This. Is. It! 11 years and I've finally done it! In the past 2 weeks, I have written over 20 000 words to finish a story that I came up with in 2007. I hope this manages to tie everything up somewhat. Longer blurb at the bottom - enjoy!

Sunlight hit Danny's cheek, making him scrunch his eyes together with a groan. As he tried to move out of the light source, he hissed, feeling a sharp pain throughout his body. Confused as to how he got injured and what ghost did it, Danny opened his eyes cautiously, a small frown on his lips. The first thing he noticed was that he was not in his bedroom; he was leaning against the wall of the spectre speeder as it zoomed along. The second thing he realized was that he was heavily bandaged under his t-shirt and along his arms. Looking around, he saw Jazz asleep, her head resting on one of the counters in the new speeder. Toward the front, he made out Sam's purple hair elastic and Tucker's beret over the seats… on either side of the Auto-Jack pilot.

Oh. He remembered, looking up at the ceiling and closing his eyes. His memory barged through his grogginess. He exhaled a long breath, trying to calm down the huge wave of anxiety and nausea that started to rise within him. Oh, hell. He just told his parents his secret, battled Vlad and passed out without giving them an explanation. He was so grounded.

Danny looked around the speeder and finally saw his parents. Both were looking a little worse for wear, but sat closely together in deep conversation directly across from him; it was a wonder that he missed them the first time. Danny frowned worriedly, watching them for a few moments. He sighed, not really sure say. Is there a 'Hey, you just found out your son is a ghost fighting superhero who lied to you for months' handbook?

Why don't you start with saying 'hi'? His ghost half asked drily. Danny jumped in surprise, before letting out a cry of pain as he moved. His parents looked up suddenly, confused then taken aback at their son grimacing and holding his side.

"Danny?" Jack asked quizzically. The boy in question froze, not even daring to breathe before looking back to his parents with wide eyes. The three Fentons stared at each other uncomfortably, before Danny smiled nervously.

"Hi?" he said meekly, cursing his ghost half for the position he was left in. He shifted awkwardly, trying to sit up a little more but winced at the movement. His mother made an attempt to move toward him, before stopping short with a frown. Once settled, Danny looked over at his parents, a frown mirroring theirs. "Ow," he said, trying to break the tension. He looked down at his left arm, which held a bandage from his wrist to his elbow. "Hmm…Didn't think those bruises would go so high."

Maddie looked at Jack awkwardly before turning back to Danny. "Yes," she replied with tightness. "Apparently that happens when you battle a dangerous ghost, get thrown into multiple shields and have sparks of ecto-energy running through you."

Danny paled slightly at his mother's tone. "Sparks?" he asked nervously.

"Of ecto-energy. Of your ecto-energy."

"Oh," Danny responded with a frown. He looked away from his parents, slightly guilty. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't think that would happen again."

"Again?" Maddie asked nervously. She shook her head in disbelief. "You know what? Nevermind, I'm not sure I want to know just yet."

They fell in an uncomfortable silence, parents watching son as he looked away for a few minutes. Eventually, Jack sighed and both parents moved closer to the jittery teen. Danny, to his credit, didn't move, and waited for his parents to settle on either side of him. He desperately felt the need to turn invisible, to avoid this conversation entirely. His parents looked at him expectantly. Danny sighed; no matter what he felt, he needed to make the first move.

"I – "

"Does it hurt?" Jack cut him off, looking at Danny with a serious expression.

"What?" Danny asked, turning to him confused. Lord this was awkward.

"Transforming," his father continued. "When you… um… shift forms."

Puzzled, Danny looked at him with wide eyes like his father just grew another head. "What – no!" he sputtered indignantly. "It's pretty seamless. I just think about going ghost and 'ta-da' I'm in ghost form."

"What about your powers," Maddie added, "You mentioned that there were something called core powers and when Phantom- I mean you - used that wail against Plasmius, you looked pretty beaten up. Well ghost you. I guess you did too?"

"I mean, it depends on a lot of different factors and – hang on," Danny stopped his explanation and stared at his parents in confusion and apprehension. "You're not angry?"

Both Maddie and Jack turned to each other, gave each other a meaningful look and then turned back to Danny. "About what exactly?" Maddie asked him mildly.

