Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A fourteen year old boy named Daniel Fenton, as his friends knew him, Danny, was sometimes described as an average teenager. Though, in the more objective sense, he was far from average, the only average thing about him being his appearance. He was white, black hair, blue eyes, he typically wore a plain shirt that looked kind of like the Japanese flag, blue pants, and red and white sneakers. Now, with such an ordinary appearance, what would set him apart from so many others? Well, to be blunt, it was probably the fact that his parents were ghost hunters, his best friends were a punk girl and a nerd (this was the early two-thousands, and those groups were still fairly niche and unpopular), and he himself was the target of a school bully, the jock-type that would fit in more in the schools of thirty years ago, but somehow managed to find himself here instead.

So, Danny was already fairly unique from the start, but one day he became even more so. He, along with his two friends, Samantha “Sam” Manson and Tucker Foley, were in the family basement, being offered a lesson in ghosts from Danny’s father, Jack Fenton. To briefly describe each of them, Tucker Foley was black, black hair, light green eyes, wore a yellow shirt, green pants, brown boots, black rimmed glasses, and a red baseball cap that he would wear backwards like a poser. Sam Manson was white, black hair with a small ponytail, purple eyes, wore a black cropped tank top, a black skirt with green crosshatching, purple tights and large black boots. Jack was white, black hair that was whiting at the sides, beady blue eyes, a large frame contained in a bright orange and black jumpsuit, his ghost-hunting uniform.

“So Danny, you and your little friends want to hunt ghosts…” said Jack confidently, as if he were stating a fact rather than asking a question, prompting dismissive answers from the three of them.

“Actually Dad, I wanna be an astronaut,” said Danny, hoping his Dad wouldn’t be too disappointed by that.

“Sorry Mr. Fenton, I was into ghosts, but they’re so mainstream now. They’re like cell phones,” said Sam Manson, thinking that this contrarian attitude of hers, which usually gave her leeway with the adults around her, would work as it always does.

“Waste these looks and all this charisma hunting ghosts? Criminal,” said Tucker Foley, betraying his deluded wannabe playboy ambitions. Of course, he only acted this way because he felt he wanted to be seen as an adult despite not yet being one.

“Well, if you do want to hunt ghosts, there are a few things you’ll need to learn,” said Jack, oblivious to the fact they had all given reasons why they weren’t interested, after all, this was his hobby, his passion, his job, his life, and if he couldn’t waste other people’s time showing off everything he knew, then what was the point? What this exceedingly simple man obviously needed, and sorely lacked, was somebody with a mutual interest in his hobby. Someone who wasn’t his wife. After all, they were romantically involved, and as much as he loved her, he needed friends as much as he needed a lover, and while you can have a lover and a friend in one person, it’s not the same as someone who is just your friend.

The thoughts of loneliness crept in on Jack again, and he lost focus for a moment. “Well, that over there is the ghost portal. Don’t touch anything, I think I need to lie down for a moment.” Jack excused himself and left the three kids alone in the lab.

“Well, that was odd,” said Sam. “Hey Danny, does your father’s machine work?”

“Not as far as I know.”

“Come on Danny, a Ghost Zone? Aren’t you curious? You gotta check it out.”

Danny reluctantly agrees, but neglects to wear the necessary protective gear when activating the portal, leading to his DNA being rewritten. Since that accident, he had been a half-ghost. Since his friends were there when it happened, they were the only ones who knew this secret of his.

In his full half-ghost form, Danny had white hair, glowing green eyes, and a black jumpsuit with a white belt, gloves, boots, and collar.

One month later, Danny still had very little grasp on his abilities as a half-ghost, often involuntarily shifting or turning invisible, with no prediction for how long it would last. Though his friends knew he had become a half-ghost, they currently knew nothing of the extent of his powers or inability to control them. He had been suffering silently like a fool, due to the typical teenage mindset of not being able to trust others with problems you think they won’t understand.

“Behold, the Fenton Finder!” said Madeline “Maddie” Fenton, Jack’s wife and the mother of Danny and his older sister, Jasmine “Jazz” Fenton. “This device uses satellites to find ghosts! Let’s test it out!”

Maddie fenton often wore a light blue and black jumpsuit, her ghost hunting uniform, she was white, brown hair, purple eyes, and a figure few other women alive could match.

“Welcome to the Fenton Finder. A ghost is near. Walk forward,” said a voice that came from the device and sounded like your typical GPS voice.

Maddie follows the instruction of the device, which excites Jack, who follows close behind her. The two back Danny into a corner, and it becomes obvious that the device is pointing at him.

“Ghost located. Thank you for using the Fenton Finder.”

Jack scoffs at this. “That can’t be right. Our son Danny isn’t a ghost!”

In this moment, Danny felt a twinge of guilt for keeping his secret, and almost considered sharing it with them. Before he could say anything on the matter though, his older sister Jazz came in, her usual overprotective self.

“I will not allow your insane obsession with ghosts to pollute the mind of this impressionable little child!” Jazz pulled Danny in close to her for a hug, their height difference immediately apparent as Danny’s face was buried in his sister’s chest, making what should be a normal show of sibling affection rather awkward.

To describe Jazz, she was white, long orange hair, blue eyes, usually wearing a black long sleeve shirt, light blue pants, and black shoes. She was sixteen years old, roughly two years older than Danny.

“Come, you abused, unwanted wretch. I’ll drive you to school,” said Jazz.

This sudden affection from Jazz made Danny feel rather uncomfortable. What brought on this sudden change in attitude? She usually left him alone, and from his memory, more often than not regarded him as an annoying little brother. I mean, he had been somewhat annoying when he was little, but what was she up to? She had been studying to become a psychologist, maybe she read something and thought he needed extra attention or care? Either way, it made him a little uneasy.

“I think I should tell my parents about my powers,” Danny told his friends at school.

“Why? I doubt your parents would listen or understand,” said Sam, obviously projecting her own insecurities about her own parents onto Danny, completely unaware of the harm it could cause.

“One month into having these powers and I still can’t get a handle on them at all!” Danny sighed in defeat.

“Danny, being different is a good thing. It’s why I’m ultra recyclo-vegeterian.”

“Those were words?” asked Tucker, immediately exhausted by his friends’ activist tendencies.

“She doesn’t eat anything with a face on it,” said Danny in an almost affectionate manner. For some reason, he had a much higher tolerance for Sam’s shit than Tucker’s, and either he wasn’t sure why, or wasn’t ready to admit why to himself just yet.

“Oh, really?” said Tucker. “Well, as a meat lover, I guess we’re diametrically opposed.”

“Tucker, what the fuck?” asked Sam. “I knew you ate meat, but now you’re bragging about it?”

“I’ve been eating meat since I could chew my food properly. If it weren’t for the bare minimum of other food groups needed to maintain a balanced diet, I’d be a carnivore.”

“Of all the ridiculous… you know what, I’m sick of having to share a school with people who just don’t get it. Thankfully, I’ve already worn down the school board on this issue. This week, the menu will reflect my preferences for once!”

“Hey, I know Tucker can be obnoxious, but isn’t this going a bit far?” asked Danny.

“I’ve always been an advocate for positive change, Danny. The world needs to have their horizons broadened, one way or another.” Sam had a determined look on her face and Danny knew that she could not be reasoned with. She would have to learn the hard way that shaking up the status quo before your ideas are even popular is a quick trip to permanent outcast status.

Not that it would change much, mind you. Sam was always the activist, always the outcast, always the rebel. She never cared for people’s approval, and would probably double down if faced with their outright disapproval. Danny had a bad feeling about this, but as always, he never knew what to do. He didn’t want to change Sam, her rebellious attitude was something he respected about her, but he knew that her disregard for the rules and for popular opinion was going to get her in a lot of trouble one day, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be there for her when that day would come.

The new cafeteria menu specialty was grass on a bun. This seemed almost a farcical satire of real vegan foods, surely there was even less nutritional value eating actual grass than the processed mystery meat the school usually served.

Of course, unbeknownst to anyone, this change of menu somehow alerted the senses of a very peculiar ghost, the Ghost of the Lonely Lunch Lady. Long thought to simply be a scary story the teens of Casper High would tell each other on camping trips, the Lonely Lunch Lady was a cafeteria worker who died on the job… a clump of mystery meat fashioned into a crude sex toy was discovered inserted into her vagina. Of course, this was just according to the legend, how she actually died was not something any person actually knew, and at this point, no current student could even confirm if she ever worked there at all.

Mr. Lancer, the vice principal of the school, comes to Sam Manson to thank her for the change to the cafeteria menu. This was a man who was white, bald, green eyes, and wore a blue shirt with a black tie, and grey checkered pants and black shoes.

“The school board wanted me to personally thank you for ushering in this welcome experiment to our cafeteria.”

Tucker smelled meat on the Vice Principal, who started to sweat a bit.

“The rumors about the new all-steak buffet in the teacher’s lounge are completely untrue,” as he says this, he picks a bit of meat out of his teeth with a toothpick. All three students immediately mentally noted that this man was full of shit and not to be trusted.

“Yeah, thanks for making us eat garbage, Sam,” said Tucker.

“It’s not garbage. It’s recyclable organic matter.”

“Right, so it’s compost. We’re not eating garbage, we’re eating fucking worm food.”

Danny got a cold chill, the kind he would get whenever a ghost was near. He called it his Ghost Sense, his childhood like of Spider-Man shining through in this name. Before he could even think about dealing with this problem, however, his school bully, Dash Baxter, came up to him, clearly angry about something.

To briefly describe Dash, he was tall, white, blonde hair, blue eyes, wore a red and white football jersey over a black undershirt, blue pants, and white sports shoes.

“Fenton! They served me mud pies with actual mud! Because of your fucking bitch!”

“I’m not his bitch!” said Sam.

Danny almost considered standing up for her, but knew it was kind of pointless.

“These are the best years of my life, Fenton! My parents, my teachers, my classmates all tell me… so how am I supposed to enjoy my glory days eating mud?!”

“Well, it’s nice to see you becoming self-aware… I think. But I don’t have a satisfying answer for that. But hey, how about a food fight. That sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

Danny hoped the bully would take the bait, allowing chaos to unfold and for him to sneak off and deal with the ghost he had detected earlier. “Hm, not a bad idea, wimp.” In the midst of the food fight, Danny, Tucker, and Sam successfully snuck off and found the Lonely Lunch Lady. She looked like your typical lunchlady, except with glowing green skin because she was a ghost.

Now, a common belief surrounding the story was that the cafeteria menu had stayed the same since her death, for fear of being haunted by her ghost, that she if could not find the mystery meat in the cafeteria, she would steal it from the students. Yes, in true scary story fashion, it was supposed that she would steal the genitals of boys and the breast and ass fat from girls. Again, all contained within the legend, not necessarily based in fact.

“So, you’re a ghost that looks like a lunch lady?” asked Danny. “What’s the story there?”

“Have you children heard the story of the lonely lunch lady?” asked the ghost. “Because while that story is just an urban legend, I am what you call a manifestation of that legend. You see, some ghosts become real due to the stories having a profound effect on people’s minds. Now, I’m just a simple lunch lady ghost, so don’t expect me to know every possible way a ghost can manifest, but in my case, my very existence is strengthened by the stories people tell. Furthermore, I am compelled to act in a manner that befits my legend. For example, knowing that this menu has been changed, I must now harvest the meat of students to right this most egregious wrong.”

The lunch lady lifts up the trio telekinetically, salivating over the thought of removing the boys’ penises.

“This is the thanks I get for thinking like an individual?” Sam protests.

“Don’t bullshit me, Sam, an individual doesn’t try to force their lifestyle onto everyone else. I love meat, but notice I’ve never once tried to force you to eat it,” said Tucker.

“Huh. Okay, I get it, I’ve been a real bad friend with this stunt. Hey, how about we find some meat for this lunchlady so she doesn’t steal our biological assets and use them for her meat dildo?”

The lunchlady ghost raised an eyebrow at this, before laughing maniacally. “That’s rich! You children want to help me get this menu back to its former glory?”

“Well, if it means we can keep our penises,” said Tucker. “I was hoping to use mine soon.”

“Tucker! T-M-I!” said Danny.

“As long as you understand that lunch is sacred and lunch has rules, I suppose I can allow this deviation from the legend,” said the lunchlady ghost, smiling sweetly at them.

The ghost let them down, and left the cafeteria in search of meat. This led her and the pursuing teens to the teacher’s lounge, where the teachers were enjoying meat of all kinds.

“Of course the teachers would use the money they save on the cafeteria food to improve the quality of their own lunches. No wonder they approved such a harebrained decision,” said Tucker.

“Wow. This is the kind of stuff that would make a rebellious punk like me become cynical and nihilistic,” said Sam.

“Well, I’m glad you’re not,” said Danny. “Now, can you two learn to be more tolerant of others?”

“Me?” asked Tucker. “I’ve tolerated the vegan freak this long, and all it got me was an unwanted change to the cafeteria menu!”

“Look, I’m sorry, alright? I have convictions, and I want everyone to see the world the way I do! But forcing my beliefs on others, I’m like Lisa Simpson in that episode where she becomes a vegeterian! I get it, okay? Can the world please stop punishing me now for being a stupid, selfish teenager? I’ve learned my lesson, for fuck’s sake!”

“Bit dramatic there, Sam,” said Danny. “But I get your point.”

“Gag me with a soup ladle,” said the lunchlady ghost as she stealthily stole all the meat from the teacher’s lounge.

Mr. Lancer unveiled an empty buffet table, and tried to contain his rage. “Paradise Lost!” he exclaimed.

“So, what do you need all this meat for?” asked Danny, instantly regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth.

“Well, what else would a lonely lunch lady like me use meat for? This meat will become the source of my ultimate pleasure!”

“Geez, and you said I overshared,” said Tucker to Danny.

The lunchlady retreated with her meat in tow, and the children wondered if they should follow her.

“I think there are some things we’re better off not seeing,” said Danny.

The trio returned to the cafeteria where the chaotic scene was winding down, thanks to the intervention of teachers who were in a bad mood since their buffet had gone missing.

At Fenton Works, the home of the Fentons, Jazz returned from an unusual day at school that she chalked up to Sam being a rebellious teenager. She mentally lamented her little brother’s decision to hang around with Sam and Tucker, the two she considered bad influences for different reasons. Sam for her lack of respect for authority, and Tucker for his perversions, the fact that her brother could get along with either of them meant to her one of two things: he was able to see some good in them that she was not, or he was a poor judge of character being negatively influenced by his choice of friends.

Her ruminations on her brother’s friends would be put aside, however, as her parents tried to capture her with a ghost net.

“This is all going in the memoir. You know that, right?”

Sam, Tucker, and Danny had avoided any major trouble, as surprisingly, Dash covered for Danny.

The next day, they discover that the menu has been changed back.

“Sorry, Ms. Manson,” said Mr. Lancer, “but our student body has been very vocal about their disapproval of this menu. Not just through political action such as demanding the school board change it back, but also the disastrous food fight yesterday.”

“Hey don’t feel so down, Sam, at least you tried to change things,” said Danny pre-emptively.

“Down? No, I’m fine. I’m glad they changed it back, takes the heat off of me for getting it changed in the first place. One day I’ll be among my people and won’t have to worry about peaceful co-existence. Until then, I can tolerate meat eaters.”

“So you only sort of learned your lesson?” asked Tucker.

“I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t at least a little resentful about the world not being ready for ethical food consumption.”

“Tch, vegan types always claim it’s about ethics, but eating meat is part of nature. And there are ethical ways to do it. Sure, most people aren’t practicing them since it’s not an easy thing to do, but what is the point when vegans still resent meat eaters regardless of their relationship to the food they eat?”

Danny sensed his friends were about to get into another back-and-forth over their differences and stepped in.

“Hey guys, it’s clear you two having differing opinions on this. But you don’t need to get into a heated argument over it, right?”

“I guess not. I just wish Sam wouldn’t look down her nose at people like myself.”

“Yeah, I kinda wish that, too. I must be really annoying to listen to sometimes, huh?”

“Not all the time,” said Danny. “If either of you want to vent about each other, you can just talk to me instead, okay?”

As soon as Danny finished playing mediator, Dash came up behind him.

“Hey, Danny, you were right, that food fight was fun! Too bad you snuck out like a wimp!”

“Oh sorry, I had personal stuff to do. I came back as soon as I could, right?”

“Yeah, true enough. You know, I think being a bully is kind of unfulfilling and dumb. And if what everyone says about me is true, I don’t want to waste the few good years of my life with things that won’t make for good memories. You’re alright, Danny.”

It felt weird to hear Dash call him Danny instead of Fenton, but even weirder to hear that his bully was apparently ready to turn over a new leaf. Had he been replaced by a ghost or something?

“No way,” said Sam as Dash walked away, now too far away to hear them talk. “People like him? Capable of change?”

“And yesterday’s detour with the lunchlady did nothing to address my powers and lack of control. It was all very anti-climactic. What even happened to the ghost? Is she still haunting the cafeteria?” Danny changed the subject, in part not wanting to think too much about Dash’s change of heart in case he somehow returned to being a bully by the end of the day, and in part because he felt the subject of his ghost powers and the existence of other ghosts to be much more interesting.

“Look, if she presents a problem, we’ll deal with it then,” said Sam.

As if she had summoned the ghost by saying this, the lunchlady ghost appeared, covered in meat.

“I must have meat! I must have more meat to achieve orgasm!”

“Is it weird I think that’s kinda hot?” asked Tucker.

“Yes!” declared Sam and Danny in unison.

“What in the Orient Express is going on around here?” asked Mr. Lancer, seeing the ghost as she warped the shape of the school as she gathered more and more meat, turning herself into a large meat monster.

“How exactly does this help her achieve her orgasm?” asked Danny, once again regretting that those words even left his mouth.

“I don’t think it does, actually,” said Sam. “She’s likely gone too far off-script, veered too far from the urban legend, and is now losing her grip on her identity. When a ghost is winging it, they become unstable and dangerous!”

“How do you know about that?” asked Danny.

“When you became a ghost, I did a bunch of research. A lot of the theories are useless junk knowledge, but there seems to be pockets of accurate information out there. If you want to talk about it all, I’ll happily help you.”

Sam blushed a bit, her last few words came out sweeter than she intended, and betrayed her true, buried feelings. She had a great friendship with Danny, she couldn’t afford to ruin it with romance… but what if it was improved? No, he’d never like a headcase like her. Surely not, right?

“Alright. I think… I’m going ghost!” said Danny. Sam and Tucker gave Danny cover so that it would be far less likely for anyone to notice him transform into his ghost form.

Danny flew up to the face of the monster, and tried to punch it. But it wasn’t easy to fight this huge monster.

Meanwhile, at Fenton Works, Jack and Maddie saw on the local news that a giant meat monster and ghost were fighting at Casper High.

“Good God, Jack, the kids! Ghosts are attacking the school, we have to do something!” cried Maddie.

“Way ahead of you darling, it’s time to hunt some ghosts!”

Jack was geared up, and posing triumphantly next to the Fenton mobile.

It was the arrival of Jack and Maddie, with all their ghost hunting gear that turned a sad, one sided fight between a Danny that hardly knew what he was doing and the giant meat monster that was seemingly unstoppable, into an easy victory thanks to the Fenton Thermos, a device that could suck up ghosts, when powered by ecto-energy. Once Danny had captured the lunchlady ghost, the two ghost hunters were surprised that the ghost kid was willing to assist them.

“Friendly ghost? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” said Jack, sceptical.

“Well, I am a friendly ghost. So I’d appreciate you not trying to capture me. In return, I’ll help you catch any other unfriendly ghost you might come across.”

“Very well, ‘friendly’ ghost,” said Maddie, eyeing the ghost with extreme suspicion. “But mess up, and we’ll be the first to try and capture you. Do you have a name?”

“I’m Danny. Danny Phantom. And please don’t send me to the Ghost Zone, I’m only half-ghost.”

“Half-ghost? And you look a lot like… Jack, you don’t suppose that accident with the ghost portal turned our Danny into…”

“Look, it’s best not to pry, honey. Maybe this ghost kid is our son, maybe he isn’t. Whoever he is, he has every right to keep that to himself, and share with us when he feels ready. We are ghost hunters after all, it might take a lot for him to trust us.”

“Thank you for the understanding. I look forward to working with you…”

“I’m Jack Fenton, and this is my wife, Maddie. We are ghost hunters, and while you are one of the first ghosts we’ve ever actually seen, we aren’t unreasonable, so we will give you a chance to prove yourself.”

“Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. I’ll be in touch.”

Jazz was in her room that night, reading through psychology books. There must be something in her books that would help her understand why she was so protective of Danny lately. Her annoying little brother, she initially had become worried that he suffered from parental neglect, that his friends were bad influences, that he needed her to look out for him. What she didn’t know, but desperately wanted to, was why she was even so concerned in the first place. It sometimes felt like she was going above and beyond for her brother, and that didn’t make sense to her.

As she tried to make sense of her own behavior, an intrusive thought wormed its way into her brain. Danny’s face nestled in her chest was warm and nice… how would she have felt if it had lasted longer? She shook her head and came to the realisation that such a thought even crossing her mind betrayed that something must be deeply wrong with her.

“So, Danny Phantom? You planning on becoming a super hero now?” Sam asked Danny.

“I was so nervous, I just started winging it. My parents have basically figured it out, but they’ve decided not to face the possibility in order to respect my privacy? You have no idea how much I’m feeling like ‘great power, great responsibility’ is my new mantra.”

“Fair enough. But you need to learn to get better at being a ghost if you want to be of any help to anyone,” said Tucker.

“I know. But I’m looking forward to the future, oddly enough.”

Chapter Text

Casper High was holding its annual Big Dance. Yes, that was the name of the event, The Big Dance. They even put a banner out and everything. Tucker Foley is holding the door open, attempting to ask each girl that passes through to the dance. Unsurprisingly, they all turn him down, as if desperation gave off its own scent, and the scent was like garbage.

“No luck, Tuck?” asked Danny.

“I don’t know what the big deal is about going to some stupid dance. I don’t need to be asked to some dance to know I’m special,” Sam said, though the tone of her voice partially betrayed her disappointment that no-one had asked her yet.

She was a rebel, and pretending not to care helped to stow the pain of rejection just that little bit extra. But she was still a girl, she still wanted to be loved and wanted. She knew deep down her life was one of contradictions, but she figured that was part of the human experience. She pushed down her feelings to deal with what was happening in the here and now.

Danny and Tucker were drooling over a popular girl. Of course, must be a day ending in Y. The popular girl in question was Paulina, the most popular girl in school, latina, black hair, greenish blue eyes, and reguarly wore a pink crop top, blue pants, and white shoes.

“Oh, please! Paulina? Girls like her are a dime a dozen!” said Sam.

Danny and Tucker somehow heard that remark amongst their fawning, something that was evidently shared amongst most of the male population, and some of the girls at school. Danny and Tucker reached into their pockets and noted their pockets were empty. Sam rolled her eyes, and fought back an urge to do something obvious like gag.

“What, you think you can buy her affections? Don’t fool yourselves. Remember, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and pretty people often aren’t worth the time and effort when it comes to their real character.”

“Geez Sam, don’t you think that sounds pretty hypocritical? I mean, you’re telling us not to judge her by her looks, and that’s exactly what you’re doing. Hell, she probably judges all of us by our looks, but I’m pretty sure that’s evolutionary biology. Most dangerous people look dangerous, most losers look like losers, and most popular people look pretty. Sure, making assumptions about people can be harmful, but it can also save some people a lot of time,” said Danny, just making up an argument on the spot to justify his crush on Paulina to a clearly jealous Sam without directly calling her out.

“Danny, you have a gift for bullshit.”

“Hey, you taught me well.”

“Shut up, geek.”

“What’s this? Did I hear a lover’s quarrel?” asked Paulina, standing in front of them.

Tucker nudged Danny with his elbow. “Now your’s chance, ask her!” he whispered sharply.

Danny nodded, and turned his attention to Paulina. “Sam’s just a friend. Do you want to go the dance with me?”

“With you? My time is precious to me, and I don’t even know who you are. Still, you are a cute boy, in that unassuming kind of way. What do you want to be when you grow up?” said Paulina.

“I wanna be an astronaut,” said Danny, in shock that Paulina was talking to him.

“I see. And do you have a career path in mind or is it just a pipe dream?” she asked while inspecting her nails.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker were all taken aback by the direction of this conversation.

“Speechless, huh? Look, I understand some men are intimidated when a woman has brains and beauty, but my Papa says that people who don’t respect themselves enough to go for the best they can achieve might as well live on autopilot. Let me tell you something about me, I don’t follow trends, I set them. People look at me because I give them no other choice, I don’t really care for all the idle prattle, but the power to make people listen, that’s what matters in this world.”

At this point, Sam, Danny, and Tucker had their mouths hanging open.

“Are you three trying to catch flies or something? I’ll give you ten seconds, if one of you doesn’t say something, I’ll regard you as a complete waste of my time.”

“Sorry, I’m just a teenager, I haven’t been giving a lot of thought to my future,” said Danny, a little intimidated by Paulina’s serious attitude and demeanor.

“I see. I can understand that to a point, but four years can creep up on the unprepared, and the older you get, the faster time seems to pass. So taking the reins of your life as soon as you are able is an important part of being an active participant. Still, I believe you can become an astronaut, and you have the potential to do many other great things in life. Alright, you can take me to the dance, but if you’re a bad dancer, you can never speak to me again, okay?”

“Deal,” said Danny, still in shock over being presented with Paulina’s personality. Paulina smiled and then left as quickly as she had appeared. Guys and girl alike in the distance resumed staring at her.

“What the fuck was that?” asked Sam. “I feel like my entire worldview just got shattered by one person.”

“Guess you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, hey Sam?” quipped Tucker.

“Look, I get it, I was wrong, why does it seem like the universe is out to get me lately?”

“I believe it’s called Main Character Syndrome,” said Tucker smugly.

“Shut up, Tucker!” said Sam defensively. She was deeply embarrassed that her rebellious attitude, which had worked pretty well for her in the past few years, was starting to fail her. What had changed? Obviously, she had been trying to take things way farther than she ever had before. Was karma real? But wasn’t she a morally good person? Or was she using that to justify immoral actions? What lessons was she supposed to learn, and why weren’t they sticking?

“Well, I only have two free girls left in school to ask to the dance,” said Tucker.

“You can forget it, Tucker, you already know I don’t think of you that way.” Sam was too caught up in how she felt to realise this might have been her only chance at going to the dance now that Danny found a date.

“Sure, make it one girl. If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go ask Valerie to the dance.”

“Valerie? She’s almost as popular as Paulina! Are you crazy?” asked Danny.

“Popular, but in contrast to Paulina, she doesn’t bask in the centre of attention, she actively pressures people to act like everything’s normal. Look at her too long and she’ll file a restraining order.”

“Yikes, you sure you want to get on her bad side?”

“I figure she’ll reject me, and then I won’t end up on anyone’s bad side.”

Valerie was black, black hair, green eyes, and most often wore an orange headband, a yellow top, an orange skirt, and white shoes, as well as earrings and bracelets that complemented her color scheme, showing a clear knack for accessorising.

Valerie looked up as Tucker stood in front of her.

“Let me guess, you’re asking me to the dance. Look, I’ve been looked over a lot despite my popularity. Perhaps I’ve left myself too unapproachable for my own good. So I’ll let you take me, but you’d better be on your best behavior, loser.”

That night, Danny was surprised by a hug from his Dad, and accidentally phased into him, taking over his mind in a process he would later come to know as ‘overshadowing’. This night, he would be stuck in his Dad’s body for some time due to not knowing how to get out of a body. To his surprise he sounded like Jack, which is not usually what happens in cartoons. After thinking about it briefly though, it made sense. After all, how could he change the shape of his Dad’s voicebox?

“Dad? Have you seen Danny?” asked Jazz at the table while she and her parents ate dinner.

“Yes, he wasn’t feeling well, and went to his room. Please don’t bother him, honey,” said Danny using Jack’s body, not wanting to raise any suspicion.

“Well, I’m worried about him,” said Maddie. “Hopefully he remembers to eat.”

“I’m sure he’ll come out and eat when he’s good and ready,” said Danny-Jack.

“Oh, and speaking of reminders, Jack, it’s love night tonight, are you in the mood?” asked Maddie.

“How can you two openly talk about this in front of me?” asked Jazz. “This is worse than the ghost hunting nonsense!”

“Honey, you’re always saying that you’re an adult, so maybe you should act like one,” said Maddie. “Sure, there are a number of prudish adults out there, but that kind of thing is so unnecessary. Sex is a natural part of life, and it is wonderful.”

“Ew, Mom, I don’t want to hear about you and Dad…” Jazz retched at the thought before she could complete her sentence.

Danny had to hold himself back from saying anything similar, since he was currently in Jack’s body.

“Well, to be honest, I’m not feeling great today either, so if you really need it, you can go on top,” said Danny-Jack. He was beside himself for suggesting it, but didn’t know what else to say or do to avoid suspicion.

“Gross! I’m excusing myself before I have to listen to any more of this!” exclaimed Jazz.

“Why honey, I don’t think you’ve ever let me be on top… I’m really excited to try it,” said Maddie, making Danny feel nervous. Now he had done it, he was stuck in his Dad’s body as he was about to have sex with his Mom!

Part of him thought this was gross and was expecting to be traumatized, but part of him was weirdly curious about what the whole experience would feel like. He was in his Dad’s body, having sex with his Mom, and he had no prior sexual experience… what would he feel if he allowed himself to live in the moment and not freak out about it?

Maddie pulled Jack into the master bedroom, and began to remove her jumpsuit.

“These things are really breathable, but it always feels a little thrilling to take it off…” said Maddie.

“Heh… I know what you mean,” said Danny-Jack, as he began to follow her example. Oh great, he’d have to see his Dad’s naked body, too. He hadn’t thought of that before this point.

“Ooh, my Jack-bear is showing his skin. Careful darling, you’ll drive me wild with desire!”

“I aim to please,” Danny hoped he was saying stuff that sounded like his Dad, he was having a difficult time remaining present in this situation, feeling an intense mixture of mortification and disgust from one part of his brain, and desperation and arousal from another part. He didn’t want to know how or why those feelings existed, they only served to amplify his dread.

“Hm, you seem distant. You weren’t kidding when you said you weren’t feeling well. Still, as you always say, when you start something, quitting in the middle is just going to leave everyone unsatisfied. You can’t know until you do, right?”

“Yeah, you can do…” Danny struggled to find the words, but hoped this was in-character for his Dad’s escapades.

“Hm, it’s not often I can leave you speechless… damn it, Jack, you’re making me feel extra sexy tonight,” Maddie said seductively as she finished undressing.

Danny was at a loss for words. He had done it now, he was seeing his mother naked. All notions of his childhood innocence could now be tossed out of a window, and worst of all, the sight before him filled his mind with a single thought: my Mom is beautiful and I want to do this. This thought screamed at him in this moment, and would become the thing that, out of everything he had felt that night, would doubtless cause him the most guilt and stress.

Regardless, he shed off the last of his clothes and lay on the bed for his eager wife.

“Alright, Jack, since you’re in such an exploratory mood tonight, do you mind if we do a little oral foreplay?” asked Maddie.

“Sounds great, honey,” said Danny-Jack, completely lost as to what was happening, but wanting to please his current partner.

To Danny’s surprise, his mother’s shaved pussy was soon hovering over his face.

“You’ve never licked my pussy before… and I’ve never got to taste your dick.”

Danny-Jack knew his father’s body had a massive erection, he could feel it, but he was glad that his view of it was obscured by the much more enticing sight of his Mom’s pussy. He was surprised as he felt a warm wetness surround his Dad’s dick, and realised she must be going down on him. Not wanting her to be left out, he began to lick at the pussy in front of him.

“Wow, thank you so much, honey!” said Maddie between sucks, clearly appreciative of his efforts.

Danny was amazed. He could taste his Mom’s private place, and he liked it! Was this because of his Dad’s tastebuds, or his? Being stuck in his father’s body certainly complicated the experience, but without that factor, he doubted he would be in this situation in the first place, something he still couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or a curse. Still, he continued to pleasure her, and reacted to her moans and found her sensitive spots.

After he brought his mother to orgasm, he was surprised when she got off of him.

“Did you enjoy that honey?” asked Maddie.

“Yeah, but I bet you loved it, didn’t you?” replied Danny-Jack.

“Of course. But we should get to the main event now, don’t you think?”

“Yeah! I’m ready for anything you got, baby!”

Maddie positioned herself cowgirl-style above him, taking Jack’s seven-inch penis all the way inside her.

“It’s such a shame you made such a nice penis infertile with your careless experiments,” said Maddie. “You’ve been so good to me today that my sense of reason can’t provide me with its usual advisory against having a third child.”

“Huh?” Danny nearly broke character hearing his Mom talk about having a kid.

“Look, can we do some impregnation roleplay? You know, talk about how you want to get me pregnant?”

Danny heard this, and yet another barrier of reason was broken in his mind. Hearing his Mom so earnestly ask him to say that he wanted to impregnate her, it made him want to do it.

“Fuck yes, Maddie, my love, I want to impregnate you! To hell with this body, I’ll find a goddamn way!” said Danny-Jack, hoping that he sounded enough like Jack in that moment to be convincing.

They both enjoyed the feelings of each other’s bodies, as Maddie rode him and set the pace for their lovemaking.

“Maddie, I’m getting close!”

“Me too, Jack, let’s come together!”

The orgasm overwhelmed Danny, who had not masturbated much before, and had not reached a point in his life where he really saw the appeal, and this orgasm ended up separating his consciousness from his father’s, leading to his ghost form flying through the wall. Embarrassed, he decided not to try going back in to his Dad, in case he got stuck again.

Maddie collapsed on her husband, satisfied, for a brief moment feeling like she might have seen a ghost boy leaving her husband’s body. It wasn’t something she consciously understood, but as she cuddled up to her husband, her body and mouth betrayed her, as she whispered, “Danny… I love you.”

Luckily for her, no-one was yet around to hear her, as she didn’t catch herself saying it, Jack had yet to fully come back from being overshadowed, and Danny was no longer in Jack’s body.

Jack was confused as to why he was naked in his bed with Maddie also naked and cuddling him, and really happy, and with a recent creampie in her cooch, but he knew better than to question these things. He was a lucky guy, and he didn’t want that to ever end if he could help it. He cuddled his wife back, and fell asleep.

In the mean time, a disoriented ghost Danny was making his way back to his room, only to realise he had flown in the bathroom while it was occupied. For a brief moment, he saw his sister taking a bath, but shook his head, feeling like he had dealt with too much in one day, and he wasn’t about to let every perverted curiosity he had get the better of him. He quickly exited before he could possibly get caught, and returned to his room.

What a day. Danny had just had sex with his Mom while stuck in his Dad’s body, and had enjoyed it! He needed to talk to someone, and thankfully he had the kinds of friends he could talk to about anything, or so he believed. Doubly thankfully, he lived in the time of computers that didn’t track your data extensively and record every video call, so that was not even a concern of his. Sadly, it was too late tonight, so he would have to wait for tomorrow night, when he and Tucker would be getting ready for the dance. As he was about to go to his room, he was pestered by his family over his date to the dance.

“Danny, I’m onto your little secret,” said Jazz.

Danny was alarmed, not sure if she was talking about his half-ghost secret, his getting stuck in Dad’s body secret, or his having a date to the dance secret. Honestly, the third one was the only logical option.

“Yes, I have a date to the dance. She’s kind of intense. Pretty, popular, no-nonsense. I feel like I lucked out, but that any minute something is gonna happen and reveal some twist that she’s not actually going with me to the dance.”

“Hm, sounds like Paulina. She’s a good kid, military father, knows what she wants, in theory she’d be way out of your league, but that’s only because you don’t even try to be popular.”

Maddie narrowed her eyes, an unusual jealousy flaring up in her over Danny seeing this girl. She caught it this time, though, and stayed quiet, too confused by her feelings to let them show.

Danny goes up to his room to speak with his friends via webcam, starting with the story of his predicament from yesterday.

“Ahahaha! Priceless! Maybe you should call yourself Danny Oedipus!” said Sam.

“You know, I don’t know why I didn’t expect that you would laugh at me about this,” said Danny.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just a highly unusual situation, you know? The kind you need comedy to properly digest?”

“Well, I need help. I don’t know how to feel about this. I don’t know how to deal with the fact that I enjoyed having sex with my Mom while in my Dad’s body. Of course, I never want to do it again, but still…”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, Danny,” said Tucker. “Your Mom is hot, I say this accident was a blessing in disguise. Cherish the memory and move on.”

“When you put it like that, it makes me want to forget it ever happened,” said Danny.

“There you go. See, it doesn’t hurt having a pervert for a best friend, does it?”

“Damn it Tucker, I almost respected you there, cut it out!” said Sam. “Anyway, tonight’s the Big Dance. I know you two probably think no-one asked me, but believe it or not, I’m going with Dash.”

“What? How did that happen?” asked Tucker.

“Does it matter? We all have dates, this is great!” said Danny, trying to mask his mixed feelings about Sam going with Dash. He felt he had no right to be jealous now, since he was going with Paulina, and had also just talked about his weird experience from last night with his Mom.

The dance was a fairly normal school dance, until a giant dragon ghost crashed through the school.

“I must be Queen of Ball!” roared the dragon.

“Can’t my life ever be normal?” asked Danny.

“What does this have to do with you?” asked Paulina.

“Oh uh, just that this is happening to all of us, and that’s a shame. Anyway, I think I know someone who can help, so I’m off to get help,” said Danny, hoping his excuse would allow him the leeway to get away for long enough to go ghost.

“Who? Your ghost geek parents?”

“Just trust me on this…” Danny was not used to talking to Paulina at all. He ran off before she could keep him any longer, as time was of the essence. A lot of people were running scared now, and the school gym was almost empty.

“Hey dragon, this isn’t your ball!” said Danny Phantom.

“Who is that ghost boy?” asked Paulina, instantly enamored by him.

“Danny!” yelled Sam “…Phantom,” she continued to cover her tracks. “I’ve read about this, I think it was the Amulet of Aragon that turns its wearer into a dragon when they are emotionally unstable.”

“So this ghost will return to normal if I remove the amulet. Got it,” said Danny.

Paulina watched the situation unfold, and knew that for some reason, Danny, Sam, and Tucker had a connection to this boy… some sort of ghost super hero… he kind of looked like Danny with white hair, his name was Danny Phantom? She had her suspicions, but assumptions were a fool’s errand, so she decided not to make any.

“Princess Dorathea see pretty girl!” roared the dragon as it picked up Paulina in its right claw.

“Oh honey, you’re a princess? What spa treatment is making your skin so scaly?” said Paulina, trying to defuse her own fear of the situation with a witty retort.

Outside the school, Valerie dumps Tucker as a dance date. “You got too handsy, mister!”

“We were running out of the building, and I touched you by accident! I would know, because if it weren’t an accident, I’d remember how it felt!”

“Hmph! Serves you right, loser! Just F-Y-I, my ass is big and soft, and you will never be feeling it again!”

“Forget it! Tucker doesn’t beg for scraps! You wanna dump me over an accidental touch, fine! We are done!”

“Whatever, dork.”

Danny was dodging the dragon’s fire and left hooks, without retaliating as he knew unnecessary violence would be excessive.

He managed to get in close enough to swipe the necklace, and the fierce dragon turned into a beautiful ghost princess. She looked like a typical princess, except with glowing green skin because she was a ghost. Yes, Danny noticed that he was sensing a pattern here in terms of ghost appearances.

Paulina attempted to hug the ghost boy for saving her life, but instead she passed right through him.

“Oops, sorry about that. Can’t stay, got ghost business elsewhere. Name’s Danny Phantom, by the way.”

Danny arrived to a nearly empty school gym, save for Sam, Paulina, and Dash.

“That was awesome!” said Dash. “That ghost kid is the coolest!” Dash turned his attention to Sam and Danny.

“Alright, spill it nerds, how do you know that ghost?”

“My parents are ghost hunters, it’s sort of a mutual contact thing,” said Danny. “In fact, he named himself after me, because he thought we looked alike,” he explained, hoping Dash would buy it.

“Hm, well he did kinda look like you but with white hair and green eyes. Alright, I can buy it,” said Dash.

Paulina didn’t know what to feel hearing this explanation. Part of her felt that maybe he was just attempting to maintain some form of secret identity, for what purpose she didn’t know, but regardless, she chose to believe him as well in that moment.

“Hey Danny, I only went with Sam to understand what you see in her, she’s not my type, so even if she’s not your girl, I think you should totally dance with her.”

“Oh yeah, you two should totally share a dance together,” said Paulina. “Go ahead Danny, I’m not a jealous girl.”

“Sam, are we really such an obvious pairing?” asked Danny, a little uncomfortable at the situation unfolding.

“We’re really good friends, I suppose that’s a start, isn’t it?” asked Sam, as a warm feeling entered her body and refused to leave. “W-we don’t have to dance if y-you don’t want to…” she choked the words out, somehow they felt wrong to say.

