#sam fenton

Although, his height was outwardly the most noticeable change about Danny over the years, it wasn't exactly the most significant. Not long after the asteroid incident, she noticed he started to grow more confident, probably due to the fact that he was reassured with his parents' acceptance of his other half. Even though he kept his secret contained in Antarctica, coming clean seemed to complete improve his overall mentality, which not only helped him fight ghosts better, but also gave him the energy to approach situations at school more realistically. And even though most people at Casper High didn't witness Danny's spontaneous reveal, those who knew his secret (such as Kwan, and herself) helped exponentially.

Of course, the most prominent change within Danny was the latest adoption of a more paternal role. Three years ago, after constantly worrying about the consequences of Sam's pregnancy with their firstborn, James, he'd been majorly overprotective of his wife and half-ghost son. (And soon, with his daughter, who was yet to be born in another month.) But with the expected defensiveness of his family, came the onslaught of horrible dad jokes. Personally, Valerie blamed Danielle; after she suggested the nickname “Daddy Phantom”, Danny hadn't stopped saying it... for three years.

Sometimes, Valerie wished her punny, cloned girlfriend wasn't so much like her original. Their shared sense of humor was literally going to kill her.

Danny leaned loosely against his chair and answered her impetuous question. “I don't really see any reason to miss work today. After all, I'm sort of over ceremonies; they're nice and all, it's just... they're unnecessary after a while.”

Valerie gaped, “You're kidding, right? 'Unnecessary?' Danny, it's the tenth anniversary of the Disasteroid! You saved the world ten years ago, today.”

“You think I don't remember?” he asked. “I mean it's not like we were both there-”

“Oh, don't get smart with me,” Valerie rolled her eyes. “You know they're holding the Phantom appreciation festival today. Seriously, it's your own holiday, and you're not going to even show up? What the hell, Danny?”

“I've skipped it the past two years, Val,” he argued. “Why is it different now?”

“Ten years is a big deal. You actually can't expect me to believe that you don't feel... amazed by it? You're going to act like you didn't save all of existence when you were sixteen and pretend like it's just another Thursday? You could leave work right now and all you'd have to say is “Disasteroid-versary” and Mr. Bianchi wouldn't even care, because everyone remembers what Phantom did. What you did.”

Danny rolled his eyes, “And then what? Go ghost, arrive at the festival, and let everyone adore me? Or should I just silently watch as Danny Fenton?”

Valerie glared at him, “You're killing me.”

“I have work to do, anyway. Your Dad didn't help hook me up with this job just so I could be Phantom all day. I got this for a paycheck, so I can actually further research in using ectoplasmic energy alternatives and 'assist' the Red Huntress.”

About four years ago, after Danny had obtained a degree in physics, he had a lot of trouble trying to hold down a job. After all, it's hard to get any work done when you have to constantly leave to fight ghosts, also while maintaining a secret identity.

Meanwhile, in the time since Vlad was exiled into space (or, wherever he went after that), the employment within Axion Labs was completely restructured. And after a few wise decisions, Damon Gray managed to snag a high enough position to hire who he wanted. Which is how Valerie started working at Axion Labs as the Red Huntress, capturing ghosts for non-invasive experiments and allowing the technology of her suit (which had bonded to her body) to be studied and replicated.

So, after hearing about his career struggles, Damon offered Danny a job at Axion Labs specializing in studying how ectoplasm and otherworldly substances can be repurposed as fuel and how they pertain to the environment. However, the unofficial part of the job agreement was that Danny would pose as the Red Huntress's technician. Whenever there was a ghost attack, Danny's co-workers were told that he had to leave to monitor Valerie and remotely act as her 'ground-control'. Of course, that was all an alibi; he'd really just transform in a secluded area and deal with the ghosts as Phantom. Occasionally, someone would slip-up, and an Axion employee would discover Danny's secret. It had only happened twice, to date, but Damon would take control of the situation and would compose a confidentiality contract.

“This job is supposed to allow you to freely fulfill your duty as Amity's hero, while working. I think this counts,” Valerie debated.