"Everything!" Danny exclaimed, moving his hands a bit to prove his point. "I lied to you for a really long time! I've made mistakes! I created an alter ego to fight ghosts! I'm half-ghost! I –"

"Never had any reason to trust us," Jack said gently, cutting him off mid rant. Mouth still open, Danny turned to his parents, stunned. "Danny, of course you lied to us. We gave you every reason under the sun to be afraid to tell us what was going on with you."

Maddie put an arm around Danny's shoulder, bringing him in a one armed hug. "All the talk about dissecting ghosts? I would be terrified too if I were you."

Danny turned to his mother and then his father and back again, still not quite processing what was happening. "I'm s-"

"Don't you dare apologize," Maddie scolded, making him wince and look away. She sighed, and turned his face back to hers so he understood what she meant. "Danny, you have nothing to be sorry for, okay?" she told him softly. "If it wasn't for the ghost por-"

"No," he said sharply, cutting her off. Danny shook his head. "I never blamed you guys for this. It was an accident. I could have come clean ages ago. This was my choice."

Jack knelt down in front of Danny, a crack of emotion appearing on his as he chuckled. "Now we know why you were absent from school so much."

"And the grades," Maddie teased.

Danny chuckled quietly, looking down shyly. "Yeah… hunting ghosts is kind of a 24/7 job. I'm pretty good at it. The ghost hunting – not school."

"Well, you've made the grade in our book," Jack beamed. "We're so proud of you."

A year's worth of anxiety, worry dissipated in a matter of seconds, letting relief overcome Danny as his eyes started to water. "I love you," he said, biting back a watery sob. Tears formed in Maddie and Jack's eyes as they hugged their son.

"We love you too," Maddie told him. "All of you."

They held the hug for what felt like an eternity, before Danny winced, remembering that he was still very bruised and battered. Breaking the hug, Jack asked about some of Danny's powers and the boy smiled widely. He answered readily, because for the first time in a very long time, he felt whole.

:-=-:

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but the next thing Danny realized was he was waking up again for what felt like the hundredth time in the last 24 hours. Danny stretched slightly, wincing at the stiffness he felt as he looked through the back of the speeder. His sister and parents were at the front of the speeder with Sam and Tucker in deep, hushed conversation. The Auto-Jack pilot was gone, and the three teens took up the cushioned areas, with the parents behind them. Danny frowned as he realized that the speeder wasn't moving.

"How the hell did you forget about this?" Sam demanded. Danny could imagine that the goth was gesturing to something wildly.

"I'm sorry," Jazz said sarcastically. "I had little time between 'Oh snap, my entire family has been kidnapped and I need to go save them' and 'My half-ghost little brother is trapped with our ghost hunter parents and is a self-sacrificing idiot' to really process everything." Danny rolled his eyes at the jibe in the pause that Jazz left. "No offence."

"None taken," Maddie replied quickly, somewhat distracted.

Now thoroughly confused, Danny hoisted himself upright. Making sure he could keep himself standing after not using his weight in a while, Danny slowly walked to the front of the speeder. No one noticed when he reached them.

"Well, what do we do?" Tucker asked exasperatedly.

"Shouldn't we ask him?" Jack asked tentatively.

"I'm not waking him up," Jazz huffed, crossing her arms. "He barely sleeps as it is and I have dodged enough ecto-blasts when trying to get him out of bed in the morning."

"We can't just stay floating here," Sam retorted. "Someone will notice the Spectre Speeder and question why we're the ones outside it."

"Is he well enough to deal with this?" Maddie asked with a worried frown. "He's still recovering from that fight with Plasmius."

Tucker looked at the dashboard. "It's been a few hours, he should be healed up," he said informatively. "Besides, I think this might actually help him more. We really won't know until we ask him."

"Ask me what?" Danny watched, bemused, as his friends and family whirled around at his voice. Their relieved and apprehensive expressions were almost comedic if it wasn't for his genuine confusion of the situation.

"Danny!" Jazz cried out, relieved yet nervous. "How are you feeling?"

Danny adjusted himself, revaluating his current state. "Pretty good," he said lightly. "A bit tired and stiff, but that should go away in a little while. Ask me what?"