“No, might as well see why everyone seems to think there’s something between us…”

“R-right…” Sam wanted there to be something between them, but she was scared of losing her best friend. She didn’t want to speak and make real feelings that could jeopardize what she already had. But she also knew that if she never acted on these feelings, she would one day come to regret it. And so, she accepted the dance, hoping that in this moment, she could once and for all make up her mind on this.

As Sam and Danny danced together, Paulina looked on, thinking that they looked cute together.

“Yeah, nerds dancing together. I’m gonna go before I puke,” said Dash, trying to maintain the image of himself he had cultivated over the years.

Paulina looked at Danny, and came to a conclusion. She had to find out who the ghost boy was, and marry him if it were possible. She wasn’t usually one to go for such devoted romance, but she had just been saved from a dragon, and her sense of reason was clouded by that fact alone.

Back in the Ghost Zone, a recently returned Dorathea was sulking in her castle. She silently vowed she would return for her prince. She thought back to how bravely Danny had fought without hurting her… the girls that seemed to be in his orbit. She strongly felt there was a royal presence to him, a potential that attracted her.

“You will be mine, Danny, and many other girls, I’m sure… but I will be your Queen…”

Of course, she was hoping for something that ultimately would not come to pass. Sure, Danny may have a harem waiting in his future, and she might be part of it, but his Queen? No, as the two of them danced it became painfully obvious that Sam and Danny were in fact, a budding young couple. Anything else that Danny would come to face, it was purely circumstantial.

“Hey, Sam?” asked Danny.

“Yes, Danny?” asked Sam, fighting the urge to pressure him to say what was on his mind. She wanted to hear any number of things come out of his mouth, but she knew she couldn’t push him or force a moment.

“This was a fun night, huh?”

“Of course it was, dork.” She couldn’t help but smile, it wasn’t what she expected, but it felt like he was genuinely expressing himself, and she felt like she could fly knowing that in this moment, Danny was happy.

Chapter Text

Today was another day of fighting ghosts, the number of ghosts increasing lately, making it harder for Danny to study. At this point, particularly with some of the gimmicks of the ghosts he was fighting, it was starting to annoy him. This latest one was calling himself the Box Ghost. He looked like your average postal service worker but with glowing blue skin because he was a ghost. As far as Danny could tell, he was actually a service worker who had died on the job.

“Beware! My powers over all boxes will be the end of all my enemies!”

Danny rolled his eyes, not even in the mood to banter anymore. “Tucker, now!”

“Say hello to my little friend!” said Tucker as he opened the Fenton Thermos and pointed it at the Box Ghost.

“Really? Referencing Scarface?” asked Danny as the Box Ghost got sucked up into the thermos.

“It’s one of my Dad’s favorite movies, Danny,” said Tucker as he resealed the thermos.

“Whatever, I need to study, let’s go to the library. Hopefully we won’t get shushed by the Ghost of Grandma or something asinine like that,” said Danny, letting his frustration show.

“Whoa Danny, what’s up with you?” asked Sam. “It sounds like your patience is running thin. Care to share?”

“Yeah, Sam. These ghosts waste my time and keep me busy. I don’t want to fail my classes and lose my chance at becoming an astronaut. I’ve been looking into it. Modern space programs want the best and brightest, because most people they send into space are there to manually repair satellites.”

“Can’t you just fly into space with your ghost powers?” asked Sam.

“Maybe, but I don’t know if I want to risk my life just to find out… maybe if a meteor heads towards Earth we can find out then. But in the mean time, Paulina had a point. I should seriously start thinking about my future.”

“I still can’t get over how intelligent she actually she is…” said Sam.

“Maybe she doesn’t feel the need to talk down to us as she does with most other people in the school. We should feel honored.” Danny was moreso trying to justify his own feelings on the matter rather than try to convince anyone of anything.

“To the library!” said Tucker, as he imagined a transition from the docks to the library involving a musical cue and Danny’s face.

“So a native species is a species that is well-integrated into the existing ecosystem, whereas an invasive species comes from elsewhere and disrupts the ecosystem, their dominance causing a threat to the ecosystem. Many examples of both exist around the world, particularly in Australia,” said Danny.

“I’m surprised a dope like you is retaining this information,” said Sam.

“I’m motivated by the hope of future success. I want to do well on the test not just to make my path to becoming an astronaut easier, but so I can be proud of the result I got, knowing I put my all into it.”

“Well in that case, how about we go for some extra credit? There’s a rare purple-back gorilla at our local zoo. How about we…”

“No Sam, extra credit is chump change, and I have a feeling you want to set it free.”

“Animals don’t belong in cages!” Sam yelled, before realising they were in a library. “Sorry everyone,” she said sheepishly.

“And the purple-back gorilla doesn’t belong in the woods of Amity Park either, Sam. It’s native to the Himalayas,” said Tucker.

“And how on Earth did it survive there?” asked Danny.

“It didn’t. That’s why it’s functionally extinct. Only one male and one female. They could reproduce, but there isn’t enough genetic diversity for the species to survive long-term.”

“Damn, I didn’t count on either of you actually bothering to know what you’re talking about,” said Sam.

After a successful study session, the three of them went to Sam’s Mansion.

“Somehow, everything about you makes way more sense knowing that you come from money,” said Danny. “And even though we’ve both known it for a few years at this point, I mean it would be difficult for you to hide a fact like this from your friends, every time we are here in your house it feels like stepping into another world.”

“Yeah, and this is exactly why I tried to keep it from you. I didn’t ask to have rich parents and everything I could ever want. I just wanted to relate to people who aren’t fake. But we all have to live with the life we’re given.”

“Anyway, you wanted to train your ghost powers now, Danny?” asked Tucker.

“Yes, I need to figure out this possession thing so I don’t get stuck in anyone else’s body.”

“I’ve got a suggestion: let’s call it… overshadowing,” said Sam. “Possession sounds kinda creepy.”

“Call it whatever, you’re still entering someone’s body and piloting them like a puppet master,” said Tucker.

“Look, I didn’t say I wanted to use this power, just that I want to be able to control it. Again, getting stuck in someone else’s body is not a situation I want a repeat of.”

“Well I’m not volunteering,” said Tucker.

“You can use my body if you want,” said Sam, realising after she said it the potential implications. “For overshadowing, I mean.”

“Well, I’d prefer if Tucker would volunteer. It’s awkward enough taking over another man’s body, I can’t imagine how awkward it would be to be in a woman’s body.”

“Well, now’s your chance to find out, Danny,” said Tucker. “Sam’s the one offering here, so just do it.”

“Yeah, you’re trying to leave my body anyway, right? So just do it. You have my consent.” Sam realised that she had done it again and awkwardly corrected herself. “For this, I mean.”

“If I didn’t know better Sam, I’d say you were flirting with me,” said Danny.

“Shut up! It’s not my fault this situation lends itself to innuendo!”

Danny held back a laugh, despite the comedy of the situation, he knew it would be insensitive to react so thoughtlessly. Instead, he went ghost and entered Sam’s body. At first, it hardly felt any different to his own body, but after a brief moment it became blindingly obvious that he was in a woman’s body. He felt her hard achy nipples and wet pussy, and started to panic. He could only think to himself that he had to get out. He imagined moving out of Sam’s body as fast as he could.

“Hey, you did it!” said Sam, snapping Danny out of his trance.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I guess the key was to focus on leaving. When I was trapped in my Dad’s body, I wanted to leave, but I was getting distracted by everything that was happening, so I couldn’t leave until achieving orgasm.”

“Was it really so bad being inside me, Danny?” said Sam, at this point no longer caring about the innuendo.

“A lot of sensations I’d never felt before… were you horny, Sam?”

“H-Hard to say. I wasn’t conscious while you were in control. If my body was turned on by the experience, it’s not something I would have been aware of or able to control.”

“Well, it’s no big deal. But now I have an important piece of knowledge, so thank you.”

A ghost then phased into the room, and laughed evilly. He was a large, imposing figure wearing a black sleeveless top and black pants, a belt and sash of ghost-hunting technology adorned his person, he had big grey boots, flaming ghostly green hair in the form of a mohawk and goatee, and his skin was a vampirish white.

“So, the rare half-ghost learns to control another power?” asked the ghost. “I am Skulker, the Ghost Hunter! I am a ghost who hunts rare ghosts!”

“Really? A discount Kraven? And he hunts his own kind? This world is messed up, man,” said Danny.

“I didn’t understand any of that,” said Skulker. “No matter, I am only here to relay a message. Danny Phantom, you are my prey. Let the hunt begin!”

Skulker left as quickly as he had entered, and Sam looked worried for Danny.

“Danny, it’s too soon for you to have an enemy like this, you need to get help from your parents to capture this ghost.”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair to Skulker?”

“All’s fair in love and war, Danny,” said Sam. “This asshole wants to capture you, you turn it around on him.”

“Alright, I see your point. I’ll ask my parents for help at the earliest convenience. Without telling them that I’m the half-ghost they agreed to watch over and work with.”

The next day, Danny was thrown for a loop by a new development in his house.

“Genius magazine got my letter and they want Mom on the cover, pinup, and featured article!” said Jazz. “Wait, pinup?”

“Yes, Genius magazine is having their swimsuit issue,” said Jack. “I’ve been subscribed for a while because a portion of the proceeds from sales go to scientific endeavors. I burn the issues as soon as I get them, though. I would read the articles, but I don’t want to know about what amazing things women are doing if they aren’t my wife.”

Maddie smiled at that, though felt a twinge of uncertainty, acknowledging that her love of her husband was not at its usual high.

Danny thought briefly about his Mom in a swimsuit, and was weirded out that the idea appealed to him. That wild night in his Dad’s body must have done something irreparable to his brain. He only hoped it would resolve itself with time.

“So honey, what’s the article about?” asked Jack.

“It’s about the new form of self-generating energy that Mom’s working on,” said Jazz.

“You know I’m only working on that so that our ghost-hunting is less expensive and less of a burden on the city’s grid, right?” asked Maddie of Jazz.

“As much as I wish it weren’t so, I am painfully aware of that, yes. But your pseudoscience is still a worthy footnote in your body of work, as much as it pains me to admit. Just please don’t make it the focus of the interview. I’m trying to rehabilitate your image in the scientific community here.”

“Speaking of ghost-hunting,” said Jack, immediately causing Jazz to hang her head in advance. “Take a look at this baby, it’s the Ghost Gabber! It translates ghost sounds into perfect English!”

“I’d better get to school, see you all later,” said Danny.

“I’d better get to school, see you all later, fear me,” said the Ghost Gabber in the same voice as other Fenton inventions.

That day, Danny got the results of his test. “Alright, a B+, it’s not the best and brightest, but it won’t doom me to struggle either.”

“Danny, you’re worrying way too much about your future,” said Tucker.

“Let me guess, you and Sam…” started Danny.

“A+,” said Sam.

“A-,” said Tucker.

The reporter for Genius Magazine, a woman named Connie, arrived for the interview and photoshoot. She was black, black hair, green eyes, and wore hoop earrings, lavender blazer over a white shirt and black tie, and lavender skirt and matching high-heel shoes. She seemed like the kind of person who would hop in and out of people’s lives, but not really care to get invested.

“If you aren’t comfortable with the photoshoot, you need only say so. We prefer to have these kinds of issues from time to time to drum up interest, but we can usually afford to delay if necessary.”

“It’s fine, Connie,” said Maddie. “I haven’t worn a swimsuit in a while, our family doesn’t go to the beach often.”

“Well we have plenty of styles and sizes so when the time comes, pick out something you like and don’t worry about it, because I’m sure you’ll look great in anything.”

Connie noticed that Jazz was sitting in the room with them.

“You must be Jazz, the daughter who told our magazine so much about your amazing Mom. Say, how would you like to be in the photoshoot, too? If your mother is okay with it, of course.”

“Why me?” asked Jazz.

“A mother and daughter photoshoot will go great with our mission statement of empowering women and their families.”

“Hm, I don’t know, won’t my daughter be embarrassed to be seen with me?” asked Maddie.

“I’m not embarrassed by you, Mom. Well, not in that way, anyway. Swimsuits are just beach attire, it would be another matter if it were lingerie,” said Jazz.

“Exactly. I am so pleased we have two forward thinking women here today. Now, shall we start the interview?” asked Connie.

After the interview, it was time for the photoshoot. Maddie picked out a blue swimsuit that matched her usual jumpsuit, and Jazz picked out a black swimsuit that matched her usual shirt.

“Oh, and as a token of our appreciation for your cooperation, you two can keep these swimsuits after the shoot is done,” said Connie. “Now, the set is ready, our shot director will give you instructions and then the photos will begin.”

Jazz was nervous once they were actually in the process of the photoshoot, her doubts about her self-image creeping through, but her mother and the photographer were very reassuring and supportive.

While she was up close, embracing her mother in a hug, she couldn’t help but notice her unbelievable figure.

“Is something bothering you sweetie?” asked Maddie.

“How are your boobs that big, Mom? Are mine going to grow like that?”

“In college I developed a stimulant that redirects body fat. It’s an illegal substance now, because of course the government wouldn’t want such a thing on the market.”

“Wow. This may be inappropriate, but could I touch them?”

“Not that I would mind honey, but where is this coming from? I don’t want to take advantage of you…”

“Sorry… just caught up in the moment. This photoshoot is very intimate, it’s kind of messing with my head.”

“Really? In what ways?”

“I can’t stop thinking about what a beautiful woman you are, Mom.”

“Funny, I can’t stop thinking about what a beautiful daughter I’ve raised.”

They managed to get through the photoshoot without the awkward sensual atmosphere clouding their judgment too much, and so they got an advance copy of the pinup that would be featured in the magazine. The family discussed it over dinner.

“This is amazing honey! What do you want to do with it?” asked Jack.

“Well, it could hang in our bedroom,” said Maddie.

“No, Mom, I don’t want Dad looking at me in a swimsuit every day!” protested Jazz.

“Well, what if I hung it in my bedroom? You know, to prove that I’m not embarrassed by you guys,” said Danny. His hope was that seeing his Mom and sister in a swimsuit regularly would normalize and demystify their bodies, removing the weird feelings he was starting to have about them, instead of the other possibility of making them stronger.

Jazz stammered at the suggestion, trying to force out a similar objection, but could not bring herself to do so for some unknown reason. Maddie however, was overjoyed, and embraced her son in a tight motherly hug. Due to their height difference, Danny found his face buried between her breasts.

“You know son, that is mighty considerate of you,” said Jack. “I support it.”

A part of Jazz wanted to suggest that she take the pinup, but the thought of Danny seeing her in a bikini overwhelmed her brain, and she was at a loss for how to feel about it. She knew she should be disgusted, but she just wasn’t. She wanted there to be at least some clear feeling about it that she could deal with, but the information was simply too much for her, and she couldn’t bring herself to feel anything at all.

“Listen Jazz, you can have the pinup if me having it is too weird for you,” said Danny, noticing his sister’s tense body language and lack of reaction.

“Aw,” said Maddie. “C’mon Jazz, don’t you want your little brother to be proud of you?”

This earnest question and its phrasing broke something in Jazz’s mind. She choked out a meager “Okay…” and excused herself from the table, headed straight to her room.

She locked her door, collapsed onto her bed, screamed into her pillow, and then hurried out of her pants. Once she was naked from the waist below, she began to desperately touch herself. She didn’t care about morals right now, she needed to vent this unresolved lust. She convinced herself that everything would be okay if she only indulged this one time.

She thought of her mother in a bikini, the photoshoot, she thought of Danny being the photographer… encouraging her to kiss and touch Mom. She imagined a visible bulge in his pants as she made out with her mother.

“I’m so proud of you Jazz, you’re such a sexy woman,” said the Danny of Jazz’s imagination.

“And me, Danny? Do you love your Mommy?” said the Maddie of Jazz’s imagination.

“Of course. Forget the photoshoot, let’s make love, all three of us.”

The taboo thoughts Jazz had never dared thought before overwhelmed her. She had an intense climax and the fantasy faded. She felt frustration that her train of thought didn’t even make it to the most intimate acts. She thought to herself that she needed to show restraint and get these feelings under control. For her sake and for Danny’s. She then thought about how he would have her pinup in his room, and felt warm and happy about it. There it was. That’s what she wasn’t allowing herself to feel earlier. Damn, she was too far gone. She could only hope that whatever the future held, that the little brother she cared so deeply for, would not be hurt by her or grow to hate her for her feelings.

Skulker phased into Fenton Works, to the surprise of Maddie, Jack, and Danny.

“The half-ghost boy, I have a feeling he is close by! I am Skulker, the Ghost Hunter!”

“Ghost hunter?” asked Maddie. “I don’t know what you want or why you think Danny Phantom resides here, but this is Fenton Works! And we are also ghost hunters!”

“Oh, sweet. Do you mind assisting me in my hunt, then?” asked Skulker.

“Sorry, ghostie, but we already agreed to give that ghost boy a chance! And so, any ghost looking to capture him is our enemy!” said Jack, as he pulled out some ghost catching equipment and powered it up.

“What…” Skulker could barely eke out one word as he got sucked up by the unwieldy equipment.

“Wow, you two would really help out Danny Phantom, huh?” asked Danny.

“Yes, dear, now spill it. What do you know about the ghost kid?” asked Maddie.

“He’s a friend. He saved Sam, Tucker, and I from some mean ghosts. I think he just wants to help.”

“Hm, well if you say so, kiddo,” said Jack. “A friend of Danny’s is a friend of ours, right honey?”

“Of course. Now go hang up that pinup, sweetie,” said Maddie.

Danny went to his room and found a good spot beside his bed and next to his calendar to hang up the picture. He looked at it and hoped his theory would pan out. He noticed his mother’s large breasts, her nipples slightly poking through the fabric, and thought to the night he was stuck in Jack’s body. He shook his head and tried again. He noticed the slightest hint of Jazz’s cameltoe, and thought about what it felt like to be inside his mother. He wondered what it would be like to be inside her while in his own body. He thought about what it would feel like to be inside his sister. He shook his head and nearly considered taking the pinup down. Damn it, he was supposed to do this as a supportive son and little brother.

He left his room for a moment, thinking that a short walk around the house would clear his mind. Jazz intercepted him.

“Danny, explain to me how you having that pinup is the best option!”

“This again, Jazz? You can have it if you want it…”

“Enough of that, Danny! It makes Mom happy for you to have it, and me, that’s a secret, but you have to tell me how you feel!”

“Truthfully? I thought it would help with these feelings that I’ve been having… but I’m not sure-”

Danny’s confession was interrupted by a sudden kiss from Jazz. He was surprised at first, but he soon melted into it.

“You dork. That’s all I needed to hear. Keep the pinup. It’ll make me happy, okay?”

Jazz no longer cared about hating herself for what she felt. As long as she knew her brother was facing similar problems, she knew they could face them together. She didn’t care if it meant moving on from or giving in to those feelings, as long as their relationship as brother and sister could remain intact.

“Alright.” Danny felt he had made his bed. He just hoped that whatever the future held, he wouldn’t end up hated by his family for feeling the way that he did.

He watched his sister walk back into her room, and noticed the subtle way she swayed her hips, which drew his eyes to her ass. He looked at his sister’s ass, and knew he could not simply return to a state of ignorance now. He was too far gone.

Chapter Text

Dash stared dreamily at Jazz while she attempted to tutor him in math. Jazz was a fairly popular girl at school for only three reasons: her looks, her ability to tutor the other popular kids, and her psychology knowledge allowing her to double as a therapist. Still, right now Dash was smitten for reasons he could not explain.

“Okay, in algebraic terms, A squared plus B squared equals C squared, where C is the hypotenuse while A and B are the sides of the triangle. Got it?” asked Jazz.

“Hm? Something about a hypotenuse? I admire that you’re so smart and like, not ashamed of it or anything, but math speak is like a whole different language to me. I can barely speak American as it is,” said Dash.

“The language we speak is called English, Dash.”

“Really? But we don’t live in England, though. Oh well, shows how much I know.”

“What are your plans for the future, Dash? Do you even care about your life?”

“Well, people always tell me I’ll never amount to anything, but I’ve got a plan. It’s probably not what most people would dream of doing, but I want to work security. Getting hired as a bouncer or bodyguard, you know, that sort of thing.”

“Looking to a career that takes advantage of your strengths, that’s good.”

“Anyway, in the here and now I’m the most popular guy in school. In fact, I’m planning a party, anyone who’s anyone is gonna be there. You should come, this Saturday.”

“Hm, well, I have been appreciative of you not being as much as of a jerk to my little brother lately. Hey wait, was that all a ploy to get closer to me?”

“W-what? Nah, I don’t think I’m smart enough to scheme like that. I just think bullying’s kinda lame. You being a smart and cool girl who makes me feel like I’m floating has nothing to do with your dorky brother.”

Jazz chuckled at his accidentally honesty. “While it is flattering to be told that, I don’t wanna lead you on. I’m not interested in you, Dash.”

“F-fair enough. But you should come to my party anyway. Socialize, have fun, you know.”

“Oh, I’m well aware of the social benefits of attending a popular kids party. So I’ll go, but you have to invite my brother, too.”

“Really? And what about his lame friends he’s hanging around with? One pity case is tolerable, but three will severely change the mood of the party.”

“The pervert and the rebel? I’m still not sure about those two.”

“Wait, Sam is a girl pervert?”

“Oh, that’s not what I- nevermind. Look, Sam and Tucker are optional. I’ll leave it to your best judgment.”

“Alright. Also, this party’s theme is ‘Dress like someone else’. So find a look you like and copy it.”

“Interesting, I’ll have a think about it.”

“Oh yeah, and inviting Danny will be a good opportunity to bury the thing with him.”

“Do you mean bury the hatchet?”

“I don’t know, but that sounds about right.”

Sam, Tucker, and Danny were hanging out at Nasty Burger, trying to come up with a way to hang out together on Saturday.

Danny was not paying attention to the conversation, only to Paulina as she ordered a Mighty Meaty Cheese Melt.

“Look, I know she’s more complex than I gave her credit for, but you didn’t know any of that when you started crushing. So Danny, I’ve gotta ask, how are you still crushing on her?” asked Sam.

“Look Sam, the heart wants what it wants. I can’t explain it, she’s beautiful and smart and she feels so far out of reach.”

“Danny, you have to stop letting other people define your ceiling. You only think she’s beyond you because you’ve bought into the hierarchical system that placed you at the bottom simply because your best friends are a perverted nerd and a goth activist. If you really think there’s something there, then go for it.”

Dash walked up to their table. “Hey Danny, your sister asked me to invite you. Because I don’t know you and your friends well enough to know if you’d all fit in at the party, this time it’ll just be you on a trial basis. If you stick out like a loser, I won’t be able to do anything further about it. But if you’re cool, then maybe I can think about inviting your friends to the next party.”

Dash paused to examine Sam and Tucker. “I hear one of you is a pervert and the other is a rebel. Not sure which is which and I don’t care to know, just thought that you should know, you have negative reputations.”

“Well, as a wise woman once said, ‘I don’t give a damn ‘bout my bad reputation’,” said Sam.

“Joan Jett, huh? Yeah, she’s pretty cool. Good luck trying to get to her level, though,” said Dash.

At that moment, Paulina passed by. “Hey Danny, I heard you just got an invite to Dash’s party. How’d you pull that off?”

“His sister asked me to invite him,” said Dash before Danny could answer the question himself.

“Ah, nepotism. It works well in this world, but do me a favor Danny, and do try to get by on your own merits from time to time, alright? The world notices when one person is too reliant on another,” said Paulina.

“The theme is ‘dress like someone else’, so Danny, be sure to wear something you normally wouldn’t,” said Dash.

“Gotcha. I already have an idea in mind.”

Jazz had seen how flustered her brother got when talking to Paulina. She was too far away to hear the conversation, but her incidental witnessing of this made her feel a twinge of jealousy. Then an involuntarily smile formed on her face as an idea came to her head.

Dash left with two of his friends, a footballer named Kwan and his on-again-off-again girlfriend, a cheerleader named Star. To describe their appearances and usual attire, starting with Kwan: asian, black hair, green eyes, stocky footballer build like his friend Dash, and wore the same clothes, evidently a school football uniform. Star was white, long blond hair, blue eyes, and usually wore a white shirt with an orange neckline and trims, and the number 9 printed on it, red leggings that cut off at the shin, and flat white shoes. These two had been around school, but had no direct part to play in Danny’s life until this party.

“Mom, Dad, I’m going to this ‘dress as someone else’ party, I wouldn’t happen to be able to get a school football uniform, would I?” asked Danny, hoping for a positive response.

“Son, as paranormal researchers money is no object,” said Jack. “But we are only well-off because of your mother’s unparalleled ability to budget. So it’s entirely her call.”

“It’s something of a frivolous expense, but you would look cute in a football uniform. If you were actually trying out for the team, that would be one thing, but just for the sake of a party… maybe you could ask your sister. She works in the school prop department from time to time and knows a thing or two about putting together an outfit,” said Maddie.

Danny nodded and headed upstairs to his sister’s room. Her door was ajar when he arrived.

“Jazz?” questioned Danny as he opened her door further.

“Oh, Danny, you’re just in time,” said Jazz, who was currently dressed as Paulina. “How do I look? I did a good job replicating her style, don’t you think?”

Danny’s jaw hung open as he could scarcely comprehend what he was seeing. The sister he had complicated feelings for, wearing the usual attire of his current crush? The only thing that could confuse him more, he reckoned, must be Paulina wearing Sam’s clothes. Knowing his luck, that’s exactly what she would be wearing.

Danny snapped out of it to give his sister a response. “Yeah, you look great. Do you think you could help me with a football uniform?”

“You’re going as Dash to Dash’s party? Really, little bro?”

“No, I’m going as Kwan, actually. He’s a chill dude, and I want to show him that his good nature is appreciated.”

“Yeah, go with that, but I think Kwan will probably be a pretty popular choice.”

“Do you have any ideas about who I should go as?”

“Well, you could dress as me. I have a fairly gender-neutral style, and I could easily modify one outfit to fit a man instead.”

“Hm, I don’t know. Dash has a crush on you, doesn’t he? He probably wouldn’t appreciate it if…”

“Dash can deal with it. Trust me on this Danny, you’ll look good and it’ll be fine. If anyone has a problem with it, they won’t get any tutoring or therapy until they get over it.”

Danny figured arguing with his sister over this would be pointless. It was important to her, for reasons beyond him. If he had to suffer some ritual humiliation just to not alienate his sister, he would gladly do so. Perhaps it was not a typical behavior for boys his age, but he was growing and learning fairly quickly as of late. He wanted to act to the best of his ability, and listen to his voice of reason when it was telling him what he should be doing.

So, Danny and Jazz arrived at Dash’s party.

“So, you’re dressed as Jazz, Danny? Well, good news, I’m over my crush on your sister. I mean, who said I had a crush? I’ll beat them up!” said Dash after answering the door.

“And you’re dressed as…” started Danny, noticing Dash wearing his usual attire.

“I’m dressed as Kwan, of course. And he’s dressed like me, because we’re bros. But Star was not digging that. She came dressed as Kwan, too, and wanted Kwan to dress like her. I think he dodged a bullet, bro.”

“Uh, can we skip the part where your boring teen drama puts the guests to sleep?” asked Paulina, who came in to greet Danny and Jazz. “Ah, Jazz, I see you’ve chosen to dress like me? And Danny, you look so cute dressed like your sister!”

Paulina was dressed as Sam, and Danny could not find words to express his disbelief.

“Hey, it’s too bad you didn’t bring Sam as a plus one, I would have liked to see the goth girl try any other style,” said Paulina.

“Nobody gets plus ones, Paulina,” said Dash. “If this party gets too wild, my parents will freak.”

“Like any parent should,” said Paulina. “You’ve never been on the other side of a wild party, have you? Having to clean up vomit and broken glass and stains of who knows what, replacing broken valuables, repairing damage to a house…”

“Stop, Paulina, you’re gonna give me nightmares!” Dash ran off to elsewhere in the party, and Paulina, Jazz, and Danny laughed.

“So, was it worth coming here, Danny, even in that unconventional choice?” asked Paulina.

“Well, I like your outfit, Paulina,” said Danny.

“I knew you would, I dressed like this for you,” said Paulina.

Danny’s jaw dropped hearing that, and Jazz felt a sting in her heart that felt uncomfortably close to, if not outright, jealousy. Paulina picked up on it, but rather than call either of them out, chose to stay silent as to not embarrass them.

During the proceedings, Valerie, Paulina, Kwan, Star, Dash, Jazz, and Danny were hanging around and decided to play Kiss or Kill. They went up to Dash’s room where the rules were explained.

“So, we spin the bottle, and the two people that it lands on must either kiss in front of everyone, or the first person decides to ‘kill’ the second person, taking them out of the game. The game ends either after each person has kissed someone or there is only one person left. The winner is either the person who has had the most kisses or the last person standing,” said Dash.

“Do popular kids really play games like this?” asked Danny.

“We do, as in this group of popular kids anyway,” said Paulina. “I think a game like this makes for some interesting memories.”

“Yeah, it’s something that would make your parents flip, but is ultimately pretty harmless,” said Valerie.

At first it landed on Valerie and Star. Valerie opted to kiss Star. Star had no problem, since she was dressed as Kwan, and Valerie was dressed as her, so she could pretend to be Kwan kissing Star.

“Well that was pretty hot,” said Dash. “Who’s next?”

The next bottle spin landed on Jazz and Dash. Dash half expected Jazz to go for the kiss, but was brutally murdered when she chose Kill. He dramatically pretended to fall over dead, and the girls laughed.

“First one out of the game at his own party. Brutal,” said Valerie.

“Sorry, I didn’t think about that,” said Jazz. “I just didn’t want to kiss Dash.”

It next landed on Kwan and Valerie, Kwan saw that Valerie was dressed as Star and was about to go for a kiss, when Star stopped him.

“But she’s dressed as you. Plus I thought you broke up with me,” said Kwan.

“If you don’t choose to Kill, I just might… outside of the game,” said Star.

The group collectively made the mental note that this girl was scary and possessive.

“Sorry, Valerie,” said Kwan before choosing to kill her.

“It’s alright, do what you gotta do, Kwan,” said Valerie, before dramatically falling over dead.

“Is the playing dead part of the game?” asked Danny.

“Yeah, it’s good sportsmanship,” said Paulina. “Alright, let’s spin again!”

The next people it landed on were Paulina and Danny. Danny was taken aback when Paulina kissed him.

“You and Kwan are the only guys. Like I would kill you and leave Kwan to fend for himself against three girls,” said Paulina.

Star’s eyes became shifty when Kwan’s name was mentioned. It was obvious that if it were up to her, Kwan and her would be the only ones left.

It then landed on Paulina and Star. This is where Paulina chose to kill.

“What? But why, Paulina?” asked Star.

“Because you’d turn this into a you and Kwan game,” said Paulina as Star dramatically collapsed.

It then landed on Danny and Kwan.

“I’m not kissing a guy Kwan,” said Danny.

“I completely understand,” said Kwan as he pretended to die.

It was down to Paulina, Danny, and Jazz. The next two were Danny and… he was hoping for Paulina, but instead he got Jazz.

“I completely understand if you want to kill me, Danny,” said Jazz.

“I don’t really want to kill my sister, but I’m not sure I could kiss you in front of Paulina. Especially while you’re dressed as her. Sorry Jazz, but keeping you in the game is a big risk,” said Danny.

“Oh, who could have foreseen this?” performed Jazz as she went down.

“You and me Danny,” said Paulina. “I could mess with your head, or you could mess with mine. You could claim your victory at the first opportunity or so could I. You could try taking a risk and get a kiss. Isn’t this exciting, Danny?”

With Danny and Paulina being the last two, the bottle only needed to be spun once to understand who held the power.

The bottle landed on Paulina first, and she looked at Danny, nervous to receive either, but seemingly ready to accept defeat. She gave him a kiss to his surprise. She decided to let the next spin decide Danny’s fate.

The next spin landed on Danny.

“Do it, Danny! Take me out and win this game!” said Paulina.

Danny was in disbelief and struggled to speak, after awkwardly attempting to produce sound from his mouth, he simply nodded in her direction, and she did her own dramatic fake death.

Dash was the first to sit up. “Congrats, Danny, you won!”

It felt to Danny in this moment like he had moved up in the social ladder. He had earned the respect of the popular crowd.

The night went on without much more worth noting, and Danny and Jazz went home. He was on a video call with Sam and Tucker, who had spent the night watching movies at Sam’s.

“You’ve been ignoring us all day, man,” said Tucker.

“I hung out with a different crowd for one day out of the many years we’ll be friends. Why do you think I called you as soon as I got home?” asked Danny.

“To brag about your night in popularville?” quipped Sam.

“No, that’s only something I’ll talk about if you want the details,” said Danny. “I want to talk with my friends.”

One regular talk between friends later, Danny was confronted by Jazz, who looked concerned.

“Danny? Do you… have an interest in multiple girls?”

“Look, Jazz, I don’t know what’s going on, okay? Sam is my best friend, and Paulina is like a life coach. I do care about both of them, but my feelings are complex and confusing.”

“Confusion is the nature of the troubled teen. It’s okay, Danny, I can help you through anything you might be struggling with.”

“Oh, and what of the complex feelings I have for you and Mom?” Danny asked, not sure if he should have, but realising only too late, and hoping that he wasn’t about to make things too weird.

“Those? The field of psychology might disapprove, but I don’t,” said Jazz as she winked at Danny. “I’m wrestling with something similar myself, so we’ll figure it out together, okay?”

“Danny! Jazz! Come quick!” called Jack.

Jack and Maddie had caught a ghost. “I am Technus, Ghost Master of Technology! You cannot hope to contain me forever, mere mortals!” said the ghost.

To describe Technus, he had long flowing white hair like a mad scientist, and wore a white shirt, black tie, and white lab coat, as well as green gloves and a pair of sunglasses. He also had glowing green skin because he was a ghost.

“Yes, it was actually fairly tricky to capture a tech ghost with technology, but Maddie’s genius allowed us to succeed,” said Jack. “Well that, and these Ghost Gloves.” Jack punched the air with his oversized ghost-fighting gloves. “Yes, with these, I was able to fight that ghost mano a ghost-o.”

“Your punches were very fearsome, ghost hunter,” said Technus. “Now let me go and let me unleash my full power on the world. I promise that you will be spared from my wrath.”

“Not a chance,” said Maddie. “It’s nothing personal, but any ghost looking to terrorize or cause mischief belongs in the Ghost Zone, so we’re sending you back there.”

“Damn it, if I get put back there, Walker will imprison me for sure,” said Technus.

Were Jack and Maddie the inquisitive types, they might have thought to ask who Walker was, but instead opted to put Technus back in the Ghost Zone because they were sick of hearing him speak.

“Well, I know I spent a good chunk of my childhood resenting you two for your ghost-hunting, but lately it seems like everything I thought I knew about the paranormal is wrong,” said Jazz. “So I’m offering a clean slate. Continue to prove to me that you’re not wasting your time on this nonsense and neglecting your children, and I won’t try to apply for emancipation.”

Maddie embraced her daughter in a hug. “Oh honey, we do care about you, it’s not child abuse to have an unconventional hobby… unless it involves sex or drugs or violence or gambling. You know, things kids shouldn’t be exposed to under any circumstances.”

“Your mother’s right, Jazz, we love you and Danny, plenty. If you think we should do less work in order to spend more time with you, then that’s what we’ll do,” said Jack.

Danny was glad that his parents caught a ghost, as it meant he would not be the sole person in Amity Park actually helping keep ghosts in the Ghost Zone. It also gave him confidence that he could count on his parents to be able to hold their own against the ghosts, which as he understood were fairly powerful. Only a few skirmishes with other ghosts was rapidly growing his own power as well. He wondered briefly what the future would hold for him, before deciding not to worry about it any further.

Chapter Text

The Amity Park swap meet was set up in its usual location this weekend, it would pop up about four times a year in one of Amity Park’s more populated public parks. As Tucker and Danny looked around to find whatever they could, a patron of the swap meet accidentally knocked over a bottle at Madam Babazita’s booth, and a green mist escaped from it.

“What was that?” asked the man.

“Deary, you’ve just unleashed the Ghost Genie, Desiree, upon this world. Her wishes have a monkey’s paw style curse to them, so I’d avoid making any wishes until it is once again safe to do so.”

Meanwhile, Danny’s ghost sense is activated by Desiree’s presence.

“Tucker, I think a ghost is nearby. You don’t mind if I check things out, do you?” asked Danny.

“Well, this was supposed to be a ghost free day, but if they’re coming to you, I guess it can’t be helped,” said Tucker.

Danny runs off somewhere secluded and goes ghost. It doesn’t take long for him to find the Genie Ghost.

“What are you, some kind of Genie Girl Ghost?” asked Danny.

“I am Desiree. Your wish is my command,” said the ghost.

To describe Desiree, she had long flowing black hair, glowing green skin, red eyes, two blue bangles on her right wrist and one on her left, silver cuffs, a silver collar, a blue headband, a silver belt with a blue jewel in its center, a blue tube top with a silver trim at the top, and a blue ghost tail, which could shape into legs that wore blue pants and pointed shoes, though this would not be immediately apparent yet.

“I don’t wish for anything, Desiree,” said Danny.

At this point, Desiree moved up close to Danny and touched his chest. “Surely there must be something you wish for…” she batted her eyes while looking directly into his.

“Lady, that is far too close,” said Danny, and when he went to push the ghost away, a beam of ecto-energy shot out from his hand, sending the ghost flying across town. “Uh, sorry!” Danny called out. “I didn’t know I could do that!”

Tucker was impressed with what he saw. “Awesome, is that a new ghost power? Like, your ghost rays or something?”

“I guess so.”

“That’s the cool thing about your powers, man. There’s no downsides!”

“That we know of.” Tucker’s definitive statement made Danny worry about the possibilities. He lacked the imagination to pin down specific possibilities, but he had a general fear of becoming something monstrous and unrecognizable.

After the swap meet, Sam, Tucker, and Danny met up to watch the school football game.

“Alright, I’ll bite. Why the hell are we going to a football game?” asked Sam.

“Well, I figured we should at least try to support the team from time to time,” said Danny. “Now that we have an in with the popular kids, we should at least act like we care about their interests, so they can maybe consider ours.”

“You’re thinking too hopefully, Danny,” said Tucker. “Don’t expect to be able to change things like that.”

“Actually, I don’t expect anything. I just consider the possibility, that’s all. Look, if you two want to go home, you can.”

“Sorry Danny, I just never expected to be indulging in such a mainstream hobby, that’s all,” said Sam. “I can stick around if it’s important to you.”

Dash and his team, the Casper High Ravens, were losing pretty bad in this game, and to Sam’s surprise she quite enjoyed seeing the popular kids get their asses handed to them by better players. Though she opted not to cheer for the opposing team as she figured Danny would not appreciate it.

“I wish I could have the power to beat these guys,” said Dash.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Desiree had been following Danny ever since the swap meet, hoping that the half-ghost boy would lead to her people looking to making wishes.

“As you wish it, so it shall be,” said Desiree, which Dash heard and it confused him. He only had a brief moment to be confused, before mutating into a powerful hulking green ghost.

“Whoa, can Dash normally do that?” asked Sam. “Or are we thinking some ghost problems are going on?”

“I met a genie ghost earlier today,” said Danny. “I bet she’s behind this.”

Danny decided not to delay action, even if the ghost powers could help Dash win the match, they were basically cheating and he wouldn’t want Casper High to walk away with a tainted victory.

Danny went ghost and reached into Dash, pulling out his ghostly energy.

“Hapha!” exclaimed Desiree. “You dare interfere with my wishes?”

“You’re turning people into ghosts! That hardly seems like a good thing! And what did you call me?”

“H-A-P-H-A, short for half-phantom. It’s merely a descriptive term, like human or ghost. Anyway, yes, I take wishes that could be interpreted as turning people into ghosts and I do just that. Only because it’s the extent of my power.”

Desiree flew away for the time being, not seeking a confrontation.

“Damn, she got away. I had more I wanted to say to her. Oh well,” said Danny.

The next day, before Danny could go with Tucker and Sam to the movies, he was ushered into the lab by his parents, who wanted to show off their latest ghost invention. It looked like a giant dreamcatcher, though the strings were ecto-energy instead.

“That’s the Fenton Ghost Catcher. It separates ghostly energies from human ones,” said Jack.

Danny stuck his hand in briefly while his parents weren’t paying attention, and noticed his ghost hand separate from his human hand. He made a mental note to avoid this device unless he had a good reason.

Danny, Sam, and Tucker were about to walk in to Dead Teacher IV, when Danny noticed a scene unfold near the Sayonara Pussycat movie.

“Sayonara Pussycat is sooo cute!” said Paulina. “I wish I could be that cute!”

“So you wish it, so it shall be,” said Desiree, green smoke trailing from her fingertips to Paulina, who was soon transformed into a chibi stylized version of herself that could float in the air.

“Hiii ev’wyone!” said this new Paulina. “Life can be ugly sometimes, so don’t be sad, because that’s just adding to the ugliness! Be happy, because happiness is cute!”