“Unless another ghost shows up,” Danny started, “I'm not leaving this lab.”

Six minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, Danny tensed as a chill taunted his spine, spitting out the usual blue mist that tickled his throat. It was followed by the sound of Valerie's own ghost sensors activating, signaling the presence of a hostile specter somewhere close.

Valerie smiled, “Let's get to work now, shall we?”

It didn't take them long to find the opposing ghost. After all, flair was her specialty, and even though it was 'Disasteroid Day', ghosts didn't really find any sentiment in holidays besides Christmas, so Ember had no guilt about crashing the festival. Or setting it on fire with her guitar.

When Ember set eyes on Phantom, Valerie close behind him, she ceased her arson spree and grinned wickedly. “Took you long enough, Phantom. I didn't know how many more of those balloons with your face on them that I'd have to blow up before you arrived.”

Danny groaned, seeing that this was one of those dead-end 'negotiation fights' and decided to jump straight to the point. “What do you want this time, Ember?”

Strumming a short C chord on her guitar, she brushed her fiery hair to the side of her face and narrowed her eyes, “Your next kid is a girl, right?”

Danny, caught off-guard, froze. “Are you threatening my daughter?”

“Huh?” Ember asked, “No. Of course not. Sure, I have it out for you and your family, but little kids are always out of the question when it comes to fighting, Dipstick. I have some principles, geez.”

“Then what-”

“I was going to tell you that you're going to name your daughter after me,” Ember boldly declared.

Behind him, Valerie audibly snorted.

Danny sputtered uncomprehensively for a moment before mustering a sensible response,“Um... how about a no? After all, Sam and I have already agreed that we're calling her Lilith Elise Fenton, and that's final. And then there's the fact that you're literally my enemy, so I have no reason to name her after you.”

“Do you think I care? That child, will be named after me! It will ensure everyone will know my name. Yes, it will be her name, but it will also be mine. And once word gets around the Zone that Phantom named his child after me, I'll be more famous than ever!”

“Well, too bad, because there's no way in Hell I'm ever affiliating my daughter with you, Ember!” Danny said, charging up an ectoblast in his palm, signaling Valerie that it was time to actually begin the fight.

Since it was two against one, it didn't take them very long to detain Ember, who kept insisting that if Danny didn't comply with her demands, she'd make Skulker hunt both of his children the day they turned twelve. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that threat, though. Many of the ghosts followed the unspoken rule that it wasn't morally right to fight children, but once they were old enough to properly defend themselves, they were 'fair game' to attack. It terrified Danny that when James finally turned twelve years old, a majority of his enemies would target his son as well; it was a burden that neither of his children should have to suffer.

Neither of them had asked to be born into the ghost world, tangled with having to hide their dual nature from human society. It also wasn't fair that they would have to fight for their lives by the time they were in middle school. With the many benefits of being half-ghost, there were obvious downsides of being Danny Phantom's child.

Attempting to push some of the more depressing concerns out of his mind, Danny focused on aiming the upgraded Fenton thermos at Ember so he could flee the battle-scene before he got trapped at the Phantom festival against his will. As soon as Ember's form was seized by the beam of light and pulled into containment, Danny looked towards Valerie, who was hovering idly in the air, inattentively holding a hand to her ear. For a moment he wondered if she had a head injury, before realizing she was listening to something and using her hand to block the noise of the wind. He assumed that during their fight, somebody must have called her via the Fenton Phones, which he had inconveniently left back at Axion Labs. From what he could see of her expression below her visor, it was something urgent.

From where he floated, he saw her mutter a few words, absently nod, and presumably conclude the call. She glanced back at him and said in a staid tone, “Tucker just called. He said that we need to get over to your place as fast as possible.”

Panic clutched Danny, daring to pull him out of the air for a moment. His first thought was that Sam was going into labor, after all, her due date was in two weeks. However, Valerie had said they needed to go to his house, not the hospital. So that at least meant that she wasn't going to give birth soon... unless they needed him to fly her to the hospital because she was in labor. Adrenaline surged through his veins, forcing him to attempt to determine the severity of the moment.

