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When Danielle first met Jazz, she was tackled. "Ooh, you're the little sister I always wanted!" Jazz said cheerfully, swinging her around. She froze and glanced back, "No offense Danny."
He just grinned and shook his head. "None taken. I always wanted a LITTLE sister too." He said with a smirk. She just stuck her tongue out at him before continuing to coo over Dani.
Dani felt awkward at the more physical attention Jazz was imparting onto her, but she did enjoy the familial love being displayed. It was nice to feel like she had a home to come back to.
-----
When Danielle decided to tell her family (a.k.a. Sam, Tucker, Danny, and Jazz, as they were the only people she really trusted) she had a girlfriend, they were thrilled. Not so much when she told them who it was.
"Are you crazy?" Jazz started. "She's a ghost hunter, and an effective one! This is dangerous! Why would you - wait a minute, why am I the only one yelling?" Jazz glanced back, realizing she had no backup.
Sam just sighed, "I've done this once, it doesn't work. Once a Fenton sets their mind on someone, you can't talk them out of it until they learn for themselves why it's a bad idea." Danny just smiled and kissed her cheek. She chuckled before continuing. "If it's a bad idea. You all are stubborn. No matter what you say, she won't listen."
"Tucker? Help?" Jazz turned around with pleading eyes.
"O no, that doesn't work on me. I've got blinders for it." He said before covering his eyes with techno-goggles so that all he could see was his device's screen. "Sam's right. She'll do what she feels is right, no matter what you say. Besides, think of the fun this is going to be to watch!" He says with a grin, already running simulations on the possible embarrassing situations.
"...Danny?" She finally says, turning to her last hope.
"I'm no hypocrite. Have fun Danielle." He walks up and pats her on the shoulder. "I hope you two work out better than we did."
There was a quick pause as Danielle processed all this. "Your my girlfriends ex? F@$&, we even have the same taste in girls!"
///
Telling her family about Valerie and Valerie about them was one thing, introducing them was another. When talking about her family, she didn't have to say names. She could say Danny had an older sister or that she had a couple long distances relatives she was close to. She could refer to them as a goth or techy or know-it-all if need be without really giving them away. She couldn't introduce them though, and Valerie was starting to worry about why. They had been dating for a year and a half now, so why was Dani being so secretive? So Dani asked Danny if she could. Give away the secret, that is. After all, the worst he could say is no, right?
"Sure, why not." He says while lounging in his room, reading a comic book and ignoring the pre-cal homework on his desk.
"Really?!" She asked, not expecting to get this answer so easily.
"Why not. She hasn't shot at me since before you two started dating, Tucker helped get her dad his job back so she doesn't hate me, and if you two have made it this long with no issues about her knowing your secret I don't see why there would be issues about mine." He said, turning to the last page. "Speaking of issues, hand me number 4." He said, pointing to the top of the comic stack across the room.
"O haha, lazy bum." She grumbled, levitating it over to him. It was one of the few powers she had that he didn't, and she took pride in that. After all, the more individual she was the less she felt like a carbon copy. And levitation helped her on her travels far more than it would him in this town.
"Like you're one to talk, Ms. Floating Gloat." He snickered while catching the comic. "But seriously, bring her over here tomorrow, I'll be glad to finally tell her to be honest. Sam - not so much. You get to deal with her rath." Danielle cringed but agreed, heading over excitedly to tell her girlfriend the good news.
///
Danielle floated along giggling with a blindfolded Valerie in her arms. Valerie's arms were crossed, the pouting body language matching her expression. "Why do I need this? You're going to show me where we are when we get there anyway. This seems like a waste of time."
"Because it's a suprise!" Danielle grinned, still giggling. "I still can't believe Danny agreed to tell you!"
"Tell me what?! Who he was? Why is that such a big deal." Valerie asked again, exasperated.
Danielle pouted, "Because it is, you'll see." She shouted her triumph as they fazed through the wall into the living room. She carefully set Valerie down, before grinning at the four other -mostly unhappy- inhabitants of the room. "Guys, this is Valerie, my girlfriend. Though I guess you already know that. Valerie, meet mine and Danny's family." She said removing the blindfold. Valerie gaped, looking around at a glaring Sam and Jazz, a snickering Tucker, and an awkwardly smiling Danny Fenton.