The moviegoers all cheered and smiled.

“Guys, save me a seat, I think Desiree is at it again,” said Danny.

“We got you, Danny,” said Sam.

Danny phased right through the chibi Paulina and separated the ghostly energy from her. The real Paulina returned to normal.

“Huh? Why do I feel like I’m special and adorable?” wondered Paulina aloud. “Because I am!” she reasoned.

Sam and Tucker started watching the movie, Tucker grumbled to himself.

“Danny has been fighting all by himself lately, it feels like we’re being left out,” said Tucker.

“We? Seems like you’re the one getting jealous, Tuck. Now quiet, this is a good movie,” said Sam.

Tucker gave a heavy sigh. “I wish I had ghost powers like Danny.”

“Tucker, did you seriously just wish when there’s a Genie Ghost on the loose?”

Desiree appeared behind them. “If you wish it, so it shall be,” she said, though only Tucker could hear her.

Tucker falls through his seat as his intangibility is activated for the first time.

“If you overshadow me, Tucker, I will make you regret it,” threatened Sam.

“I wasn’t planning on it Sam, but duly noted,” said Tucker.

Tucker went back to watching the movie after Sam gave him a suspicious look. Danny came in after missing the first third of the movie and they watched the rest together. Afterwards, they hung out at Sam’s house and talked about the movie, and also about Desiree and Tucker’s new ghost powers.

“This is actually kind of awesome,” said Danny. “But Tuck, we don’t know if getting powers from Desiree’s wish will be good long-term. I want you to promise me that at the first sign that you might be losing yourself or abusing your powers, that you’ll let me separate the ghost energy from you as I did for Dash and Paulina.”

“Right, Danny, good thinking. I’ve been so happy to get these powers, I forgot that Desiree’s whole thing is basically cursing people by turning them into ghosts.”

The next day at school, Tucker saw Paulina enter the girls’ bathroom, and a bad idea formed in his head. While Danny and Sam were talking to each other and he believed they wouldn’t notice, he went ghost and followed her into the bathroom.

“Hey Danny, I think Tucker’s planning something devious, you’d better go ghost and find him,” said Sam.

Paulina had just finished peeing when Tucker worked up the nerve to try and enter her body.

“Oops, I took her over before she could wipe…” said Tucker-Paulina. “Better take care of that…”

As he wiped, he noticed the strange sensation of a woman touching herself. “Wow, I was not ready for that… it’s an indescribable feeling. Well, while I’m in here, might as well try some ‘alone time’. It’s my natural curiosity, right?”

After he finished wiping, he touched her pussy directly, and was taken aback by the feeling. Surely he would be forgiven for living in this moment… right? Oh god, this was a bad idea, wasn’t it? Well… it was too late to stop now. He raised her other arm and reached into her shirt to feel one of her breasts. He wasn’t even doing it to feel her breasts, just focused on the pleasure her body was feeling, and wanting to amplify it.

Danny used his ghost sense to track down where Tucker was, and was surprised to find Paulina in a bathroom stall touching herself. “Tucker, are you doing this to her?”

“Oh, hey Danny. Sorry, I just got a bit carried away. You wouldn’t believe how good this feels…”

Danny had to fight back perverted thoughts and keep a cool head. Paulina was being played with, without control or consent, he had to put a stop to this. He took in the sight briefly, as his judgment wavered, and he thought her body was beautiful.

He had to focus here, though, time was of the essence. He entered Paulina’s body, in an attempt to push Tucker out.

“Danny? Glad you could make it. Paulina’s getting close to her climax,” said Tucker.

“I was trying to get you out of her… but man, I can’t focus with this rising pleasure flooding my brain!”

Danny was stuck inside Paulina, the flood of intense feelings preventing him from being able to accomplish his intended mission. He only hoped that this situation would resolve itself somehow, without him becoming as bad as his friend in the eyes of others.

“I know what you mean Danny, I almost feel like we’re…”

Paulina climaxed and at that moment the intense feelings pushed the two intrusive ghosts out of her body. Danny held Tucker by his arms and felt an overwhelming disappointment that his friend would do something like this.

“Alright, joy rider, you’re coming with me…” said Danny.

“Sorry officer, I didn’t realise what I was doing until I had done it, I feel bad enough…”

“Yes, but I warned you not to abuse your powers.” Danny carried himself and Tuck far from anyone, and pulled the ghostly energy out of Tuck.

“Whoa, that ugly thing was inside of me?” asked Tucker. “I’ll never be jealous of you again.”

“Yeah, and you really let me down, Tuck. Why do you have be such a pervert?”

“I… Danny, I don’t know. I feel like every time I think about girls, I lose control of my sense of reason. I’ve been worried that my decision making skills will only get worse on this matter.”

“Tucker, you’re my friend, I won’t let that happen to you. You’re far from hopeless, and I’ll keep my eye on you, make sure you can grow past this. Because I know you can.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Danny. Not sure what I did to deserve it.”

“Frankly, you don’t. But we’re still friends, I need to make sure my friend doesn’t go down a dark path. It’s the right thing to do.”

“So, you think it’s about time you found that Genie Ghost?”

“Yeah, I just wish it was easier to find her…”

Danny realized his phrasing, and before they knew it, the two were face-to-face with Desiree.

“Hapha! You keep interfering with my wishes, but why?”

“People may selfishly wish for things in the heat of the moment, but most people don’t want to be possessed by malevolent spirits! If you don’t stop granting wishes, I’ll have to capture you and send you to the Ghost Zone!”

“Mercy from the hapha? Oh, how gracious. Come with me then, to my humble abode.”

Danny followed the Genie Ghost, and upon seeing her tail flying, looked to his own legs and saw that they were also forming a tail at this time. He wondered if his legs could always turn into a ghost tail, or if he was just now doing it because he had seen her demonstrate this ability. They went to an abandoned house in a run-down neighborhood, where Desiree had done up a room like the boudoir of a harem girl.

“Alright, Desiree, what’s the deal here?”

“I grant everybody’s wishes, but no-one has ever asked me for my heart’s desire, you know.”

Danny blinked, not sure where she was going with this, and a bit intimidated to guess.

“I was a harem girl who was favored by the Sultan. When I thought he would give me everything I could want for, suddenly the Sultan’s jealous wife made him cast me aside. In exile, I roamed the desert, and died from heat exhaustion. Since then, I have long awaited the day a man could intrigue me, make me wish for something again… you Danny Phantom, and your ecto-pheromones… they awaken desires within me I had forgotten I even had.”

“Ecto-pheromones?” asked Danny.

“The other hapha can explain those to you, maybe. He’s a bit of a jerk, though. Anyway, I humbly beg of you, Danny Phantom, to have sex with me, for one night, and if you do I will never grant another wish for as long as we both shall live.”

“I don’t know about that, maybe I should ask Sam for advice…” Danny was more than a little unprepared for Desiree’s proposition, and while a part of him wanted to turn it down, something in his libido wouldn’t allow him. It didn’t feel like normal teenage hormones, was this a ghost thing? Or a half-ghost thing?

“The gothic human cannot help you here, Master,” said Desiree and she closed the distance between her and Danny. “Perhaps I should show you why my love is worth every second.” Desiree began undressing, her ghostly clothing disappearing as it came off her form. Danny gulped and was paralyzed by his inexperience. He was starting to recall his helplessness when he was stuck in Jack’s body. Was he about to let something like that happen again?

On the school bus, Sam saw a billboard for something that caught her eye: Freakshow’s Circus Gothica, Coming Soon. A small seed was planted in her mind that it would be cool to go to that. She then started to wonder where Danny and Tucker were, and once she got home, she was intercepted by Tucker.

“Hey Sam, Danny went with the Genie Ghost to confront her. Not sure what’s going down, but I think he can handle it.”

“Tuck, you dope, what if Danny needs our help? We’d better find him,” said Sam.

A naked Desiree formed a lower body instead of her ghostly tail, and Danny was shocked by the beauty of the sight. She had taken Danny’s pants off, and wrapped her large breasts around them.

“Please Master, worry or want for nothing, I will do anything to please you… except stop, of course.”

Danny’s mind was swimming with indecision and disbelief at the new sensations. Was this… a titjob? A tall, beautiful, older woman, and a glowing green ghost at that, was giving him his first titjob. All he could muster as he slowly processed the situation he was in was to remove his gloves and to feel her ghostly breasts in his hands.

“Yes, Master, use my body for your pleasure, do not be afraid or hold back on my account,” said Desiree.

These words of encouragement seemed to wake Danny up from his trance of fear. He was not going to be a passive participant. Not this time. He was a man, dammit, he had agency! If she wanted sex so bad, he was going to give it to her!

“Oh, you wish me to not hold back? Then turn around, whore,” said Danny. He didn’t know where that last word had come from. It didn’t quite sound like him. He didn’t waver, though, since he wished to be in control.

“Taking charge, Master? Mm, I like that in a man. Very well, I will present myself for thy pleasure.”

Desiree kneeled over her bed, presenting her backside to Danny. Danny finished undressing, and lined his six-inch dick up with her pussy. “Alright bitch, tell me what you want.”

“I want your hapha cock, Master,” said Desiree. “Please give it to me hard and fast!”

Danny chuckled, and a small part of him continued to feel that something was off with the way he was acting. Still, he was thoroughly engrossed in this moment. He entered her fully in one thrust, and without giving her any time to adjust to the feeling of being filled by him, began to thrust in and out.

“Master, I must confess, you are only the second man I have ever been with… the man who trained me as a harem girl, he was my first, the Sultan never got to enjoy these pleasures… I have very little experience that was pleasurable, so you are making an unfulfilled dream of mine come true…”

“Is that so? Well, it does feel exceptional inside you. You make a nice cockwarmer, slut,” said Danny. He felt uncomfortable at the ease with which those words left his mouth. But he could not afford to dwell on whatever might be happening to him.

“Thank you Master, please show this humble cockwarmer as much love as you see fit,” said Desiree.

Danny continued to have sex with Desiree, until his orgasm began to build.

“Master, I feel you, you are close to climax! Please, if you could honor me, and finish inside!”

“A cheeky request from a mere harem girl, but so be it,” said Danny.

Danny began to come inside Desiree, and neither of them was aware of the world around them. In this moment, as Danny finished inside Desiree, Tucker and Sam burst through the door, and were shocked to see the sight.

“Ghost tail? Nice!” said Tucker.

“Gah! How could you?” asked Sam.

“Tucker? Sam?” asked Danny, coming to his senses. “She seduced me, tried to take my choice in the matter, and before I knew it…” his clumsy explanation was cut short.

“I don’t wanna hear it, Danny! It was supposed to be me!” said Sam. “I could excuse the incident with your Mom since you were in your Dad’s body, but this is too much!”

“Really, Sam, you wanted to have sex with Danny?” asked Tucker.

“I mean, dammit, I just self-reported out of jealousy, didn’t I?”

Sam turns and runs off in embarrassment, and Tucker coyote-zooms away due to feeling like he has no business being there.

“Shall I assist you with your lover’s troubles, Master?” asked Desiree as she cuddled up to Danny.

“Thanks Desiree, but it’s my relationship to you that is causing this trouble.”

“I understand, I’m a harem girl so I don’t get jealous, but I understand other women are different. Whatever happens, I’ll always be there for you Master, even if you don’t want me beyond this night.”

“Well, that’s quite the offer, but it’s also a bit much to deal with right now.”

“I understand Master,” said Desiree as she phased ghost clothing back onto herself again before flying off.

Danny thought to himself that maybe he should find a neutral party to talk about his troubles with. Perhaps a school counselor? But could he trust an adult with his secrets?

That evening, Sam cried into her pillow, curled up in a ball and lying on her bed. She felt like she could die of embarrassment, her feelings were out in the open and she couldn’t run from them anymore. She would have to face Danny sooner or later, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what she would say to him.

Tucker was browsing CDs at a nearby music store, and he stumbled upon a new CD hidden in the back of the sale boxes, that seemed to call out to him. It was a single release, Ember McLain - You Will Remember. As if it were unavoidable, Tucker stopped browsing and immediately bought the CD. He had no idea what this one action would unleash in the coming months.

Chapter Text

That morning, Danny awoke to Desiree cuddling up in bed with him.

“Desiree? What are you doing in my bed?” asked Danny.

“Oh, I’m just keeping my Master company. Dost thou not wish my presence? It is my only desire to serve and be with you.”

“It’s too early to deal with you. Look, if you can stay in my bedlamp until I’m ready to talk to you, then we’ll see what I think about you staying around. Right now, I’ve got to get ready for school.”

“As you wish, Master.” Desiree noticed the pinup of Maddie and Jazz in swimsuits. “These women, are they your mates? If so, you have excellent taste, Master.”

“That’s my Mom and sister, I’m trying to show them that I’m not embarrassed by them,” said Danny.

“Hm, I sense it’s more than that, I admire a man who doesn’t care for convention and desires women others say he can’t have.”

“It’s not like that… exactly… it’s complicated, alright? When I figure it out, I can let you know, but again, it’s way too early to be thinking about all this stuff.”

“I understand, Master. Enjoy your day, I eagerly await your return.”

Danny walked into the living room, where his parents were sitting, as if they were waiting to tell him some good news.

“Son, you’re not going to school this week, we’re going to a college reunion,” said Jack.

“That’s a lot to spring on a kid before breakfast,” said Danny. “Do I have time to pack?”

“Of course you do, sweetie. We’re leaving later today.”

“Okay. Better call Sam and Tucker, let them know where I’m going to be,” said Danny. He also mentally noted that he would have to tell Desiree about this as well. He wouldn’t have to wait long, as she came out the bedlamp on her own.

“Master, I couldn’t help but notice that you are packing for a trip, is there something you want to tell me?” asked Desiree.

“My family will be out of town for a while, Mom and Dad are going to a college reunion and dragging Jazz and I along for the ride. I honestly don’t know if it will be interesting or not, but I’ll go.”

“Does Master wish me to accompany him?”

“My family doesn’t know about you, and I’m not sure how they’d respond to learning that I have my own Ghost Harem Girl. So you’ll stay here. You won’t get too bored, will you?”

“Ghosts can enter a state where time means nothing. If I go into that state, I won’t even notice all the time spent alone.”

Danny finished packing and made his calls to Sam and Tucker. Sam didn’t pick up, unsurprising given the awkwardness of… he didn’t even want to think about it. Tucker wanted to talk about ghost sex with Desiree… but Danny kept things short and on topic.

“My family’s going to Wisconsin, I’ll be away for a while, let Sam know, keep homework ready for me when I get back.”

“Oh, okay, Danny. I know you probably don’t wanna talk about it, but just know that I’m really happy for you, man.”

“Huh? Oh right, the Desiree thing. Look, that’s something I’m still sorting out, and something to worry about when I get back.”

The family of four loaded into the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle. It was a four day trip apparently, and during the trip, Maddie was feeling sick from time to time.

“That’s odd, I’ve never known you to get car sick, honey,” said Jack.

“I don’t think it’s car sickness, Jack, let’s find a gas station so I can purchase a… feminine hygiene product,” said Maddie.

Jack scratched his head, as awkward and clueless as ever when it came to the finer details of women, “Er, okay, honey, we can do that as soon as possible.”

At the next gas station, Maddie bought a pregnancy test and went into the bathroom. As she suspected, the result was positive. She threw the test away, and rejoined her family. Jazz was suspicious of her mother, and at the next opportunity to speak to her privately, she did so.

“Mom, you’re pregnant, aren’t you?” asked Jazz.

“Well, yes, but I don’t know how. Your father has been infertile for years, and yet he’s the only one I’ve had sex with. Unless a ghost entered his body or someone violated me in my sleep, I don’t know how this happened. That’s why I can’t tell him about it until I know where this baby came from, and what I want to do about it.”

“Well, I think being honest with your partner is vital, Mom. If I were you, I wouldn’t keep this to myself.”

“That’s an easy thing to say when you aren’t me, Jazz.”

On the last night, Jack told his children more about the college reunion.

“At the University of Wisconsin, it was myself, Maddie, and Vlad Masters, working on various scientific pursuits, particularly our unusual interest in the paranormal. Alas, one fateful day during a test of a new portal device, it blew up in Vlad’s face. Literally. We visited him and helped with his recovery for as long as we could, but one day he just shunned us, blaming us for everything. But the good news is, I think after all these years, he’s finally forgiven me.”

“Wait, the Vlad Masters? Affluence Magazine’s billionaire of the year?” asked Jazz.

“That’s him. It’ll be good to catch up with ole Vladdy,” said Jack.

Upon arrival, it would become painfully apparent to everyone but Jack that Vlad had not forgiven him. To describe Vlad Masters, he was white, blue eyes, silver hair with a ponytail and goatee, and usually wore a black suit jacket, pants, and shoes, a white shirt, and a red bow tie.

“Jack… and Maddie! You’ve never looked lovelier, my dear,” said Vlad as he ushered in the family minus Jack. “Please come in.”

Inside, the three of them took in the sight of the mansion, which seemed overrun with a green and gold color scheme and plenty of Green Bay Packers football memorabilia.

“What’s with the green and gold? You’re a billionaire! Surely you could afford an interior designer,” said Jazz.

“Jazz, look more closely. All the football stuff? He’s a Packers fanatic,” said Danny.

“Oh young Daniel, so shrewd using the whole word to make me seem less stable. But yes, I am a ‘fan’ of the Packers, as it were,” said Vlad.

“Surely you have the money to just buy a football team, don’t you?” asked Jazz.

“Yes, but unfortunately the Packers are not for sale.” Vlad turned to Maddie. “There are all sorts of things money cannot buy,” said Vlad while looking deep into Maddie’s eyes.

“I’d better let Jack in,” said Maddie, clearly uncomfortable.

“Is he flirting with Mom?” asked Danny.

“As long as he’s got working toilets, and Mom says no, who cares?” said Jazz as she walked away from Danny.

“Hey, Vladdy, it must be swell to have such a nice life,” said Jack, ever supportive and well-meaning.

“Yes, well I do owe it all to you,” said Vlad in a quiet, creepy tone. “After all, if I weren’t hospitalized for years, I wouldn’t have had the time to plan how to get everything I earned in this life.”

Maddie sensed something was wrong here, and spoke up. “Maybe we should go.”

“My apologies, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I sent you guys an invite specifically because I wanted to reconnect with you. Well that, and my house is haunted by the Ghost of the Dairy King, and I was hoping you would be able to help.”

“Say no more, Vladdy! We’ll gladly stay, for the college reunion, and for the Ghost of the Dairy King!”

That night, Maddie was examining a DNA sample she obtained earlier that day. To her surprise, the DNA was actually ENA - Ecto-Nucleic Acid, the ghostly equivalent of DNA. Even more shocking, it was a near exact match to Danny! Danny was a ghost, and didn’t tell her? And had he been inside Jack’s body that one time, or… no, it was definitely that, She had no proof or reason to think so, but something told her that it was the truth. She would have to confront him before she could tell Jack.

Danny, meanwhile, woke up due to his ghost sense activating.

“Oh great, just what I need: a working vacation.”

Danny went ghost and started flying around the halls. As he turned a corner, he came face to face with a tall, imposing blue skinned ghost. This ghost had black hair that formed up like horns, fangs like a dog, completely red eyes, and wore a white suit with a black belt, gloves, and boots, and collar, seemingly an inverse color scheme to Danny’s outfit. He also notably wore a cape that was white around the outside and red on the inside, and had a high-collar as well, and had a black goatee.

“Hello, fancy pants. You look like trouble,” said Danny, speaking without thinking.

“Ah, the young hapha from Jack’s neck of the woods. If you’re here, it must mean either you follow him around or you’re his son. I was about to watch Maddie as she sleeps… purely for research purposes, mind you, I need to know if twenty years of sleeping with that oaf she calls her husband has had any adverse effects on her health.”

“You really don’t need to know that… wait a minute, Vlad? Are you, like me?”

“The boy’s smarter than he looks! You must get that from Maddie. Yes, Daniel, it is I, Vlad Plasmius, Masters in my human form. That accident in college gave me these powers, and I’ve had twenty years to master them!”

“So what, looking to show your old college pals how ghostly you’ve become?”

“Hardly. The life of Vlad Masters was carefully constructed to make it easy to become a social recluse, so I could train these powers and become the most powerful hapha who ever lived. I’m almost there… there was only one who surpassed all others, and he gave up his human half thousands of years ago.”

“Yawn… are you gonna talk all night, or are you going to let me go? I don’t wanna fight you.”

Vlad laughed evilly. “No, you don’t.” He shot a powerful ectoplasmic ray at Danny, sending him across the hallway.

“Man, that ghost ray’s way beyond mine. What’s he eating?”

“Show me what you’ve got, boy, while we’re young!”

“Alright, you asked for it!” said Danny, shooting rays at Vlad. Vlad created a shield to absorb the energy blasts.

“Ectoplasmic energy blasts, how year one of you.”

“It’s been less than a year, give me a break!”

“Don’t you see Danny, you’re a teenage hapha. You have an opportunity to learn and grow faster than I ever could. Tell me child, can you do this yet?” As he said the last words, Vlad split himself into four Vlads, surrounding Danny.

“No, I can’t,” Danny felt outnumbered and outmatched. The four Vlads gave him his first real beating from another ghost, and he turned back into a boy.

“As I suspected, Danny Phantom is Danny Fenton. Well, that oaf and his ghost obsession is always inviting chaos. I mean sure, back then I was the careless one, but he was the one who pulled me into his world. If it weren’t for him and Maddie, I’d be a normal person. I could never be mad at Maddie, but Jack… I can misplace my anger as much as I want, and I feel no guilt whatsoever. It is utterly miraculous! Well, I should probably stop talking to myself and get this kid back in his bed.”

The next day was the night of the reunion. Danny wasn’t sure where Jazz was hanging out, but before he could track her down, Vlad told him to wait in his lab because he has something for his Dad. Danny was unsure, remembering what he believed to be a nightmare, but not wanting to distrust a former friend of his parents. Still, he ventured up there, and waited.

To his surprise, he was ambushed by Skulker, who trapped him in a spectral energy neutralizer. His ghost powers were disabled and he was soon greeted by another familiar face. It was at this moment Skulker seemingly disappeared into the shadows.

“Vlad? I don’t understand…” said Danny. Though he had his suspicions, it was always more satisfying to get an enemy to reveal their secrets. And one of the most vital rules of war, the one Sam always talked about, was that you never interrupt an enemy while they are making a tactical error.

“Of course not, you’re what, fourteen?” said Vlad condescendingly. “I intended to observe my darling Maddie, and test the skills of Jack to see if he is worthy of her, and instead I learn that Danny Phantom is Danny Fenton! His foolishness created another ghost hybrid!” After he said this, he transformed into Vlad Plasmius.

“Listen, I never got to make my offer earlier, because of how weak you turned out to be. But I’ve had ghost powers for twenty years, you know. I could train you, teach you everything I know. And all you’d have to do, is renounce your idiot father.”

“Dude, you are one messed-up fruit loop. That is never going to happen.”

“Very well, Daniel, then I shall part with you with a small freebie. You are a teenage hapha. That means that your ecto-hormones and ecto-pheromones are bound to go beyond anything I ever had to deal with. In short, your ecto-hormones are hormonal impulses unique to ghosts, and different for each ghost. They evolve with life experiences. If you have a lot of sex, those ecto-hormones will regulate in such a way that sex will eventually become necessary for your survival. Inversely, if you abstain from sex, like I do, your hormones will regulate in such a way that having sex could kill you. It is a scary thing, being a ghost. And your ecto-pheromones… they are a radio signal that haphas output. If you are a straight male hapha, then female ghosts will be attracted to you. Of course, some ghosts can resist it, and it does depend somewhat on you and your preferences, too. Well, I’d love to stay and tell you more, but I have a reunion to ruin and blame on Jack… a fool who gets overshadowed easily!”

Jack and Maddie were by the snacks, and met up with Harriet Chin. To describe her, she was asian, black hair, tied in a long ponytail, green eyes, and typically wore a green suit jacket and pants, black shoes, and earrings that matched her suit.

“Harriet, it’s good to see you again,” said Jack.

“Not sure if I can say the same, Jack Fenton,” said Harriet, somewhat dour at the realisation that she was seeing Jack for the first time in twenty years. “Remember your humiliating nickname for me?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, I used to call you Harry Chin! Man, was I clueless! But it’s a little funny though, isn’t it?”

“I never found it funny,” said Harriet.

“I’m sorry, Harriet,” said Maddie.

“Sorry for his behavior, or sorry that you married him?” asked Harriet. “Look, Maddie, your husband’s got his flaws, and I honestly never wanted to see him again, but don’t apologize. On the bright side, it is wonderful to see you again."

Suddenly, the song changed, and Jack recognized it.

“Hey, I remember this one, what was it called?” asked Jack.

“It’s Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order, dear,” said Maddie.

Vlad Plasmius entered the room, invisible to all, and quickly overshadowed Jack.

“Get out of me! Get out of me!” yelled Jack.

“Jack, what’s going on with you?” asked Maddie.

“Possessed by powerful evil ghost. Run, Maddie!” said Jack, before floating in the air.

In the lab, Danny came face to face with the Dairy King’s Ghost, who came up to the box and set him free. He wore typical kingly red and white robes, and a crown made of cheese. He had the glowing green skin of most ghosts. He also sported a thick white mustache, white hair, red eyes, and a short and stout figure.

“Not all ghosts are evil, you know? Now, you’re the hero, so you go save the day. Me? I just need to hide from the Mutton Minister, who is planning to overthrow my Dairy Empire and replace it with a Meat Council.”

“Well thanks for the assist, but it really sounds like some ghosts are really weird.”

“Most are. The evil ones are typically drawn to places that have active ghost portals.”

“Oh great, the ghost troubles are all kind of my Dad’s fault. Better not let Vlad know that, though he probably already does.”

Danny phased through the walls, headed back to the party. When he arrived, he wasted no time in diving straight into his father, who was currently in a valiant effort to rip Plasmius from his body. The resulting push separated both ghosts from Jack’s body.

After Vlad had been successfully pushed out, he chuckled and brushed himself off. “Well, your father has a stronger will than I anticipated, I am impressed. And you, quick thinking on that separation.”

Maddie noticed that Danny Phantom was here, seemingly pitted against the ghost that had overshadowed Jack. Her head began to perform the calculations, going over every detail she knew. Danny Phantom was half-ghost. The DNA of her baby came from a half-ghost with her son’s DNA. Danny was involved in an incident with the ghost portal. Incidences with a ghost portal… Vlad was also involved in an incident with a ghost portal. Was this ghost she was seeing… Vlad?

Maddie and Jack leapt into action, knowing that this ghost was a threat to the safety of everyone who had come to this simple college reunion. Vlad, knowing he was the villain here, decided to do something underhanded, getting a hold of Danny Phantom.

“Make one wrong move and this half-ghost boy dies!” threatened Vlad.

“Well, I’d better be sure to kill you, then,” said Maddie, fiercely protective of the ghost boy she was fairly certain was her actual son. This caught Vlad off guard, who tried to pivot his strategy.

“Wait, you wouldn’t want to kill me either, I’m a half-ghost too…”

Something in his voice and the admission to being half-ghost reinforced her suspicions and she concluded that this half-ghost was Vlad Masters. She suddenly held an indescribable fury at the man who had invited her family into his home only to treat her husband and son so poorly. She looked him in the eye and it scared him.

He saw the look Maddie gave him and knew he had lost any chance of ever winning her heart.

“I’m sorry, my mistake, the brilliant ghost hunter Maddie Fenton is never to be messed with. I truly apologize for my reckless actions and vacate the premises!” he declared before promptly disappearing.

“Ghosts! What an amazing story!” said Harriet. “Wait till I tell the Milwaukee Journal about this!”

“Hold on there, Harriet,” said Jack. “If you wanna run a story about ghosts, submit it to an institution that will take you seriously. The people at Amity Park deal with real ghosts on a semi-regular basis. Maybe that’s a place to start, hm?”

“Thanks for the advice, Jack, I might have to take it. No way am I sitting on a story this exciting just because some mainstream rag won’t believe me!”

After the party ended, the Fentons left along with everyone else. At home, Maddie pulled Danny aside, taking him to his room.

“You and I need to talk, Danny.”

Danny was nervous, and Maddie could sense it. She sighed before letting the cat out of the proverbial bag.

“You are a half-ghost. It was the lab accident, wasn’t it? And please, Danny, do not lie to me.”

“Yes.” Danny went ghost in front of his mother, to show her that she was correct.

“Danny. I am pregnant. Jack is infertile. Were you inside his body that night?”

“I was stuck in there by accident, I didn’t know what else to do… I’m so sorry, Mom!”

Danny was almost tearing up, overwhelmed at the heavy emotions he was feeling as the potential of the consequences faced him. He was more anxious than he had ever been.

“Danny, I’m not mad at you. You’re a ghost boy, stumbling into your powers, trying to figure them out, and fearing your ghost hunting parents. I’m sorry we let this happen to you. Our negligence led to the lab accident. Our passion for ghost-hunting led you to believe that you couldn’t trust us with your secret. My libido prevented me from rationally thinking something was off about that night and not being more sensible about things. Sometimes one thing after another compounds and leads to situations that we don’t want to happen, but they happen, and to waste time regretting them is to waste your life. I won’t lie, that night with you in Jack’s body was the best sex of my life, yet ever since I cannot bring myself to want another night with the man I call my husband. Now, I’m not saying anything between us should or will change, but I am being honest with you, because the baby I now carry is yours, and until I am fully ready to face that truth, for the sake of our family, I will raise it as Jack’s.”

“Mom, this is a lot to take in. I’m gonna be a dad, to my half-sibling, all because I got stuck in my Dad’s body. Well, as long as we are being honest with each other, I figure that I should tell you about the Genie Ghost that became my servant…”

Danny briefly explained the story of Desiree to his Mom, who was shocked by her son’s escapades. He then summoned the ghost, who came out of his bedlamp. She was shocked, and at a loss for how to feel. She wanted to treat this ghost as a creep who took advantage of her son, but she had complicated feelings for him, and felt far from a neutral party in this situation.

“I can’t say I approve of an older ghost lady being involved with you, even if she lets you take control,” said Maddie. “Still, if you two are really happy together then I suppose I can be happy for you.”

“Well, thank you, Mom. If you don’t mind, there are some things I want to discuss with Desiree now, in private.”

Maddie left Danny’s room, to find Jazz just leaving hers. “Mom? What were you doing in Danny’s room?”

“Just talking to my son, my little psychologist,” said Maddie, before excusing herself.

Danny crossed his arms as Desiree hugged him from behind.

“It is so good to see you again, Master,” she said.

“You mentioned before about another hapha. Did you know about Vlad Plasmius?” asked Danny.

“Not much, only whispers going around the Ghost Zone, never met the guy before,” said Desiree.

“Well, he told me a little bit about ecto-pheromones, but mostly about ecto-hormones. So, what do you know?”

“I know a number of things, Master. For one thing, sex bonds two spirits together. In theory, part of my power should now manifest in you. Have you ever tried to turn a human into a ghost? As a hapha, it should work differently than the way I do it. Rather than granting a wish that has tragic consequences, you can just give another person a temporary power-up.”

“Whoa, so I can get more powerful through sex?”

“It’s a shortcut to growth in power. Of course there is the natural drawback of ecto-hormones, as you likely know.”

“Yeah, too much sex will make me dependent on it, right?”

“Yes. Now, your ecto-pheromones have a signal strength that amplifies the more sexual partners you have, ghost or human. Female ghosts will be more attracted to you, though some will have a natural resistance due to their general preferences, such as the Lunch Lady Ghost, who prefers older ghosts.”

“Being a teenage ghost boy sounds more complicated than I ever signed up for.”

“Master, I am here for you, whatever you need. More sex, less sex, if you wish it, so shall it be.”

“How did I get an older woman to be so loyal to me? Is this just the ecto-pheromones?”

“No, this is more than that, Master. You made my wish come true. All I ever wanted was someone I could love and serve with my whole heart, and you have given me that, if even for a brief moment. You could turn me away now if you so desired and I would never hate or resent you for it.”

“That won’t be necessary, Desiree. I kind of like having a ghost girlfriend who is looking out for me like you do.”

Desiree wrapped Danny up in a front-facing hug, burying his face in her large breasts.

“Thank you, Master! I promise to be the best ghost girlfriend you’ll ever have!”

Danny moved his head out from Desiree’s chest so he could speak.

“With any luck, the only ghost girlfriend I’ll ever have. But if this ecto-pheromone stuff is real, I fear I’m in for a real headache of a life in the coming years. And my human love life was complex enough…”

“I know it troubles you to be destined for such a complex life… but yours shall bear the sweetest fruits, my love. I am sure that I will be far from the only woman, ghost or human, willing to help you through this, and be there for you.”

“I hope you’re right, Desiree, because it all feels so much bigger than I can handle.”

“That is how every new journey feels at the beginning. Both the human brain and ghost brain are not designed to envision one’s own greatness. Either the power corrupts, or you doubt you even deserve it. But rarely, a person who can walk the line between madness and misery comes along and achieves true greatness. At least, that is my opinion from what I have seen in the hundreds of years I have wandered this Earth.”

“Your perspective seems very wise to me, and very reassuring, Desiree.”

Danny grabbed her face, and leaned into a kiss. She happily returned, as she had not been granted an opportunity to kiss her Master yet. She blushed heavily, internally doing backflips as she felt a new milestone had been reached in their relationship.

“Alright, as soon as I can, I have to deal with the fact that Sam and Tucker caught us that one time,” said Danny.

Chapter Text

Danny was hanging out with friends at Tucker’s house, talking with them about recent events.

“Danny, you don’t have to apologize to us, we’re the ones that walked in on you,” said Tucker. “Though Sam’s reaction is still something that puzzles me, personally.”

“Guys, I was upset, I admit that. And when Danny and his family fucked off to Wisconsin for a week and a half, it gave me the time I needed to get a little clarity on why I reacted that way,” said Sam. “Danny, I love you. And I know our friendship is a valuable thing, but I can’t bury these feelings anymore. Would you be my boyfriend?”

“Sam, I just entered a relationship with Desiree,” said Danny.

“Duh, I figured. But come on Danny, do you really intend on being monogamous with a harem girl? I don’t know what your future holds, but I gotta be part of it before anyone else.”

“Why though?” asked Tucker. “If you’re going to be Danny’s girlfriend, does it matter if you’re his second or third or even later?”

“You’re a pervert, Tucker, so you don’t think about people’s emotions as a legitimate factor. But yes, this is important. Every girl who grows closer to Danny than I am, before I can get that close, is a claw sinking into my heart.”

“Wait a minute, Sam, you’re okay with the whole harem thing? I thought you were expecting you and I to be monogamous,” said Danny.

“You’ve already got a complex love life, I don’t think I could rein you in if I tried. Just be honest with me, and don’t go behind my back, okay? I don’t need all the details, just to know what you are up to,” said Sam.

“Well, one thing I haven’t had a chance to tell you guys yet is that Desiree thinks I should have some of her power now. Do you mind if I test it out on one of you?”

“Okay, but if this is an untested power, do it on Tucker first,” said Sam.

“Hey! I was going to volunteer… but the way Sam put it made me sound like a crash test dummy,” said Tucker.

Danny held out his hand as Desiree had explained to him and thought about giving Tucker ghost powers. Tucker turned intangible and started to fall through the floor, before he caught himself and flew back up through it.

“Wow, I can be Tucker Phantom again?” asked Tucker.

Danny then thought about removing the powers. “Not so fast, Tucker, you need to earn my trust before I’ll just give you those powers. I can give and take them away from whoever I choose, and they are temporary anyway. I just needed to confirm this power was real, now that we know, if I ever need you two to help me out in a ghost fight, we have an option.”

“Unless you train us, I’m not sure how useful this power will be in a fight. We aren’t half-ghosts, we don’t have your experience with these powers,” said Sam.

“Yes, well, it’s something we can consider, at least,” said Danny.

“Speaking of something to consider,” said Sam, “do you think you and I could have sex soon?”

“Sam, stop treating me like a third wheel,” said Tucker. “Asking such a personal question while I’m still here is just rude.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t love it, perv,” said Sam. “If it’s such a problem, you could always leave.”

“You’re in my room, Sam. My parents would get suspicious if I just left you two alone in here.”

“Well, Tucker’s outburst aside,” said Danny, “I think I can pencil you in sometime soon. But aren’t we rushing things a little?”

“I can’t let your chaotic life get another jump on me. I’m done with the what-ifs and the why-nots, Danny. You and I need to get together before you find yourself with anyone else and my heart has to relive what it felt when I walked in on you and Desiree.”

“Okay, I get the picture. We’ll have sex soon, okay Sam? Just give me time to prepare, and I promise I won’t have sex with anyone else before having sex with you.”

The awkward conversation abruptly ended there, and after an equally awkward silence, they said their farewells and Danny and Sam both returned to their respective homes.

It was two days from Jack and Maddie’s 18th Anniversary, and Jack was putting the finishing touches on the wrapping for his present. “Yes Danny boy, I’d have to be some sort of cartoon character to forget my own wedding anniversary, thankfully this box houses the perfect gift for eighteen great years of marriage.”

As they were down in the lab, the Ghost Portal opened and the Box Ghost flew out.

“Beware! I am the Box Ghost! And if my eyes do not deceive me, you have there a wonderful package that would make a fine addition to my personal collection!” said the Box Ghost.

“Oh no you don’t, ghost, that package contains my wife’s anniversary present!” said Jack.

“You cannot boss me around, ghost hunter Jack Fenton and his little boy!” The Box Ghost snatched up the present and prepared to fly back into the portal. “If you want this present, you’ll have to come find me in the Ghost Zone!”

Box Ghost coyote-zoomed into the portal, and Danny ran straight after him without thinking.

“Danny wait, what are you doing?” asked Jack.

“Leave it to me, Dad!” said Danny before he disappeared into the ghost portal.

Jack held his hand on his head and sighed. “Well, better finish that Spectre Speeder and go in after him”.

In the Ghost Zone, Danny went ghost, thinking it would be better to go in as a ghost than a human. He saw the Box Ghost flying away and followed him through a door to a realm filled with boxes.

“Ah, Danny Phantom! Welcome to the lair of the Box Ghost! Have you come to learn how folded cardboard will be your doom?”

“You just stole someone’s anniversary present. I’m here to get it back!”

“Strange, you are not usually so on top of these things. I have stolen many items from your world, all due to their exceptional packaging!” said the Box Ghost.

“Wait, but what do you do with the contents?” asked Danny.

“Usually I give it back once I am safe to extract it from the box!” said the Box Ghost, a ghostly wail emphasizing some words.

“So, you’ll give the anniversary gift back, you just want the box?”

“Yes, I can give you the contents of the box to return to that fool of a ghost hunter!”

Before any of that could happen, though, the Box Ghost received a knock on his door.

“Who could that be at this time?” wondered the Box Ghost.

The Box Ghost answered the door to find two ghost policemen at his door. “Oh great, ghost cops. Can I help you officers?”

“We have suspicion to believe you have been pilfering human world items, a violation of the Ghost Code.”

“Oh, looks like your box collection may not be up to code,” said Danny.

“Shut up, Danny, for your own good!” said the Box Ghost.

“Is that Danny Phantom, the half-phantom boy?” asked one police officer.

“Why yes I am. How can I help you officers?”

“You’re under arrest. Haphas are not allowed in the Ghost Zone.”

Before Danny could react or process what was happening, he was arrested and taken to Walker’s Maximum Security Prison.

The Ghost Warden, Walker, was looking over his prisoner files. To describe Walker, he wore a white suit with a black tie, black gloves, black boots, black belt, and black hat. His face was a skull with completely green eyes.

Due to his excellent memory, a description of his inmates was enough to bring a picture to mind, and as such, Walker never used photo references in his files, only having names, crimes, and notes. For now, he had nine names to review.

Technus
Crime(s): Hacking Prison Systems, Freeing Prisoners
Notes: Has possible ally on the outside, but refuses to say anything

Johnny 13
Crime(s): Abuse of Natural Laws (Luck)
Notes: His shadow has a mind of its own and has been kept under special spectral restraint

Klemper
Crime(s): Harrassment, Public Menace
Notes: Fairly harmless, but his continued pestering of others in search of a friend has landed him here

Ember McLain
Crime(s): Spectral Arson
Notes: Out on parole for good behavior, though suspected to be plotting something in the real world

Skulker
Crime(s): Hunting Ghosts for Sport
Notes: Escaped due to Technus’ actions. Potentially working with someone on the outside

Vlad Plasmius
Crime(s): Suspicion of Hapha Trespassing
Notes: Known hapha. May have ambitions that make him a threat to all living things

Danny Phantom
Crime(s): Hapha Trespassing
Notes: Young, well-meaning, tries to do good, potential to be a force for justice

Lydia
Crime(s): Terrorism
Notes: Uses living tattoos to torture other ghosts, wants to leave the Ghost Zone, does not speak

Box Ghost
Crime(s): Theft of Real World Objects
Notes: Fairly harmless, but the law must be respected

Danny was brought to his cell, where he met his cellmate Klemper. To describe Klemper, he had blue skin, blond hair, red eyes, and usually wore pink pajamas that were vertically striped.