But with the current evidence, there was simply no way to tell what situation awaited him. So with no further preamble, Danny shot into the air faster than Valerie could steady her jet-sled.

He phased through the wall of the first floor of their house, wildly trying to locate the predicament. And thankfully, it wasn't what he had expected.

Sam was sitting on the couch with James next to her, anticipation etched on her face rather than any indication of pain. Standing across from her, was Tucker, wearing a bulky camera around his neck. James, in the center of it all, was the most odd picture in the room. He was snuggling in his mother's arms, eyes steadily focused on the floor, with a cross of nervousness and excitement on his face. He shivered as if someone was breathing down his neck and continued to cling to Sam. And most weirdly, he was wearing the white HAZMAT suit that his grandpa Jack had made him for Christmas (even though Danny insisted that he didn't need it). Danny had only seen him wear it a handful of times, but it was usually only when Jack was around or when the boy decided to play superhero like his Dad.

“What's going on?” Danny asked, letting himself land on the carpet.

James looked up from where he was burning holes in the floor with his eyes (not literally, but he would eventually possess the ability). “Daddy, you're here!” he said, cheerfully. “Mommy and Uncle Tuck said that I – I'm gonna be able to look like you.”

Danny raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? You already look like me, Jamie. You're my son.”

“Yeah and no,” James said. He pointed the logo on Danny's chest. “Phantom, you.”

Overall confused about the context, Danny tried to interpret James's words. What they had found out about born half-ghosts were that they developed their powers very slowly, and that it would take years for them to be able to achieve the level Danny started at as a ghost. That way, easing into powers was more subtle and less rigid. So far James had only exhibited invisibility and intangibility, and had yet to access a ghost form. Though... from the way had James phrased it, it sounded like he was suggesting that he thought he was close to transforming....

Sam, who had noticed Danny's thoughtful gaze, elaborated to cease his confusion. “Remember how your parents said it would take his core a while to mature enough for him to transform? I know they said he'd be around five or six, but apparently, their estimations were wrong. He's been showing obvious signs for the past twenty minutes. Also, we put him in the HAZMAT suit because we're guess his ghost half will keep what he's wearing.”

“Obvious signs?” Danny asked, completely flabbergasted. He hadn't actually expected the progressive rate of James's core maturity. “Like what?”

At that moment, James whimpered in Sam's arms, clutching his own sides and shuddering. A small burst of white light emitted from his waist and slowly circulated a halo around his body before fizzling out to nothing.

“Namely, that,” Tucker chimed in.

“Well, I see that now,” Danny deadpanned.

“Why it so cold, Daddy?” James asked innocently, still quivering.

Danny's expression softened, and he went to join Sam on the couch so he could support James. “It's your core,” Danny answered, gently. “Your core is like mine, an ice core. It makes cold energy. But since your body is also human, and humans are very warm, it will make you cold when you try to use it. But you'll get used to it, and learn to forget about it. It's like when you go tingly when you're intangible.”

“Makes sense,” James nodded. “But I don't wanna be cold.”

“I know...” Danny said, “but you can do this, James.”

“But I've not done this before,” he said, worriedly. Once again, a bring ring circled around James, before fading away in the same interval of time.

“But, you're doing great,” Danny reassured. He paused a moment before asserting a question, “So are you trying to change yourself, or is your body doing this on it's own?”

“It's just... happening,” James explained.

“What do you... what do you think would happen if you tried to change?” Danny asked.

James was silent. “How – how would I do that?”

“I can talk you through it, if you'd like,” Danny said. “After you do it for the first time, you gain more control over it and it gets easier.”

James nodded, “I can try.”

“Alright,” Danny said. “I want you to focus on inside of you, where your energy feels the coldest. The deepest part of your core.”

“Just think about it?”

“Think about how it feels. Think about how it feels more sensitive than the rest of you.”

“Okay,” the boy proclaimed, squinting his eyes shut, tightly.

“Alright,” Danny resumed, “once you think about all of that, pretend the cold gets bigger and fills up all your body. It might feel uncomfortable, but then after you change, the weird feeling goes away.”