All five occupants looked at each other hesitantly. Danny took their hesitation to peer out of the large window of speeder. He gasped; they managed to get back to Amity Park and around it was the shield he had put up hours ago. The green dome shone brilliantly in the sun, and the logo from his suit was imprinted on the town below. No wonder they were just floating here.

"Oh crud," he said out loud, looking at the shield in surprise. "I forgot about that."

"Again- giant dome!" Sam said cynically, gesturing to the ground below them. "So what do we do?"

Danny frowned in thought. He felt his ghost core react to the shield it held up and absently rubbed his chest. He could almost sense what the shield had seen the previous night; almost like it was a living memory. "We need to take it down," he said finally. "Jazz, can you take us to the ground? As much coverage as you can give us."

"On it," she replied instantly, moving towards the steering wheel. She sent her brother a frustrated glare. "You know, that would be a whole lot easier if you didn't uproot most of the forest yesterday."

"Lay off, Jazz," Danny said, sending a nervous glance at his parents. He really didn't want to go into that can of worms just yet. Both his parents looked at him questioningly. "It's a long story."

Jazz landed the speeder promptly, landing on a soft patch of grass a short distance away from the shield. Once safely on the ground, Danny turned and marched out of the speeder. Once outside, he stood facing the shield lost in thought.. Again, the shield reached out towards him, almost begging him to retract it. This shield held immense power, making Danny feel a little uneasy that he was the one who created it. Clockwork had told him he had powers that he didn't yet know about – he just didn't think they would be staring him in the face.

"Danny?" Jack asked quietly. Danny turned to see his parents beside him, his sister and friends a little further back giving him reassurances of the situation they were in. While Danny was thankful that they were there if needed, he was even more grateful that they were trying to give him time with his parents to try and figure out what their next steps would be.

"Sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Just thinking… it might be easier if I transformed."

The three of them stood looking each other, blinking in the silence that the statement created. Maddie and Jack looked at Danny expectantly, but the boy avoided their gazes.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Maddie asked after a minute, not quite sure about Danny's hesitation.

"Well… yeah. That's not the issue," Danny replied awkwardly. He rubbed his arm absently. "It's just… this is all pretty new still. Just… wanted to… um…"

Realization dawned on Maddie's face. "You wanted to make sure we were okay with it," she said. She smiled reassuring, looking into his worried face. "Danny, it's fine. Do what you need to do, sweetheart."

Danny smiled gratefully and turned around. He felt the white ring of light flow through him, releasing his powers, as he jumped slightly in the air and floated in place.

"Amazing," Jack breathed.

Danny flew over to the shield and hesitantly placed his gloved hand over the shield. He felt the shield come alive; it vibrated at his touch, shimmering, as it came down. Danny glowed, his white aura turning green as the energy started to flow around him. His right eye turned blue and the energy flowed into him; almost as if it was sucked out of the air. He gasped for air, his feet on the ground softly as the energy disappeared within him.

"Danny?" Maddie called out to him, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm okay," he shouted back, trying to recover his breathing as his eyes returned back to his normal green. "I just didn't realize how much power the shield was using." He straightened, breathing recovered, as he turned around. "I actually feel much better." To prove his point, he jumped back in the air and floated over to his parents, lighting his fist with ecto-energy.

"Well," Maddie said, smiling at him as she looked him over. "Shall we go home?"

Danny smiled back and nodded. "Race you back to FentonWorks!" he announced, darting into the air and zooming away.

"No fair!" Tucker called out to the sky as Danny disappeared from view. "Who said you could get a head start!" Sam put her hand on Tucker's shoulder in mock sympathy before she, Jazz and Tucker walked back to the speeder.

Maddie stared at where her son once floated before chuckling softly. "This is going to take some getting used to," she said to herself, following her husband back toward the speeder as he excitedly tried to figure out a way to race their son.

:-=-:

Danny chuckled darkly as he quickly pressed sent on his computer, firing an email off to the Guys in White. It had been almost a week since they returned from Wisconsin, and after many talks with his family later, he almost felt more relaxed about his family knowing his secret. Sure, there were still some secrets that he didn't feel ready to share, but for the most part, his parents were pretty cool about everything. It was weird to think it would only take a month for him to wrap his head around the idea of his parents knowing his secret – maybe the Fruitloop was looking out for him after all.