Danny noticed that as he stepped into the prison cell, both he and Klemper’s clothes changed to a black-and-white horizontal stripe prison uniform. He wondered if only prisoners could see the uniforms, and free ghosts just saw the regular attire.

“Will you be my friend?” asked the strange ghost to Danny.

“I don’t even know your name,” said Danny.

“My name is Klemper. So will you be my friend?” asked the insistent ghost.

“No, I already have friends, sorry.” Danny wasn’t trying to mean, he just honestly wasn’t looking to make friends, least of all with this strange ghost he had just met.

At lunch, in the cafeteria, Danny looked forlorn when a group of prisoners came to join him at his table.

“Why the long face, hapha?” asked Johnny 13, one of the ghosts that had come to sit next to him.

To describe Johnny 13, he had pale skin like a rotted corpse, blond hair, and wore biker gear consisting of black gloves, grey boots, and grey jacket over a white shirt and black pants. He also wore a green skull pendant.

Of course, after a brief moment, his clothing changed to another prison uniform in Danny’s eyes, confirming to him that it was his perception that was being altered in real time, and he wondered how this was being achieved.

“Oh, I just am missing my life in the real world. I need to return Dad’s anniversary gift to Mom, and then get serious with my second girlfriend, Sam. It still feels weird to say that aloud, but yes, I have two girlfriends. Which reminds me, I haven’t spoken with Desiree since she became my girlfriend… which was only a few days ago, but still…”

“Alright, he didn’t ask for your life story, chill before you spill,” said Technus, who had also taken a seat with the rest of them.

“Girls, huh?” said Johnny 13. “Yeah, I got a girl on the outside. Her name’s Kitty. She’s a rockin’ babe like no-one else.”

“I too, hold affections for the female ghost form,” said the Box Ghost, who was also sat at the table. “Believe it or not, I have been going steady with the Lunch Lady Ghost.”

“Really? You and the Lunch Lady?” asked Danny. “I’m happy for you two, Box Ghost, even if that’s a bit weird to picture.”

A female ghost that was sat next to them held up a picture of a man with albino skin, red eyes, heavy eyeshadow, and crooked teeth. Some of the ghosts were surprised.

“Are you in love with a human, Lydia?” asked Technus. She nodded before he continued, “Well, love comes in all forms.”

To describe Lydia, she was a green ghost with completely red eyes, the only hair she had to speak of was five spikes of black hair from ear to ear. She had multiple earrings on each ear, and a nosering. She wore a black corset, black cuffs, black trunks that were short enough they could be confused for underwear, and black boots. She also usually had a red cloak that she could use to cover herself. She had tattoos of various animals, that appeared to move around on her body. Her usual attire was replaced by a prison uniform shortly after Danny began looking at her.

Technus paused, making sure that only their table could hear what he was about to say. “I am planning on an escape soon. I can get all of us out, but for the hapha, it will cost him one favor at a time of my choosing.”

“Come on Technus, don’t be so predictably ominous, surely I can owe you a favor without it being some weird thing,” said Danny, trying to hide how unsettled he was by the idea of owing Technus a favor.

Technus explained the plan to the five of them, and they all returned to their cells.

“Will you be my friend?” asked Klemper.

“Would you quit asking me that? I told you no, that answer’s not going to change,” said Danny.

“Would you help me get out of here?”

“That, I think can be arranged. Just be quiet and follow my lead.”

Technus hacked into the prison systems, and created a virtual tunnel overlaid on top of the prison, accessible by any prisoner that knew where to look for an entry point. Conveniently, the points of entry were set up so that Technus, Box Ghost, Johnny 13, Lydia, Danny Phantom, and Klemper, could escape fairly quickly without notice.

On the outside, Danny met up with Box Ghost and went back to his lair.

“That was some escape huh? Though the actual escaping part was pretty boring, just a bunch of crawling through secret tunnels until we were free,” said Danny. “Now give me my Dad’s anniversary present and I’ll get out of here.”

“Yes, and for your trouble, take its magnificent packaging, too! I realize now that my collection of fine packages is not worth going to prison for! I will start returning them to the real world now!”

“I am too exhausted to care about anything to do with you,” said Danny, before taking his Dad’s present and leaving.

He returned through the ghost portal, turning back to a human just before passing through, to find Jack and Maddie working on the Spectre Speeder.

“Danny! You’re safe! And you got the present! Aren’t you full of surprises!” said Jack enthusiastically.

“Sweetie, time flows different in the Ghost Zone,” said Maddie. “I’m not sure how long you think you were gone, but it’s been three days. I thought Jack had forgotten our anniversary, and when I came in, he said you were stuck in the Ghost Zone! I was so worried, because no matter how capable you may be, the Ghost Zone is dangerous!”

“I’m alright, Mom and Dad, but I think if it’s all the same to you, I’ll go to my room.”

Danny laid on his bed, deep in thought about the ordeal he had just been through. He had let several ghosts go free… and he owed Technus a favor. Both of those things somewhat unsettled him.

As these thoughts died down, he remembered what he wanted to do. He called for Desiree.

“You wish to see me, Master?” she asked.

“Yeah, just thought I should check, but are we monogamous?”

“Danny… you could bed every woman you’ve ever known, and I would love you no less for it. If this is about that girl who saw us earlier… I think she would be a fine addition to your love life.”

“Great. Oh, and we should make love again soon, if you think we need to.”

“Do not worry about such things, Master. I know you keep busy. Whenever you want to love me, I will be there.”

“Oh, and earlier I was thinking about something I had experienced while in the Ghost Zone. Desiree, what do you know about Walker?”

“Oh, what any ghost who has spent time in the Ghost Zone knows. He is a self-imposed authority, as his ghostly desire is to impose his will upon others. In life, he was a prison warden who was burned alive in a prison riot. He maintains his prison and authority through his sheer force of will. Ghosts allow his reign as Ghost Warden because it does bring some level of order to the Ghost Zone, even if many think that he has been getting an over-inflated ego as of late.”

“Yeah, I ended up in his prison and never even met the guy. I guess I can understand a bit more why ghosts have been breaking out of the Ghost Zone more and more lately.”

“Well, it also has a lot to do with the relative ease that the real world allows a ghost to realize their unfulfilled dreams.”

“This conversation is interesting, but I kind of want to go somewhere now. Talk to you later, Desiree.”

“Until later, my beloved Master.”

Danny flies off as a ghost, headed for Sam’s house. He arrives in her room, to find her turning in her sheets.

“Sam, are you okay?”

At hearing Danny’s voice, Sam shot up and looked at him, her face showing a clear lack of sleep and presence of worry.

“No I’m not okay, where have you been? You disappeared again!”

“My parents didn’t say anything? I got stuck in the Ghost Zone for three days. I went to Ghost Prison. Anyway, I’m back to have sex with you, but it looks like you’re not in the best headspace right now…”

“Look, Danny, I’ve been worried sick these past few days, I am not gonna let that stop me from getting the action I’ve been waiting for. Let’s do it, here and now, before anything can get in our way.”

“What about your parents?”

“Grandma’s the only one home right now, and she won’t hear us if we’re not in the same room.”

Sam undressed, and the sight excited Danny, and motivated him to follow her lead. Once they were both naked, they awkwardly looked at each other as they realized the reality of the moment they were in.

“Sam, do you want this?” asked Danny.

“More than I can put into words, Danny,” said Sam.

The building tension and anticipation up until that point had Danny’s dick standing at full mast, which he hadn’t really noticed until he was positioned above Sam as she lay on the bed. He lined his cock up to her pussy, which she was spreading with her index fingers, and he pushed into her as carefully as he could.

“Should we have done foreplay first?” asked Danny.

“Danny, I don’t need it, anytime I think about you, I feel more than ready down there.”

“Yeah, I wish I could say the same, but up until you said it, I never dared to think about the possibility. You were my friend first and foremost, and I wanted to respect that.”

“I appreciate that Danny, but I’d been aching for you for almost a year now… denying my feelings to preserve our friendship, and letting myself find an outlet for my pain in my rebellious activism. And though I still want to change the world in some way, I don’t think I need to be so self-righteous about it. I just need my boyfriend to love me… okay, Danny?”

“Well, if that’s how you view it, that’s more than okay, because I love you, Sam.”

As he finished talking, he had also finished pushing in.

“Wow, I can really feel you inside me. Hey, Danny, this might sound weird, and maybe regular sex might be better for our first time, but do you think we could… be floating and invisible?”

“Not sure I have enough control over my powers to pull something like that off yet. But you’re pretty kinky, Sam. I didn’t know you had this side to you. We could definitely table something like that for later.”

“Good. Now are you going to move? Because I’m ready to feel it moving…”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Danny was still relatively new to sex. He had let his mother take the lead when he was in Jack’s body, and he had gone with the flow with Desiree, though something about him that time was off, like he was channeling her desires into himself, or something like that. He had been meaning to ask her about that.

Danny started moving inside Sam, and was amazed at how different it felt. He realized he had never had sex with a human as himself, and that was a major factor. His own dick inside a human pussy, that was a feeling he had never felt before. In addition, there was the probable uniqueness of each person to consider. Sam’s vaginal walls felt soft and warm on his skin, and he could reach about five inches deep before hitting her cervix.

“Danny! It feels so good!” said Sam in between moans as Danny thrusted in and out of her.

“Sam! I concur!” said Danny as the pleasure built and he felt waves of disbelief that this moment was even real.

Sam wrapped her arms and legs around Danny and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss. He only broke the kiss when he was getting close and wanted to let her know. Sam cut him off with her own words.

“Inside, Danny! I don’t care about the risk, you can take one with me Danny, if your Mom and Desiree can get creampied, then you’d better do the same for me!”

Sam knew she was being reckless, but it was the kind of rebelliousness she needed in her life. Becoming a teen Mom would make her parents flip, though she would have no idea what lengths they would really go to.

Danny was a little scared to come inside this time, he had some more agency and more ability to worry about the consequences of his actions, and was unsure of what to do. But this indecisiveness ended up deciding for him, as he climaxed in tandem with Sam, whilst still inside her.

He lay partially on top, partially next to her, as they cuddled and he rested a hand on one of her breasts. They lay like this for a while, not saying anything, just enjoying each other’s company, until Danny eventually broke the silence.

“So, was that good for you?”

“Dork! Do you even need to ask? That was everything I could have hoped for!”

“Great. I, uh, think I need to get home before my parents notice that I’m gone.”

“You know we’ve been lying like this for hours now, right? Go on, go home already, I’ll still be yours next time you see me.”

Danny chuckled nervously and got dressed before going ghost again, so that his human clothes would be retained when he returned to his home.

Maddie and Jack were talking in their bed about their marriage.

“Listen Jack, you gave me an excellent gift as always, but I need to be honest with you. Lately, I’ve been feeling, more platonically in love with you, if that makes sense,” said Maddie.

“It strangely does. I’ve been in need of a real friend for some time, just a friend, not someone I have sex with, and that last time we had sex, I didn’t remember it, but I have a suspicion now as to why.”

“Oh?” Maddie seemed intrigued that her husband was figuring something out on his own. Of course, he could do that from time to time, but he had a tendency to be clueless at times, and a genius at others, and many times it was a coin flip as to which.

“When that evil ghost from Vlad’s mansion tried to overshadow me… I realized that the night you had the best sex of your life, I had given Danny a hug, and then suddenly felt the presence of a scared and confused ghost boy. I wanted to help him out, but before I knew it, my lack of resistance had left me unconscious and him in control.”

“Jack… our Danny is Danny Phantom. It was the lab accident. And him being in your body was also an accident.”

“Well that all tracks. Is there anything else I should know regarding that night?”

“Jack… I’ve been trying to find ways to tell you, but I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant, and I’m infertile, though Danny was in my body…”

“I’ve already done the tests, the baby is Danny’s.”

“Hoo boy, what a mess. Well, in a family with a ghost kid, I suppose these things can happen… what do you want to do, dear?”

“I want to keep the baby, obviously. If you’re up for it, raise the baby as your own? At least while I sort out my complicated feelings for Danny.”

“Complicated feelings for Danny?” asked Jack, amazed at the string of words his wife had just said to him.

“Ever since that night, I think a part of me recognized it wasn’t fully you that I was having sex with, and has started to see my little boy as a young man. I got jealous when I learned that he has a girlfriend…”

“He has a girlfriend? She’d better be treating him right, and he’d better treat her right… I can’t even think, he has a girlfriend?”

“Jack, that’s a conversation for another time. My point is, I love my son, probably more than a mother should… and I want to know what to do about that before I properly face that this baby is Danny’s, and preferably before I bring this baby into the world.”

“Maddie, if you want my advice, I will always love you, and be there for you, as your husband. So figure out what kind of relationship you really want to have with our son and be honest with me when you figure it out. We can decide from there what to do. In the mean time, maybe our relationship could be purely romantic, with no sex involved?”

“Yes, that all sounds reasonable. Thank you for being so understanding, Jack.”

“You make it so easy to understand you, Maddie, just by being you.”

Meanwhile, at Vlad’s mansion, Vlad Plasmius, Skulker, and Technus met up together.

“Technus, glad you could make it,” said Vlad.

“No thanks to you. I hack Walker’s systems to get Skulker out, and you two just leave me in there?” said Technus.

“I was hatching a plan, though I also considered you would eventually break out on your own. Remember that it is a risk for a hapha like me to even enter the Ghost Zone.”

“Look, I admire the vote of confidence, but what is all of this about? Why should I or Skulker be working for you?”

“You are not working for me, you are working with me. And the goal?” Vlad paused to laugh evilly. “Why, world domination, of course! Does that not sound like fun?”

“And what about the do-gooder boy and his parents?”

“They may stand in our way, but with our combined might, as well as those we may recruit along the way, we shall soon be the most unstoppable coalition of ghostly allies the world has ever seen.”

“So, what do we do first?” asked Skulker.

Vlad Plasmius smiled, eager to reveal his plan to his new allies, but also understanding that trust is vital. He figured this first test would be a good indicator of who he could trust with his full plan.

Chapter Text

Jazz had been worried about her brother a lot lately… she had started to get those feelings confused as of late, but she recently realized her increased concern started at the time of the accident. Her brother had nearly died and she became overprotective. She had overlooked the obvious and came to think of him differently. Regardless of how she got here, she had a long-time distrust of Danny’s friends, and a suspicion that Danny was hiding something, something that was different about himself. She intended to find out more about his problems, if she could, and help, if she could, though she feared that she would be of no help, because if he were keeping something from her, what reason would he have to do so?

“Casper High Spirit Week! The best week of May, possibly ever!” said Mr. Lancer. “Jazz, I can count on you to give you the keynote pep speech at our centennial Spirit-a-thon, right?”

“Of course, Mr. Lancer,” said Jazz, pulled out of her ruminating on what to do about Danny.

“Good, because for some bizarre reason, school spirit has been unusually low lately. I mean, just look at Dash and Kwan over there!” Mr. Lancer gestured at Dash and Kwan who were by their lockers looking miserable.

“Oh man, Kwan, it kinda bums me out that I’ll never amount to anything,” said Dash.

“Yeah, well, I’m probably gonna die alone, or worse, married to someone who makes me feel alone,” said Kwan.

“Yikes,” said Jazz. “There’s some seriously glaring self-esteem issues, but they seem fairly recent.”

“Yes, it’s odd, since I sent them to the school counselor because they were being antisocial, but they’ve only gotten worse.”

Before Mr. Lancer and Jazz could talk any further and start putting the pieces together, the bell for class rang.

Tucker is wearing Ember McLain merchandise while listening to her single and singing along to it.

“Ember, you will remember…” sang Tucker, horribly.

“Tucker, your singing is terrible,” said Danny bluntly.

Mr. Lancer, on his way to his office, passed by Sam, Tucker, and Danny. He let Danny go to class while he talked to Sam and Tucker about their attire.

“Well, well, Sam, you are all dressed in black, and Tucker, you have these… merchandise items, neither of these is appropriate for Spirit Week. You two should go see Dr. Spectra,” said Mr. Lancer.

Mr. Lancer moves on, trusting the two to go to a counseling session later that day, or face detention. Jazz passed by Sam and Tucker, and decided to confront them about Danny.

“Jazz, we’re Danny’s friends. That means we keep his secrets from you,” said Sam. “I know you’re worried, but Danny’s okay, he’s just got some things he keeps to himself. It’s part of growing older.”

This surprised Jazz. She hadn’t considered that maybe she didn’t need to know everything he was up to, and if his secret was that he was sexually active, well that could explain some things, and she figured she should respect his privacy.

“Well, as long as he has people he can talk to…” said Jazz, realizing that perhaps she had long misjudged Sam and Tucker. Sure, Sam had an attitude problem, and Tucker was a pervert, but they seemed to be otherwise trustworthy friends.

After classes, Sam and Tucker went to the counselor. “Hi, I’m Dr. Penelope Spectra,” said a youthful-looking older woman in a chipper tone. To describe Spectra, she was white, had fiery red hair in a horn-like shape, green eyes, dark sunglasses, purple lipstick and eyeshadow, round purple earrings, and wore a red suit jacket over a white shirt and black tie, and matching mini skirt and high heels. Sam was immediately uncomfortable around her, and Tucker was drooling.

“Ah, I see why you two got sent to me today,” said Spectra after looking at them. She got behind Sam, touching her shoulders. “Antisocial, needs to learn how to be more comfortable with people who are not like her.” She then moved to Tucker, also standing behind him and touching his shoulders. “And you are a hopeless pervert who no-one will ever love.”

“Hey!” said Tucker, before immediately feeling sad. “Y-you might be right.”

“The truth hurts, but it’s always important to face it head on. The first step to improving is to admit you have a problem.”

Sam gave a weird look as she noticed that as Tucker’s mood seemed to dampen, Spectra seemed to bask in his sadness, and take it in. She wondered why she barely felt any difference.

“Hm, the gothic girl needs to learn how to have a more positive disposition, but that’s not something I can teach. Well, I think for the two of you, that’s all for now,” said Dr. Spectra.

After she had removed the two teens from her office, she thought to herself that Sam Manson had soul-bonded with a hapha. As she thought, the rumors of the hapha being at this school were true. Perhaps she could have the ideal alternative she was hoping for. She smiled to herself as a plan formed in her head.

Danny came home from school, with a plan to talk to Desiree. Instead, he was intercepted by his sister, who wanted to talk to him. He wasn’t sure what this would be about, but decided to give his sister the time of day.

“Danny, I’m not sure what you’re going through or why you won’t talk to me about it, but just know that I trust you to have your reasons, and if there’s anything you think a qualified professional should know about, it wouldn’t hurt to talk to someone, for example the school counselor.”

“Well, I’ll think about it,” said Danny. Danny thought about his experience, seeing the other kids leave Spectra’s office feeling miserable. Perhaps he should go, not for himself, but to determine if Penelope Spectra was draining peoples’ spirits.

The next day, Danny would pay a visit to Dr. Spectra’s office. To his surprise, she immediately knew who he was and why he was here. It seemed she had no intention of hiding herself from him, confronting his suspicions head-on.

“Danny Fenton. Or should I say Danny Phantom?” said Spectra. “The hapha and his lovers are immune to the adverse health effects of mind-altering ghosts. You probably suspected me since your girlfriend came here earlier, right? Well, yes, I am a ghost, and I have been feeding off of teen misery! You kids make it way too easy!”

Penelope paused and looked deep into Danny’s eyes. “But there’s something I want more than teen misery, something that can work for my purposes way better…”

Danny gulped and turned ghost. He felt something come over him that he could not explain.

“You want this, don’t you?” asked Danny, as he phased away his ghost pants and motioned to his erect cock.

“Oh my,” said Spectra playfully. “You’re a good-natured hapha, so one ability you seem to be developing is the advanced ghost sense - an ability to understand the needs of other ghosts. It’s particularly effective when there is attraction involved.”

“Huh. At least now I know why I get so forward during sex with ghosts,” said Danny.

“Oh Danny, am I not your first? Mm… the rumors say that Desiree found herself a man. If you could tame her, then I want you even more now…”

Danny grabbed one of her hair horns and hissed at her. “You talk too much, hag, now suck my dick!”

Spectra smiled slyly and took Danny’s dick in her mouth without hesitation. After bobbing back and forth on it, she then started to take it all the way down her throat. She pulled back and stepped back from Danny, taking a moment to reveal her ghost form, a paler skinned version of her human disguise, with a black crop top and pants, and green gloves and boots that seemed to meld into the black clothes. These clothes did not stay on her long, as she phased out of them to reveal her ghostly naked body.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about, bitch, now spread that pussy for me!”

Spectra floated above her desk and spread her pussy lips with her index and middle fingers. “Come on Danny, your dick’s new home is waiting for you…”

Danny lined his dick up and pushed in, and he once again grabbed Spectra’s hair horn, causing her to moan with pleasure.

“Know your place, bitch! You’ll never be my favorite, you won’t even come close! You like it when people are miserable? Well how about this: you spend as long as I live getting off to being miserable yourself!” He began moving inside her, picking a hard and fast pace that he knew she would love.

“Works for me, Master,” said Spectra. “As long as you’ll service me and keep me young… sex with you is like the fountain of youth! I don’t even need anything else, and there’s no downside for you, either!”

“Except that I have to have sex with you, bitch!”

Spectra moaned again as he called her that. “When this is over and your head is cleared, please tell me how you really feel. Until then, I’ll admit I find it sexy to be rejected by a man while he is actively fucking me.”

Danny continued to have his way with her, and waves of pleasure overtook her. She wrapped her legs around his waist as she felt him getting close to orgasm.

“Danny… I’m not sure what you know about ghost anatomy, perhaps you never asked Desiree about it… but a ghost girl can’t get pregnant unless she wants to, and she can get pregnant from any hole, because all she has to do, is create an egg in her womb and then phase the sperm directly to it. Right now, it’s completely safe for you to come inside…”

Danny let the pleasure build and finished inside Spectra, who smiled at him as his head began to clear.

“So, Danny, do you hate little old me for abusing my position and for wanting you above all else?” asked Spectra.

“I think, you’re pretty messed up… but I also think you’re sexy. Maybe it’s just because I’ve had sex with you, that I can’t bring myself to hate you, beyond what I might say when we’re getting intimate. Maybe I want to give you another chance to be less of a misery vampire, and more of a good friend.”

“That is more than I likely deserve, Master,” said Spectra, as she assumed her clothed human disguise once more. “By the way, you can call me Spectra, or Penelope if you prefer, though no-one’s really called me Penelope since my days as a hapha.”

“You’re a hapha?”

“I was, but I gave up my human half to avoid persecution during the witch trials. I spent many years in darkness, but in recent decades, was given a new lease on ghost life thanks to a young bratty ghost named Ember. Well, I soon learned she was plotting something big, and I had to come here to try and get ahead of her. I don’t need misery to keep a youthful appearance, it was a two birds, one stone situation. If these kids were miserable, Ember’s plan would fail. Please promise me Danny, that you’ll put a stop to her plans, where I could not.”

“Damn, all of that seems pretty hard to believe… wait, are you talking about Ember McLain?”

“Yes, try to stop as many kids as you can from listening to her new single and turning into fanatics.”

“It just sounds like she’s a normal pop-star. What’s the problem?”

“It’s not something I can fully explain to you, ghostly etiquette and all. But trust me, she’s up to no good.”

After school, Jazz saw Danny run off into an alleyway and discretely followed him.

“I’m going ghost!” said Danny as he transformed into Danny Phantom.

Jazz saw this and immediately recognized that this was likely one of, if not the only, big secret Danny had been keeping from her. She decided that she would not confront him or his friends on it, and let him have his secret identity.

She then had an intrusive thought that she couldn’t shake. If Dad was infertile, how did Mom get pregnant?

Later that day, Jazz pulled her mother into her room for a private talk.

“Say, hypothetically, Danny was half-ghost…” started Jazz.

Maddie raised an eyebrow and cut off her daughter. “Then, hypothetically, it’s his business whether or not he tells us. Though keeping secrets can lead to awkward problems between family…”

“Okay, forget the hypotheticals. I saw Danny turn into a ghost. Do you know about him?”

Maddie sighed, wondering if it was a good idea to let Jazz know about her brother’s powers. Well, perhaps it would be best if the whole family knew, in order to prevent any future accidents.

“He’s a half-ghost, dear,” said Maddie. “Been that way since the lab accident. Is there a reason you came to me instead of Danny about this?”

“I want him to tell me when he’s ready. But I needed to know if you knew, because you’re really smart, Mom. And I also… suspected something was up with your pregnancy.”

Maddie sighed again, the complicated reality of the situation continuing to hit her in the face. “Yes… Danny got stuck in Jack’s body, and had sex with me to avoid suspicion. It’s a mess of a situation, but at least everyone involved understands as much and no-one is in the dark about it anymore.”

“Dad knows about Danny, too?” asked Jazz. This surprised her, as her father didn’t seem like the type to be able to come to conclusions on interpersonal matters on his own.

“He figured it out when he resisted that evil ghost at Vlad’s mansion. I haven’t proven it yet, but I suspect that the ghost that tried to possess him was Vlad himself. Vlad was in a lab accident, too, a much worse one than Danny’s.”

“This is a lot to process,” said Jazz, as she slumped a bit.

“I understand honey, but don’t slouch,” said Maddie, gently straightening her daughter’s posture by placing her hands under Jazz’s arms and lifting her up.

“Mom!” groaned Jazz. “I can straighten my own back, I’m not a kid anymore!”

“Hm, I’d like to say you’ll always be my kid, but there’s an elephant in the room I’m always trying to avoid…”

Jazz was about to ask her Mom what she meant when Maddie surprised her daughter with a kiss on the mouth. The kiss was deep and passionate, the sign of a broken taboo, and though it seemed to last a long time, it was broken as quickly as it started, and was barely twice as long as that in the middle.

“I see the beautiful people you and Danny are growing into, and think more about you than a Mom is supposed to. After the incident with Danny being stuck in Jack’s body, and us being together in that photo shoot… I can barely keep it together and be the responsible Mom that I think I should be…”

“Mom, you are beautiful, and you have no need to be ashamed. I must admit, my feelings for you and Danny are also complex, and let me tell you, hating yourself for it or holding yourself back will only lead to more heartache than necessary. Now, I’m not saying we should try to pressure Danny into a relationship with either of us…”

“Good, because he has a girlfriend.”

Jazz blinked, a bit surprised by that knowledge, but quickly regained her composure and continued her speech. “What I am saying though, is that we should perhaps consider our next steps very carefully. Perhaps in the absence of Danny, you and I could grow closer, if that interests you…”

“It’s not in the absence of Danny that I would want to grow closer to you, Jazz,” said Maddie. “I want to grow closer to you, because of you. You’re my wonderful, intelligent, thoughtful, loving daughter.”

Jazz smiled at her mother and then made a decision which she would soon share.

“Mom, I don’t know the details of Danny’s love life, but I believe we should do our best to stay out of it, unless he wants us in it. And yes, you and I can have a relationship, independent of how we feel about Danny.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. Now, I’ll have to keep your father in the loop. He may no longer be a sexual partner of mine, but he is still my husband, and I still love him, and I have no desire to hide things from him.”

“I understand, Mom. Do what you need to do.” Jazz kissed her Mom on the cheek before the latter left the room.

Jazz lay back on her bed and thought to herself, what a mess. She needed to masturbate again.

The next day was the day of the speech, and Jazz delivered it perfectly to a standing ovation. It seems the depressive states of all the students who had seen Dr. Spectra had now been reversed.

Later that evening, Penelope Spectra met with Mr. Lancer.

“You’re resigning?” asked Mr. Lancer. “Is there a problem?”

Penelope Spectra laid her confession on the table, showing her ghost form, and admitting she was not a real psychologist nor did she have the student’s best interest in mind. She apologized for her inexcusable behavior and disappeared through the floor.

Mr. Lancer was in shock, but looked at the letter of resignation and figured it was probably for the best.

Danny was about to hop into bed when a feminine voice cleared her throat behind him. He turned to see Spectra in her ghost form floating beside the bed. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his right thumb and index finger.

“Welcome home, Penelope, we can cuddle tonight, but tomorrow morning, we’ll discuss your living arrangements.”

Chapter Text

“Greetings, Mr. Fenton, how might I help you today?” asked Mr. Lancer, who had agreed to meet with Jack after hours to discuss concerns about the school.

“Rumor is you hired a ghost as the school counselor. Firstly, is that true? And if yes, then secondly, how could you do that?”

“Mr. Fenton, discrimination laws may not protect ghosts, but I don’t want this school to be the first to turn down a ghost and incite some ghost rights movement. It’s bad publicity for the school. Ms. Spectra did lie on her application and was very unprofessional with the students, and for that she has willingly resigned and shown remorse. Casper High and its staff suffer from the five under’s: understaffed, underfunded, underpaid, undervalued, and underqualified. It’s a small miracle this school is still operating, so in our position, we can’t afford to be picky.”

“I see. So you’re saying you could use some help around here,” said Jack.

“You’re a parent of a student, there’s a conflict of interest there. But if you know someone who might be a good teacher and isn’t a parent to a current student, feel me to send them my way.”

Danny awoke with Penelope Spectra cuddling up to him in bed. He thought about how he had managed to get intimately involved with yet another ghost. He sat up in bed and looked at his bedlamp. It had a green base and blue cover. When Desiree was ‘inside’ the lamp, her portrait would take up about one-sixth of the base. He rubbed this part of the base to summon her.

“Mm… feeling playful today, aren’t we, Master?” said Desiree as she appeared in front of him.

“Desiree, this is Penelope Spectra. She’s your new roommate.”

“You want me to hang out in a bedlamp, Danny?” asked Penelope.

“Well, if you want to hang around, the bedlamp is the most practical solution to the issue of space. Of course, it’s always your choice where you want to stay or go,” said Danny.

“Well, I can give it a try…”

Penelope tried to enter the bedlamp, and her portrait appeared on another sixth of the base. Desiree joined her in the test to see what it would be like sharing the space, and shortly after, the two ghosts exited the lamp.

“Well, it’s not so bad in there, right?” asked Desiree.

“It is an adequate living space. If it means being closer to Danny, I do not think I will mind it so much.”

“Oh, and there’s some other matters I wanted to talk to you about. Firstly, while I do like your names, I think I would like to refer to you with nicknames from time to time. How do Dessa and Penny sound?”

“Master, you honor me with such a pretty nickname,” said Desiree. “You may call me however you desire.”

“It’s cute. Were the times I lived in less formal, I might have thought to call myself Penny,” said Penelope.

“Ah, I had been meaning to ask, but I noticed the two of you call me Master. Why is that, exactly?” asked Danny.

“It is a symbol of my devotion to you, a recognition that you are my Master,” said Desiree.

“Well, on my end, it’s more of a title. You’re a young, respectable man, you’re Master Danny, as it were,” said Penelope.

“Okay, got it. Just wanted to wrap my head around something I don’t have much experience in. Speaking of, you two are ghost girls, so tell me all about how your bodies work. Keep it quick and simple though, I’ve got to get ready for school.”

“Ghosts can have sex like humans do, but their reproduction is much more fast-and-loose. See, when ghostly sperm is inside of a female ghost’s body, it is preserved and trapped in place. It is a female ghost’s will that can guide the sperm to the egg. To that end, she can guide the sperm from anywhere in or on her body, at any point in time after it enters. In addition, female ghosts have no menstrual cycle, whether or not a fertile egg exists is a matter of will power,” explained Desiree.

“In addition, a female ghost’s body exists beyond the confines of time, so she can choose how long her pregnancy lasts. When it comes to the birth, it is painless and instant, as the baby just phases through the body. When a ghost baby is born, it rapidly ages until it finds a form it is fond of… it can then stay in that form for thousands of years at the least,” explained Penelope.

“Wow, sounds like ghosts are much more fortunate than humans in this regard,” said Danny as he finished getting dressed. “But I suppose there’s the drawback of the ghostly existence in the first place, right?”

“Yes, being a ghost involves inhabiting a body that requires structure to function. Without something to tether our self-images, our ectoplasm will return to stasis. For example, we two currently survive thanks to our love for you, Danny. Without that, we would have to find something else, such as my wish-granting, or Penny’s misery-feeding,” said Desiree.

“But don’t worry about us, Danny,” said Penelope. “We much prefer a life in love with you to a life of chaotic evil.”

“I figured as much, it’s how we ended up in this situation to begin with. It’s just hard to believe that this is my reality now, so I like to talk to you about it to get a better understanding of how you feel.”

The rest of the week went by, and that weekend was Valerie’s fifteenth birthday. Though it was typical of popular teens to throw parties on such occasions, Valerie was not the type to do so, feeling it to be the kind of decadence that made her uncomfortable. She was happy enough to attend other people’s parties, but throwing her own always felt wrong somehow.

To this end, she was simply enjoying the company of her Dad and receiving her birthday present. Though, today it seemed that an ordinary birthday was not in the cards, as her birthday gift began to levitate, and the Box Ghost appeared.

“Beware! I am the Box Ghost! Today I shall see how much destruction can be caused by one package!”

The birthday present flew around the house, crashing into things and wrecking the place, until the package itself was eventually destroyed. Box Ghost looked awkwardly at the mess he had made.

“Aha! Test complete! Apologies to your unsuspecting house, but you can’t ship a package without breaking a few items marked fragile! Beware!” He then promptly disappeared, leaving Valerie and her father stunned.

“This is a lot of damage,” said Valerie’s father. “But thankfully Dorian’s portrait is unharmed.”

Valerie’s father pointed to a portrait painting of their ancestor, a pale, vampiric figure in gothic clothing.

“Wait, our ancestor’s name is Dorian? So this is like, a Portrait of Dorian Gray?” asked Valerie.

“Well, Oscar Wilde was an acquaintance of our ancestor, and was inspired in part by his life to write the Picture of Dorian Gray, though that part of its history was kept hidden. There’s actually quite an interesting story to…” Valerie’s father stopped when he realized his daughter crying next to her ruined birthday gift, a box set of Cowgirls, a sitcom about country girls.

“I hate all ghosts…” muttered Valerie.

“Sweetie, this was the actions of one ghost. You can’t blame all ghosts for that, I mean for one thing, Dorian…” Her father’s explanations were cut short by Valerie running out of the house in frustration.

She ran in whatever direction she could to get away from her life for a brief moment. She eventually stopped in an alleyway, where she curiously found a package marked just for her, from somebody named Vlad. Inside was a number of ghost hunting items: a red jumpsuit with a ghost-identifying helmet, various weapons and devices designed to fight ghosts, and a glider that a Spider-Man fan might immediately draw parallels to the Green Goblin’s. She smiled as she thought of the possibilities: Valerie Gray, ghost hunter.

In Wisconsin, Vlad Plasmius met with the Box Ghost.

“I caused chaos like you asked of me, now do you have the boxes I requested?” asked Box Ghost.

“You know, there are times when I think you could be so much more… and then you remind me that you are just the Box Ghost,” said Vlad. “Of course, it’s perfectly fine to be who you are, but it does prevent me from treating you as anything more than a pawn when it comes to the bigger picture.”

“Do as you will, scary blue hapha, but I am the Box Ghost! And one day, the world will be dominated by boxes, and my power will be unstoppable!” Box Ghost then left, having said all he wanted to.

Skulker came up to Vlad. “What is your plan for the human girl? What exactly are you up to, here?”

“A test of Danny’s natural charisma. What will happen when a girl with no prior connection to him is pulled into his world of ghosts? The results shall be very… informative.”

“Messing with the personal life of a teenage boy, you are one sick bastard,” said Technus, who had just joined them.

“I will let that slide, because I can hardly deny it. I admit, to toy with young Daniel and to watch him grow, is a source of endless amusement. His attachment to Earthly concerns, like a normal human teenage life, and having good morals, they disappoint me immensely, but I do not mind so much having something of a young nemesis… someone I can train to be worthy of challenging me and my ambition, through a series of tests.”

Danny and Sam were hanging out at the park. “So without Tucker here, does this count as a date?”

“Well, would you want it to?” asked Sam. “It certainly could, I don’t mind.”

“I heard the Box Ghost attacked Valerie’s house. Just when I thought that guy had changed.”

“He’s the Box Ghost. Is he ever gonna change? Anyway Danny, did you do… sex stuff with Dr. Spectra? Not judging you if you did, just I don’t think you’ve told me yet.”

“Oh, right. I was looking for the opportunity to tell you.”

“Don’t worry about it, Danny, your harem got a little messier, what’s the big deal?” Sam gave a small smug smile as she loved to tease Danny from time to time, but her expression shifted when she sensed he really was worried. “Hey, seriously, Danny, don’t worry. I know you feel like this situation is too much for you, but you can handle it. Most people are always more capable than we give ourselves credit for, and I know you. You’ll be fine, Danny. And everyone you let into your life will be there to support you.”

“It won’t ever quite seem normal to me, Sam. I love you, I love Dessa, I love Penny, but being in my position, it feels like every twenty-four hours or so I’m getting a bucket of cold water dumped on my face.”

“That just means you aren’t in this to be purposefully promiscuous. You genuinely care about us, and your brain is desperate for a simpler solution. But sometimes there isn’t one. And none of us will leave you dealing with it on your own. We all want this to work out, so put some trust in us, as we have put ours in you.”

“I’m sorry Sam, I didn’t mean to make it seem like I don’t trust you girls. I’ve been trying to be as transparent with my feelings about this as I possibly can.”

“I know, and I didn’t mean to imply that you don’t trust us. What I’m saying is, we’re all in this together, okay? So try not to get so down about it. I mean, three girls is a lot for the average person, but you Danny, for all we know, this could be just the beginning. So remember, I love you, Desiree loves you, Penelope loves you, and we won’t let you get too far in your own head about this.”

Danny thanked Sam and hugged her before giving her a kiss.

“Gross, loser love! Beat it nerds, I’m looking for Danny Phantom!” said Valerie in full ghost-hunting gear.

After she flew off, Sam looked at Danny. “That sounded like Valerie. When and where did she get ghost-hunting gear?”

“I guess the rumor about the Box Ghost attacking her house was true. Well, if she’s looking for Danny Phantom…”

Sam interrupted Danny to show him a breaking news story: the Box Ghost seen at packaging warehouse. Danny nodded and went ghost, before flying off to the scene of the Box Ghost’s haunting.

He arrived to find Valerie in the middle of capturing the Box Ghost and decided to leave before he was seen.

At school, Danny, Tucker, and Sam were talking about Danny’s parents being ghost hunters, and Valerie happened to overhear their conversation.

“You think that’s interesting, you should check out this new single,” said Tucker, showing Valerie the Ember McLain single he had been listening to on repeat nearly every chance he got.

“Tucker, what are you doing?” asked Danny, reminded that he had been warned about Ember McLain, though still unsure as to what it all meant.

That evening, Valerie helped her father rebuild their home. “Valerie, I know you’re young and you want to view things in an overly simplistic way, but not all ghosts are evil. I’ve been trying to tell you about our ancestor, Dorian Gray…”

As her Dad said this, his body was swapped with the person in the portrait, who hovered slightly above where Valerie’s father had been standing. “Ah, I thought Damon would never release me. It has to have been at least three generations of your family who have refused to let me free.”

“Who are you and why is Dad in the painting?” asked Valerie.

“I am Dorian Gray, dear Valerie. I was a half-ghost in life, now full ghost, who can only leave this painting when granted permission from a direct male ancestor. I can give advice, but it might not be good for you. I have never bore ill-will towards anyone, but my life has nonetheless been plagued with misfortunes.”

As soon as he had appeared, he was once again in the portrait, with Damon returned to the world. “I underestimated how eager he was to be free, I really should have thought that through. Well, sweetie, now do you see that not all ghosts are evil?”

“I see that you kept me in the dark about our family secret. I see that maybe if you’d swapped places with Dorian earlier, he could have stopped the Box Ghost. I see that even if my prejudice was misplaced, I still need to do what no-one in this family is prepared to do, which is to hunt the ghosts that are evil. And yes, I see that not all ghosts are evil, so stop talking down to me.”

“Sorry sweetie, I know you want to be so grown up, but I am still your father.”

“So, a half-ghost? How does that work?”

“For thousands of years, man has had the means of becoming half-ghost, either through dark rituals, or natural disasters. Recently, paranormal researchers speculate that it is possible to create half-ghosts through scientific experiments. A half-ghost can reject the ghost self, living a normal life and losing their ghost side after five years of not using it. They can also reject the human self, becoming a full ghost. But if they walk the path of a half-ghost, eventually the human half will die, leaving only the ghost half. Since the earliest known half-ghosts, there have only been thirteen active half-ghosts at any one point, former half-ghosts not counting toward this total. Amity Park is one of the thirteen current global Ghost Hotspots, where it is believed that ghost activity will significantly increase for the next hundred years or so, and it is in my research on ghosts that I decided to move here to learn more. I wanted to understand the roots of the family secret before letting you know about it.”