It took James multiple tries before he could actually get the rings to go further than his kneecaps and shoulders, but after fifteen more minutes, he finally succeeded.

“You can do it, James,” Sam told her son, proudly. “We all believe in you!”

“Yeah James,” Tucker cheered, “go ghost like your Dad.”

James was still perched on the couch and squeezing both of his parents' hands in a death grip. Then, he opened his eyes and they lit up with the recognition of an idea. Before, he'd put all his focus into his inner power source, closing out the world around him. But...

James let go of his parents' hands and stated with fierce determination that was unnerving within a three year old, “Going ghost.”

This time the two rings formed smoothly, gliding across the toddler's body, changing his white HAZMAT suit to black, his black hair to white, and his mother's purple eyes to a vibrant green. You could hear a pin-drop as everyone examined James's new form with an admiration for his similarities to his father. James himself stared down at his now white glove and pulled at a strand of white hair and gasped.

Tucker was the first to break the silence among them. “He really does take after you, Danny. He's already mastered your stupid battle-cry.”

Sam looked at her now ghostly son, with a new-found sense of pride, “I'm so proud of you James....”

Danny smiled, “So I am, son.” He laughed, “This date must be marked for miracles. Ten years ago today, we saved the world... and now, today, my son is able to transform between his two halves. Our kid, James Phantom. How about that?”

Danny didn't need praise for saving the world anymore. He had everything he needed right here.

A half-ghost's physical body still grew independent to their core, so that meant that their clothes were bonded to a body that wasn't necessarily the correct size. The only way to fix that problem was to go to another ghost who could tailor a new ectoplasmic outfit using materials from the Ghost Zone and the wearer’s ectosignature. It was even more complicated to bond the clothing to the wearer through a complex procedure that included a momentary separation from their core. Most ghosts were hesitant to trust anyone else with their core in their hands, but it was necessary for half-ghosts. Danny himself had done it twice in his time as a halfa.

“Don't worry, James,” he reassured the five year old. “We're getting you a new costume, today.”

“You mean it won't hurt to wear anymore?” the boy's eyes gleamed with hope.

“You bet,” Danny grinned. “Just don't go ghost until we get there. I don't want you to be uncomfortable, because it's at least an hour drive through the Ghost Zone.”

“Wait, we're going to the Ghost Zone?” James asked, excitedly. He'd only ever been twice before, and those occasions had been with his parents; his aunts, Dani and Valerie; and his 'uncle' Tucker. He'd never gone with just his Dad, alone.

“Yep,” Danny confirmed. “We're making a special trip just for you!”

James squealed with enthusiasm, making Danny laugh. “Wow, it's like you're not even excited,” he joked, ruffling his son's messy black hair.

“Is my new costume gonna look like my one I have right now?” James asked.

“It can look however you want it to look, but I'm gonna recommend you go with something similar,” Danny responded.

“Yeah, I'll probably do that,” James nodded. “I like how mine looks and I don't really have any other ideas. Besides, I'm used to how I look in it, and it makes me look like you, Daddy. The first Phantom!”

“You know you don't have to wear a costume to look like me, ya dork,” Danny smiled.

“You always say that,” James pointed out.

“Do I? Well, maybe because it's true,” Danny said. “Now, are we gonna get going, or what? We have to get a move on in the Speeder if we're going to be back by the time Mommy finishes dinner. I don't know how long she can handle Lilith by herself too.”

Danny's two-year-old daughter had recently learned how to turn invisible, and Sam since Sam was the only person in the family who didn't have powers, she was having a difficult time keeping Lilith under control on her own. Because of this, she had to start wearing glasses that allowed her to see invisible ghosts, similar to Maddie Fenton's.

“Alright,” James complied. Danny unlocked the Specter Speeder and James eagerly climbed in. Danny on the other hand, transformed. It was easier for him to be in the Ghost Zone as a ghost, so he figured he might as well go ahead and change.

Over the next hour, Danny entertained James by pointing out different landmarks of the Ghost Zone that they flew by.