"I thought you were cloned from Phantom, not Fenton." She responded in confusion. Willful blindness is a lovely thing.
Danny's smile, if possible, got more awkward. "Um, she was technically cloned from both." He said as he let his transformation wash over him. "Hi, Val."
Val's face went blank for a moment, frozen in thought, an expression reminiscent of a younger cussing Danielle on her face. Then she groaned, "Great, f@&$ing great. I dated both of you!"
Tucker burst out laughing.
"Well, it went better than expected." Jazz said as Danny just sighed in relief, flopping on the couch, not even bothering to de transform. His parents weren't home anyway.
"O no, you all aren't off that easy. You have so much explaining to do. Fenton, what the hell happened to you?! How did you end up, well, like this?" She said, motioning to him as Dani floated up and hugged her from behind.
"Long story." He said with a sigh. She motion for him to continue." Well, I was just 14, and my parents had built this very strange machine..."
-----
After they had discovered his identity, Danny had had someone very important he wanted his parents to meet. He stood in the living room in front of their seated forms untransformed.
"Mom, dad, I have someone I really care about for you to meet. She's sweet, and goofy, and fits right in with the family, I promise." He said awkwardly, not used to being the one doing the introductions. "Meet Danielle." He said, motioning to his left. A little ghost girl immediately popped into visibility directly beside him. That little ghost quickly turned into a little human in a flash of light identical to the one their son had shown them.
"Before you ask, blame Vlad. He cloned me." He hugged her tightly to his side. "He thought he failed and tried to use her to make a perfect clone, but I think she's perfect just like this." She just blushed, hugging back shyly. Being shy was rare for her, but this wasn't just any introduction. Technically speaking, they WERE her parents. She had the right to be nervous and introverted, dang it!
Maddie was still stunned, but Jack reacted quickly, "Welcome to the family!" His booming voice went out and he swept them both into a big bear hug, "The more kids the merrier! Speaking of which, kids! Stop hiding behind the doorway and come join the hug!" Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Valerie slowly came inside just to get tucked into the giant father's arms. Maddie slowly got up and circled them from the other side.
"I never realized how big our family was getting." She said with a chuckle. "Welcome home, Danielle."
"Just call me Dani, Dani with an I-I." She said with a light hiccup, chocked up. She was home. Tucked into her friends, families, girlfriends, and PARENTS hug, she was really, truly home.
///
"My obsession is travel; I won't be home much." Danielle told them after they had all calmed and sat down, and she told them a bit about herself and her powers. "Danny and Val cover the ghosts in this hot spot; I cover the little random ones that pop up world wide. I was trapped in Vlad's castle so much growing up, and so limited when sick, that when I finally got my real freedom I just took off to use it. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop." She said honestly, glancing at them.
Maddie looked worried, but Jack just grinned, "No worries, baby girl. Follow your heart, we won't stop you. Just remember to pack back up food for the trip. Especially fudge! All that flying, you need the calories."
"And a phone. I'm getting you a cell phone. In case of emergencies, you need a way to contact us. Not just a psychic 'help' scream to Danny." She said, mentioning one of the stories she had told. Dani just blushed and nodded.
"If you ever need a place to stay, I have old college buddies world wide. We can easily get you a room for the night." Jazz mentioned, realizing she never really though of where Dani slept when gone.
"O, no worries on that. I have friends of my own. Leo and Mikey love it when I visit them in New York, and Adrien lets me use one of his mansions rooms when I visit Paris. I'm making friends all over." She said with a grin. "There's so much magic in this world, you'd be amazed how easy it is for an oddball to fit in."
"I'm glad they look out for you" Sam said, hugging her close, "but we always will too, remember that."
"Thanks, I will." She responded, an honest grin on her face. Today really had been perfect.
///
When Danielle headed off on her next adventure, it was with a new waterproof iPhone, a backpack full of fudge, a new set of sweatshirt and pants, and love in her heart. And a groan, because crap did the narrator just get sappy.