“Wow, Dad, that’s a lot. I didn’t know you were this knowledgeable about ghosts.”

“Well, I know more than the average person, yet I still feel like there’s so much I don’t know.”

Maddie and Jack were sitting in bed talking to each other. “Jack, do you remember why we moved here?” asked Maddie.

“Of course I do, Maddie, Amity Park was primed to be a global Ghost Hotspot. Though I’m not sure why the ghosts didn’t really start showing up until after we built the Ghost Portal.”

“Jack, you leave that thing on all the time, it’s like a beacon that tells the ghosts where to go. An active Ghost Portal in a current Ghost Hotspot… no wonder Amity Park has had such a surge in ghost activity.”

“You know, the deeper we get into ghost research, the more I start to believe there are no coincidences in the world of ghosts.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” said Maddie, as she put a hand to her belly.

“Oh yes, do you know if it’s a boy or girl, yet?”

“I could find out… but as long as I’m grappling with unresolved feelings, I just want to let something like that be a surprise.”

The next day at school, Valerie was listening to the Ember McLain single when Paulina sat next to her.

“What are you listening to, Valerie?”

“Oh, I thought I’d humor this dork I know by listening to some music he lent me, but it’s surprisingly good.”

“Ember McLain, You Will Remember?” said Paulina, quizzically reading the single’s cover art.

“Yeah, it’s a new single, feels like I’m discovering the next big thing.”

“Valerie, I value your input, but would you mind letting me listen to it? I would like to make my own judgment.”

“Oh for sure, girlfriend, you’re the coolest trendsetter I know, so getting your opinion would be great.”

Paulina listened to the song and was hooked as Valerie had become. This small act of sharing music was the beginning of the Ember Fever that was about to sweep Casper High.

Chapter Text

Now into early June, and the Ember McLain phenomenon had taken over Casper High. Every kid in school - save for Danny and Sam, were listening to the new hit single, You Will Remember. Merchandise was everywhere and some kids were even dressed like Ember. To describe this pop-punk teen idol, she had pale blue skin, cyan hair in a ponytail that resembled a ghostly flame, thick black eyeshadow and eyeliner that ran down her face, one curved streak on the left, and one that curled on the right. She had green eyes and purple lipstick. She wore a thin black choker around her neck, a black glove on her right hand that went halfway up her forearm, and a black bracelet on her left arm. She also wore a black crop top with a single strap on the left shoulder, black pants with a grey belt, and grey platform heels with a skull design. Her hairtie was black, and she had purple stud earrings. Some of her merch and advertising depicted her with her personalized electric guitar, which was mostly purple with blue flame decals to accent it all. Though Sam had no care for the music, she respected Ember’s style.

“I just wish I didn’t have to look at it everywhere I turn,” continued Sam from a conversation she and Danny were already having about the school’s current Ember Fever.

“Yeah, if Penny was right and Ember is a ghost, then the only reason you haven’t been swept up in all this is because we are romantically involved.”

“Oh, and it couldn’t possibly be because I hate all things mainstream?”

“Sam, look,” said Danny as he motioned to other kids in the school. “Paulina, Valerie, and even Jazz are dressing like Ember. Now, you could make an argument that Paulina and Valerie might jump on a trend, hell, I think Paulina even started the trend, but Jazz is smart enough to not obsess over every new pop idol. I know you like to be a contrarian sometimes…”

“Rebel, Danny, I know they’re describing similar things, but the nuance is important to me.”

“Well, I didn’t really need to know…”

Danny was cut off as Sam began to passionately dissect the different terms that could potentially describe her. “So Goth is an aesthetic, it’s about the dark dress and gloomy disposition. Punk is about defying an unjust system. A rebel is someone who does things outside the norms of a system in order to defy it. A contrarian holds positions based purely on what’s unpopular, without any particular guiding principles. Though my dress sensibilities fit within the goth range, some may claim that I’m more of a punk and a rebel than a goth, and I’m inclined to agree.”

“Sam, you’re rambling. I think it’s great that you have a strong sense of self, but we’re trying to talk about whether or not Ember is a ghost and what her popularity at school might mean for the future.”

“Right, Danny, sorry, I got caught up in making my point. Plus it’s all just my own understanding anyway, I could be wrong…”

“Are you okay, Sam? You’ve been doubting yourself more lately…”

“I-I’m fine, it’s just hard when life proves you wrong multiple times, and then when you finally get the guy of your dreams, you have to share him with others, and yeah, maybe I’m not okay. Sorry, Danny.”

“Don’t be sorry Sam, it’s fine to feel that way, but as you’ve told me, we’re all in this together. You wanted me to open up and trust you, well you can open up and trust me, okay?”

“Yeah, you’re right. So, where did everybody go?”

The sound of You Will Remember can be heard coming from outside the school. Danny and Sam rushed out to see a crowd of school children chanting Ember’s name as a truck with a mobile sound stage had parked in front of the school.

The music stopped as Ember appeared in a puff of blue smoke.

“Hello Casper High! Are you ready to get your world rocked?”

The crowd cheered yes, and Ember smirked. “Hm, I don’t know if I’m convinced. Tell me, what’s my name?”

The crowd cheered her name, louder than their earlier cheers, and Ember smiled as her hair glowed and stood up and flickered like an active flame. Three more puffs of blue smoke appeared behind her, and dissipated to reveal ghostly blue-skinned band members, a guitarist, a drummer, and a bassist.

“It was, it was September, winds blow, the dead leaves fall…”

As Ember continued to sing, Danny and Sam realized that Ember was indeed a ghost. Though her appearance would under most circumstances make it self-evident, the dress sense of mega-celebrities meant that you could never be quite sure.

Ember played a chord on her guitar, and all the teenagers’ eyes turned completely red and turned their attention to Danny, Sam, and Mr. Lancer, who had just joined them to see for himself what was unfolding.

“Pride and Prejudice!” said Mr. Lancer.

Before anything more could happen, the music had stopped and the truck had disappeared. Everyone was dazed and confused, with no idea what had just happened. Not even Danny and Sam knew what had happened, and they had been looking right at the sound stage, with no possibility of mind control.

Mr. Lancer angrily stormed back inside the school. “Ember, Ember, Ember! If I see one hint of that woman in school today…” His train of thought was cut short by the realization that her merchandise was sprawled everywhere throughout the halls. “Chicken Soup for the Soul!”

Luckily for Sam and Danny, they would not have to wait long for Ember’s big concert, something that they knew could be disastrous with Ember’s powers.

“Listen, you two,” said Mr. Lancer. “I know Ember holding her concerts during school hours has been encouraging mass truancy, but as long as you remain, I’m going to do my duty as an educator!”

Mr. Lancer grabbed the wrists of Sam and Danny to lead them to class. Danny held Sam’s hand and then went intangible to slip them both out of Mr. Lancer’s grip, before flying them away.

“Lord of the Flies!” exclaimed Lancer before dropping to his knees. “They’re slipping right through my hands!”

Danny grabbed hold of Sam and flew them to the concert. Sam looked up dreamily at Danny, as she felt the wind blow through her. Despite the speed they were likely going at, it felt like a leisurely stroll to her.

“Sam, you’ve been staring for a while, what’s up?” asked Danny.

“It’s really cool that my boyfriend’s a ghost, that’s all.” Sam then got a bit embarrassed. “Not that I only like you because of that, it’s just a really cool bonus. You have many great qualities that make you atrractive beyond- hey, why aren’t you stopping me?”

“Do you know how rare it is to get these kinds of compliments as a boy? Keep ‘em coming, this’ll keep me ecstatic for months.”

“You dork! Never mind, you’ve gotten enough ego stroking. We’re almost at the venue.”

Danny dropped Sam off somewhere safe, and went to fight Ember. His attempts to fight her were fruitless as her power was being amplified by a crowd full of people cheering her name. She only had to play a chord and send a shockwave that could knock Danny back and force him to flip to recover. He began to wonder how he was going to fight her with the chants making her stronger with each passing second. Suddenly, the speakers started to play ‘Somebody Told Me’ by The Killers.

“Breakin’ my back just to know your name, seventeen tracks and I’ve had it with this game…”

As the song continued to play, the crowd stopped cheering for Ember and started to become aware of what song was playing.

“Danny, I got control of the speakers,” said Sam. “They made their systems really easy to use. Anyway, I think you should know what to do.”

“Right!” said Danny. He never listened to music much, but he had heard and liked The Killers, and happened to know about their debut album releasing June 7, titled Hot Fuss. He proceeded to tell the crowd about it.

“Oh, I remember this song!” said Paulina, right as the chorus was about to come in.

“Somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had in February of last year…” chanted the crowd as the lyrics played.

“Noooo! What have you done?” yelled Ember as her power drained from her.

“It looks like your fifteen minutes of fame are over,” said Danny. “Come on, I think I know why you want attention so badly. Let’s go somewhere where we can talk.”

Ember weakly nodded her head, and opened a door to her dressing room in the Ghost Zone.

“Sorry about all this, baby pop. I just wanted to be remembered…”

“Really? And what about being understood? Isn’t that more important? I know what you really want, Ember. You don’t want to be alone. You don’t need a crowd of people chanting your name, when I can remember you, and I can love you.”

Danny knew his empathy for the plight of female ghosts had once again overtaken his sense of reason. He wasn’t too keen on adding another ghost to his harem, but he also thought that helping others took priority over his own well-being.

“Listen hapha, you make a very compelling offer, but do you really think I’d fit into the life you’re building for yourself?” she said this, but meanwhile her body was undressing itself. Were Danny unable to tell her true desires, he would have been confused by the mixed signals, but knew she was, like him, on some level, trying to fight what was inevitable.

The sexual tension hung in the air as they both undressed while not really acknowledging what they were doing. Soon they stood before each other naked.

“Alright Ember, I suppose this is your last chance. Tell me what you really want so we don’t do anything we regret.”

Ember bit her lip and thought for a brief moment. “I want you.” She smiled as a reference popped into her head. “I don’t know if I need you, but I’d die to find out.”

She wrapped her arms and legs around him, floating in place, so as not to force him to support her entire weight. She positioned his cock below her pussy and lowered herself onto him.

Danny took a moment to feel the pleasure of being inside Ember, and noticed that as one his hands held her hair that her flame was cool to the touch, and had a texture similar to real hair. He also noted, something he had not been able to when having sex with Desiree or Penelope, that ghost pussy was remarkably different in experience from human pussy. Where a human girl would be warm and wet inside, a ghost girl would be cool and sticky. Despite the different texture, the feeling of thrusting was just as pleasurable, and just as memorable.

Of course, he didn’t want to dwell on comparisons, particularly when he had a duty of care to make love to his current partner as thoughtfully as he could. He felt her breasts in his hands as he thrusted in and out slowly, and nibbled her neck. She moaned his name as they continued, not even realising as their position changed from standing to a missionary position, though floating in the air completely.

Danny and Ember could both feel their pleasures build, and Ember wrapped her legs around Danny as if to signal what she wanted, and Danny smiled as he looked into her eyes, a small act which created the necessary excitement to bring them both to a climax, and Danny finished inside her.

“Danny, I love you,” said Ember. “So, what’s next?”

Danny realized he had made love to yet another ghost, and began to realize that he was dealing with more than just some ordinary lust… he was trying, in his own way, to improve the lives of lonely ghosts that found him attractive. It may not have been the most advisable course of action, and were it up to him, he might have tried to find a better way, but if this was his path in life, his purpose, would it not be better for his sanity to just accept it? To enjoy the company of multiple women?

Was his rumination on this just a coping mechanism? Was he already insane? Delusional? Egotistical? Or was his constant stressing about whether or not this was ‘right’ just a whirlwind of irrational emotional arguments that was holding him back from being the person he needed to be?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a kiss on the lips from Ember. “Come on, handsome, show me to your room.”

Ember phased her clothes back on, and Danny did the same. He realized he should not be spacing out with existential thoughts while he had other people’s needs to attend to.

Danny took Ember home to his room, where he rubbed the bedlamp over the top of Desiree and Penelope.

“Master, you don’t have to rub us to summon us, you know?” said Penny.

“I know, I just figured I’d give you a bit more intimacy since I haven’t made time for you two lately.”

“Intimacy?” asked Desiree. “Is Master perhaps interested in a threesome?”

“Perhaps another time,” said Danny. “I’ve summoned you to introduce you to a new ghost girl. Her name’s Ember.”

“Believe me, I know about her,” said Penny, crossing her arms.

“Hey, Penelope!” said Ember cheerfully. “It’s so cool you found love. Hey babypop, did you know Penny and I used to be ghost neighbors? Well, she wasn’t too fond of my music or my evil plan, but that’s all in the past, right?”

“Yep,” said Penny. “She was a ray of sunshine into my dark world for a while, but she did kind of get on my nerves, too, at times. Still, I’m glad that you were able to stop her Danny, and pleasantly surprised that you even brought her into the fold.”

“Yeah, you rocked my world, Danny!” said Ember. “Speaking of, you should now have my gift of Haunting Vocals.”

Danny was confused by this. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not sure how your singing capability was before, but now you have perfect pitch, and your voice, even just your speaking voice, has an influential quality to it that may work in your favor when talking to humans that hold you in high regard and are already somewhat willing to take your suggestions into account.”

“So I’m slightly more persuasive than before, got it,” said Danny. “That reminds me, I don’t think I ever found out what power I got from Penny.”

“From me?” asked Penelope. “Well, you should be able to do a Youth Transfer, where you can make a human of your choosing younger while making yourself older. I wasn’t sure what the application of such a power would be, so I didn’t mention it…”

“Alright, so Ember, tonight you can cuddle with me, but then tomorrow morning you must decide whether or not the bedlamp is a suitable place for you to stay,” said Danny.

Ember squeaked in delight and entered the bedlamp briefly to see if it was right for her. She popped out with a smile on her face.

“I don’t know what you were worrying about, babypop, it’s like a mansion in there!”

“Huh? Last time I checked, it was a two-bedroom apartment,” said Penny.

“When I was by myself in there, it was a small and humble boudoir,” said Dessa.

“Huh, I guess the ghost space that gets created when we enter adjusts to our expectations and mindsets,” said Ember. “I’m a rockstar who longs for a nice, big house, where Penny is a realist that expects a small apartment, and Desiree is a humble girl who only needs a room for herself. Well, looks like my presence here just improved all of your lives, huh?”

Ember took up Danny’s offer to cuddle, and the next day asked about the pinup on his wall.

“Aren’t they your mother and sister? Is this some sentimental, non-sexual thing, or are you pining for what you can’t have, babypop?”

Penny popped out of the bedlamp as they were talking. “Oh, I don’t think I even noticed that pinup! Our Master is pretty kinky, isn’t he?”

“Ooh, you and Desiree call him Master, huh? Maybe I should do that…”

“You really don’t have to, Ember,” said Danny. “I’d prefer if you didn’t, because it sets you apart.”

“Well fine, but you still haven’t answered me: what’s the pinup all about?”

“I wanted to show them that I’m not embarrassed by them, but every time I look at the pinup, it reminds me that I find them attractive, and while I used to be disturbed by it, lately I’m starting to think that I should be embracing my life for what it is.”

Desiree then popped out of the bedlamp to join the conversation. “Excellent to hear, Master. If you ever need my help winning the affections of a woman, let me know.”

“You girls love being part of my life, huh?”

“Of course we do!” said the three ghost girls in unison, with wide smiles on their faces.

“Right, well, perhaps I should find some time to make you feel wanted again… but right now I have school, so see you later.”

The three ghost girls re-entered the bedlamp, and now there were three portraits on the base of the bedlamp.

At school, Valerie, Paulina, and Star were walking one way, while Danny, Tucker, and Sam walked another.

“I can’t believe I let a ghost influence me! I’m a terrible ghost hunter!” said Valerie.

“Now, now, it’s not your fault, that music had ghostly hypnotic qualities,” said Paulina.

Valerie, Paulina, and Star came face-to-face with Danny, Tucker, and Sam.

“Yeah, but I do blame Tucker a little bit, he introduced me to that dumb single,” said Valerie.

“Hm, that might be valid. I hate Tucker for some reason I can’t explain, so I don’t really care to defend him,” said Paulina.

“Hey now, the nerd was just trying to relate to people. Something they rarely succeed at,” said Star.

“Thanks for at least trying to defend me,” said Tucker.

“You’re welcome, nerd,” said Star, in a way that sounded genuine, despite it seeming like it should sound mean.

Danny had gone through a ton of thoughts while listening to this whole exchange, going from feeling sorry for Tucker to being surprised that anyone in the popular crowd would stand up for him.

Danny then noticed that Sam was not paying any attention, clearly listening to music.

“Hey Sam, what are you listening to?”

“Oh just that damn song that no-one likes anymore. Now that it’s no longer popular, I’m finally giving it a fair shake, and while the hook seems like nonsense out of context, the full lyrics paint a grim picture of a girl who took her own life.”

“Figures you would like the song as soon as no-one else does,” said Danny. “So, you helped me out by playing The Killers…”

“Nah, I’m not interested in their debut album. I’m getting Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance.”

All six teens started to laugh, though none really knew why. Perhaps it was just the feeling of a camaraderie, that they could all talk about nonsense like this and it could make life feel like an easy ride for a brief moment. After all, when all was said and done, they were only teenagers, but their lives were constantly changing, and they faced the unique challenge of living in one of the world’s most haunted towns. Oh, and it was June, the last month of the school year, and tests were coming up soon.

Chapter Text

Vlad Plasmius finally had his first proper tasks for Technus and Skulker. If they could accomplish these goals, he knew they could be trusted with knowledge of his plans.

“So you want me to invade Danny’s video game to keep him distracted from his math test? Sounds swell,” said Technus.

“And I can definitely find this ‘Johnny 13’ for you, Vlad. I also want to thank you for allowing me to add the Dairy King to my collection of rare ghosts,” said Skulker.

Danny was at his computer, playing a new MMO with Tucker, it was called Doomed to Die, though it was also shortened to just the first word by fans of the game.

“Yeah, you and I are gonna get to the top of this thing soon, Tucker, I can feel it,” said Danny.

“Yeah, maybe, we are pretty good at this game,” said Tucker. “But the top team is leagues ahead of us already. Particulary the top two players, Lancelot and Chaos.”

“Speaking of Chaos, there she is!” said Danny, as one of the game’s top-level players began to engage them in real-time combat in an attempt to steal their loot.

“Man, we’re about to get griefed by the Chaos, I can hardly believe this,” said Tucker.

“You guys sound like you’re having a tough time,” said Sam.

“Yeah Sam, it’s this new MMO called Doomed, there’s a top-level player who…” started Danny.

“Yawn, what a snooze fest you two,” said Sam, as the two of them died to Chaos’ attacks. “MMOs aren’t really my speed. I prefer the classics. Tetris, Pac-Man, Space Invaders. Our generation tends to really overlook the simpler games in favor of what’s new and engaging.”

“You could have just said you weren’t interested,” said Danny.

“And you, Danny, have a math test to study for, don’t you?” asked Sam.

“Oh yeah, I already know the material very well, so I don’t need to study,” said Tucker.

“That’s no reason to be a bad influence on me then,” said Danny. “Sam’s right, I should be studying.”

Just as Danny and Tucker stopped playing for the night, Technus entered the game. “Oh, yes, this game’s monsters will do nicely for a little real-life distraction for that hapha brat. But it seems he has stopped playing tonight.”

Maddie had come in to Danny’s room. “Sweetie, just checking that you’re getting ready for bed. I’ve heard that you were playing a new video game, but you can’t let a hobby rule your life. If you’re anything like your father, you have trouble knowing when it’s time to stop and do what you need to do to keep your body healthy.”

“Mom, you don’t need to embarrass me like that, I appreciate you coming in to remind me, but comparing me to my father is…” Danny realized he was still on a call with Sam and Tucker. “Guys, talk to you later,” he said in a hurry, hanging up right as they both broke out laughing.

“Say Danny, Desiree’s little bedlamp has a couple of other ghostly portraits on it now. Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Yeah, Mom, but there’s no easy way to talk about that kind of thing. I’ve kind of picked up a few more girlfriends. The two ghosts you see on the bedlamp, and also Sam.”

“I always knew you’d end up with that girl, she’s a good kid,” said Maddie. “Well, introduce me to your other girlfriends.”

Danny introduced Maddie to Penelope and Ember, and also talked about the whole complication of ecto-hormones and ecto-pheromones, something that seemed to concern her.

“As a ghost expert, I should have known things like this were at play,” said Maddie. “I didn’t think you would end up in this kind of a situation, it’s hard to picture my little boy having the fortitude of multiple people.” She thought to herself that maybe if he was forming a harem, she could be part of it, but she didn’t want to push her son in that direction, nor get her hopes up, so she buried that thought, before thinking whether or not Jazz should know about her brother’s complicated situation.

Danny’s phone rang, Sam was calling back to let Danny know that Technus had just invaded the video game world.

“What did Sam want to know?” asked Maddie.

“She called because Technus is in the online video game causing havoc,” said Danny. “Wait, Sam, how do you know this?”

“Because I’m Chaos!” said Sam.

“What, but you acted like you weren’t interested?” said Danny, confused.

“Yeah, because being a girl in an online game kinda sucks, y’know? I have to prove myself to people who don’t know me.”

“Well, it’s kinda true,” said Tucker, who was still on the call. “But it’s a complicated issue, between the catfishers who are actually men, the ones who expect you to help them with everything, the fakers who make fun of you all the time, and the real gamers who don’t want to be treated differently, it’s hard to know what type of personality you’re going to get when you play an online game with a girl. I think that creates an animosity that wouldn’t otherwise be there in some players. And some people just suck.”

“Good God, Tucker, stop trying to overanalyze everything, I know my feminist lens rubs you the wrong way, but we don’t need to make every single point of view a topic of debate. Can you imagine how exhausting that would be?” said Sam.

Maddie processed what she had just been told. “A ghost is in the video game?” she asked. “Well, if he crosses back over into the real world, maybe Jack and I can help you then. But anything beyond the arcade is beyond our expertise.”

The day of the test came, and Danny had made sure to get some studying in, though he was a little nervous that he hadn’t done enough. Well, his worries would be put aside, as Technus leaped out of his computer to grab him and pull him into the video game.

“Ha ha! Danny Phantom, it is I, Technus, here to waste your time for the next two hours or so!”

Danny almost considered the thought that Technus knew he had a test today, but it seemed so preposterous to him. A ghost was keeping him from taking his math test on purpose? There was no way…

A couple of hours went by before Danny could escape the confines of the game, as he didn’t have time for this. However, it was too late, he had missed the test completely, and now his only option was a retest supervised personally by Mr. Lancer. On the bright side, this gave him some extra time to study.

“You can do this, Danny, or my name isn’t Lance Lancer!” said Mr. Lancer.

“Wait, your first name is Lance?” asked Danny.

“Yes, my parents had a sense of humor. They and the world had been cruel to me for decades, and my one hope in becoming a teacher was to give the next generation some hope that they could learn something worth while. Speaking of cruelty, if you need some help reviewing the material, I hear that the ghost of Casper High’s most bullied student is roaming the halls. He was a certified math genius, who died tragically young. His name is Sidney Poindexter.”

Danny was surprised that Mr. Lancer’s suggestion for a tutor was to go ghost hunting, but supposed working overtime was not a stress that most teachers would want to put on their backs, let alone one in Lancer’s position. He was Vice Principal, English, Math, Science, and History teacher, and barely made more than any other teacher on the staff.

Danny had no idea where to start looking for Sidney, so went to the school library for information on former students. After the librarian found a school newsletter from the 1950s which talked of Sidney’s tragic death, and the preservation of Locker 724, he located the locker and gave it a knock.

“Who in the?” began a nerdy disgruntled voice. A pasty kid ghost with neat black hair and thick-rimmed glasses, freckles, buck-teeth, and a dress sense that screamed ‘chess club champion’ emerged from the locker. “Danny the Hapha?”

“Mr. Lancer said you could help me study for my math test. Can you or not?”

“A trivial pursuit,” said Sidney, before snorting and chuckling at his own words, presumably connecting his choice of words to some reference or another. “Come, let us go to the library and study for your math test.”

To Danny’s surprise, Sidney had a knack for explaining math in a way that made it understandable to Danny. Danny wondered why Sidney was bullied so much, and hesitantly asked him about it.

“Sorry if this is a sore subject, but how on Earth did you come to be bullied so heavily?”

“Oh, a variety of tragic factors were at play. First, my name is ‘Poindexter’, that didn’t help things. Second, I never stood up for myself, which allowed the behavior to continue. Third, my intelligence threatened some kids. Fourth, I was meek, and the teachers considered me an easy target for sexual abuse. Fifth, there was a pernicious rumor that I was gay. Those are probably the top five reasons, with about a dozen others at least.”

“Whoa, your story is even darker than I thought. So, were you gay? Not judging, things have been getting steadily better for gay people since your time. But change doesn’t happen overnight.”

“I couldn’t say. I died before I even knew that part of myself… I never had an interest in anything except numbers and shapes.”

“Fair enough. Man, I feel bad for even bringing it up, your life has got to be one of the most tragic I’ve ever heard for a ghost.”

“Yeah, Casper High should count itself lucky that I am not a vengeful-type ghost.”

The date of the make-up test came, and Danny was certain he could ace the test thanks to Sidney’s help. As he was about to put pen to paper, though, the power went out in the school.

Ghostly lights flashed past the windows of the classroom. Danny thought he had to do something, and Mr. Lancer, even in the dark, could see the defiant look on Danny’s face.

“Mr. Fenton, whatever is going on outside is dangerous. You will remain here until…” Mr. Lancer was interrupted by Danny trying to run off, to which Lancer grabbed Danny’s wrist. “It is too dangerous to go out there, Danny!”

Danny didn’t have time for his teacher’s concern. He needed to do something, and he needed to act now. He could worry about the consequences later. He went ghost and flew out of the classroom.

“As I suspected, the Ghost Boy Danny Phantom is Danny Fenton. I’m a teacher, not an idiot,” said Mr. Lancer to himself.

Danny arrived at the town’s main park in front of Town Hall, to find several of the monsters from Doomed had been brought to life by Technus. Technus laughed upon seeing Danny.

“Why Danny, don’t you have a test to be taking right about now?”

“What? How could you possibly know something like that?”

“I don’t, I’m bantering because you look like a teenager and there are probably tests around this time of year. Of course, if it hits too close to home, you could always… let me conquer the world with an army of video game monsters!”

“Yeah, that’s not happening, Tech-nut!”

“Have it your way, ghost boy! Nidhogg, Jorogumo, Cerberus! Give our little intruder a challenge!”

Danny was about to fight these monsters when his parents showed up to fight the ghosts.

“Danny, go back to school and take your test!” said Maddie. “We’ll handle Technus, just as we have before!”

“Maddie, he knows you know, but he doesn’t know that I know, you know?” said Jack, loud enough for Danny to hear.

Danny thought that it tracks, that his Mom and Dad don’t keep secrets from each other. He then nodded and flew back to school, where Mr. Lancer was waiting for him.

“Sorry for flying off like that. Seems my parents have it under control.”

“You’re lucky to have such a supportive network of people you can rely on Danny,” said Lancer. “Note that being a teenage super hero does not grant you an exemption from tests.”

“Oh really? And Dash gets exemptions all the time?”

“His football career is a school activity that provides a significant amount of the school’s funding. Danny Phantom is like Ghost Spider-Man, consider yourself lucky that you don’t have to deal with a misinformation campaign.”

“You’re a fan of Spider-Man, Mr. Lancer?”

“What I’m a fan of is not any of your business, Danny, let’s keep our knowledge of each other to the professional teacher-student level, okay?”

“Do you think I have a future?” Danny nervously changed the subject instead of simply answering, due to a moment of panic.

“Danny, for a bright kid like you, that’s a hard question to answer. It’s possible you’ll do great things I can’t even imagine. But many kids who get told that by an authority end up disillusioned because they expected the great things they’ll do one day to just fall in their lap. Greatness could be thrust upon some, but more often than not, it takes hard work to become great.”

“And what do you think about Dash’s future?”

“He’d make a great bodyguard for some rich asshole,” said Mr. Lancer before clearing his throat. “But hey, you won’t get me to lower my guard with a conversation like this ever again, okay? This stays between us, just like that ghostly secret of yours.”

“Fair enough, I got nervous and asked some inappropriate questions. Can I take the test now?” Right before Danny had asked that last question, the lights had flickered back on.

Vlad Plasmius had entered the Ghost Zone to find Technus, a simple matter for an experienced hapha like himself. He brought the tech ghost back to his mansion, where the two talked about the mission.

“So, your point in making me do all that?” asked Technus.

“I wanted to see what young Daniel would prioritize. His future, or the world’s. I must admit, the Fentons are more competent than I give them credit for. It seems the increased ghost activity in Amity Park is making them better ghost hunters.”

Danny’s test was graded, in the end he got an A-. Lancer would go home that night and together with his team mates, finally complete the MMO’s final objective. That’s right, Lance Lancer was Lancelot, and nobody suspected a thing.

Skulker had tracked down his target, Johnny 13.

“I can’t believe Kitty actually dumped me. I mean, it’s about time she stood up for herself, but to do it over something like the fact that I broke out of jail instead of waiting for her to get me out of there… oh, what a mess,” said Johnny to, he believed, only himself, though Skulker was listening.

“Hey, you pathetic punk,” said Johnny’s Shadow. “I had to break out of spectral containment without any help from you, so quit your bellyaching. You’re my thirteenth and last Johnny. If you don’t continue being useful to me, you know what will happen.”

“Christ, Shadow 13, do you always have to be such a downer?”

“Looks like I came at a bad time,” said Skulker, making his presence known to the ghost bickering with his own Shadow.

“Skulker!” said Johnny 13, surprised. “What the hell do you want?”

“I have an offer that I think you will find very interesting,” said Skulker with a sinister smile.

Chapter Text

Lydia met up with the individual from her photo, and the individual from the billboard that Sam had seen a few months back. This individual was Frederich Isak Showenhower, or better known by his stage name ‘Freakshow’. To describe his appearance, his face was as earlier described, in addition he was bald and wore a black and red top hat and red conical earrings. These details were more noticable in person than in Lydia’s small picture. He wore a black trenchcoat over black boots, red pants, a black button up shirt and red undershirt, a black bowtie, and black gloves.

“Lydia, my dear, you have returned to me just in time. My Circus Gothica is about to begin,” said Freakshow with a crooked smile. “It wouldn’t have been a show without you.”

Sam and Danny were discussing the tickets she had bought them for the Circus Gothica.

“We’re going on a date for my birthday and you picked something that is more appealing to you?” asked Danny.

“It’s not like that… exactly, the dates just happened to line up. If you don’t want to come Danny, we can find something else to do for your birthday,” said Sam.

“No, of course I want to go with you, I just didn’t expect it to be an ‘on my birthday’ type of thing.”

“Well, how about we do something else as well? Something you would want to do on your birthday?”

“I dunno Sam, a gothic circus might be enough excitement for one day. I know I started off being a little surprised, but I think I’ll enjoy it if I’m there with you, so stop worrying about it, okay?”

The two of them reached Sam’s house, where her parents were waiting for her with their arms crossed and expressions of disapproval on their faces. Jeremy Manson wore a blue and gold golf sweater over a white shirt, biege pants, and black shoes. He was white, blond hair, blue eyes, and in terms of personality, a bland boring toxic positivity style religious man. Pamela, or Pam for short, meanwhile, was white, red hair, green eyes, and wore a pretty pink dress and white high heels. She also wore a pearl necklace and diamond earrings as status symbols of her wealth. She had adopted a similar disposition as her husband, as they had both joined the same synagogue. Though Sam had her suspicions, the truth was that they had fallen into a local cult that was deeply heretical and disturbing. Neither of them would discover their error until it was too late, but that is a story for another time. Now, they were upset at their daughter.

“How could you go to this Gothic Circus without asking us first?” said Pam, indignant.

“I’m 14, and this is a harmless circus show suitable for ages 13 and up. Stop trying to control my life, Mom and Dad!”

Sam brushed past them and marched up to her room, where she promptly slammed the door.

“Well, nice meeting you Mr. and Mrs. Manson,” said Danny. “I was just on my way home.”

Danny left, feeling the dead-eyed stares of disapproval from Sam’s parents. He hoped that they had no idea how involved he had become with Sam, because if this is how they treated a friend, he could scarcely imagine how they would treat Sam’s boyfriend.

The next day, Danny had another talk with Sam about what he had seen that day.

“Your whole personality, Sam… it’s about getting under their skin, isn’t it?” said Danny, wanting honest answers from Sam.

“Yes, okay, this is all about rebelling against them. They weren’t this insufferable until the past two years, when I started finding my own interests that they refused to understand. I don’t want to be antagonistic toward them, but they leave me with no other options. On top of that, I suspect their synagogue may not be all it seems.”

“Well, as long as you’re self-aware, and your personality is more to you than just the defiance it started out as…”

“Danny, I get it. I’ve wrestled with my ‘gothic’ identity and whether or not I’m a goth or a punk or just a poser, but if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that I love you.”

“Getting mushy on me to try and make me drop the subject, huh?”

“Is it working?”

“Not exactly. You just didn’t have to. I was done.”

“Oh.”

It was Danny’s birthday, and he awoke to Maddie, Jack, and Jazz surprising him with breakfast in bed.

“Happy fifteenth birthday, son!” said Jack. “Lately, I’ve been feeling we don’t do enough for your birthday, so today’s got a whole lineup of things planned!”

“Uh, that sounds great, but this isn’t going to take up my whole day, is it? I had something I wanted to go do with Sam…”

“Of course honey,” said Maddie. “Jack’s overselling things a bit, and plus he was going to try and rope you into a ghost hunt.”

Danny briefly wondered if he should inform his ghost girlfriends that it was his birthday, but he then thought that it might not achieve that much, since they were all likely ghosts that had long since moved past the usefulness of birthdays.

Later that day, he made his way to the Circus Gothica with Sam, held in Amity’s largest public park.

“A cold and grim welcome to all those who seek a dark and tragic circus, where your nightmares come alive, and your smiles turn to dejected scowls. This is the Circus Gothica, come inside if you dare, and feel free to stub your toe.”

“Sam, I’ll be honest, this guy gives me the creeps. Also, I think I’ve seen his face somewhere before,” said Danny.

“Yeah, on the billboards and bus stops and TV ads where his show is advertised, where else?” replied Sam.

“No, it was…” before Danny could remember, he was shushed, as the show was starting, and all the interested people, some goth and some not, were being ushered in to the main tent.

Freakshow stood in the middle of the ring, a spotlight directed onto him.

“Freaks of all stripes, a dead and icy acknowledgement of your pained existences…” started Freakshow.

Danny thought to himself that this guy was really hamming it up, as his speech continued.

“Today is a grand day, for you see before you my circus’ esteemed alumni,” said Freakshow as he motioned to the four ghosts he had with him that were not visible until now. It became apparent that this gothic ringmaster possessed an oddly shaped staff, a reddish bronze staff with a bat and red crystal ball at the top.

Lydia was one of the four ghosts, and the other three were unfamiliar to Danny. He wanted to say that he recognized the ghost, but he didn’t want to interrupt the show, because of how engrossed Sam was. He couldn’t just leave either, since she would likely notice if he did. He would have to wait for the right moment to reveal what he knew.

To briefly describe the other three ghosts, they were all glowing green, one was a bulky strongman ghost with a spiked collar and cuffs, and black sideburns, another was of small stature but still bulky, with black gloves, boots, collar, and underwear, and another was feminine in appearance, wearing a red jumpsuit that covered all but her right arm, shoulder, and some of her chest, had long black hair that spiked at the top and bottom, black makeup over her left eye, and long black boots. Their names were Goliath, Green Kid, and Elastica, respectively.

“Yes, to those who might be wondering, our talented circus performers are in fact ghosts,” said Freakshow. “But let not that small fact stop you from being impressed by their capacity to amaze and enthrall you…”

Danny noticed that as each ghost performed their acts, all except Lydia seemed to require Freakshow to direct them with his staff. It seemed clear as day that Freakshow was controlling the ghosts with his staff. His worry that he would have to interrupt the show was out at ease when Sam whispered to him.

“Hey Danny, I think he might be keeping those ghosts here against their will. If you need to go and do something about it, I don’t mind. This circus is kinda lame, anyway.”

Danny phased through the seats when no-one was looking, and resurfaced as Danny Phantom, though invisible. He floated to the center of the ring to confront Freakshow, making himself visible again to do so.

“Are these ghosts here of their own free will, Freakshow?” asked Danny.

“Oh look, a party crasher. Why don’t you look into my crystal ball and find out?” asked Freakshow, who pointed the ball on top of his staff at Danny Phantom.

“Hm, it’s big and red. Is it supposed to be doing something?” asked Danny.

Freakshow was surprised that it apparently had no effect on the ghost boy. “What, but aren’t you a ghost? Why aren’t you doing my bidding right now?”

“I’m a half-ghost, I can’t be mind-controlled through ghost powers or human artifacts. And you’ve just told the whole crowd who you really are, so I’d be careful if I were you.”

The crowd had turned against him, instead of being captivated by a mildly entertaining circus performance, now many were filing out of the tent, while some stayed behind with a clear intent to express their displeasure.

Among them, Sam took Freakshow’s staff out of his hands while he was distracted, and smashed the crystal ball on the ground.

“You! What did you do?” Freakshow could barely react as three of his ghost performers promptly flew away, and only Lydia remained, though she was evidently displeased.

“They have freed me from your reckless curse, brother,” said Lydia. “That family heirloom you leveraged to control those ghosts… it’s the reason for your declining physical health, and the reason mine got so bad that when I died and came back as a ghost, I could no longer speak. You’re a worthless idiot and I want nothing to do with you.”

Lydia spotted the ghost boy she recognized from Walker’s Prison and instinctively bit her lip.

“The young hapha. It is nice to see you again, though still under less than ideal circumstances… understand whatever I felt for my brother was only familial, in my weakened state of mind I believed I could somehow reach him.”

“Um, Freakshow’s gone,” Danny pointed out, as the circus around them had completely disappeared.

“His best skill was always packing up… well, let’s not worry about him for now. Do you have a room we might speak privately in?”

Danny glanced over at Sam, who winked and gave him a thumbs up, which made him feel uneasy, as he did not anticipate this turning into anything more than a talk… though he was aware that he could be fairly naive about these things when there was not an overwhelming impulse to please a female ghost flooding his brain.

Danny and Lydia flew back to Danny’s room, where Lydia felt the presence of other ghosts.

“Hm, I’ll admit hapha, you are quite attractive. But I did not come here to join your ghost harem, or whatever it is you have going on,” said Lydia. “I just wanted to discuss what can be done about the oppression of ghosts in both realms…”

Hearing the whole thing unfold, Danny’s ghost girlfriends popped out from their bedlamp to play wingwomen.

“Hey, new girl,” said Ember. “I know you think there’s more important things to worry about than finding yourself a great lover, but this here is your opportunity to get the kind of pleasure that a ghost so rarely gets to find…”

“Yes, you should join us,” said Penny. “At least try a wild night of passion to see what you’re missing, and then decide from there whether to get serious.”

“Not that it ever could be much of a choice,” said Dessa. “Being in love is one of the greatest feelings in the world.”

“Girls, I didn’t need you to do all that, Lydia is a grown ghost woman, let her make her own decisions,” said Danny.

“Well, I’m flattered you all are so encouraging,” said Lydia. “I wanted to talk about the future, and maybe get to know Danny on a personal level a bit more before taking any leaps of faith. I do know in my heart that as a ghost, it would only be a matter of time before I started to desire him more than I could bear. Perhaps it would be for the best if I were to explore these feelings now, in their early stages, before I can no longer hold myself back.”

Lydia phased her clothing away, revealing her naked ghost body. “Young hapha, do you prefer me with tattoos or without? Our love-making might be easier if these living tattoos of mine were off my body and there was no risk of any of them biting you.”

“Well, they look cool, and I don’t have a problem with tattoos, but if they’re likely to bite me then do whatever you think is most practical. I can take a little risk, but it’s your call.”

Lydia freed all of her tattoos from her body, and they floated in the air around her. Some had looks of concern on their faces. “Now then, my sweet babies, if you want to stay on Mommy’s body, you had best behave yourselves, alright? This is Danny, he is about to become my lover. Don’t bite him unless we ask for it, okay?”

The small ghostly animals all nodded in agreement, and so Lydia allowed the tattoos back on to her arms and legs. Danny mentally noted that she looked attractive with or without the tattoos, before phasing off his clothes.

Several of Lydia’s tattoos made whistling noises at the sight of Danny’s body, causing Lydia to blush at how indiscrete her tattoos were acting. “Sorry, they must like what they see, they aren’t usually this rowdy.”

“And you, Lydia? Do you like what you see?” asked Danny, aware that his ghost-lover mode had activated.

“I believe this should provide a satisfying answer to your question,” said Lydia, before embracing him in a hug and kissing him.

Danny returned the kiss, and gave Lydia’s ass a light squeeze which made her giggle a little bit between kisses. She grabbed his penis from between her thighs and guided it to her pussy.