Speaking of Vlad Danny thought, his eyes travelled back to the article on the screen. The billionaire was grinning happily under the title "Visionary millionaire loses mansion in Freak Weather Accident." Danny hadn't heard from Vlad since their fight, but the article seemed to imply that the man made out okay. He had managed to rebuild his mansion in four days. Danny really wanted to make sure to keep tabs on him just in case – he still didn't trust that Vlad's research was completely destroyed. He was sure that the Guys in White could help slow down that process at some point… and if his plan also messed with the cheesehead, that was just an added bonus. He couldn't wait to tell Sam and Tucker about this later.

"Danny! Can you come down here for a second?" Maddie called from the foot of the stairs.

"Coming!" he replied back, shutting his computer off and swivelling in his chair. Danny bounded out the door and was halfway down the stairs before his ghost sense went off. He gasped, staring at the last remaining vapours of his breath, confused. There was no other indication that there was a ghost around other than his ghost sense, but there was the question of whether flying into the living room ready for a fight would bring back some old habits. Danny frowned at the absurdity of the thought but elected to stay human as he continued his descent down the stairs. "Mom?" he called cautiously.

"In here son!" Jack responded happily. Danny turned at the foot of the stairs and realized that his parents were indeed in the living room. His ghost sense went off again, making him more wary of the situation. He walked into the room, tensing as he assessed if there was a threat.

His parents sat on the long couch, perfectly healthy. In the armchair across from them however sat a pale middle aged man with beige pants, a striped sweater, salt and pepper hair and dark brown eyes that Danny swore bore into his soul. The man gave him a searching gaze as Danny looked at him, trying to figure out whether he was being overshadowed.

"Danny, you remember Dr. Cliff right?" Maddie asked.

Remembering the name, Danny's stance relaxed slightly but the distrust in his eyes never left. "From the hospital right?" he asked, looking the man up and down. "Yeah… I remember. What's he doing here?" Maddie frowned at his tone, trying to figure out why her son would be so cold to the man.

"Danny?"Maddie asked, confused.

"It's quite alright," Dr. Cliff said lightly, his stare never leaving Danny's face. His deep rumbling voice had a soothing quality to it. "The last time we met, you weren't in the best condition." He stood up slowly and Danny tensed again. "You can sense me now, can't you?"

Danny nodded and both his parents looked at their son in alarm as they felt something shift in the conversation. Danny's eyes narrowed. "Danny?" Jack asked worriedly. "What is it?"

"Who are you?" Danny demanded, the ring of light from his transformation appearing at his waist as a threat. Maddie and Jack got up quickly and went to Danny's side, pulling out an ecto-gun and aiming it directly at the doctor.

Dr. Cliff chuckled softly, amused. "Ancients, he warned me this would happen." He put his hands up in surrender before moving them towards his neck. His hands turned intangible and then reappeared holding a strange looking necklace with a gear for the medallion. The CW logo appeared prominently on its front, causing Danny to relax and stare at the man confused. "We have a mutual ally, Halfling."

"A time medallion," Danny whispered, making his transformation ring disappear. His parents still held their weapons at the ready. He frowned in confusion. "It's okay," he told his parents, gesturing to them to lower their weapons. "Clockwork sent you?"

"Clockwork?" Maddie asked her son.

"A friend," Danny replied simply.

The man – ghost – nodded. "My name real name is Ethelwulf," he said simply. Ethelwulf frowned then, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Would you mind terribly if I switched forms? I'd much rather have this discussion with a bit more transparency." Danny exchanged looks with his parents, before all three of them nodded their consent. Ethelwulf beamed, before jumping into the air and flipping just once. When he landed, he resembled a large black wolf with big black leathery wings out of his back. He shook out the wings as if he was stretching, ignoring the three gaping humans in front of him. "Oh that's much better."

Danny recovered first. "You're a shapeshifter," he said, looking at the ghost with mild distrust again. "I've met one of you guys before."

Ethelwulf laughed. "Oh right, Bertrand! Good ol' Bert, so gullible. Wait until you meet Amorpho – he's a riot." Ethelwulf's yellow eyes found the boy's expression had not changed. "Relax Phantom, I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to train you."