“-and that's the lair I accidentally fell into once and unwillingly ended up being the judge for a zero-gravity chariot race. They recognized me immediately and basically forced me to sit through the entire race, and because of that, I was late for your Aunt Dani's housewarming party.”

“Was she mad?” James asked. “Oh, and who won the race?”

“Well, everybody in the family is already used to me being late for everything, so nobody really cared. Actually, I think Val and Tuck were betting on it. Anyway, I don't remember his name, but the ghost who won the race was this really short purple guy from like the Civil War or something.”

“If he's purple, why was he in the Silver War?” James wondered innocently.

Danny chuckled. “Civil War. It's when America got mad at itself, and the north and south had this really big fight, and the north won. Don't worry, you'll learn about it when you start school.”

For the moment, James was being home-schooled until he could get a better grasp on his powers. He had control over the basics, such as intangibility, invisibility, levitation, and his transformation. But, he still had minor slip-ups, and wasn't adept at coming up with suitable lies and alibis. Danny hated teaching his children to fluently lie, but it was necessary to protect the family's secret. If the government ever found out about the three of them... plus Danielle, then it was all over. He couldn't allow him and his children to become lab rats, he would rather fully die for them instead of subjecting them to that hell. So if teaching his children to be deceitful would protect them, so be it.

“Hey, James,” Danny said. “Guess what?”

James fidgeted in his seat and beamed. “What?”

“We're almost there.”

“Yay! So who's making my new costume, again?”

“She's called the Tailor,” he answered. “She's the best clothes maker in the entire Ghost Zone. She made this costume for me a long, long time ago. It was before your Mommy and I were even married, it was that long ago!”

“Wow, really?”

“Uh huh,” he nodded. Danny narrowed his eyes and pointed through the windshield of the Speeder. “Her lair is right up there, just around that island of weird rocks.”

It only took about three more minutes before Danny was able to park the Specter Speeder outside of the Tailor's lair. On the outside, it was just an ordinary door lair, so there was nothing physical to land on, so he had to make sure that the vehicle would be secure in the air. Danny scooped up James, and flew him inside the lair, since his son couldn't transform at the moment.

“It feels warm in here,” was James's first impression of the Tailor's lair. Danny supposed it was pretty warm for somewhere in the Ghost Zone. Compared to most lairs in the infinite realms, the Tailor's was very bland and ordinary, and could easily be mistaken for any random shop in the human world. It had dim lighting and a dark tiled floor, and all the walls were obscured by endless shelves of various fabrics. The ceiling faded into pure darkness, creating a grim, yet oddly cozy atmosphere. And as James observed, it felt warm compared to the barren cold of the abyss outside.

“Who's there?” a modulated voice surrounded James and Danny from all directions. James jumped a little, but he wasn't exactly scared, just momentarily caught off guard.

“Phantom,” Danny replied. “And my son.”

A ghost woman appeared in front of the father and son. She had pale blue skin, luminous tied back lavender hair, and had vibrant red eyes. She wore a gray cardigan, with a forest green skirt, and brown leather ankle boots. She only appeared to be in her early thirties, so only slightly older than Danny himself, but was in actuality at least over seventeen-hundred years old.

“Hmm,” she ran her eyes over the duo, focusing more on James. “He truly does look like his father, if not for the hair and eye color. He can change into a ghost, correct?”

James fidgeted nervously at her attentive gaze.

“Oh, yeah, but it's a little hard for him right now,” Danny said. “That's sort of why we're here. His costume has gotten too small for him and it's causing a lot of problems.”

“How so?” the Tailor asked, raising an eyebrow.

Danny turned back towards James, “Do you want to show her?” he asked.

“Am I supposed to?” James questioned, making sure that's what his father meant.

Once his father nodded his approval, James closed his eyes and muttered under his breath, focuses on that small sphere of cold inside his chest. He let it wash over him, and braced himself for the unnatural tightness of his HAZMAT suit. When the transformation was complete, the Tailor was staring at him thoughtfully.