“Even if a ghost girl is a virgin, the shape and texture of their pussy is different enough that they can’t be hurt by their first time,” said Lydia. “I’m not sure if any of these girls explained that to you yet, but in case you didn’t know.”

It was then Danny realized that they had a captive audience. Ember, Penny, and Dessa were all watching in the corner of the room, pleasuring themselves. “Don’t mind us, Master,” said Ember. “Put on a good show!”

If Danny were in a clear head, he would have complained about Ember calling him Master again, because that was obviously the influence of Penny and Dessa. He also would have been embarrassed to be making love in front of them. But the simple fact was, his ghostly desire to please overrode all other concerns. Right now, he was going to make love to Lydia, and entertain his other ghost girlfriends in the process.

He pushed into Lydia, who floated above him, and let her ride him. He held onto her legs that hovered around his waist, feeling the unique textures of the ghostly tattoos… they felt almost like the real animals, though also similar to ghostly skin. As he thrust, they continued to kiss, and Lydia gripped his back with her arms, her nails, rather than scratching him, phasing through him slightly instead. The intense love-making continued as the pleasure built to a climactic level, and Lydia looked deep into Danny’s eyes before telling him what she wanted.

“Inside babe,” she said right before they both climaxed together.

They climbed into bed and fell asleep cuddling next to each other, and Danny knew he would have to have another conversation about this when he woke up, but for now, he would just enjoy the moment.

As they were falling asleep, Sam had returned to her house, in her mind starting to doubt her authenticity as a goth, given that she didn’t really enjoy Freakshow’s dramatic antics as much as she thought she would.

Her thoughts were interrupted, however, when her parents sought to ground her for going to see the show.

“And what’s worse, the whole thing got shut down before we could even organize a protest!” said Pam.

“I know dear, but it’s the thought that counts,” said Jeremy, with an unsettlingly wide smile on his face.

Danny woke up to Lydia cuddling him in bed. He thought that yep, he had another ghost girlfriend now.

“Lydia, how do you feel about being in a harem?”

“It is what it is. You love me, I love you, why complicate things by getting jealous of other girls that also love you? Besides, we sure gave them a good show last night.”

“Yeah. Just when I think I’ve adjusted to it, I end up getting freaky with another ghost and I have to reconcile the seemingly genuine feelings I have for each individual woman with the fact that I’m dividing my attention amongst multiple women.”

“Danny, you’re obviously a good kid if this whole situation worries you so much. But you’re far from the average person, you’re a hapha. By that alone, you’re either destined for greatness or tragedy, it’s not very typical for a half-ghost to just fade into the background without accomplishing anything.”

“But how common is it for a hapha to start a harem?”

“I’ll admit, this particular arrangement is rare among haphas, but it is an indicator of your potential. Try not to fear your own greatness too much, Danny, because you’re bound to grow into it before long.”

“You girls always put such great faith in me, I’m still trying to figure out what I did right to deserve it.”

“You gave us exactly what we really needed, Danny, isn’t that obvious? You don’t need to feel overwhelmed by what you’re already capable of, you just need to see yourself the way those who love you already do.”

“I can try. Say, do you understand the living arrangements?”

“I have a pretty good idea,” said Lydia before entering the bedlamp, her portrait appearing to Ember’s left.

One week later, Sam would show up at Danny’s doorstep with some alarming news.

“Danny, I’m pregnant, and my parents have disowned me. Can I live with you?”

The question came as a shock to Jack, Maddie, and Danny, while Jazz was away that day, her latest project being a summer vacation movie club, with Paulina and Valerie.

“Well, you can stay as long as you need, dear,” said Maddie. “Jack, this is Danny’s girlfriend, Sam.”

“Ah, so it’s the old friends-to-lovers, huh? Well, it’s no trouble with me,” said Jack.

Sam received a call from her grandma, Ida.

“Jeremy and Pam are a couple of joyless busybodies and I’ve cut them out of the family fortune,” said Ida. “You can come back to the house if you want, Sam, but I totally understand if you’d rather live with the stud who got you pregnant.”

“Grandma, you’re embarrassing me…”

Sam finished up her call and let Jack, Maddie, and Danny know what her options were.

“And what do you want, dear?” asked Maddie.

“I… want to live with Danny. Take that next step in our relationship. Well, I know the traditional view of the steps hasn’t exactly been followed so far, but…”

Sam was cut off by Maddie. “We’d be happy to have you here, sweetie.”

Sam entered Danny’s room, immediately noticing the pinup. “And how do you explain that to girls?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m showing my mother and sister that I’m not embarrassed by them. At least, that’s what I was telling myself when I first put it up. Now it’s starting to feel like an awkward extra thing that I always have to explain and justify.”

“Maybe you should just have sex with your Mom and sister already and move past your shame?” said Sam.

Danny was in shock. “Whoa, Sam, where did that come from?”

“If you aren’t ready for that, then calm down, it was only a suggestion. But ever since I learned that you got stuck in your Dad’s body and had sex with your Mom to avoid suspicion, I’ve had time to come to terms with the possibility of your mother and sister joining your harem. I think it would be hot.”

Danny was about to find the words to reply with, when Sam noticed the ghost girls on the bedlamp.

“So this is where you keep your ghost harem? Looks like Ember and Lydia are also part of it. So tell me Danny, is ghost pussy better than human pussy? You seem to be getting a lot of it lately.”

“It’s not better, just different. Though you’re my only human girlfriend, Sam.”

“Yeah, but you’re thinking about changing that, aren’t you? If Paulina or Valerie jumped on you, you’d do everything you could to please them, wouldn’t you?”

“Sam, I…”

“Danny, I just want honest communication here. I’m done judging you for your preferences, after all, I’m your girlfriend now, so you must have at least some good taste.”

“Yeah, Paulina and Valerie are attractive, but I won’t pursue any more relationships on my own. Whatever happens, will happen.”

In the mean time, Maddie and Jack discussed recent revelations and developments.

“So Danny put a baby in your belly and then in his girlfriend’s belly. At least they more likely meant to do it,” said Jack.

“Jack, we shouldn’t act like my situation is comparable, since it was such an unusual set of circumstances. Now, I did recently learn that Danny is forming his own harem of ghost girls in addtion to Sam.”

“A harem of ghosts? I don’t know whether to be proud or disturbed. My boy is growing up, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, and with that in mind, I have come to terms with what I want. I want to be… intimate with Danny and Jazz.”

“Danny and Jazz? And how do they feel?”

“I don’t know about Danny, and I don’t want to force the issue, being his mother and all, but Jazz has similar feelings for myself and Danny. Ideally, I want the three of us to be close.”

“The three of you, and where would that leave me?”

“Well, what relationship would you want, Jack?”

“I want to be a supportive father. If you’re all happy and getting along, I’ll support whatever relationship you choose to have with each other. Just so long as none of you treat me like a fool for wanting to stay on the side lines.”

“We’ll still love you as the proud and supportive husband and father that you are, you don’t need to worry about that.”

Sam would worry about properly moving in another day. Tonight, she wanted to let her troubles melt away and cuddle with her boyfriend, glad to be living in the same space as him.

Chapter Text

Danny awoke to Sam cuddling him, and thought it was a nice surprise to wake up to a human girl for a change.

“Sam, I have something I want to ask my ghost girls? Do you mind, uh…”

“I have a CD player in my bag, I can listen to MCR while I wait.”

Danny doubted it would take an entire album, but upon Sam putting her headphones on, Danny summoned his ghost girlfriends from his bedlamp.

“You called, Master?” asked Desiree.

“Lydia brought up a point I hadn’t considered, so I’m curious. Which of you are virgins?”

“You already know you are my second,” said Desiree.

“I’d rather not speak of my passionless husband from my former life,” said Penelope.

“Yeah, I was a virgin, but it’s kind of embarrassing to admit that, since I’m a rockstar,” said Ember.

“So I was Ember’s and Lydia’s first times?” asked Danny.

“Yes, it would certainly seem so. Is that all… uh, Master?” said Lydia.

“As I’ve told Ember, you don’t have to call me Master,” said Danny.

“Aw, but I like how it sounds, Master,” said Ember, who then poked her tongue out at Danny.

“Well, babe, I’m open to addressing you however you’d wish,” said Lydia.

Time passed, and Sam properly moved in to the Fenton House, and Danny grew accustomed to his new life. Then came Friday the 13th of August, and a familiar face greeted Danny at the door. Sam was visiting her grandma that day.

“Johnny 13?!” exclaimed Danny in surprise.

“You gotta hide me from Walker, dude. Come on, your parents’ Ghost Portal makes this a great hiding place.”

Maddie and Jack came up to the ghost, confused by what he was doing here.

“Danny, do you know this ghost? He looks and smells like trouble,” said Maddie.

“I don’t know him very well,” said Danny, as the four of them sat in the living room.

“Well, maybe we should give him a chance,” said Jazz, who had just come downstairs.

“You know he’s a ghost, right?” asked Jack.

“So, Danny’s a half-ghost…” said Jazz before realizing Danny was in the living room as well.

“You knew, too? How am I this bad at keeping a secret?” asked Danny, a little stressed at the revelation.

“You’re a teenager, Danny. You think you’re discrete, but when Danny Phantom looks exactly like you, just with white hair and green eyes, people are bound to have their suspicions,” said Jazz.

“I promise I won’t be a bother, I’ll only stay a couple days until it’s safe for me to go back to my little corner of the Ghost Zone.”

“I still don’t know,” said Danny. “You were fine up until now, right? What changed?”

“It’s just a bit wild in there lately,” said Johnny. “The powerful ghosts who know things are keeping their secret knowledge closely guarded, and some ghosts are starting to panic, between the complete collapse of Walker’s Prison, the rumors of an evil ghost alliance, and to some degree, even your ghost harem, it’s all getting to be a bit much.”

“Oh, so then what happened to the girl you told me about?”

“Kitty dumped me. She was mad because I broke out of prison instead of waiting for her to get me out.”

Jazz caught the line about the ghost harem, but figured she was hearing things. Her little brother had a harem of ghosts, in addition to Sam, his human girlfriend? She was a little afraid to broach the topic with anyone, figuring that if there was anything to it, that Danny would be honest with her. Thinking about Danny, she believed she desperately needed to forget the complicated way she felt for him.

“Alright, listen up, ghostie,” said Jack. “I don’t trust you, I don’t like you, and I don’t want you here. But, if you behave yourself, you can stay on the couch for tonight only!”

Johnny thanked the family for their hospitality and for giving him a chance, and proceeded to settle in. Later that day, in the kitchen, Johnny was sitting at the table, not eating anything, when Jazz came in to grab a snack.

“Are you okay there? You aren’t eating anything.”

“I’m a ghost, I don’t need to eat. And I couldn’t impose on you or your folks.”

“You aren’t an imposition Johnny. What can I get you?”

Johnny stood up and leaned over Jazz, looking into her eyes. She felt a little uncomfortable.

Before anything else could happen, Maddie and Jack came into the kitchen.

“Get away from her, you creep!” said Maddie, brandishing a metal bat with the words ‘Fenton Anti-Creep Stick’ on it.

“W-whoa, f-forgive me, I-I didn’t mean to…” Johnny was flustered, caught genuinely off-guard by the Fentons’ overprotection.

Before Johnny could dig his hole any further, his Shadow emerged from under his feet, revealing itself as an imposing figure in its own right. This surprised Johnny, whose eyes went wide with fear, as he suspected what was about to happen.

“Johnny, you are a pathetic failure. It is time…”

In Vlad’s Mansion, Vlad Plasmius explained to Skulker the origins of Johnny 13 and Shadow 13.

“Thousands of years ago, thirteen humans performed a dark ritual and became the first haphas. They then discarded their humanity to gain otherworldly power. The thirteenth ghost was Shadow 13, the embodiment of bad luck. Over the years, this ghost has found other ghosts, all named Johnny, to serve as a symbiotic host, someone he can lurk in the shadow of, and eventually consume. Johnny 13 is the thirteenth Johnny ghost of Shadow 13, and according to the curse that the first Johnny gave him when his energy was absorbed, Shadow 13 cannot absorb more than 13 Johnny ghosts. I wanted to create a scenario in which Shadow 13 would finally decide to absorb Johnny 13, so that we could work with Shadow 13, and have the power of bad luck on our side.”

“Vlad you have no fear, do you? Trying to bring the primordials into the modern day, that’s messing with forces that could easily spin out of your control,” said Skulker.

“I appreciate your input, Skulker,” said Vlad. “But I know what I’m doing.”

Back at the Fenton House, Jack and Maddie were in shock at the development unfolding before them.

“I am done with you, Johnny 13. Do you understand?” said Shadow 13.

“I understand plenty, you asshole,” said Johnny 13. “You’ll regret absorbing me, we had a great thing going on.”

“That’s what they all say. Pitiful, really.” Shadow 13 absorbed Johnny 13, who did not put up a fight.

Shadow 13 turned his attention to the Fentons, who were slightly disturbed at what they witnessed.

“He’s not dead, his energy has merged with mine. Now, with the energies of 13 ghosts, my bad luck powers are amplified to a level unstoppable by mere mortals!”

Caught by surprise, Shadow 13 found himself trapped within a special containment unit.

“Huh what happened?” asked Jazz.

“It’s not one of ours…” said Maddie and Jack in unison.

“It’s one of mine,” said Walker as he materialized in the kitchen next to the containment device. “A friend in a high place, who shall remain anonymous to those without the necessary clearance, gave me a special tip that Shadow 13 was here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get my prison back. I never expected my vice-warden to betray me, much less to make friends with Klemper. Anyway, that’s my business to deal with. Until next time, Fentons.”

Walker disappeared as soon as he had appeared, taking the captured Shadow 13 with him.

Vlad was watching events in the Fenton House through his usual ‘Ghost Eye’ technique, angered that his plan had been foiled.

As if on queue, an elderly blue-skinned, fully red-eyed ghost with a purple cloak, black gloves, and many instruments of measuring time adorning his person appeared. In this form, he had no teeth, a long white beard, and a wrinkled face.

“Clockwork, I should have known…” started Vlad.

“And yet, you did not. Shadow 13 is too dangerous, Vlad. You cannot hope to command him and think it will work out for anyone. I intervened to avoid a bad future.”

“And what do you say to this? One day, I will be the most powerful ghost, and I will command all remaining primordials!”

Clockwork laughed, as his appearance shifted from an old man to a young man, in this form, his teeth were all intact, he had no facial hair, and a stronger physique.

“There is no future in which you become the most powerful, Vlad, but keep dreaming, since it does amuse me.”

“You speak so high and mighty since you yourself are a primordial, but I refuse to believe anything you say to me.”

“Yes, well the future is quite unbelievable. One day I might need to intervene again, but for now, things are progressing as they should. I shant speak so casually about these things to a wretch like you, but you shall see how the world shall be soon enough.”

Clockwork disappeared and Vlad grunted in frustration. “Damn you, Clockwork! What are you and your kind so afraid of? You, Nocturn, the Ghost Writer, all conspiring to keep the timeline on one trajectory!”

“Listen Vlad,” said Technus, who had just floated in. “I believe in you, so don’t let those powerful jokers get you down.”

Walker had secured Shadow 13’s containment unit, giving himself a moment to realize the likely location of the half-ghost, Danny Phantom. He smiled to himself as a plan began to form in his head.

Danny had called Jazz to his room to speak with her.

“Mom and Dad explained everything that happened as best they could, though I had to fill in a lot of blanks for them,” said Danny. “So tell me, why did you want to give Johnny a chance? Was it something more than a whim?”

“He seemed interesting, but yeah, I think he was pretty creepy all things considered. It’s a shame too, since I’ve been trying to find someone I can ‘move on’ with… since I still have these feelings for you swirling around my head.”

“Jazz, I know these feelings seem complicated, but I’ve done some thinking, and I might just be on board with complicated.”

Danny leaned in and began to kiss Jazz, who happily returned, at least for a little bit.

“This, I don’t know if I’m comfortable taking it further, Danny. Don’t you have a girlfriend now?”

“I have multiple, actually, and they’re all on the same page about it. I told you, I can handle complicated.”

Jazz was stunned, unsure of what to say to her brother’s attitude, a confidence she had never seen in him before. He seemed to respond to her stunned silence by bringing out and introducing his ghost girlfriends.

Jazz tried to find the words to express herself. All she manage to think about was how much her little brother had grown, how dependable and confident he seemed. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

“I have a lot to think about little brother, but if you want it, you and I could be something more some time soon.”

Danny’s ghost harem tried to contain their glee at witnessing a key moment in the emerging relationship between Danny and his older sister. They all re-entered the lamp to give their Master and his sister some privacy.

“I’ll, uh, let you know when I’m ready to take the next step,” said Jazz, before promptly leaving Danny’s room.

Danny thought about how much his life was changing over the course of these last few months. Before the accident, he would have never contemplated having sex with his mother or sister, though he saw them as attractive women, it was in a platonic, familial way where he personally held no attraction to them. Now his best friend was his pregnant girlfriend, he had four ghost girls by his side in his bedlamp, and it seemed that at some point, even more girls would join his side.

At this point, he figured that as long as things turned out for the best, he might as well not worry about any other concern than whether or not all the girls in his life were happy being with him.

Chapter Text

In the Ghost Zone, a female ghost named Kitty was beside herself. To describe this ghost woman, she had pale green skin, frizzy green hair, red eyes, purple lipstick, and wore a red jacket over a black crop top and a red skirt with fishnet stockings and black boots. She also had a purple scarf and green pendant necklace.

“It’s my fault he’s gone,” she lamented. “I pushed him away over something dumb and now he got absorbed by that Shadow.”

She pondered what to do, but an opening appeared before her. The way that many ghosts ended up travelling to and from the Ghost Zone was thanks to random portals that would open periodically. These portals have a history, but that has been lost to most presently undead ghosts. Kitty took advantage of one such portal to appear in the real world.

It was the last week of summer vacation, and Danny and his friends had the idea to go to Floody Waters, the local water park of Amity Park. It seemed that the popular crowd also had a similar idea. Sam and Paulina both wore purple one-piece bathing suits, Dash and Kwan sported red speedos, Tucker had red swim shorts and purple floaties, Star had a red one-piece, and Valerie had a yellow bikini swimsuit. Danny had blue swim shorts and a white bathing top.

“Hey Danny,” said Dash. “Didn’t think you were fit enough to be going to water parks.” Dash felt a little awkward about what he had just said. “I should probably think before I speak, huh? I’m not used to being nice to you, but anyway, sucks that this is the last week before we’re back to school.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, it’s kinda weird to think of you as a relatable person,” said Danny. “But yeah, the last week of summer is always a bummer.”

Paulina giggled. “Danny, that rhymed!”

Kitty watched the two groups interact, and decided she would overshadow one of these kids for a fun couple days to forget about her troubles. She briefly considered her options before settling on Paulina. She was pretty, popular, and seemed to get along with the boy named Danny. Kitty had a suspicion that this kid was the rumored hapha.

The normal day turned strange and provided Kitty the perfect opportunity to overshadow Paulina, as the Box Ghost attacked the water park. Kitty’s suspicions were all but confirmed as she overshadowed Paulina and was able to feel that the half-ghost had been in this body before. She believed that something grand was at work here, and she needed to get closer to Danny.

“Beware! You cannot hope to stop me from packaging all this summer fun, to preserve it for all eternity! Prepare to become the centerpiece of the Ghost Zone’s most extravagant collectible: a mint-in-box water park!”

“You!” said Valerie, who considered the Box Ghost her sworn enemy. “Don’t you have anything better to do than haunt people who don’t deserve it?”

“What people deserve is irrelevant. I am the Box Ghost, and for far too long have I been treated as a joke for knowing what many are too blind to see: the true terror of the box! One way or another, the world shall see their grave error!”

While everyone was distracted, Danny also took this time to go ghost, and confront the Box Ghost.

“You’re definitely persistent, I’ll give you that,” said Danny.

“Stay out of this, ghost kid!” said Valerie. “Box Ghost wrecked my house, I wanna capture him!”

“That was hardly my best work. Someone paid me in first-rate boxes for that little origin story of yours…” said Box Ghost.

“What is he talking about, Valerie?” asked Star.

Valerie then realized she had left her ghost hunting gear at home, and that she was in public with friends, most of whom did not know her secret. “Uh, you know what, nevermind me, that ghost kid can handle this. It’s not like I’m a ghost hunter or anything…”

Danny smiled at the Box Ghost while cracking his knuckles. The latter only had a brief moment to realize he was licked, before receiving a thorough beating. After the Box Ghost made a hasty retreat, making sure his last words included ‘Beware!’, Danny flew to a secluded part of the park to transform back. What he didn’t expect, however, was for Paulina to be right behind him.

Kitty-Paulina had snuck away while no-one was looking to follow Danny Phantom and try to catch him changing back.

“Danny! I knew it was you. I mean, you both look alike,” Kitty-Paulina had to avoid phrasing it in a way that would make her sound too much like a ghost, for example, to avoid using the word ‘hapha’, which is not commonly known among humans. “It’s pretty hot how you save the day so often.”

Danny wasn’t sure how to take the news of Paulina discovering his secret, and ran to his friends, Sam and Tucker. He learned that Dash, Kwan, Star, and Valerie all left the park along with many other attendees due to the ghost attack.

“Danny, a girl you really like just found out your biggest secret, this is a step forward, dude,” said Sam.

Before a back-and-forth could happen between Sam and Danny, Paulina caught up to him and interjected.

“Danny, I know it’s a little odd that I happened to discover your secret this way, but come on, you can trust me,” said Paulina. “Because it’s my secret now, too.”

Paulina gave Danny a kiss on the cheek before walking away. Once Sam, Tucker, and Danny were on their own, Sam talked to Danny about her concerns.

“Danny, something’s off here,” said Sam. “Paulina seems… different somehow.”

“Sam, neither of us know her well enough to make that judgment,” said Danny.

“You might be right, though at this stage I think I know more about her than you do,” said Sam.

“How do you figure?”

“Do you know her last name?”

“Isn’t it Sanchez?”

“You guessed that, didn’t you?”

“But I’m correct, aren’t I?”

“Well kind of. But I’m not giving you more than that, Danny. You should actually make the effort to get to know her. It’s about time that you find out if there’s actually anything there.”

A new year of school began and for reasons beyond him, Danny had been given eraser-smacking duty. He wasn’t keen to go, but on his way, he was held up by a conversation with his friends and Paulina.

“Look, you three have nothing to worry about, I can totally add to whatever dynamic you got going on.”

“Mr. Fenton,” said Mr. Lancer, who had intercepted him, as for him punctuality meant everything. “Where have you been?”

“He was with me, we’re dating now,” said Paulina.

“That’s weird, I thought Fenton was dating the goth girl. Anyway, that is too much personal information for a teacher like me to be privy to, so this time, rather than try to pry you away from your girlfriend, I’ll just foist the responsibility onto some other unsuspecting sap. Mr. Foley, you are painfully single, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but always open to mingle,” said Tucker, before being handed a stack of erasers. “Or perform my civic duty in the absence of others, I guess.”

Sam quietly stewed, she didn’t expect the relationship to develop this fast, particularly since she was Danny’s girlfriend, and she believed that even if the ghost sex was beyond her control, that she should be able to have a say in Danny’s human love life.

She wanted Danny and Paulina’s relationship to develop on her terms, so the whole thing spiralling beyond her control, with Danny hardly even paying her any attention was getting to her in a way that was hard to bury. Beyond that, there was the suspicion that Paulina was not acting like what she had come to know. Sure, she knew very little of Paulina, but currently it seemed like Paulina was acting like the person she expected, and not the person she actually was, as if a ghost was in control of her body. Of course, she had no basis for her theory, so she could only stay quiet and hope that somehow evidence would present itself.

At lunch in the cafeteria, the whole school had their eyes on Paulina and Danny eating together.

“So, is this normal for you?” asked Danny.

“Yeah, pretty much. I’m a popular girl, so people pay attention to me,” said Kitty-Paulina.

“Huh…” Danny started to wonder if Sam’s baseless suspicion was maybe the infamous woman’s intuition at work. “I kind of expected you to have something smarter to say about it. You’re always so upfront with me.”

Kitty began to panic. Nobody told her this girl was smart! She had to change the subject and keep Danny distracted.

“Us popular kids are going bowling today. Wanna come?”

“Sure, Paulina.”

Kwan and Dash were walking by, and heard this. “Wait, if Danny’s coming, then who’s out? Our team is four players.”

“Kwan buddy, you’re sitting this one out tonight.”

Kwan, confused, went to go sit with Sam and Tucker.

“Kwan? Why are you coming to sit with us?” asked Sam.

“Danny hanging out with my friend group is so confusing. I thought I’d get a break from it all by hanging with you guys.”

Sam almost considered rambling about how she can’t stand social hierarchies, but figured it would just be better to let it slide.

“Hey wait,” said Tucker. “If Kwan’s hanging out with us, then I wonder if Star…”

“You there, techno-geek,” said Star. “You’re obviously desperate for a crumb of female attention, so I’ll throw you a bone and let you serve me until I get bored.”

“I say it counts,” said Tucker.

“God, Tucker, have some self-respect. You’re gonna carry everything she tells you to until she can’t stand to look at your face anymore?” asked Sam. “That’s no relationship, that’s slavery.”

“Hey Sam, what can I say? I’m a slave to love.”

“You know what, I don’t have time to break down how fundamentally wrong this is on every level. I have a gothic poetry slam I’m attending tonight and…”

“Poetry? Can I come?” asked Kwan.

Sam sighed heavily. “Fine, but no ruining the mood, okay?”

Tucker was not permitted to play with the team, simply being there to carry Star’s things. Even so, he was able to get along fine with everyone, as Dash, Danny, Star, and Paulina enjoyed a game of bowling.

In the mean time, Kwan listened to the poetry of the speakers, and got inspired to write his own poem, which intrigued Sam.

When it came time for audience members to come up, Kwan showed his poem to the event organizer, and was encouraged to read it, with a small disclaimer.

“Dear Gothic patrons, my name is Kwan, and I suggest that you keep an open mind and not judge a poet by the clothes they wear, or a poem by its title. I have written a poem, inspired by all of you, called ‘The Fluffy Clouds All Look Like Footballs’.”

The title and the disclaimer combined was enough to raise a few eyebrows and perk up a few ears.

“A popular kid, what does it mean to be?
The thought just never occured to me.
And now I wonder about its worth,
As I witness my mind’s rebirth.

What I would give to gaze at the sky,
And stare at clouds that pass me by.
To think nothing of my place in life,
To not have to balance upon the knife.

The fluffy clouds have all one shape,
That tells me I am but an ape.
They all look like footballs, this is true,
And what else am I supposed to do?

I run the field, play the game well,
Spare not one thought for my personal hell.
When all is truly said and done
Was my life worth it? Did I have fun?

I cannot answer, for I do not know,
and dare not seek what to my mind will blow.
This poem now has reached its ending,
Its message received and wholly rending.”

The venue erupted in a standing ovation of claps and cheers. Sam was impressed, though in the way one might be impressed if they saw a friend succeed in a creative field. She could hardly believe it herself, but she could probably be friends with Kwan!

“Hey Kwan, that was great,” she told him after he joined her back at her table. “I kinda misjudged you. Though let’s make it clear, we’re just friends, okay? I have a boyfriend.”

“Oh yeah. Aren’t you and Danny a couple? How is it he can just go and date Paulina as well?”

“It’s complicated Kwan, but I’m sure I’ll come to understand it eventually.”

“Wow, it must be really complicated then if it even confuses a smart girl like you.”

“While I’ll admit that the flattery is nice, Kwan, I reiterate that we are just friends.”

“I know. I wouldn’t want to be anything more, anyway. I just want to be nice to my friend, because that’s how you should treat a friend. I, uh, it’s hard for me to say, but I don’t think Dash has been a very good friend to me.”

“Well, do you think you two should maybe work on that? I feel like Dash means well in his own head.”

“I don’t know, Sam. We only hang out together because we play football together. He switched me out for Danny as soon as he had the chance. I think he sees Danny as the guy who would outshine him if he had the confidence to do so. He’s not threatened or jealous or insecure, at least not so much anymore, but he wants to befriend him so that he won’t be the one that everyone casts aside when they realize how little he has to offer.”

“Kwan, is your one skill to understand people, is that it?”

“I guess. My Dad’s a psychologist, my Mom’s a reporter. They want a son who can integrate with the popular kids, because in their minds, it means they don’t have to worry about my future. Doesn’t stop me from doing it though.”

“You know, you remind me of myself a couple years ago…”

“Now I’m the flattered one, but I don’t think goth is for me. Teen angst I can do, but the dark color palette is so dreary.”

“Fair enough. This has been a surprisingly nice night, new friend Kwan.”

“Likewise, new friend Sam.”

Paulina, happy that she had won the night, invited Danny to her place, whispering that he should fly in through the wall to avoid being discovered by her father.

Danny was suspicious of how quickly things were moving, but was blindsided by the possibility of making love to Paulina. He met her in her room, surprised to see her naked and waiting for him.

He then sensed something with his ghost sense, and it all clicked.

“What’s the matter, Danny?” asked Kitty-Paulina. “I thought you wanted this.”

“I don’t know who you are,” said Danny, a serious look on his face. “But put Paulina’s clothes back on and get out of her body.”

Paulina smiled eerily at Danny. “You’re a clever hapha, you know that? You couldn’t just let me have my fun and give you two girls in one body… the one you want and the one you barely know.”

Paulina got dressed and then lay in her bed, before Kitty exited her body and closed the distance between herself and Danny.

“I’m Kitty. I lost my boyfriend recently and I wanted the hapha stud to take his place. But I realize now, it would be wrong to use the girl’s body. Let’s go to your place before she wakes up.”

Kitty and Danny flew to Danny’s place, where Kitty immediately felt the presence of other ghosts.

“Wow, so the hapha harem was real,” she said to herself, though Danny heard her.

“Listen Kitty, I’m down to get down at this point, but I need to know what you’re looking for, exactly,” said Danny.

“I need a lover who won’t treat me like Johnny did. I loved him, but only because of how dependent he made me. I thought we were meant to be, but then I discovered his deal with Shadow 13, and I knew one day I would have to move on.”

“It sounds like you lived a pretty messed up… afterlife? undeath?”

“Don’t worry about it, but yeah. And you were one of the last people to see Johnny before he was absorbed by Shadow. You have this great reputation as a hero, a rebel, and an exceptional lover.”

“God, these Ghost Zone rumors might just be the death of me. I barely know what I’m doing, I just seem to get extremely lucky.”

“Perhaps you are. Maybe you could actually stop Shadow 13 one day… but enough of that…”

Kitty phased her clothes away, revealing her naked body, and signalling her intent. Danny’s ghostly instincts kicked in and he smiled seductively at Kitty while phasing away his clothes.

Kitty crawled onto Danny’s bed as if she were imitating a cat, and presented her rear to Danny. “Do me from behind, Danny!”

“Very well, my kitten,” Danny had gotten used to his switch being flipped, no longer letting the unusual language he would adopt during sex disturb him. He understood that he was tapping into what the ghost women wanted, and heightening their experience by doing so. He lined up his cock and pushed into her without much delay.

“Wow, being with you feels way better than Johnny,” said Kitty partway into their lovemaking.

“I didn’t ask about your ex,” said Danny. “Just focus on me, babe.”

Danny continued to thrust in and out of Kitty, who made very little noise, letting her expression do the talking, though Danny could not see it. He didn’t need to, though, as he could tell she was enjoying every second.

“You should know the drill babe,” said Kitty. “Inside, and make it count.”

Danny thought to ask about why the ghost girls all want his sperm, but he figured he knew the answer by now. He let his pleasure build before reaching climax together with Kitty.

As the two of them went to lie down in bed, Danny’s other ghost girlfriends came out of the bedlamp to greet the latest addition to the harem. Danny sighed because he knew that sooner or later he would have to face the logistics of this relationship.

In the morning, Danny awoke to see Sam by his bedside with her arms crossed. “So, you found another ghost, Danny?”

“In fairness, I don’t think I’ve ever planned these encounters out.”

“Look, I’m not mad at you, Danny. Nor these girls for being attracted to you. If I’m mad about anything, it’s that this always seems to be out of our control, you know?”

“Mornin’, babe,” said Kitty. “Who’s the goth chick? Do you have a human girlfriend, too?”

“Yeah hey Kitty. The count is up to five ghost girls and one human girl. Things are getting a bit much,” said Danny.

“Hm, you’re halfway toward, no, that can’t be, it’s just a silly story.”

“What are you talking about, Kitty?”

“Look, someone more important than me is better suited to tell you. When the time comes, you’ll understand.”

At school that day, Paulina came to talk to Danny. “Danny, why is everyone at school under the impression we’re dating?”

Danny thought of an excuse on the fly that contained parts of the truth. “A ghost stalker overshadowed you and started dating me, it was all to mess with us. They left before taking anything too far, though.”

“Oh. Yeah, I don’t think this is the first time ghosts have been inside my body. Danny, I think I need to show you something.”

Paulina led Danny to her locker, and showed him that she had filled it with photos of Danny Phantom.

“Danny, when I see Danny Phantom, I get this feeling like we have some intangible connection. And I get the same feeling when I spend time with you. So I don’t mind being your girlfriend, but you have to tell me, are you Danny Phantom?”

Danny didn’t know what to say. A part of him wanted to keep up the cover story, a part of him wanted Paulina to know the truth. But his silence spoke for him.

“Danny, if you can’t trust me enough to tell me the truth, then I don’t want to even speak with you anymore.”

Paulina closed her locker and turned away, saddened. Danny was still too stunned to say or do anything. He felt like he had been thrown to a distant planet in less than a minute.

The rest of the day went by, and Danny could barely focus on anything. He was haunted by the scene that unfolded earlier that day. What should he have done? He wasn’t sure, but in the process of searching, he understood what he had to do.

Before going off to Paulina’s house, he made a short stop by his room.

“Sam, I…”

“I know how you feel about Paulina. I know you think you messed everything up. I know what you’re about to do. So instead of delaying this any further, how about I just pull a line from someone you know and say: Go get her, tiger.”

Danny nodded, and went ghost, flying to Paulina’s house, and checking that she was not in a compromising position before phasing into her room.

“Danny Phantom? You’ve come to visit me?” asked Paulina, surprised.

“I had to pay a visit to my admirer, and apologize for earlier,” said Danny, who floated down to the ground before revealing himself to be Danny Fenton. “You deserve to know everything that I do, and I’m sorry I couldn’t come to this conclusion earlier.”

Paulina smiled at Danny, and removed her top and bra.

“Paulina, what are you doing?” asked Danny with a calm confusion.

“Danny, that connection I feel to you, I’ve never felt to anyone. If you want us to be together, then you’ll prove it by being my first time. Are you a virgin, too, Danny?”

“My love life is complicated. I’m not even sure I should be dragging you into it, to be honest.”

“Experience is fine by me. Even sharing you with other girls is doable, as long as you pay attention to me when it matters. A good example would be right now, for instance.”

Danny thought to comment on how all the girls in his life were so understanding and he felt undeserving of it all, but he figured that might undercut the moment he was about to share with Paulina.

“Danny, I know it seems difficult,” said Paulina as she continued undressing. “When everything seems too good to be true, but when life grants you opportunities, letting them pass you by is a quick route to failure.”

“Paulina, I’m going to ask clearly, and you are going to answer honestly: what do you want me to do?”

“Fuck me, Danny!”

Danny used his ghost powers to remove his clothing from his human form, something he had never thought to try before. He then positioned himself above Paulina and was about to align his dick, but she stopped him.

“Danny, you gotta give the lady some warming up first,” said Paulina. “Get down there with your tongue, okay?”

“Works for me, Paulina,” said Danny. He went down on her, licking her pussy and thinking to himself that he didn’t usually do this for women, but maybe he should do it more often. Thinking about it, he realized that this was the first time he was licking pussy while in his own body. He was glad that he was giving Paulina a semi-first for him.

She clearly enjoyed his work, as her hands held his head and would tense up periodically in response to his actions. After a while, she lifted his head from her sex and looked deep into his eyes. “I think I should be ready now, Danny.”

Her seductive tone nearly set Danny off then and there, but it seemed his experience and some amount of ghost powers were allowing him to keep a cool head. He repositioned himself and gently thrusted in, and he watched her expressions closely. She seemed to be savoring every inch, and before Danny knew it, he was all the way in, and he still could not feel her cervix.

He thought to ask her how deep her hole was, but felt a bit embarrassed to ask such things. As if reading his mind, she answered his question for him. “You’re about half an inch from my cervix. I’ve got a fairly deep vagina. Yeah, I know it seems like a weird question to ask a girl, but I’m your girlfriend, Danny, you shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about these kindsa things with me.”

Danny didn’t know what to say, he was often left speechless by Paulina. Still he wanted his love for her to do the talking for him. He would get better at communicating with her over time, he was sure, but for now, what mattered was his expression of love. He began to move in and out, and he wrapped his arms around her, and leaned in to kiss her.

Paulina happily returned his affection, glad that he was finally taking the initiative and being a loving boyfriend. After a while, they broke the kiss, both feeling that they could benefit from a break, and Danny took the opportunity to feel Paulina’s boobs.

“Danny, your hands feel so warm and strong,” said Paulina. “You’re the first guy to touch these, you know?”

Danny nodded, massaging Paulina’s breasts in his hands, lightly pinching her nipples before deciding he needed to get a taste. He leaned over and took her right breast into his mouth.

Paulina moaned her approval, before starting to realize that her pleasure was building fast. “Danny, I wanna come together, are you getting close, because I’m…”

Paulina could not hold back her pleasure, and her intense climax was felt by Danny, who took the opportunity to let his own pleasure build. He was about to pull out, when Paulina wrapped her legs around him.

“I know it’s a risk, but I always wanted my first time to involve finishing inside.”

Danny offered no objection, instead giving her what she wanted, before taking a moment to lie down next to her.

“Thanks for indulging me, Danny,” said Paulina. “But you’d better go. I need to clean things up around here before Papa comes to check on me. We can talk about us more later, okay?”

When Danny returned to his room, he had a look of disbelief that prompted Sam to ask him what was up.

“I’ve added two girls to my harem in as many days. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it.”

“Yeah, that head of yours must be pretty big by now. Seven girls, I believe we’re up to?”

“Yeah, I try not to let my ego even factor into it. This lifestyle of mine is all for you girls. You all want me, and I want you all to be happy. So this is where we’re at. You wanted me to get better at dealing with it, and I think I finally am.”

Sam gave Danny a kiss on the cheek. “Good, just remember that I’m your number one, okay?”

“I don’t think I could forget that if I tried,” said Danny. “Though beyond you Sam, I don’t think I could play favorites.”

“It’s not even about being your favorite, just the one to get the most consideration as a part of your life.”

Danny thought to himself that his life seemed to grow more complex over time, and once again found himself thinking about what his future would hold. Well, Kitty’s words held something of a clue… halfway to, what exactly? Twelve girlfriends? Was that his future? He tried not to dwell on these thoughts, because Kitty had also said that when the time came, he would understand. He only hoped that he would not be too confused in the meantime.

Chapter Text

Danny was talking with Paulina about their relationship, which had recently gotten serious, and Danny’s secret other life which seemed to follow Paulina as well. Danny had explained to Paulina everything he knew about what she had been through, including the incident with Tucker Phantom.

“Well, no wonder I have this implaceable hatred for your perverted friend. And I was worried that I was turning racist,” said Paulina. “So you’re sure that he’s not going to do something like that again?”

“I’ve got my eye on him, and it seems like he’s been getting better in terms of keeping his bad impulses under control.”

“That’s a relief. Though last I saw him, Star was still treating him like a personal servant.”

Before Danny and Paulina could talk any further, an announcement for an emergency school assembly was called.

“I am aware that having an event like this in school is rather unusual and at the last minute no less,” said Mr. Lancer. “However, since this school so rarely gets anybody coming here to do anything, we have decided to embrace this event, and to introduce the concept, the host herself, Dora Mattingly.”

Dora appeared to be a white woman with long blonde hair, pink lipstick, blue eyes, blue earrings, gloves, heels, and headband, and a blue dress that parted in front of the right thigh, with a green scale pattern continuing down to the shins.

“Hello young girls, I am running a very exclusive beauty pageant for this week only: Miss Teenage Happy Princess! Let out your inner maiden today, and prove you have what it takes to be a proper princess!”

The crowd cheered, apparently many kids were excited about the prospect of being in or watching a local beauty pageant.

“And to judge this contest, shall be a boy who represents neither the popular crowd nor the unpopular crowd, someone average who is a good judge of character. To this end, I have combed over student records and determined that Danny Fenton is perfect for this task.”

Mr. Lancer had a confused look on his face, thinking to himself that he didn’t agree to give her access to the school records, and wasn’t sure when she would have had the time to look through them, since she only arrived this morning. Nevertheless, he figured it was a hunch of hers she wanted to dress up as research, and he did agree that Danny seemed to be an appropriate choice. He could only hope something sinister was not going on here. Lately that seemed to be the pattern. Something new and exciting happens? It’s just a ghost with an evil scheme.