"What?" Danny asked, nonplussed. Maddie looked between Danny and the ghost like they were talking a completely different language. Jack, on the other hand, looked like Christmas came early.

"Clockwork told you there was one other ghost that could control raw energy into a storm like attack right?" the wolf ghost asked. Danny nodded. "Well, you're looking at him. He's asked me to help you navigate your ability to channel raw energy and core energy."

Danny frowned in confusion. "Isn't that the same thing?" he queried, moving towards the couch vacated by his parents. Maddie and Jack stayed at the entrance of the living room, not entirely sure if they should stay or go. Danny smiled at them briefly, indicating that he was fine with them staying before turning back to Ethelwulf.

"Not quite," Ethelwulf replied seriously. "There are three levels of Ecto-Energy – base level, core level and raw energy. Base level's simple – think invisibility, flying, ecto-blasts the basic stuff. Any ghost energy that doesn't come from a ghost's obsession is base level. Core energy… now that's a whole other ballgame. It's more personal. Core energy comes from deep within you, using the energy at the time of your death to enhance some of your skills. When untamed, core energy can be quite a destructive force.

"And then… there's raw energy," Ethelwulf continued. "Raw energy combines the energy used at the time of your death within your core with any offensive ecto-energy you can manifest. It's extremely rare and very hard to control."

"Great," Danny said drily, putting his thumbs at the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes, trying to process this new information. "So you're saying that raw energy is basically a bomb waiting to go off at any point?"

"If you don't have a handle on the trigger, yes" Ethelwulf said solemnly. Danny groaned in response. "The other problem is while you can use what you call the Ecto-Storm, you can only use it if you're using raw energy. You're able to tap into a place between your core and base level powers to create a ferocious attack that is almost untameable."

"But Danny has controlled it," Maddie said, speaking up from her silence. She was pale with the implications that this ghost was setting. "We saw him do it a few days ago."

Ethelwulf nodded. "Yes, because he finally understood what he needed." The boy looked at him, confused. "Balance. Between you and your ghost half."

"You mean, splitting myself actually helped me control it?" Danny asked with an eyebrow raised.

Ethelwulf chuckled. "No," he said with a smile. "Remember, you're not just a ghost or human, you're both. Meaning that you needed to accept both sides of you and remember that you're more than just the masks you wear. There is one true side, just you."

Danny's eyes opened in realization. "I could control it… because I told my parents?" he asked, slowly looking at his mother and father. "It worked because there was nothing left to hide from. I didn't have to pretend I was someone different…"

"Precisely," Ethelwulf said. "You managed to find a way to communicate with your core to address what was blocking you. When you were in tune with your subconscious in such a way, you were able to use raw energy in both of your forms. You were never truly splitting yourself; you were splitting your consciousness to reassess your needs."

Danny sighed, covering his face in hands in disgust. "So I was talking to myself," he said dreadfully. "Oh man, Jazz is going to love this."

Maddie looked Danny, bemused, before turning to the ghost in front of her. "You said you can help him control it?" she inquired, crossing her arms. "I'm guessing that's what landed him in the hospital a few months ago." Danny gave her a sheepish but apologetic look; she sighed. "While I'm still trying to wrap my head around this, I think it might be good to get Danny used to channel all that power."

Ethelwulf nodded. "We can start now, if you like."

"Darn straight we can!" Jack yelled enthusiastically, startling both Maddie and Danny with his eagerness. "I've been dying to see more of your powers Danny-boy! To think, we can start fighting ghosts together!" He grabbed his son, who yelped in protest as they ran out of the room and into the lab. Ethelwulf blinked twice before laughing. He bowed his head towards Maddie as a goodbye and followed Jack and Danny out.

Maddie sighed exasperatingly as she was left alone in the living room with her thoughts. It was still hard to believe that this was their new normal. Jack had taken it in stride, happily asking questions and understanding what Danny could handle and what he couldn't. Maddie, on the other hand, she was a little more cautious about her son haphazardly figuring out his powers while fighting ghosts – he was still only fifteen.

With Danny revealing his secret to them, it looked like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. She didn't deny that they were much closer, but she would sometimes catch him staring off in the distance, like he had seen too much, only for it to disappear as if it was never there. She frowned as the last thought crossed her mind. It would take time, but everything would settle.