“Oh, yes, I see how this could be a problem,” was all she said. She floated over to where she was directly beside him and touched his shoulder without any warning. James flinched at the sudden contact, and had to force himself to relax, which was a difficult task when his entire body was being compressed by his suit.

“Since this is his first one, I only have one simple requirement for your payment,” she said offhandedly.

“Sure, what is it?” he agreed instantly.

“I'll make your son a new costume, but you will let me make you a new one as well. Both free of charge,” she smirked. She let go of James's shoulder.

“Me?” Danny asked, stupefied. “I don't need a new costume.”

“Oh, please,” the Tailor rolled her eyes. “You've been wearing that thing for the past eleven years. It's boring, old, vintage, if you must-”

“Vintage?” he stared at her in disbelief. He gripped a fistful of his costume's material, as if to prove a point. “This isn't vintage.”

She cackled. “Are you fooling yourself? That's the same basic design you've worn ever since you died when you were fourteen. Black suit with a white belt, gloves, and boots. You're a twenty-eight year old man, clearly you need a new look. So yes, I'd call what you're wearing incredibly outdated, nevertheless vintage.”

“What the heck would you even make me?” he grit out, standing his ground. “I like what I have. It's the signature Danny Phantom outfit, I can't just change-”

“Hush,” she demanded. “Do you want me to make James a new costume, or not? Like I said, this is my only condition. Mainly, because I can't bear to see you fly around in that atrocity any longer. You need to expand your wardrobe.”

“Are you sure you won't accept cash? GZ Credits? Uh... embarrassing pictures of Ember and Skulker? I have tons of those,” he pleaded.

“Tempting,” she admitted, “but no. I'll do James's costume first, since he is in much more dire need of a new costume. But I expect you to stick around, so I can design your new costume afterwards. If you don't, I'll just have to follow you into the human world.”

James watched perplexed as the two of them stared into the other, until finally his father resigned. “Promise me you won't change it too much?” he said. “I want the same color scheme, the same logo – my wife designed it – and I still want it to be a HAZMAT style suit.”

“Deal,” the Tailor smiled, feeling triumphant in her victory over Phantom. “Now James, we need to get you out of that old suit as soon as possible....”

Sam laughed as her husband and son came flying out of the portal wearing their new costumes. Lilith, who was sitting on her laughed, giggled so much that she intangibly fell through Sam's embrace.

“You didn't tell me you were getting a new look, too,” Sam called, as Danny walked out of the Specter Speeder.

“Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting to, either,” Danny admitted. His costume was an updated version with a more armored material, that moved just as flexible as the original. Instead of a white belt, he had a green belt that allowed him to keep more ghost hunting tech on him during a fight. His boots were shorter and comfortable, while his gloves were made out of a more durable material and felt better around his hands. The upper part of his suit now was now partially white, and stopped above his regular logo. Danny was surprised that the Tailor didn't attempt to change his look drastically, and was really pleased with the thought she put into each addition.

Meanwhile, James was also happy with his new costume. Of course, the most obvious improvement was that it was his own size, so that was good. Danny also estimated that wouldn't need a new costume for at least another two years, so this one would last a while.

Overall, it wasn't as intricate as his father's, generally kept the same design as his last suit, but it still made him happy. The only change was that his costume now had the Phantom logo, which he had asked for himself, since his old suit was just plain. He'd found the process of bonding the clothes to his core a little bit weird, but after his Dad and the Tailor talked him through it, he was able to do it easily.

“Both of you are so handsome,” Sam complimented them. “I'm glad that you're not being suffocated anymore, Jamie.”

“Me too,” James laughed.

“Now,” Sam said, “who's ready for dinner? I made your favorite, James. Spaghetti. Without meat, of course.”

“I like it that way though, because that's how you make it,” James smiled.

“Ah, if only I could get your Dad to agree,” she gave Danny a pointed look. “Anyway, it'll get cold if we all just stand around here. So, hurry up, my beautiful ghost-boys. You should probably change back too, you don't want to get sauce all over your brand new costumes. That would just be a shame.”

Danny and James changed back to human, and followed Sam upstairs, who still had Lilith cradled in her arms.