Students were directed to the sign up table, and Sam, Paulina, Danny, Tucker, and Star were in a group in line.

“Beauty pageants suck,” said Sam. “I’d like to support women’s choices, but willingly supporting a competition that rewards conformity, it just doesn’t feel like a smart choice.”

“I’d be inclined to agree,” said Paulina. “But these competitions do boost your confidence and help to reinforce social status, so naturally I’m signing up. Hey Sam, sign up with me. You could make one of your famous rebellious statements.”

The group reached the table, where Sam decided to take Paulina up on her offer.

“I’m sorry, but are you seriously trying to sign up while obviously with child?” asked Dora. “This competition is for virgins only. A teenage princess is pure and chaste, after all.”

With that, many girls removed themselves from the line, and some came back later to drop out of the competition. Among the girls no longer competing, Tucker was surprised to learn that Star was not a virgin.

“Can we not talk about this now?” asked Star. “Look, I’m sorry for how I’ve been treating you lately, it wasn’t right. And I think I know that you want to ask me out, but a shaky start like this, means our relationship wouldn’t end well.”

Star then walked away fast with her face in her hands, making Tucker concerned for her state of mind.

Later that day, during the preliminary events, Danny looked at Dora and while in close proximity to her, his ghost sense went off. He sensed something familiar about her that he couldn’t place, and so decided to confront her privately.

“Dora, are you a ghost?” asked Danny.

“Child, I am as much a ghost as you are,” said Dora, hoping that answer would satisfy.

“Oh, so you’re half-ghost, then?” said Danny, taking a gamble that his self-reveal would yield results.

“Well, perhaps more than that…” said Dora, who revealed herself as the princess ghost that had crashed the Big Dance. In this form she had glowing green skin, red eyes, purple lipstick, a blue headband and dress that went down to the floor, and long blonde hair done up in a braid. “Well done hapha, you have caught me. Now I must go and beg my brother for his forgiveness, as I have failed him…”

“Wait, what are you…” Danny was blindsided by Dora’s sudden disappearance, and his first worry was what would become of the pageant. He smacked his head as he realized that Dora was a ghost and the whole thing was a ruse for some scheme… the princess ghost had a brother? Danny needed to get to the Ghost Zone, and fast.

He transformed and flew back home to get through the Ghost Portal, but was stopped by his Mom.

“What are you doing out of school young man?” asked Maddie.

“The beauty pageant hostess was a ghost and she retreated to the Ghost Zone, so I need to go in there and find her quickly.”

“Another girl ghost you hope to romance, Danny?” asked Maddie accusingly. “I noticed another two girls on your bedlamp. You’re really bad at keeping those close to you in the loop, Danny.”

“I know, it just happens all so fast. Wait, can we talk about this later, I’m trying to figure out why a ghost tried to run a teen beauty pageant at my school.”

“Very well Danny, use the Ghost Portal, but if you come out of there with another girlfriend in tow, we’re gonna have to have a long talk about impulse control.”

“If I could control this impulse, I would, Mom. My ghost half senses what the ghost girls want and gives it to them before I can even realize what’s happening. Human girls, granted, I have more of a choice, but it’s hardly a choice, I couldn’t dream of breaking Sam’s heart or Paulina’s.”

“Paulina? You have another human girlfriend? Oh, we are definitely having a talk mister.”

“Mom, seriously, we can talk as much as you want later. Right now something bad is going on and I need to investigate.”

“Alright sweetie, just be careful, okay?”

In the medieval Kingdom of Ghosaria, in one of the spires of the large black castle, a princely ghost slapped Dora in the face. This was Prince Aragon, and to describe him, he had glowing pale blue skin, red eyes, long gray hair, and wore a torn black cape with purple on the inside over a purple tunic. He also had a glowing green crown of thorns on his head.

He was the Cursed Prince who brought Ghosaria to ruin, and its permanent residency in the Ghost Zone. His quest to find and conquer ghostly power led to the creation of the two Amulets of Aragon, but it also led to his entire Kingdom being trapped in the Ghost Zone, and its people turned to ghosts by prolonged exposure to the Ghost Zone’s atmosphere. Since then, he had blamed everyone but himself for this turn of events, executing a number of citizens and his own parents. His heinous crimes were an early example that it was possible to kill ghosts within the Ghost Zone.

Right now, he was berating his little sister, Dorathea, for failing to find him a suitable human bride.

“Come now, there is no reason that the hapha discovering you necessitated a retreat like this! Now go back to the human world and find me that pure and chaste teenage human bride!”

Danny flew in through the castle’s window and landed a punch on Aragon’s face.

“Hey, tall, dark, and ugly! You’re a little old to be marrying teenagers!”

“Nonsense, hapha, teenagers are at the perfect age for marriage!”

“Not with an old creep like you though,” said Danny.

“And how am I any worse than some of your girlfriends, hapha?”

“They let me come to them, you’re trying to arrange a marriage with some unsuspecting teen who hasn’t even met you.”

“I grow tired of your judgmental rabble,” said Aragon, before transforming into a big black and purple dragon. “You shall feel the wrath of Prince Aragon!”

Danny was a formidable fighter by this point, but Aragon in his dragon form was considered a high threat amongst ghosts. Danny put up a decent fight, but was smacked around left and right, and was close to losing when he understood that a retreat was in order. He grabbed Dora, as she likely had knowledge that could help him, and he made his escape.

Danny passed through the Ghost Portal to find Maddie waiting for him.

“So, what’s the deal, mister?” asked Maddie.

“Her brother is a powerful tyrant looking for a human bride. I brought her here to talk with her.” Danny almost said that she won’t be joining the ghost harem, but couldn’t bring himself to. He knew by this point that if he was going to talk with a ghost girl in his room, the chances were high that it would lead to sex.

“Alright. Sounds like a serious situation.” Maddie’s face grew very concerned, very quickly. “Now that I look at you, you do seem quite hurt. Are you okay?”

“I’ll be okay, Mom. Ghosts heal fast.”

Danny took Dora to his room, where he wasted no time getting right to the point. “Dora, what do you want out of your life? There’s no way you can be happy serving that asshole.”

“My brother is Prince Undying of Ghosaria. I cannot question him. His dragon form is more powerful than mine, I know because he trains it and forbids me from doing the same. What I want is to be free of the misery he inflicts upon me. I want a handsome prince to rescue me… I know it is old-fashioned, but those are the fairy tales I was raised on. Danny, you are a chivalrous, handsome, considerate person, whose exploits have charmed many a fair lady. I would be honored if you would bed me, so that we might be joined in love, a fond wish I have been too scared to voice.”

“Wow. I probably should have seen that coming, but I never do. Perhaps because I hope that even just one time, a ghost girl isn’t harboring secret feelings for me.”

“It is not within our control. We have desires for love, and you come along, your ecto-pheromones drawing us to you, and then we bond, and everything makes sense.”

“Yeah, a lack of control seems to be a running theme here, though is it just a convenient excuse? I mean, we could say no right now. We could move on, and not complicate things…”

“Danny, I appreciate you trying to give me my choice in the matter. But I choose love, and why? Because I have seen many ghosts out there who tried to fight how they felt, and how much tragedy their lives became as a result. Please Danny, I want to be your sixth ghost lover.”

Danny’s expression and body language shifted slightly, in a way just noticeable enough to surprise Dora. “Alright then, have it your way.” Danny shifted out of his clothes, the ghostly fabric disappearing.

Dora’s eyes widened as she realized she was about to get what she had asked for, something she wasn’t used to.

“Danny, uh, please be gentle, won’t you? It’s my first time…”

“Of course, anything for the princess.” Danny’s voice was cool and charming, these few words alone made Dora shiver in anticipation, ecstatic that it seemed like a dream of hers was about to come true.

Danny phased the princess’ dress off her body and it faded away. As she lay floating over the bed in her undergarments, she blushed and phased them away herself. “Does my body please you, my prince?”

Danny looked upon Dora’s naked body and could not muster up too much surprise. She was beautiful, but he had seen five ghost girls naked at this point. It excited him, sure, but something in this sixth time made him a little less enthused.

Still, he had a girl to consider, and despite the odd new feeling of being a little underwhelmed, he was still ultimately very happy with what he was seeing. He needed to let her know that the view was much appreciated. He figured that actions would speak louder than words this time, and so brought his face to her private place.

“Having a closer look, my prince? Well, that is…” Dora was caught off-guard by Danny beginning to lick her. “Sir! That is not becoming, to pleasure a lady so selflessly… what have I done to deserve such treatment?”

“You’re a princess, of course you deserve this. I’m showing my appreciation for that magnificent view of your body that you treated me to earlier.”

“It is not so magnificent, my prince, I know. You are trying to make me feel better. You have your choice of fair ladies, and I am only Dorathea, the plain princess whose most notable trait is turning into a dragon.”

“You sell yourself short. It is hard to be as excited about ghost sex after experiencing it with five different girls, I’ll admit, but you are great beyond your powers.” Danny brought his penis to her face to make a point. “Look at how aroused I am, just being with you now. You’re sexy and desirable, don’t ever think otherwise, okay?”

“Oh, I see it alright,” said Dorathea. “But I would like to do more, if my prince wishes?”

“Go ahead, whatever sexy thing you’ve got in mind, do it.”

Dorathea took the shaft in her left hand and stroked it a few times to get a feel. She then gave the tip a brief kiss, before licking the underside of the shaft. She rested the tip on her tongue as she adjusted her mouth, considering putting it into her mouth.

Danny watched as she did all this and now the surprise was back. He knew she would bring something new, she just needed a little push in the right direction. He didn’t even need to say anything, as she happily took his dick four inches into her mouth and bobbed back-and-forth on it, her inexperience showing somewhat, but not particularly mattering because she was a ghost.

Danny realized that there was no specific shape that a ghost throat, or come to think of it a ghost pussy, would force his dick to conform to. The cool and sticky sensation, he reasoned, must then be the inner ectoplasm of the ghost. This revelation of his would require him to ask his ghost girlfriends exactly how ghost anatomy worked.

“Alright, princess, are you ready to become my woman?” asked Danny as he positioned himself above her.

“It would be my honor, my prince,” said Dora. Danny pushed in, at first taking it slow, forgetting that she was a ghost and that it was not necessary, but then continuing as he realized that she was enjoying it more this way, savoring every inch deeper that he penetrated, up until all six inches were inside her.

Danny looked lovingly into Dora’s eyes, giving her a moment to feel his entire length inside her before moving. He started slow, to tease her and make her really feel their union. He picked up the pace as she struggled to hold back her moans of pleasure.

“Why do you hold back your moans?”

“A princess shouldn’t moan…”

“Oh, but I want to hear your true feelings, princess.”

“If my prince wishes it, then it can’t be helped…”

Dora, having been given permission to make as much noise as she pleased, was reacting to every thrust with a reserved yet eager approval. Danny loved the sound of her pleasure, but wanted to kiss her, so closed the distance between their faces.

“I love hearing your pleasure, princess, but I want to kiss you right now.”

“You don’t need my permission to kiss me, my prince, I am your princess, yours to kiss at any time.”

Danny was about to argue with her, but figured it might kill the mood, so instead began to kiss her. She seemed to expect a fairly shallow kiss, simply lip-to-lip, and so Danny went with it, though persisted and slowly taught her how to kiss in deeper, more passionate ways. It was not long before their tongues were gleefully dancing around each other and Danny had gotten fairly fast with his thrusts and the pleasure of both of them was building quickly.

“I thank thee for that lesson of the tongues, my prince,” said Dora as she wrapped her legs around Danny’s butt. “I sense we are both close to climax. It is customary that the prince finish inside, to impregnate his loving princess.”

“Yeah, you all love it inside, don’t you? Well here it comes!”

Danny and Dora climaxed at the same time, and they gently floated down to the bed below, cuddling up together.

“Well, I guess you’re part of the harem now,” said Danny.

“I thank thee for honoring me,” said Dora. “And now that we are bonded, I wonder, could you turn into a dragon now?”

“I… don’t know. That reminds me, I don’t think I ever learned what powers Lydia and Kitty gave me.”

Lydia and Kitty emerged from the bedlamp, aware of the question in need of answering.

“You have command over my tattoos,” said Lydia. “They will follow you as they follow me.”

“And I have this banishing kiss that can send a member of the opposite sex far away,” said Kitty. “If I don’t blow another kiss within twelve hours, they’ll need to manually travel back to where they were banished from.”

“Right, well at some point I should definitely test more of the powers that I supposedly have, but right now, I think this dragon form might be the key to stopping Aragon.”

Danny phased his clothes back on and told Dora to wait for him here. He went to a nearby park to test his dragon form, and was surprised to find that he looked near-identical to Aragon’s dragon form, only that the purple parts were white instead.

He went intangible and flew through the Fenton House and into the Ghost Zone. Jack was surprised by readings that seemed to indicate a giant dragon ghost. Maddie simply told him with a straight face that Danny would explain it to them later.

Danny found the castle of Ghosaria again, confronting Prince Aragon, in his regular ghost form at first.

“You horrid hapha, give me back my useless sister, and…” Aragon sensed something different about the ghost boy, but shook the feeling off, transforming into a dragon. “You think you have found the key to victory, do you? Well it is hopeless, for I am a mighty dragon!”

Danny smiled briefly. “I’m going dragon!” He realized as soon as he said it, it didn’t flow as well as ‘going ghost’. Still, he transformed into a dragon, surprising Aragon.

“H-how are you doing this without an amulet?” asked Aragon, as Danny swung a claw at Aragon’s face and scratched him.

“A magician never reveals his secrets,” said Danny, thinking to himself that his banter was not up to its usual level, perhaps because the weight of his romantic entanglements was distracting him right now.

“I know! You bedded my sister, didn’t you?” Aragon’s calm demeanor faded, the angry prince coming out again. “That useless wench can’t even manage the most simple princessly duty of remaining pure and chaste, I should have known.”

“You are an arrogant asswipe, Aragon,” said Danny. “Dora is a beautiful woman and she doesn’t need you anymore.”

Prince Aragon gave a haughty menacing chuckle. “How rich, you’re the hapha prince of her dreams come to rescue her from her big bad brother! And how do you plan on besting me? You can put up a fight, but you are not on my level. Surely you know that, right?” Before Aragon could prove his point, he sensed the presence of six other ghosts.

“Our Master is not alone!” said Desiree.

Danny’s six ghost girlfriends had come to help him. Seven on one quickly made Aragon change his tune, putting his hands up, before pushing in one of the thorns on his crown.

“Oops, looks like Walker is on his way. You can fight me and risk getting arrested, or you can leave now and get away.”

“We don’t have time to consider it, let’s go!” said Ember. The girls all nodded, and Danny shrugged, following them.

Walker arrived some time after, and collected a police report from Aragon.

“So, Danny’s hapha harem is real. And you’re sure they are kidnapped and brainwashed?” asked Walker.

“It’s possible, but I can’t say for sure. You should investigate it. I don’t believe my pure and sweet sister would just betray me like this.” Aragon did his best, but Walker clearly wasn’t buying it.

“I believe she would. You’re a despot, a tyrant, and an all-round shitty person. Maybe the hapha is the bad guy here, or maybe you are. No way to know until we have you both available for a fair trial.”

Aragon was stone-faced, trying his hardest to remain calm. He knew Walker’s trials were shams. They were fair, mind you, but Walker could peer into a ghost’s very being, and ascertain the most accurate truths. If you were guilty, there was no saving you from being declared so. Aragon hated having to be subservient to anyone. He was already regretting his decision to alert the authorities. Then he came to regret it even further as Walker said something unexpected.

“You know, my dedication to law and order has really been paying off lately. A few of the primordials have noticed my efforts and offered to help me in my mission. Of course, their assistance does have its price. I must comply with any request they make or be returned to stasis. Luckily, we’re talking about Clockwork, Nocturn, and Ghost Writer here, the three primordials most notorious for pre-occupying themselves with the preservation of the timeline.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Aragon was worried for his life like never before. Those three names in particular struck fear into his entire being.

“Aragon,” said Walker with a deathly serious expression on his face. “If you are as guilty and dangerous as I think you are, you will be subject to unique restraint. If you are innocent, your power may be of great use to the side of justice. Think carefully.”

“I will keep both realities in mind. Put Danny and I to your trial, and I will be there,” said Aragon. Walker could tell he was lying, but brushed it off, knowing the ghost was scared and frustrated.

“Very well, King of Bullshit. If you try to escape justice, you will be tortured for eternity.”

The next day at school, Paulina met with Sam in secret.

“You wanted to talk, Paulina?” asked Sam.

“Yeah girl, I wanted to congratulate you on your pregnancy! It’s Danny’s baby, right?” said Paulina.

“Yes, it’s Danny’s. It couldn’t be anyone else’s.”

“Well, traditionally you would think so, but if a ghost could violate you in your sleep, then…”

“Don’t even joke around with ideas like that, Paulina, God!”

“Right, sorry. Just saying, it’s a weird and scary world out there, that can take us by surprise.”

“I know. Sorry for snapping at you. I just get so protective over everything lately.”

“No wonder, your mind is preparing itself for motherhood! Say, I hope to find out soon if I’m pregnant…”

“You made him come inside too, didn’t you?”

“It’s just so romantic and taboo, isn’t it? Like in the moment you want it and you can’t help but be a little irresponsible.”

“Yep, that’s the exact feeling.”

“Did you also have the Nocturn dream?”

“Hey now, you know better than to talk about the Nocturn dream!”

“But, it certainly explains things, doesn’t it? Like, the night after sex with Danny, this Ghost Master of Dreams talks to us of a prophecy and suddenly we are more willing than ever to see this harem Danny is building succeed?”

“Paulina, I understand you’re smart, practical, and cut through the bullshit. But this is something we don’t talk about. As Nocturn said, one day when Danny is ready, he will learn the truth from a certain ghost. Until then, we must act like those dreams never happened and just try to keep the whole thing together as best we can.”

“Well, could Valerie join this harem of ours? I think she’d benefit from getting a little closer to Danny.”

“Paulina, don’t try to force anything. None of us know the full details, but there is a timeline to these things, and each girl will reveal herself at the right time.”

“Alright, I trust you, Sam. God, this whole thing really is complicated.”

“I know, but you’re one of us now, there is no turning back.”

Danny and his six ghost girlfriends were talking in his room.

“Master, the bedlamp is full now… six ghost girlfriends,” said Penny.

“Do we call him Master?” asked Dora.

“It was kinda hot when just Dessa and Penny did it, but now there’s six of you and it loses its appeal,” said Danny.

“Maybe to you, Master,” said Kitty. “But all of us quite enjoy it. Particularly when you do that cute little eye twinge.”

“So you all get off to driving me crazy, got it. Maybe I should embrace the term Master.”

“But then we’d still be calling you Master, since that’s what you want,” said Desiree.

“True, but at least I wouldn’t be bothered by it,” said Danny.

“It doesn’t bother you too much, does it, Master?” asked Lydia, concerned they were teasing him too much.

“Not enough to dislike any of you, which is probably why I’m gonna be stuck with you saying it.”

“Hey, now that you’ve got a full house,” said Ember. “Maybe the six of us can be pregnant now?”

“I’m not adding six pregnancies to the things going on in my life right now.”

“Any time you are ready, we can all become pregnant,” said Lydia.

“Right. Well, I also had a question about ghost anatomy.”

“I think I know what you want to ask,” said Penny. “Apart from a throat that goes to the base of the neck, and a vagina that goes as deep as a real one, ghost have no internal organs. It’s all ectoplasm. Even said throat and vagina are highly malleable. Inner ectoplasm is a weird substance that feels sticky without sticking to you, and feels cool without being cold. The skin layer can feel to another ghost almost like real human skin, though the cool feeling remains. As you know, ghosts can materialize any clothing they need with their minds. We can eat and drink, but we don’t digest it, and we don’t produce waste. The ectoplasm can absorb anything that it needs to, for any purpose, or perfectly preserve it for as long as it needs to.”

“Alright, figured it was weird as usual. Ghosts are kinda cool.”

“Anytime you need to know something new, don’t be afraid to ask, one of us might know something!” said Dessa.

“Yep, I know, and I appreciate all the answers you are able to give me.”

At Vlad’s Mansion in Wisconsin, Vlad was watching through his usual ‘Ghost Eye’, Valerie practicing her ghost hunting skills.

“She may soon be ready to take on Danny Phantom. I shall take a little time to create a plan, and when the time is right, we shall see if Danny Phantom has what it takes to talk down a ghost hunter who isn’t a parent.”

Chapter Text

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and other students had health class today, which was normally taught by the Gym Teacher, Ms. Tetslaff. To briefly describe her, she was white, blue eyes, short brown hair, white shirt, red shorts, white socks, and black running shoes. She wore a whistle around her neck.

“Alright, I usually have this lesson in the spring, but since some students haven’t been taking the safe sex classes seriously, I’m moving it up to this week. This is the all-important flour child assignment.”

Ms. Tetslaff brought out a wheelbarrow full of sacks of flour wearing diapers. “These are your babies, you must take care of them in pairs, your partners will be randomly assigned.”

Danny and Valerie were surprised to discover that they were partners for this assignment. Sam and Tucker were also surprised by their pairing.

“Tucker? No offense, man, but what do you know about raising children?”

“Sam, I know you see my many flaws and think that I should never reproduce, but I can separate this and that. My parents had an extensive collection of childcare books, and before they caved in and gave me my first PDA, those books were some of the only ways I could pass the time. So, I think I know how to take care of a child.”

At Vlad’s mansion, Vlad had just briefed Skulker on his mission, and the ghostly hunter set out for Amity Park. Vlad mentally noted that being based in Wisconsin made it a little more inconvenient to enact his various plans involving the Fentons.

Another day, as Danny and Valerie are at her house watching their flour baby and figuring out a fair schedule, Skulker appears, and challenges the two to follow him.

“Danny? Why would a ghost like Skulker have any interest in you?” asked Valerie.

“Uh, I think he wanted my friend Danny Phantom,” said Danny.

“You’re friends with that loser ghost? But why? All he ever does is show up to pretend to be the hero and get in the way of real ghost hunters.”

“Well, you can feel that way if you wish, but he’s trying his best. Besides, why is Skulker interested in you? And how do you know his name is Skulker?”

“Oh, well, okay, I’m not smart enough to lie about this Danny, I’m a ghost hunter, but I’m kinda bad at it. The only ghosts I can capture are hardly a threat to anyone. So just, stay here and don’t get your friend, okay?”

Valerie’s sudden excusing of herself to go and fight Skulker had Danny both worried for her, and frustrated at her. They had an assignment this week. Danny sighed and took the flour child to Mr. Gray.

“Well, in practical terms most parents do shift the responsibility onto others when they have places to be. Still, I’m disappointed in both you and Valerie. My daughter is convinced she needs to hunt ghosts, and I’m still not sure what she’s trying to prove. And you Danny, I can tell you’re a half-ghost, aren’t you?”

Mr. Gray’s deduction surprised Danny, and he mentally wondered how Valerie’s Dad could have come to that conclusion.

“If you’re wondering how I know Danny, it’s because I’ve studied ghosts fairly extensively, and…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he swapped places with the vampiric man in the painting.

“Sorry to cut you off Damon, but freedom is too sweet not to savor,” said the man. “I am Dorian Gray, and I see I am in the presence of Danny Phantom. Well, it was nice to meet you and be free, but I think I should be going back to the painting now. Freedom has its way of reminding me that life is dreadfully dull.”

Damon snapped back into place, a bit disoriented. “I wish he would stop doing that. As soon as I even think about freeing him, he swaps places with me.” Damon realized Danny was still here. “Well there you have it, the family secret.”

“You have a painting ghost ancestor? As interesting as that is, I have a couple of ghost hunters I need to check on.”

“Right. Don’t worry, I can watch over your baby for a while.”

Danny left Valerie’s house and went ghost, relying on his ghost sense to find Valerie and Skulker, noting that he seemed to be getting more powerful as of late. He flew to the park, where Valerie had just captured Skulker. He was surprised by Valerie’s competence given how she had describe her own ability earlier, but figured she must have been selling herself short.

“Danny Phantom? I thought I told you to watch the baby…”

“Huh? But I was… but I’m not Danny Fenton.”

“You can’t fool me, Fenton, now that I get a good look at you, you’re definitely a half-ghost. You could have come clean about this earlier, you know?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m supposed to blindly trust that the popular girl who doesn’t even acknowledge my existence is really into ghost hunting and can totally be trusted with my secret. Well, don’t take it too personally that I didn’t tell you, okay? You were bound to find out eventually, given how many people already know.”

“And who does know, Danny?”

“Sam, Tucker, my parents, my sister, Paulina, Mr. Lancer, and every ghost I’ve ever faced.”

“Great, so I’m one of the last people finding out, huh?”

“Can we talk about this while putting Skulker somewhere other than your Ghost Bag?”

“You have a better place to put them? I just send the bag to the guy who gave me this equipment, and he empties it. Though I’m not sure what he does with the ghosts, since they seem to get free easily.”

“It’s a risk, but they’re better off in the Ghost Zone than stuck in some real-world object that they could potentially break free from or be released from.”

Valerie begrudgingly agreed to follow Danny to the Fenton House and release Skulker into the Ghost Zone. Danny, too distracted by various other things, did not connect the small hint Valerie had given him that someone gave her the technology to hunt ghosts. If it was important, he figured he would find out at a later date.

“So, what’s it like being a half-ghost? I know I had a low opinion of you, since I didn’t like ghosts and you seemed to have an ego, but maybe I was just projecting… anyway, my point is, I want to start over, not judge you so harshly. And I think that comes with understanding you better.”

“Well, there’s a lot of power, and a lot of responsibility…”

“Okay, Spider-Man.”

“You like Spider-Man?”

“I saw the movie. And the sequel that came out back in June.”

“Oh man, I totally forgot Spider-Man 2 came out. It felt like there was so much going on in my life.”

“I know what you mean. Say Danny, I might be out of the loop, but are you single?”

“Far from it. I got a complicated love life. All consensual, just sometimes feels like a lot to handle.”

“Too bad then, I don’t do complicated. I might make an exception for someone exceptional, but I don’t know if you’re it, Danny.”

Danny was confused and about to say something, but nothing came to mind.

The week went by and Valerie and Danny got a C-, only just passing due to their ‘extra-curricular’ activities distracting them from the assignment. Sam and Tucker, however, failed their assignment, since they could not agree on how to raise their child.

“Alright, so everyone who passed, enjoy your week free of homework. Unless you want to try again for a better grade. Everyone who failed, your assignment is your second chance. Another flour baby, for you to try again. Parental responsibility is an important lesson, so the school gives you two chances to try and absorb it.”

Ms. Tetslaff handed out flour babies to every student who failed. Sam and Tucker were visibly mad at each other, and not speaking. Danny was almost too afraid to ask, but not too risk-averse.

“What happened with you two?” asked Danny.

“What happened? Miss-my-daughter-is-an-extension-of-myself happened! Dressing our child up to look like yourself? You’re acting like your own parents, Sam!”

“I’m sorry, I made a mistake! At least I wasn’t like you, Mister-I-need-to-keep-tabs-on-everything-my-child-does! You kept waking it up with your constant fussing!”

“It was not awake until you started arguing with me! I could have just kept a watchful eye on our child and not disturbed their sleep, you know!”

Danny realized the two of them would need to sort out their differences or fail another assignment.

Vlad entered the Ghost Zone to retrieve Skulker, but was surprised by his attitude.

“Vlad, this cat and mouse game you want me and Technus to play with the Ghost Boy is growing tiresome. Either let me decorate my walls with one of those brats or stop giving me these pitiful assignments.”

“Skulker, you have already done your part. We are almost ready for the next phase of my plan.”

Danny and Valerie were hanging out at his place. “Come on Danny, at least tell me what’s so complicated. I’m actually kinda curious now.”

“Really? We spend one week together on a school assignment and now you want details about my love life?”

“Well, you did make it sound like a big drama. So what is the deal?”

“I have six ghost girlfriends and two human girlfriends. Sam and Paulina, and then Desiree, Penelope, Ember, Lydia, Kitty, and Dora.”

“Wait, I recognize some of those ghost girl names! Have you been having sex with all the ghost girls you meet?”

“Technically, I could say it’s most of them, not all. And it’s just sort of an incidental thing that bonds them to me and prevents them from committing any further chaos.”

“Now I think you were underselling it! Your life would drive me mad! Eight girlfriends! But hey… that means you’re really good in bed, right?”

“Uh oh, where are you going with this, Valerie?”

“I’m sick of being a virgin Danny! I want to experience sex, just for one night!”

“I doubt a relationship with me could be a one-night stand, but if that’s what you what, I suppose we could try it.”

The two snuck from their unmonitored conversation in the living room, up to Danny’s bedroom, where Maddie was waiting on Danny’s bed with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.

“Looks like you’re in trouble, Danny. We’ll try this some other time then, okay?” said Valerie before excusing herself and leaving.

“Danny, you’ve been trying to avoid my talk for a while now. Son, what is going on with you?”

“Mom, I’m sorry, but eight girlfriends is a lot to deal with, on top of school, and being a half-ghost with all these enemies in the Ghost Zone, and Sam is pregnant, you’re pregnant, I have these unresolved feelings for you and Jazz, and as time goes on, my responsibilities only seem to grow.”

“Danny, I appreciate your honesty, and hearing you lay out everything you are facing makes me realize I should be honest with you too, son. I love you and Jazz, more than just as your Mother. I don’t want to push anything, but if you want to grow closer to me, I am open to it. Independent of that, I want to help you where I can, because I know you are more capable than you think.”

“I really do think we should find some time to bond as Mother and son, if nothing else,” said Danny.

Another week passed, and this time, Sam and Tucker did much better, getting an A. Valerie wondered mentally if she should have tried a second time with Danny to get a better grade, given how much more time they had this week. She ultimately decided that it was a stupid school assignment anyway, and that she wouldn’t worry about it.

That evening, Danny decided to surprise Valerie, showing up in her room as Danny Phantom.

“Danny? What on Earth are you doing in my room?”

“I came to see you, and ask if that one-night stand is still something you really want.”

“I believe you said it, but I doubt that it could just be one-night.”

“Still, you’ve got my head in a spin, Valerie. I need to know what you actually want.”

“Well, maybe I don’t know what I want, and I won’t know until I get it.”

Valerie smiled seductively as she removed her yellow top.

“That’s right, big boy, let’s have this one-night stand and see whether these dumb ideas of ours could lead to anything meaningful.” Valerie continued to undress as she talked, putting on a show for Danny.

Once Valerie was down to just her panties, Danny returned to his human form and phased out of his clothes.

“You show off, getting naked instantly like that,” said Valerie. “Although, I do like what I see.” Valerie eyed Danny’s erection and then shimmied out of her panties, revealing her fully naked self to Danny. “I’ve never done this before, it kind of makes me nervous…”

“Look, if this is all bravado, we can turn back at any time…”

“No way. I’m not leaving anything in life to be regretted.”

“And you’re sure you won’t regret having sex with me?”

“I can’t imagine regretting it as much as not having sex with you. So please, Danny…”

Danny mentally noted that somehow, he was about to have sex with another girl, and tried not to think about where that might inevitably lead. He began to make out with her, being the one on top, until she surprised him and turned him on his back. She sat on top of him, and lined up his cock with her pussy.

“Foreplay is for chumps! I can take your cock Danny, because I’m a winner!”

Danny wanted to question Valerie for her outburst, but could see on her face that she was trying to psych herself up, and was a little embarrassed by how she sounded in the moment. She pushed it in and lowered herself onto it, and while she was prepared for some discomfort, she was surprised at how easily it went in.

“Hm, must be all the athletics, maybe I already tore or opened my hymen and just forgot.”

Danny didn’t know what to say, just mesmerized by Valerie’s confidence in herself, which seemed to have been missing for that brief moment where they were about to begin.

“I’m Valerie, I know what I want, and I get it,” she said as she began to move up and down. “Danny, this feels great! But I’ll be honest, not sure what about you specifically draws so many girls.”

“Well, the ghost girls are naturally attracted to half-ghosts. Sam’s always had a crush on me, and Paulina, well I had a crush on her. What made you want me, other than my prior history?”

“I don’t think it was that deep, Danny. I needed an experienced sexual partner who wasn’t some jerk or pervert, and you seemed to fit the bill. These past couple weeks hanging out with you have been some of the most fun I’ve let myself have in a long while. Being part of the popular crowd is exhausting, especially as a black woman.”

“So you’re saying you might actually like me for me, and aren’t just using me for my body?”

“Danny, I told you, didn’t I? I make an exception for the exceptional.”

Danny and Valerie’s pleasures continued to build, and soon Danny was getting close.

“Inside or outside, Valerie?”

“How do you treat your other girls?”

“The ghost girls all want a sample of my DNA that they can store in their bodies indefinitely. Sam and Paulina are, Sam and Paulina. They both wanted it inside.”

“So finishing inside is the tradition then? Alright, fuck it. Gimme what you got, Danny!”

As Valerie felt waves of pleasure wash over her, and Danny began to shoot inside, she sat with his dick firmly inside her, jerking slightly as they both achieved orgasm.

Valerie curled up with Danny in her bed after the act. “I admit it, I think I love you, dork,” said Valerie.

“That’s not just a post-sex high talking, is it?” asked Danny.

“No, I think that sex helped me realize what I wasn’t seeing before. You’re a great guy, Danny, and if you’ll have me, I think I could be a great girlfriend number nine.”

“Valerie, if you want that, I think we can find a way to make it work. But understand that you’re joining something complicated, that not even I can fully wrap my head around. These days I just sort of roll with it.”

“That’s fine. You’re worth the complications. Say, there’s an idea, you could write your memoirs: The Lewd Complications of Being Half-Ghost.”

Danny considered it briefly. “I think Half-Phantom might sound better, but that’s certainly something to think about.”

Vlad was pouring through computer files he had made on everything Daniel had been up to, surprised at the speed with which Danny’s life had been changing. He had only met the kid in April, and it was now October. The kid had nine girlfriends… something odd was going on with the timeline, and Vlad needed to figure out what, because not doing so could spell disaster for his grand plans for world domination.

However, an idea formed in his head, an ill-advised yet in-character idea: he would try once more to convince Maddie and Danny to leave Jack behind and become his new family. He thought that it was unlikely to work out in his favor, but from his perspective, he viewed it as a win-win scenario. Either he gets Maddie and Danny to be what a part of him has wanted, or he gets two formidable enemies who can serve to challenge him on the way to the top.

Of course, what he dared not consider, was that he was not the Main Character of this story, and that Clockwork was right. That possibility was just a little too much for his ego at this time.

Chapter Text

Danny was in the lab with Tucker and Sam, training his ghost powers. After running through the basics, showing off his capability in invisibility, intangibility, a new top flight speed of 112 mph, his ghost rays, punches supercharged with ecto-energy, and ecto-shields, he seemingly had a handle on several of his basic ghost powers and felt confident in attempting more complex things.

“Wait, what about your overshadowing?” asked Sam. “It’d be a good test of your will power.”

“Overshadowing isn’t something I want to do unless I have to. First I want to try that duplication technique Vlad seemed so good at. It’d be really handy to be able to produce doppelgangers.”

After saying this, Danny tried to separate himself, and to his surprise, succeeded.

“Huh. I kind of expected to fail there. I felt a sudden surge of strength right before success, and…” the left Danny was interrupted as the two Dannys snapped back together. “Well, figures I can’t sustain it just yet. But as I was saying, I feel like my body got just strong enough to succeed.”

“Yes, and what of your inherited powers from your ghost girlfriends?” asked Tucker.

“Oh right. Those might be a bit trickier to test in a controlled environment, but we should still go down the list and figure things out. First, Desiree’s ability.”

Danny granted Sam and Tucker ghost powers, and then they tried to use them. Tucker was a little more used to it than Sam, but both were clearly in need of more training.

“One day, I’d like for this ability to empower all my trusted friends,” said Danny. “You two, Mom, Dad, Jazz, Paulina, Valerie, heck maybe even Dash and Mr. Lancer!”

“Dash hasn’t figured out your secret yet, has he?” asked Tucker.

“Nope, but he’s a big fan of Danny Phantom, so I’ve been thinking I could maybe trust him if it had to come down to it.”

“Next is Penny’s ability,” said Sam.

“Penny said I could make an older person younger and myself older. This is something I could test on Mom maybe later?”

“Alright, moving on then, what was Ember’s ability?” asked Tucker.

“My voice can influence people? I think that’s what she said, I don’t know how much it worked…”

“I think it probably helped your situation become as complex as it has…” said Sam. “Was there anything else to it?”

“Oh, just that I now have a better natural singing voice.”

“Really? Then let’s hear a song,” said Sam.

“I’m not really one for music, did you have a request? And maybe a karaoke machine?”

“Forget it, it’s dumb,” said Sam.

“Sam, I want to try this out, but I’m not musically inclined at all, so a power like this, I need all the help I can get.”

“I wanna hear you sing Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus,” said Sam.

“Wow, yeah I know that one. But do you listen to Iron Maiden?”

“Of course. I listen to anything that my parents don’t want me listening to.”

Danny then proceeded to sing Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus, his performance making Sam fall to her knees and drool a bit.

“Wow! Could you sing Ember McLain next?” asked Tucker.

“Real funny, Tucker,” said Danny, who looked at Sam with concern. “Was I that good?”

“Hehe, could you knock me up again, Danny?” she asked while clearly in a lovestruck daze.

“Okay, she’s out of it. Not sure if I wanna use this power if it’s this effective. Kinda feels unfair.”

“Okay, Lydia’s tattoos were next. Let me just summon her.”

Danny thought about bringing Lydia to the lab, and she appeared. “Master, what a surprise that you summoned me from this distance. Not that it isn’t possible, I just didn’t think you had discovered you could do that yet.”

“Well, I was testing my abilities and wanted to see how my control of your tattoos works. I was surprised as you when just thinking of summoning you was enough to do it.”

“Yes, your ghost girlfriends are at your command, that is how strong our bonds are. In any case, you are free to see how commanding my tattoos works as a practical ability.”

Danny did some simple tests of commanding Lydia’s tattoos, wanting to get through these various power tests as quickly as possible, so that he could have an idea before he started training where he was already at.

Once Lydia had been dismissed, they moved onto Kitty’s power next. Danny blew a kiss at Sam, and she disappeared. He blew another kiss, and she returned, claiming that she was just on the streets of Tokyo, Japan.

“That’s exactly the place I had pictured in my mind,” said Danny. “Well, I’m not really sure about this power. Maybe not one to prioritize for now.”

The last power they were testing that day was Dora’s. Danny turned into a dragon again, and smiled at himself.

“I gotta say, this is one of the better ones. This one and Desiree’s ability, they both have great practical applications. I look forward to training this form.”

In the living room, Maddie and Jack are sitting around, when they hear Danny singing Teenage Dirtbag.

Maddie sighed and took a framed photo off the wall. It showed Maddie hugging a first grade Danny. “They grow up so fast… Danny’s taking on so much responsibility, when I think about the special little guy I raised, it confuses me. I look at the dependable man he’s growing into, and I’m attracted to him, but I look at photos like this one and I’m reminded of what a normal, motherly love is supposed to be. Jack, what do you think I should do?”

“It sounds like some Mother-son bonding is in order. Something that can bring you closer, and make you figure out how you really feel about each other, and what you really want out of your relationship.”

“Yeah, I could really go for something like that right about now. But what on Earth could we do together?”

As she finished saying this, a letter was pushed through the door’s mail slot. Jack excitedly rushed to give it to Maddie.

“What’s it say? C’mon honey, read it, read it, read it, read it!”

It was an invite to a science symposium in Florida, specifying one parent and one child admittance.

“This is perfect for you and Jazz!” said Jack.

“Perfect for me and Danny, you mean,” said Maddie plainly.

“Oh yeah, all the better. Hey, too bad you can’t take both of them!”

“Jack, this is just what the doctor ordered. I can spend some one-on-one quality bonding time with my son, and figure out how I really feel about him.”

Maddie felt a kick in her womb. With any luck, this baby inside her wouldn’t sway her decision, she thought.

Back in the lab, Danny tried to assure his friends that serious training was about to begin.

“We’ve done the preliminary tests, now we get into this weekend’s main goal: nonstop training with no interruptions!”

Maddie runs down into the lab. “Hey Danny! Pack your bags, we’re going to a parent-child science symposium in Florida!”

Danny was a little confused. He was aware that Maddie had wanted to spend more time with him, but this isn’t what he had in mind, neither the time nor the place.

Jazz woke up late, she had been dreaming about Danny again. She knew in her heart she was ready to become his, mind, body, and soul. The only problem was working up the courage to ask. She was terrified of rejection, for one, even though it seemed like Danny was into her as well. She was terrified that she was taking advantage of Danny, for two, though his maturity about the whole situation called that into question. And last but not least, she was intimidated by Danny’s harem, which had been growing sizably over the past several months, and made her question whether or not it was a good idea to throw herself into the mix.