The phone rang abruptly, causing Maddie to jump out of her thoughts. Maddie, shaking her head to clear it, walked over quickly and answered. "Hello, you've reached the Fentons."

"Ah Maddie, so wonderful to hear your voice," the wistful voice of Vlad Masters said through the landline.

Maddie stiffened, holding the receiver a little tighter. Danny had been very reluctant to talk about the man this week and Maddie had wondered how much this man had truly done to her son. "Vlad," she said sweetly, rolling her eyes at the fake niceties she had to portray. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh no reason really," he replied. Maddie could tell that he was trying to hide something. Alarm bells started to ring as Maddie started musing through a theory. "Just wondering if young Daniel was home; thought I would have a nice chat about some of his extra-curricular activities. With the school year starting in a few weeks, and how abysmal his grades are, he might want to increase his college application."

Now Maddie was really suspicious. "Sorry Vlad, you just missed him," she lied, still having that sickly sweet tone. "You know how teenagers are – running off here and there."

"Ah," the man replied tartly. "Well, do let him know I called hmm? We have a lot to catch up about."

"I shall," Maddie answered. Frowning in thought, Maddie's theory started to solidify and kept the man talking. "Jack and I heard about your mansion, I can't believe you managed to rebuild it in such a short time!"

Vlad chuckled. "Yes," he said smugly. "Such a weird storm, almost electrifying really. It was a good thing I wasn't home. It certainly helps when you know the right people."

Maddie's eyes narrowed. "You're right, definitely the right people. Or the right ghosts," she added sweetly.

Vlad's line went quiet for a few moments. "Ghosts?" he asked lightly, a trickle of nerves appearing in the man's voice. "Why Maddie I-"

"Or maybe," she theorized, a bit more threatening, "You were able to do it all on your own. With some of… what did you call them? Oh extra-curricular activities."

Again, silence met Maddie for a few seconds, leaving the accusation hanging in the air. "He told you then," Vlad said, more malice coming through his tone.

"No," Maddie said sternly, mildly impressed that he didn't deny it. "It didn't take me long to connect the dots once he told us about his accident. Danny doesn't even know I figured it out. It was the proto-portal right?" Vlad didn't answer, so Maddie kept going. "It's why Plasmius seems to show up at your residences. And that he really wanted to destroy Jack the time at the college reunion. Was that all a ruse to get to Danny too?"

"Maddie," Vlad said, trying to placate the woman. "I know there's been some… misunderstandings, but I am not the villain here."

Maddie scoffed. "I think that's exactly what you are," Maddie accused. "I won't tell Jack or even Danny that I know. I don't care what you need to tell Jack, but I swear if I see you near my family again, I will find a way to end your existence, Plasmius." Maddie hung up the phone forcefully before storming out of the room.

It certainly would take time for their new normal to settle, but Maddie felt that somehow, they would be okay.

:-=-:

Clockwork floated in the form of an old man, watching the various timelines flash by in streams. He frowned, hearing Frostbite appear behind him. "Time is running out," Clockwork said ominously, not turning around to face the yeti leader. "Danny will need your help to defeat the coming threat. Be ready."

Frostbite nodded. "Of course- anything to help the Great One!" Frostbite said vigorously. He disappeared from view quickly, leaving Clockwork alone in the tower. The older ghost's frown deepened as he looked past the multiple turns through time, coming to a halt suddenly very soon to his present day. He sighed deeply. "22," he said to himself, turning around to the lone table in the middle of his watchtower. "But sadly," he continued, staring at the lonely battered thermos standing alone. "Everything is as it should be."

As Clockwork turned back to the time streams, the smallest crack appeared on the lid of the thermos as it rattled, echoing into the empty chamber.

And there you have it! I have always thought that this would have a sequel (so much so that it has been roughly planned out long before this was fully fleshed out) but honestly, I have no timeline for it. I hope to write it one day and that it doesn't take me a very long time between posts.

Thanks again to everyone who's read/reviewed/followed or favourited this story - it has meant a lot in time of grief and struggle that this community has been reading and liking stories that I had left seemingly abandoned. I don't know what's next for me on the writing front, but I'm sure to be around reading stories from all of you.

Thanks again and see you in the next one!

MATW 3