entertaining," Vlad smirked.

"Yeah, I bet it's hilarious to see me go into fight mode for no good reason." Danny turned back into his human form and Vlad did the same.

"Hmm, indeed," Vlad seemed like he wanted to say something. Danny was concerned by this. Vlad always knew what to say. His talent with speaking was at the top. If he was having a hard time saying something, it must me important.

"Vlad, is everything okay?" Danny asked his new mentor.

"Yes, Daniel. I just need to speak with you a bit. Will you accompany down to my laboratory, there is something you need to see…" Vlad looked nervous.

"…Fine, but can we make it quick, I'm really tired right now…" Danny reluctantly agreed.

As they walked to the secret entrance, Danny spoke to the older half ghost.

"I never thanked you for all you did. The hospital bill…the graves…the agreeing to train me…" Danny felt awkward thanking his old enemy.

"Don't mention it, Daniel. I was glad to help. It was the least I could do considering…" Vlad trailed off as they entered the elevator leading to Vlad's lab.

It was amazing how quickly Vlad moved everything. Even all his equipment and ghost tools arrived in record time. Danny realized how true the term 'money talks' was.

"…I am sorry for what happened. I can't imagine how painful this must be for you. It must be hard for you right now and I know that I have no right saying this because of how I treated your father, but-" Danny cut him off.

"You don't have to say anything, Vlad. I know how everything becomes clear in hindsight. With Mom and Dad gone, you feel guilty about how you acted. That's exactly how I feel. I do know one thing, though. Sometimes, all you need is a second chance." Danny barely kept his voice steady. He remembered the older version of Vlad from the future. The broken man who just wanted to change things.

This was Vlad's second chance. Danny just hopped he didn't waste it.

"…Yes…" Vlad seemed uplifted.

Danny did know how Vlad felt about the regret, but Vlad did not feel the pain Danny had. Vlad had other things driving him than Danny's mom. He may have lost his love for a woman (ewwwe, Danny thought), but his obsession was not completely focused on Danny's mom. Vlad had other things to keep him going.

Danny, on the other hand, had nothing but a memory. His obsession was not being a hero, fighting bad guys, or even being rich and popular.

During the accident, Danny only thought about one thing. Family.

While (half-way) dying, Danny thought about his family. He thought, 'I will never see Mom, Dad, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam again…'

He felt cheated. He would never get to hear his parent's pride in him when he graduated. He would never get Jazz to look at him like he was her equal. He would never get to be roommates with Tucker during college. He would never get to tell Sa… He would never have a family of his own.

It didn't seem fair to Danny. Why did he have to die? Why couldn't he stay with his family? Why was his life over?

'SCREW THAT!' Danny's will fought tooth and nail to survive. Danny (half-way) lived because his will was strong enough to actually fight death and win. That was something he did for his past, present, and possibly future family. And now they were gone. His unfinished business was gone…

Danny was pulled from his thoughts when the duo reached the secret laboratory.

It reminded him of his parent's lab, only newer and more organized.

Weapons were scattered everywhere. Computers lined the walls. An area was reserved for what looked like a ghost portal.

The weirdest thing, however, was the pair of pods at the end of the room. It looked like each pod was big enough to fit a person. And someone was in the pod on the left.

It appeared to be a ten year old girl. She had a red hat on and her hair was pulled into a pony tail. She was wearing a blue hoody and red shorts.

"Vlad! What the hell is this!" Danny was both creped out and angry. Did Vlad kidnap this young girl?

"This, young Daniel, is Danielle Masters. She is your clone." Vlad's face was completely neutral as he spoke to Danny.

"My clone! Why did you make a clone of me?!" Danny was now pissed.

"…I was realized that you would never be my protégé in evil, so I decided to make a new you. One that will be my child and I could care for. I tried several times before Danielle, but they all dissolved. Keeping a half-ghost clone stable with a little DNA is impossible." Vlad walked over to the pod and looked at the girl.

"How dare you!? Trying to clone me is by far the most disgusting thing you have ever done!" Danny transformed into a ghost in anger.

"I'm sorry Daniel. This was all before the…accident. I just wanted to have a child of my own, but…" Vlad trailed off.

"This was not the way to do it, Vlad! Why did you not just adopt some kid or start a family or something?" Danny was still mad, but he toned it down.

"You and Maddie were part of my obsession as a ghost. I couldn't let it go. You know how hard it is to fight the compulsion." Vlad answered.

Danny could not deny that. Many of his stupid stunts over the past months was because of the compulsive side of his ghost half. It was hard to fight.

"…If they all dissolved, why is she still here?" Danny looked at his younger, female clone. It was weird.

"She was only slightly more stable than the others, but for some reason she continued to live on by shear force of will." Vlad walked over to his computer and began to look at Danielle's status. "I put her in there, so she would not have to fight to survive."

"…Why did you make her a girl? It's kind of weird." Danny gave Vlad a side glance.

"I don't really know how that happened. It might have been a fluke, but when I received the latest sample of your hair…" Danny ignored the rest. He was too busy looking at his clone.

She did look like him, but she seemed a little different. There were subtle differences. Her face seemed familiar to Danny. Some of the features on her face looked almost like….

"Vlad!" Danny shouted to his guardian.

"What!?" Vlad was a bit put off by his outburst.

"The hair you got was it white or black?" Danny's eyes stared at Vlad.

"Both actually. The hair came off that outfit of yours. I assumed that your human hair was trapped on it after your transformation-" Vlad was cut off.

"Did you do a DNA test on the hairs?" Danny questioned.

"It came off of you. Why would I test it?" Vlad was confused.

"What if the black hair wasn't mine?" Danny asked.

"Not yours… whose was it then?" Vlad looked at Danielle.

"Sam" Danny looked at the girl intensely.

Vlad's eyes widened. "Then that means…"

"She's not just my clone…" This girl had part of Sam in her. She was made of the combined DNA of him and Sam. Just like if…

"Can you make her more stable?" Danny asked.

"Yes, by using the other pod, I could use you as a conductor to stabilize her DNA." Vlad explained.

Danny looked at Danielle. She was a clone of him and Sam. He should be creped out, but he isn't.

This girl could not replace Sam. Danny knew that.

Danielle would be her own person. She would be Daniele Masters. But maybe…

She could become like a sister to him. She could be the younger sibling he never had.

She could be his family.

"Do it."

Before anyone mentions it, I know that Danielle is technically twelve in the D.P. series, but in my story, she will be ten at the start. Also, unlike Superboy, she will age. This is because Danny directly helps her stability.

Thank you for reading and please...

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