She got ready to start the day, and found herself looking all over the house for Danny, stopping short of the kitchen, where the whole family had gathered. She would soon learn what was about to happen.

“I wanted bonding time with Danny!” she pouted. “Now I have to spend some family time with Dad!”

“That’s life, sweetheart,” said Maddie. “Perhaps if you’d come to Danny sooner, you could have had some bonding time already. Now you’ll just have to wait until we get back.”

“Well I wanted to train my ghost powers this weekend, but I’m not going to be pouty about a chance to bond with my Mom, I’m well aware that we’ve grown a little distant these past couple years. I’m glad you all know about my half-ghost nature, because otherwise this kind of a trip would be much more awkward and even more warranted,” said Danny.

On the plane, Maddie was trying to have a conversation with Danny.

“Danny, I know you said you weren’t going to be pouty, but you’re looking awfully pouty. What’s the matter?”

“Sorry Mom, I’m just feeling like I don’t do enough, you know? I have nine girlfriends and apart from some light kissing and touching and affirmation of feelings, I haven’t been able to make time for them beyond the first time having sex. And I feel like I should have a way better handle on my ghost powers by now. And there’s so much I don’t know about ghosts, despite how much I try to learn, it always feels like there’s more that I could discover. But trust me, I’m doing my best to forget all that for this weekend and focus on you. But it’s not instant, it’s not easy.”

“I can empathize, Danny. You’re taking on a lot of responsibility, more than a fifteen-year-old probably should, but the simple fact is, whether you can believe it or not, you are handling it all extremely well. I am proud of you, and I hope it helps to know that.”

“It does, Mom.”

Over the PA, the pilot’s voice could be heard. “Folks, this is your captain speaking. If you look out the window on your left, you’ll see the cold, bleak Colorado Rockies.”

Danny was surprised by this. “Wait, we’re a long way from Florida, what gives?”

“And if you look out the window on your right side, you’ll see me bailing out of the plane before it careens out of control and crashes.”

Maddie leads Danny to the cockpit, to find it abandoned, and the controls jammed. Danny goes ghost and flies them out of the plane.

“Danny, I never realized your ghost form was so strong,” said Maddie.

“The more I use my powers, the more they grow,” said Danny. “Now, there’s a nice looking chalet down there, what say you and I investigate? Because flying all the way home might be a little exhausting.”

“Sounds like a plan, Danny.”

Jazz was sitting on the couch, pouting, trying to come to terms with the idea that her Mom might get to Danny’s heart before she does, and wondering if she could bear to wait a whole weekend to feel Danny inside her.

“Jazz, you look down, you can tell me anything, you know,” said Jack. “Well, there’s going to be stuff I don’t know how to talk about, but…”

Jazz interrupted him. “I want to have sex with my little brother. How can you possibly offer anything that would calm me down, Dad?”

“Well, I can’t sweetie. But what I can say is this: you and your mother have that in common. And while I haven’t had a chance to speak to Danny yet, if I know my son, he won’t refuse a woman in love. I mean, he has how many girlfriends now?”

“I think he’s up to nine,” said Jazz, a little happy to hear Jack’s words, to her own surprise.

“Yes, anyway, my point is that the three of you would probably all be better off if you stopped second guessing because of ideas about what’s ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ and just come to terms with how you all feel about each other. It pains me to see my wife and daughter all torn up inside because they feel obligated not to act on their feelings. If you love Danny, then to hell with the world and what they think, allow yourself to feel that love!”

“How are you so cool with this, Dad?”

“Look, my siblings started a secret club for incest, they left me out of it because they weren’t attracted to me. Now, I’ve never loved anyone in my life more than Maddie, and only ever Maddie, but the time where I have any use of a libido is long past. Maddie kept it alive by being a bombshell of a wife, but when she wanted to pause things, I felt relief. I’ve never felt the need to be included in other people’s business, but when it comes to family, I want to show my support. My siblings never gave me that chance, but with you, Maddie, and Danny, all I want is to see the three of you be happy together.”

Jazz gave Jack a hug. “Thank you Dad.”

“You know, there’s also the factor that you and Danny becoming close is the only instance where the thought of you being sexually active doesn’t send me flying into a blind over-protective rage.”

Jazz laughed a little bit. “You said a little too much there, Dad.”

Maddie and Danny land in front of the mountain chalet, impressed by its nice exterior. “I wonder who lives in a fancy place like this?” asked Maddie.

A horn blares a common musical cue, and Maddie and Danny turn to see Vlad Masters driving up in a golf cart.

“Well, any interest I had in staying here is gone,” said Danny.

“Now Danny, let’s give the creep a chance to be better than he was at the reunion.”

“Maddie and Danny Fenton, what a pleasant surprise to see you here.” Vlad pulled two gift baskets out from under the seat. “Personalized gift baskets?”

“Okay, so the creep is up to something,” said Maddie. “We should at least find out what before passing up the chance to stay even one night in such a nice place.”

Inside the chalet, the three were talking by the fire. “So, what brings you two here?” asked Vlad.

“Well, the strangest thing happened,” said Maddie. “We were on our way to a science symposium when the pilot forced us out right over your house.”

“Yeah, it’s almost like you planned it, but that would be impossible, right Vlad?” said Danny with an accusatory, sarcastic tone.

“Highly improbable, my dear Danny boy. Speaking of things that are highly improbable,” Vlad turned to Maddie. “How’s your marriage to Jack coming along?”

“They’re very happy together, so stop prying,” said Danny.

“Now Danny, your mother is an adult, she can answer for herself.”

“Jack and I have had eighteen good years together,” said Maddie. “Truthfully, there is someone else in my life now.”

Vlad was curious about that line, but sought not to give away his true motivations. He then noticed her belly.

“Ah, you must be referring to the new life you’re about to bring into the world.” Vlad thought about bringing up the question of the father, but thought better of it. He had his suspicions, anyway. Or more accurately, he had done enough spying on this twisted family to know their dark secrets.

“Yes, well, anyone can see that you’re brown-nosing right now, Vlad, so what the hell do you want from me?” asked Maddie.

“Ah Maddie, nothing gets past you. I suppose I should lose the subtlety and come out with it. I want you and Danny to live with me. What do you say?”

Maddie and Danny left the cabin immediately. “Bye Vlad! And if you’re lonely and desperate enough to try and steal another man’s family, maybe you should consider getting a cat!” taunted Danny.

Jazz and Jack were being attacked by a number of ghosts.

“Why is the ghost activity so high all of a sudden?” asked Jazz.

“Oh, a number of reasons. One, the Ghost Shield is on the fritz. Two, Maddie isn’t here. Three, the Ghost Portal is probably fairly well-known by now, and sought after by all ghosts who want some form of power in this world,” explained Jack.

“Well, we have some help at our disposal that we aren’t using,” said Jazz. “Come Dad, I think it’s time you met Danny’s ghost girlfriends.”

“Lead the way, Jazz!” said Jack, following her excitedly to Danny’s room.

“Dessa! Penny! Ember! Lydia! Kitty! Dora! It’s Jazz!” before she could say any more, the six ghosts came out of the bedlamp.

“Hello, exalted elder sister,” said Desiree. “Have you come to inquire about Danny’s penis again?”

“Ix-nay on the ick-day,” whispered Jazz while pointing to an oblivious Jack.

“Who is this man you seek to introduce us to?” asked Penelope.

“This is Danny’s Dad, my Dad,” said Jazz semi-awkwardly, before pushing her Dad in front of all the girls.

“Wowee, these are a lot of ghost girls. So Danny has had sex with all of you? Actually, scratch that, I don’t need to know. To the point, we could use some help defending the house from ghosts.”

“Finally, a chance to do something other than hang out in a bedlamp or answer Danny’s ghost questions,” said Ember.

“Of course we all trust in Danny to give us some special time as soon as he has the time,” said Lydia.

“We’d be glad to help,” said Kitty.

“Just tell us what we need to do and we’ll do it,” said Dora.

Maddie and Danny were out in a patch of land in the woods that was clearly an unused campsite. Maddie took a small cube out from her belt, set it on the ground and squeezed a drop of water to it from an eye-dropper. It ballooned into a tent that was big enough for two.

“Instant tent?” asked Danny.

“Yeah, something I picked up on my more social days of scientific research. The guy who created this tech now works for the Guys in White.”

“Who?”

“Oh, we’re not supposed to discuss their existence, but the government have their own ghost-hunting unit.”

“Like the Men in Black but for ghosts?”

“Yes, but Men in Black is just two movies. Oddly enough the government seemed worried about copyright infringement and so when creating the unit, decided to create something legally distinct.”

“So the Guys in White are new?”

“Yep, they were formed at the turn of the millennium, and while they lack the experience of long-time ghost hunters like your Dad and I, they have a lot of resources.”

Maddie was looking into her supplies, realizing something. “I didn’t plan to be roughing it this weekend, I only brought one sleeping bag.”

“That’s okay Mom, we can share.” Danny forgot that he had brought his own sleeping bag, his mind pre-occupied with wanting to share a fairly innocent moment with his Mom.

Maddie didn’t see the sense in arguing, and was truthfully looking forward to cuddling her son, something she hadn’t done in years. She briefly thought back to that last time, when Danny was eight and came into his parents’ bed after a nightmare.

Though Maddie had planned on being the big spoon, she somehow found herself the little spoon, and was too embarrassed to complain about it. Minutes passed as the position seemed to keep her awake. She could feel his erection growing, nestled between her butt cheeks, separated only by their pajamas.

“Danny, do you… like your Mommy?” asked Maddie, shyly.

“Huh?” said Danny, clearly tired. He had not yet fallen asleep, but he had been trying to. He then realized the issue that was affecting his ability to fall asleep, and his mother’s question. “Uh… sorry Mom. Usually when I’m curled up in bed with a sexy woman it’s not a problem because I’m in that kind of relationship with them. But to answer your question, yes, I’m attracted to you. It’s hard not to be. Through a freak accident, you were kind of my first time. And the pinup that I tried to use to get over my feelings only served to keep them there. As my harem grew, I started to become open to the idea that I could have a relationship with you, and with Jazz, too, but anyway…”

Maddie interrupted him. “Danny, I get it. No-one is ever prepared for love, and sometimes it’s scary to love someone when you know how much it could change your existing relationship. But I love you Danny, so if you want, we can take that leap together.”

Danny felt reassured by his mother’s words, and his hands wandered up from a safe hug around her waist to up to her breasts.

“You want to feel Mommy’s breasts?”

“Mm, this has been something I’ve wanted for a while. Of course, we’re just getting started…”

“Oh Danny, mm, you can make your Mommy into your woman, just take what you want…”

Their fooling around was interrupted as they heard a loud ghostly roar. They froze for a moment in fear, since they were vulnerable and not expecting an attack. The tent was then ripped open by the slash of a large green ghost bear.

“Reject the man, you get the bear!” growled the ghost bear.

As Maddie crouched in a battle-ready stance, though in her pajamas instead of her usual ghost hunting gear, she gave the creature a look that made it think twice about its own safety.

Danny was about to go ghost and help his mother fight when another ghost stole him away, and took him to a different part of the forest. Danny took a moment to register what had happened, but once he realized which ghost had taken him, he was furious.

“Vlad Plasmius!” Before Danny could make any further remarks, Vlad shocked him with a new device.

“The Plasmius Maximus disables ghost powers in half-ghosts for three hours, and paralyzes regular ghosts for the same amount of time. Three hours is an average, but since you seem to be painfully average yourself, it should hold true for you.”

Vlad and the ghost bear both simultaneously retreated from their respective fights, and Maddie and Danny tried for at least an hour to find each other.

“Where did you go?” asked Maddie. “I was so worried about you, even with my hands full taking on that ghost bear.”

“Vlad Plasmius, the half-ghost that possessed Dad at the college reunion, he showed up and used a device to disable my ghost powers for three hours.”

“Danny, you need to tell me, and even though I have my suspicions, but I have a feeling that you know… Vlad Masters and Vlad Plasmius are the same person, aren’t they?”

“Yes, Mom. And though I hate to say it, I think he’s trying to leave us with no other option than spend the night with him.”

“Well, you said he had a way of disabling ghost powers? Well, I think I have a plan…”

Jazz is trying on one of Maddie’s jumpsuits, looking at herself in the mirror.

“I must be outta my mind. But, I think I kind of pull it off…”

As she finished saying this to herself, Jack was surprised to see her. “Maddie? You’re home already? And shorter, and… oh, Jazz, you’re wearing your mother’s jumpsuit! I’m so proud of you!”

“Don’t get too used to it, Dad, I just thought since the ghost girls were putting in their all, that I’d help out using every tool at my disposal. Mom’s suits have a bunch of ghost gear built in, right? Ought to come in handy.”

“That’s my girl! Now, let’s get to busting some ghosts!”

Maddie had just finished explaining her plan to Danny. “Are you comfortable with this plan, Danny?”

“It’s a risk, but if you’re sure about this, I’ll go along with it.”

Maddie and Danny then trek back to Vlad’s chalet, still another ten minutes until midnight by the time they get there.

“Maddie and Danny. Back so soon? And what on Earth made you change your mind?”

“Oh, it’s quite the story, Vlad,” said Maddie, looking deep into his eyes and startling him. “Danny, do you mind going elsewhere for a few minutes while I talk to Vlad?”

Vlad and Maddie sat beside each other on the couch in front of the fireplace. “So, you…” started Vlad before being interrupted.

“I’m willing to try anything at least once. Show me you can be a gentleman tonight, and give us a place to stay, and maybe I won’t completely hate your guts.”

“You drive a hard bargain, Maddie, but your terms are acceptable. I shall show you and Danny to your rooms.”

Maddie was surprised at how easy it was to convince Vlad, and was suspicious. Vlad meanwhile, was thinking that there was clearly something going on and he needed to talk to young Daniel as soon as possible.

Once Maddie had settled into her room, Vlad found Danny and had the much needed talk.

“You had better leave me and my Mom alone, Vlad,” said Danny.

“Danny, don’t make threats you can’t deliver on. I vastly outclass you.”

“Maybe, but you should know I’m not alone.”

“Yes, you’ve been busy, haven’t you, Daniel? And I know that you have more than just a normal mother-son bond with Maddie. But don’t worry, I won’t get in your way. I approve, and I will support you more than your foolish Dad could ever…”

Danny interrupted Vlad. “Our Dad supports us, don’t speak like you know anything. And I don’t want your approval, it makes me sick. Vlad, why do you even bother?”

“A boredom you cannot even fathom, Daniel. Love me, hate me, either way works.”

“But if I didn’t care, that would get under your skin, wouldn’t it?”

Vlad got visibly angered by this remark. “You little shit! What makes you think I’d let you make that choice?”

Vlad entered Danny’s body to overshadow him. “Let’s see you fight back without your ghost powers, Daniel! I’m in your body, and I’d bet your Mom is waiting in her bedroom for you to come to her. Let’s go there together, shall we?” said Vlad’s voice in Danny’s head.

Danny tried to fight Vlad’s control, but it seemed ineffective. Vlad led Danny’s body to Maddie’s room.

“Danny? You found my room? Did you want to sleep with Mommy?”

“Yes, I would love to sleep with my Mommy,” said Vlad-Danny.

It passed midnight, and Danny’s ghost powers returned. He started to gain more power to resist Vlad, but it still wasn’t enough.

“It’s no use fighting Danny!” said Vlad inside Danny’s head. “Just give up and watch as I seduce your Mom! I bet you did something like this while in your father’s body, didn’t you? You even knocked her up and have been desperate to experience that again, haven’t you? You can’t get it out of your mind, can you?”

Danny was filled with rage. His body jerked back against the wall.

“Danny, are you alright?” asked Maddie.

“Get out of me, Vlad!” yelled Danny. “Get out and leave me and my mother alone!”

Danny began to fight, starting to pull Vlad out of his body, to the surprise of both of them.

“I don’t love you, I won’t hate you, no matter what you try, I will never feel anything for you, Vlad!” declared Danny as he managed to successfully rip Vlad out of his body.

“Well done, my boy, you learned to expel an overshadowing, even of a ghost as powerful as me. Well, for that impressive show, I ought to leave you two alone.” Vlad left before anything else could be said or done about it.

Maddie and Danny looked at each other for a while, in disbelief. It seems their plan wasn’t even necessary, at least not for now.

“So, should we try to get home or leave that for tomorrow?” asked Maddie.

“Mom, I want to pick up where we left off in the tent…” said Danny.

“Alright, Danny, but if we’re really going to take our relationship to this level, you should probably call me Maddie when we’re getting intimate. Calling me Mom while you’re exploring my body, it just reminds me of the conflicting feelings I used to have.”

Danny closed the distance between him and his Mom, and locked eyes with her. “I can try to call you Maddie, but no matter what happens between us, you’ll still be my Mom, and so you need to be okay with that. You need to be okay with being both my Mom and my lover, okay Maddie?”

“Yes, Danny, believe me, I’ve had a lot of time to think about this.”

“I think the time for thinking has passed,” said Danny as he ran his fingers through her hair, making her blush. “It’s time for action. Are you ready for action, Mom?”

“I’d like to say that I always am, but to be taking this step with you, feels unreal.”

“Believe me, Maddie, it’s about to feel realer than anything you’ve ever felt before.”

Danny leaned in and kissed his Mom, and she melted into the kiss. Danny was no longer the boy she raised, he was a charismatic and seductive lover, something he no doubt learned through having nine girlfriends. She broke the kiss to ask the question she’d been too scared to ask.

“Danny, are you ready to make love to your mother?”

“I suppose you could say that I was born ready,” said Danny in response. The two pulled back from each other to get undressed, making quick work of shedding their clothes, and soon Maddie was lying naked underneath Danny.

“You want to go on top, Maddie?” asked Danny. “Or is this suitable?”

“I loved being on top, but tonight I think I might love being underneath even more…”

Danny lined up his cock with her pussy and pushed in. “Is it safe to have sex when you’re pregnant?”

“Of course, Danny, now stop worrying about that and make love to me!”

Danny began to move inside her, while feeling her bare breasts. He realized he could not reach her mouth to kiss due to his height and her pregnant belly, and so he used his ghostly abilities to extend his upper half. It looked a little weird to Maddie to see his naked torso stretched like a ghost’s, but she was grateful that it meant he could continue to kiss her.

The pleasure for the two of them built as they continued like this for a good while.

“Danny, I’m getting close, are you also getting close?”

“Yeah, how do you want it?”

“Inside me, Danny, I’m already pregnant so there’s no worry…”

The two came together, Danny finishing inside as Maddie’s orgasm washed over her. The two would spend the night cuddling, and take Vlad’s helicopter back home in the morning.

“Hey honey, how was the symposium?” asked Jack.

“It didn’t go quite as planned, I have a lot to tell you tonight, but for now I’d like to go rest,” answered Maddie.

Danny noticed a needy look on Jazz’s face.

“Me. You. Bedroom. Now.” Jazz pulled Danny up the stairs and into their room.

“Our kids are growing up,” said Jack. “Better give them some privacy.” Jack noticed Maddie had already left for her room.

“Alright Danny, spill it, you had sex with Mom, didn’t you?” asked Jazz as soon as they were alone in his room together.

“Nothing gets by you Jazz, does it? I know you weren’t exactly happy about the mother-son bonding time, I take it you wanted to have sex with me too?”

“Of course that’s what I want, Danny, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind for weeks now! I’ve been so scared to make a move, but now that Mom beat me to it, I don’t care anymore. Take me, reject me, do what you will.”

“I’d never reject you, Jazz. If you wanna have sex, then let’s do it.”

Jazz was surprised at how willing Danny was. “Wait, you aren’t even a little opposed to this?” asked Jazz.

“No, why, do you want me to be?” asked Danny.

“Where do you get all this confidence, little bro?” asked Jazz.

“I have nine girlfriends, and I just had sex with my Mom last night. I don’t know if it’s confidence, exactly, but moreso I think I can finally embrace my life as it is, and stop worrying about the future. So big sis, what’ll it be? Ready for me to make you mine?”

Jazz bit her lip and blushed. “I’ve dreamed of this moment and still my imagination doesn’t compare to reality.”

Danny started undressing, and Jazz watched, transfixed by the action. Her mind and heart raced in anticipation of seeing her little brother naked. She no longer cared about what she was ‘supposed’ to feel, to her in this moment, she had never desired a man more and could never again. Her brother was her whole world. So what if he had all these other girls? Right now, he was hers and she was his, and that’s all that mattered.

He finished undressing and she instinctively felt obligated to give him a similar show. She removed all her clothes and stood before him naked. “Do you like what you see?” asked Jazz. “And don’t say that your erection is the answer, you were already hard before I got undressed.”

Danny smiled. “Of course I like what I see. You’re beautiful, Jazz. Now come here, and let me take care of you.”

Jazz closed the distance between them and they started making out. Jazz wrapped her legs around Danny’s torso, and was surprised that he was strong enough to support her weight. As they passionately made out, Jazz could feel his throbbing cock pushing up against her butt, nestled right beneath her pussy. She felt a horniness she hadn’t known since that first time she masturbated to the thought of Danny and Mom making love to her.

She freed one of her hands and used it to guide Danny’s cock into her eager pussy. So eager, that her virginity was hardly an issue. He slipped right into her, and if she were less logically minded, she might have bought into the idea that they were made for each other, as his dick seemed to fit perfectly inside her.

She continued to make out with him as he explored her body with his hands and she moved up and down on him, the movement slow as to savor each moment.

“I love you, Danny. I don’t know if I can compete with all your other girlfriends, my modest breasts and ass…”

“Jazz, don’t even think about downplaying yourself. You’re my smart and loving older sister, that’s enough to make you one of the sexiest girls I know.”

“You are always so kind to me, Danny. Could you make me your girlfriend, and knock me up like Mom and Sam?”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way, Jazz. Let’s do it, okay?”

Danny and Jazz let their pleasure build, and soon Danny came inside Jazz, as she spasmed and held him for support, while her own orgasm shot through her.

The two then wobbled over to the bed, collapsing on it and cuddling up together. The ghost girls peeked their heads out of the bedlamp and watched as Jazz and Danny slept together. They retreated back to their nice house in a pocket dimension.

“Well, it’s about fucking time Jazz got in on the action,” said Ember.

“I heard that Maddie also got lucky last night,” said Lydia.

“Master certainly has a way with women,” said Desiree.

“He is getting awfully close to meeting the criteria of the hapha described in the prophecy,” said Kitty.

“I wouldn’t put too much stock in Nocturn’s words,” said Penelope. “Particularly since it’s the Ghost Writer’s prophecy in the first place.”

“The primordials are obsessed with the future,” said Dora. “But at present, I just look at our Master and consider him the greatest hapha to ever live.”

All the other ghosts gave their verbal agreement before saying goodnight and going to their rooms.

Danny woke up to see a naked Jazz taking down the swimsuit pinup.

“If you want to see a view like this, you only need to ask Mom and me to recreate it.”

“It’s fall weather, is it really a good time to be wearing swimsuits?”

“I’d get naked in winter for you, Danny, because you’re worth it. And if you’re so concerned, maybe you should figure out a ghost power that can regulate temperature.”

Vlad had returned to his Wisconsin mansion, thinking to himself that things at the chalet went about as he expected. Behind him, Skulker grumbled to himself about his ghost collection. “I had to let loose a fair few rare ghosts for this little stunt of yours. I hope it was worth it, because now I have to go recapture those ghosts.”

“I have every faith in you that you can do it, Skulker. And believe me, these results as always are as informative as ever. I believe that phase two is almost upon us. We just have to wait for Walker to show up in Amity Park.”

Chapter Text

Paulina had known for at least a month now, but had tried her best to hide it, not wanting to worry anyone. Though, of all people, she really wanted to tell her father, though she knew him to be an intensely protective person. It was understandable, his time in the military and the loss of her mother had shaken him. He never opened himself up to her in that way, and it concerned her.

“Paulina, my angel, I know why you have come to me. I have no anger, no objection, no judgment whatsoever, but you must explain to me immediately how this came to be.”

“I love my boyfriend Danny and I wanted to take a risk. I’m glad you are not upset.”

“I see. Then I have one non-negotiable demand: I must meet this Danny as soon as you can introduce me to him.”

Paulina was nervous. She sensed he was hiding his fury, but perhaps his serious demeanor only gave off that false impression. She called Danny as her Papa looked on with an unreadable face.

“Hello Danny? Could you come over to my house and meet my father? As soon as you are able.”

Danny had just finished preparing for school, when he got Paulina’s call. It seemed important, and he didn’t want to disappoint Paulina. He hoped that whatever was about to happen would be for the best.

He flew there as Danny Phantom, not even thinking about how the speediness of his arrival might be suspicious.

“You sure showed up quickly,” said a tall, imposing latina man. He leaned over Danny and looked him in the eye, seemingly trying to get a read on Danny.

“You are a hapha, aren’t you?” asked the man. “Sorry, it’s short for half-phantom.”

“How did you-?”

Danny was shocked by the confrontation, as was Paulina.

“Son, come in, I have something to show you.”

Danny followed the man’s lead and looked at Paulina with confusion on his face, and she just shrugged, as if to say ‘just go with it’. The three of them gathered in the living room, and the large man instructed Paulina and Danny to take a seat at the couch. He dug into a concealed panel, at the precise spot where it could be opened, and peeled back part of the fireplace that had an old painting of a decorated military man that resembled the one before them, to reveal a safe. He obscured his dial-turns from view and entered the combination, before opening the safe. He pulled out a black shoe box with ‘MEMORIES’ written on the side in white marker.

Danny almost thought to ask what he was about to show them, but thought better of it, understanding that he was likely about to be shown and have his question answered. The man laid it on the table in front of Paulina and Danny.

“Go on, look through it,” the man encouraged. Danny and Paulina hesitantly did so, and on the top of all the items kept inside, a military ID. “My name is Rodrigo Romero, special forces,” the man explained. The two teenagers started to comb through all of the stuff within the box, and Mr. Romero explained each item as they looked at it. “I am Paulina’s father,” he explained when Danny saw a picture of her mother holding her as a baby. “Her mother died when she was four, and that incident prompted my retirement from the unit.” Paulina saw a picture of her father standing next to a ghost that looked like a woman in knight’s armor, and she drew Danny’s attention to it with a tap on his shoulder. “My unit’s existence was top-secret. We teamed up with ghosts to fight supernatural threats,” he explained to them. “Her name was Iron Maiden.”

Something clicked in Danny’s mind. “Rodrigo Romero? Iron Maiden? This all sounds like the premise of RoRo’s Quirky Odyssey Part 4…”

“The author took his inspiration for that story from my life, granted he could never tell anyone that it was based on true events. Of course, he changed up details to make it his own thing, and needless to say, I’m not related to any of the other protagonists from his stories. It’s rare to find a fan of the story in America though, since no official translations exist…”

“I only get to read about it second-hand on forums,” said Danny. “But this is really cool. So, you’ve dealt with half-ghosts before?”

“Danny, I can tell when a ghost is near, and what their intent is. That was part of my special training. You are a good kid, even if you seem to be in over your head. As I understand it, you’ve impregnated my daughter.”

Danny’s eyes widened as this was the first he’d heard of it.

“And you likely do care about her very much, but there’s something about you I can’t place. Some complicated burden you bear, a life that you’ve dragged my daughter into. Tell me.”

Danny knew he could not afford to be nervous now. He was about to tell one of the most imposing people he had ever met that his daughter was now part of a harem.

“I have many girls who are as interested in me as your daughter, and I am doing my best to be as dedicated as I can to all of them.”

Mr. Romero’s face darkened at the news. “I see. And just how many girlfriends do you have?”

“I have eleven, including Paulina.”

Mr. Romero gave no reaction to that number, which unsettled Danny and Paulina. Internally, the man noted that the boy was close to a number that would have sent chills down his spine.

“Well, let’s not dwell on the complications. As long as my daughter is happy, that is what matters,” he said in a deathly serious, matter-of-fact tone. His face brightened before he continued. “Come, continue looking at my past, I have nothing to hide from my mature children!”

The two did as they were recommended, seeing a driver’s license in the name of ‘Jaime Jiminez’. “That was my first civilian name, now as my daughter is well aware, my current civilian name is Saul Sanchez.”

“What is Iron Maiden doing now?” asked Paulina.

“I don’t know. She blamed herself for what happened to Carmen, and left.”

Danny looked at some medals. “I was an accomplished serviceman,” said Mr. Romero. “But my last mission left mental scars that never healed, and a steep price to pay. Paulina’s mother was killed, and neither I nor Iron Maiden could save her. I did my best to raise Paulina on my values, but I am a tough son of a gun, and it was difficult for me to provide what I knew Carmen could have in spades.”

“We’ve talked about this, Papa!” said Paulina, on the verge of tears. “You’re an exceptional father, and you have nothing to apologize for! I know all those times I cried, wishing Mama were here, but those were the selfish wishes of a child! You have to know that I love you, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me!”

“Yes, but it is my fault you speak so matter-of-factly, like everything is something to be tackled head on. You should have the right to slow down and enjoy your youth. You’ve grown up so much faster than I was ever ready for.”

“I know you worry that your parenting had an adverse effect on me, but I’m okay. I know what matters, and I know how to have fun. I’m going to be fine, so don’t worry so much about me, okay?”

“Yes, I know. But you are all I have left in this world, my little girl, I cannot help but worry. But seeing you with Danny, I know I can trust the two of you to be together for as long as you both shall live.”

Danny and Paulina blushed, before Mr. Romero clarified. “Not that I am asking you get married, but at the least, I think you two should live together, for the child’s sake.”

This suggestion surprised the two who looked at each other. “Well Danny, can I move in with you?” asked Paulina shyly.

“I’d be honored to have you. And so would Sam, my family, and the ghost girls.”

“Then it is decided!” said Mr. Romero emphatically. “I am so happy for my children! And I am going to be a grandfather, too!”

In the Ghost Zone’s only maximum security prison, Walker was looking over his plans to punish the young half-ghost who set a bunch of his prisoners free. “Let’s see if this works,” he said to himself.

Later that night, as Paulina had just finished moving in to the Fenton House, there was a special report on Channel 6.

“Good evening ladies and gentleman, I am Shelly Makamoto here tonight with an exclusive interview with a Ghostly Prison Warden!” To describe the woman, she was Japanese, had black hair, green eyes, and wore a red blazer, skirt, heels, and lipstick. She also had gold earrings.

Before the guest walked into the studio for the interview, a graphic of him appeared on the screen. Danny, Maddie, and Jack were surprised to see him.

“It’s the ghost who captured Shadow 13!” said Jack. “I’ll never forget that ghostly skull of his!”

“Now, what do you say to people who are terrified of ghosts who look like you?” asked Shelly to Walker.

“I say that you needn’t be scared of a ghost who hasn’t given you a reason. The ones that terrorize civilians and cause chaos need to be reined in, and I have been attempting to just that in my native Ghost Zone, but lately it has been difficult to get ghosts to respect my authority. Not too long ago, a ghost helped a number of my prisoners escape. Now, perhaps he himself was kept due to an unjust law, but I must at least detain him and determine whether or not he poses any danger.”

“I see, you clearly have something you want to say about this ghost. Tell us more.”

“He is a teenage half-ghost named Danny Phantom. He has a team of female ghost companions. He has white hair, green eyes and a black outfit. Anyone who can inform me about him, I urge you to come forward.”

The interview continued, without much else for the Fentons to think about, and Danny was shaken. Danny, Sam, and Paulina sat in Danny’s room talking about it.

“Is this that Ghost Warden from the prison you got stuck in?” asked Sam.

“Sounds like I missed some context,” said Paulina. “You went to a ghost jail, Danny?”

“Half-ghosts aren’t allowed in the Ghost Zone, apparently. I went in without knowing that and got arrested,” said Danny.

“Hey, so this is unrelated, but Danny, I saw your mother looking at you with a doe-eyed dreaminess…” started Paulina.

“Yeah, Mom and Jazz both got involved with me, and Valerie, too, in case I forgot to fill you in.”

“Well, you did forget, but Valerie told me about how happy she is to be part of all this.”

“I’m glad you’re moving in. And Mom was very happy to finally meet you.”

“I’m just wondering,” said Sam. “Are we all sharing the bed now?”

“I don’t mind,” said Paulina. “What, sad you don’t get him all to yourself anymore?”

“No, just empathetic that you won’t, since I’m already here.”

The next day at school, everyone was talking about Danny Phantom.

“He’s obviously a hero!” stated Dash, loud enough for anyone nearby to clearly hear. “This Walker dude is on a pathetic power trip if he thinks he can coerce this town into handing over this heroic ghost!”

Danny was flattered that Dash was standing up for him, even if he didn’t know that he was the ghost boy in question.

In Vlad’s current Wisconsin mansion, he met with Skulker and Technus. “Well, gentlemen, it’s time to move our operations a little closer to a vital Ghost Hotspot. I have recently bought a very nice house in Amity Park, and have just finished moving everything over there. If you’ll come with me, I’ll explain the first step of Phase Two on the way.”

Another night, another news station with an exclusive ghost story. Tiffany Snow, a white, orange-haired, green-eyed woman with a purple blazer, skirt, heels, lipstick, and hoop earrings, presented the segment, a panel with three ‘reformed’ ghosts.

Vlad Plasmius, Skulker, and Technus, had all shown up to claim that Danny Phantom was a danger to society and that they hoped that Walker would lock him up. At least, that was how Tiffany Snow introduced the panel.

“That’s right, Tiffany,” said Vlad. “This little boy has phenomenal power and no idea how to use it responsibly. The three of us may have been responsible for spots of mayhem in the past, but we can assure you, if Danny Phantom is left to roam free, this world will come to regret that decision.”

“Okay Vlad, I’d like to defer to your associates, both are familiar faces in Amity, known to have caused ample chaos.”

“Yes, Ms. Snow, I would like to formally apologize for my reckless actions,” said Technus. “I have a dream and the means to bend technology to my will, but I understand that simply doing so with no regard for others will have very negative outcomes.”

“And I recognize that I should not occupy myself by hunting random targets simply because they impress me,” said Skulker. “I have an impressive enough collection of ghosts as it is.”

“Very interesting. And what would you three say to anyone who might assert that you are only turning over this new leaf to attempt to escape making an enemy of Walker?”

“My dear Tiffany,” said Vlad with a menacing undertone, “Walker could not possibly overpower the three of us on his own.”

Walker was watching this discussion panel and suddenly understood the flaw in his plan. Danny was not who he should be fighting right now, he thought. These three were working together, and now it was obvious that they were planning something big. He needed to correct the record.

Over the next week, a massive back-and-forth would erupt as the town became divided over the issue of Danny Phantom. Danny’s family, the youth, and many others supported Danny, but some parents and ghosts came out against him. Walker had turned his focus against Vlad, Skulker, and Technus, and Vlad, using the advantages of his wealthy human half, bought media influence to discredit Walker and Danny. Still, Danny’s core support network never wavered.

It all came to a head when an anonymous bounty was placed on Danny’s head.

“Bridget Jones’ Diary! This is getting out of hand,” said Mr. Lancer as he ushered in a group of Danny’s supporters to an after-hours meeting. “Alright, Fenton, the ball’s in your court. Everyone in this room trusts that Danny Phantom is the good guy, so how much do you want to tell them?”

Danny thought briefly, but he knew it wasn’t much of a choice. He might as well let everyone who didn’t know in on the secret. He went ghost in front of the crowd of people and those who didn’t already know gasped.

“No wonder you’ve been getting so popular with girls lately,” said Dash. “At least, according to some rumors.”

“He is dating Sam, Valerie, and myself,” confirmed Paulina. “And Sam and I are pregnant.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything until I really had to, but I’m also pregnant,” said Valerie.

“Look, I’m sharing my identity as a half-ghost, but putting out the details of my complicated love life…” started Danny.

“Danny, people were going to speculate anyway,” said Sam. “We should put the truth out there, out loud and proud.”

“A teenage boy with a harem is certainly a scandal, but it would be a bit below the belt of me to report on it,” said Harriet Chin, who had moved to Amity Park per Jack’s suggestion so that she could cover stories about ghosts.

“Well Sam, it sounds like you’ve started to figure it out,” said Kwan.

“Oh, you remember that? Yeah, I was kind of frustrated because I had no control over the situation at the time, but now I realize that I didn’t need to. Everyone who comes to love Danny was meant to, as I was.”

“This sounds marginally close to a cult,” said Star.

“It’s not,” said Mr. Romero.

“Mr. Sanchez? What do you know about…” started Mr. Gray.

“I know more than I would care to about every ghost in Amity Park. And people, too, for the record. Everyone thinks they keep secrets well, but they have no idea. I’m Rodrigo Romero, special forces, and my story is too complex to tell right now without taking away the spotlight from this young man here. But I know that one day, a heroic half-phantom will bring about an era of peace between ghosts and humans, and lift the dark veil that was placed over Earth all those years ago. It’s not something all of you need concern yourselves with, nor is it my place to inform this young man, who might not even be the one, of a grand destiny foretold by ancient ghosts. What matters is that I can tell a good ghost from a bad ghost, and Danny is good.”

“You are completely correct,” said Mr. Gray. “My apologies, all this time and I had no idea… did you…”

“Yes, Mr. Gray, I knew about Dorian. Now, what should be done about the bounty on Danny’s head?”

“Mom and Dad, you should claim it!” said Danny. “You could use the money, and besides, I think I should be safe.”

“Absolutely not, Danny!” said Maddie. “The latest news, in case anyone isn’t aware, is that the Guys in White are now in town, and they want to avoid random ghost hunters getting a million dollars.”

“Well, if you two don’t want to fake capture Danny to get some free money and find out who put this hit out, then I’m willing to try it,” said Valerie. “Remember, we can always free him later if need be.”

Maddie looked about ready to fight Valerie, but Danny was overjoyed. “At least someone gets what I was going for! No offense Mom and Dad, I know you were only trying to prove that you’re loving parents who would never sell me out.”

Valerie brought Danny Phantom to the rendezvous spot, and soon found herself ambushed by Vlad, Skulker, and Technus.

“You naive, lovestruck foolish girl,” said Vlad. “Did you really think your ghost-hunting hobby was a natural development? Did you really think I would ever part with money over something as trivial as young Daniel? Or did you think that someone else could have asked for a price like this? Of course, it was all just a test. And I know you aren’t alone…”

Maddie tried to jump out of the shadows and restrained Vlad, but he cloned himself to dodge and restrain her instead.

“You are all so predictable and boring! Why on Earth do the primordials seem to favor you over me? Well, it’s no matter, everybody has their part to play on the world’s stage, and if mine is to be the villain, then so be it! I have shown the restraint of a celibate lifestyle, as it is the easier path to maintain when pursuing pure dark power, sex magic is powerful, but performed carelessly it can destroy the soul, and performed with too much love it is no longer dark. But all of that may be useless now, for I see this woman whom my heart yearned for, and who spurned me so thoroughly in hers, and think of only impure things to do to her… so, young Daniel it is your choice…”

Vlad’s unhinged monologue was interrupted by a Ghost Glove to the face.

“Stay away from my wife, you vile fiend!” yelled Jack.

Skulker and Technus had left, seemingly during Vlad’s speech. Perhaps they felt uncomfortable, and didn’t want to be there when he was about to do whatever it seemed he was preparing to.

Walker stepped out of the shadows. “Thank you all very much, I’ll take it from here.”

In the Ghost Zone, a heavily restrained Vlad awoke to Walker floating over him.

“I know you want to become the worst ghost in history, Vlad. Well, I can tell you right now, that will never happen, not while I’m still undead. Your accomplices will be captured, too, don’t worry about that.”

“Oh, I’m not worried. You can try to stop me Walker, but I’m not the prisoner here.” Vlad thought to himself that he knew that he was exactly where he wanted to be. The last known location of the Skeleton Key was in Walker’s Office. “You’re going to regret getting in my way, Walker.”

“Keep telling yourself that, punk,” said Walker, who sensed Vlad’s intent. “And what you’re looking for? I don’t have it, so give up looking while you can. You meddle in affairs that will consume you, Plasmius.”

Danny had revealed his secret to a number of people recently, and after another meeting, was encouraged to come out publicly to all of Amity Park. A week after an exclusive tell-all interview with Harriet Chin, Danny would be recognized as the town’s protector in front of Town Hall.

“I want to thank my home town for giving me the opportunity to be your hero. I don’t know if I deserve it, but I will try to help as many people as I can. But please understand, I am only one person, and simply having a hero does not instantly fix all your problems. If you can help yourselves or others, I encourage you to do so. You can trust me, or my ghost-hunting parents, or my ghost allies, or anyone else willing to help, to stand up and fight when bad ghosts terrorize Amity Park! Thank you.”

Danny bowed and transformed, flying away. Everyone attending the event gave a standing ovation. Amity Park now had its first public half-ghost hero. As Danny flew back home, some saw him and smiled, some saw him and got angry, and he could only think about going home to rest next to his loving girlfriends, Sam and Paulina.

In the basement of Vlad’s new Amity Park-based mansion, a computer system turned on.

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got to work with here,” said Technus’ voice. “Oh, a cloning project? That seems interesting…”