(Correction. There were discrepancies with the timeline so I changed a few dates. That was all. I'll update by Wednesday for the next chapter. Thanks for reading!)

A/N:

Here we go. Again. First chapter of new story. Hopefully this story will be less Danny-bashing than my other fic Jump Start but I hope you guys like it!

With just a little further a do, here's the first chapter of The Mark! Not beta'ed by Night for now because she has an 8 o'clock class tomorrow and insomnia so she should be struggling to sleep right now!

Disclaimer: Why must you torture me?

"Congratulations, sweetie!" The Fenton matriarch exclaimed, squeezing her son in an inescapable embrace.

"Good job, Danny-boy!" Her husband shouted, bear-hugging both wife and son and lifting them off of the ground.

"I knew you could do it, little brother," the daughter affirmed, patting him on the little part of his back that showed from under their father's gargantuan arms.

"I'm not surprised, Mr. Fenton. You were always exceedingly bright considering the circumstances," commented the overweight balding teacher.

"Dude, I thought for sure you were gonna fail!" The friend laughed, followed by an "oomph!" from being elbowed in the ribs by his girlfriend.

"Shut it, Foley!" She seethed, then turned to the girl to her left. "You better get your man before someone else does, girl!"

"Fine, Val," another girl blushed and approached the boy who was promptly dropped by his father.

"Uhhn," he groaned from the floor, rubbing his behind.

"Need a hand?" She giggled, offering him help.

"Thanks, Sam," he acquiesced.

It was May of the now Quad's—with Valerie included—high school sophomore year, one month after the Disasteroid. His parents knew. His English teacher, math teacher, and vice principal all-in-one knew. His ex-girlfriend and past sworn human arch-nemesis now friend and fellow defender knew. His halfa secret wasn't a secret to those who mattered in his life anymore and Vlad was finally out of their lives.

But today heralded the best day of the collected group's lives. Today, celebrations and revelry where absolutely necessary for the impossible happened. Yes, today was the day the Daniel James "Danny" Fenton, a.k.a. Danny Phantom, passed sophomore year with a 3.32 GPA.

The Nasty Burger had seen a drastic increase in traffic this season mainly because it was summer and all the youth of Amity Park were free to run around without the burden of immediate homework due the next day or even the next week. They had two months to do summer assignments and most wouldn't get started until the last week of break. So what was the point? And the Nasty Burger Menu had seen a radical change in its Nasty Sauce when advised by a secret group of the more than probable explosive properties of the large vats of the compound. Speaking about a secret group, a particular group of four friends were currently taking advantage of this easily accessible and inexpensive...a.k.a. dirt cheap...fast food place.

Sitting outside, covered by the shade of a nearby shadow, the Freak Quad hung out, laughing excessively at jokes and mostly the physical pain Sam was dealing out to Tucker when he wouldn't shut up.

"Jeez, Danny," Tucker joked. "Who knew you had such a big head?" He pointed to the statue they were lying near, which portrayed Danny Phantom holding the world in commemoration of him saving Earth from total annihilation.

Danny cut his friend a glare, saying, "It's not my fault they decided to glorify me...Seriously, these statues are in every continent at least 5 times. Why does Amity have to have one on every street corner?" The statue should have been a big up to Danny's ego but he was humble and didn't completely appreciate their gaudiness.

"Dude, Amity's got like at least 50 of them!" Tucker would have continued to badger Danny if Tuck's girlfriend hadn't decided to take his PDA away as punishment.

Over the cries of "No! Not Christiana!", Valerie said, "Chill. It's the best they, we, can do to show that stupid ghost boy...I mean you...our appreciation...Getting used to your halfie status is weird..."

"It's halfa," Sam corrected automatically, smiling sadistically at Tucker's dismay. "And, yeah, Danny. At least they're not offering a mass funeral or a world-wide fiasco to reunite you with your parents." She looked at him, pointedly referring to the possible outcome of an event last week.

Danny cringed at the idea. "Yeah, that slip last week was pretty heinous."

The so-called "slip" happened during a flight Danny decided to take on Wednesday after a particularly strenuous last day of finals. He landed at an isolated park where, unfortunately, the Channel 5 News crew was about to set up to interview a new eatery badly named the "Boo-kery". Because they were no longer questioning whether or not he was malevolent, they bombarded him as soon as he was spotted for an interview. In the excitement, Danny had temporarily forgotten about his ghost powers and slightly cowered. At seeing his distress, the main reporter told him they would let him go if they asked a few questions.

Of course, when Danny said yes, they questioned him from every possible angle, not giving the ghost boy even an inch of space.

"What's your name?"

"Danny Phantom."

"Were you alive?"

"Yes."

"Did you live in Amity?"

"Yes."

"How old are you...both living and dead?"

"Total...15, almost 16 years."

"Wow, you're so young...Any love interests?"

"Wha-whatnoofcoursenot!" They stared at him more than necessary until he admitted, "Yeah."

"What's her name?" In the back a "or his name?" could be heard.

"That's not really your business right now...and she's definitely a she."

"Do you see your family often?"

"Almost every day."

"In the Ghost Zone?"

"No, they're still alive." The questions stopped after that and it took a while for Danny to realize his mistake. All of the people crowding him were shocked. Some had tears threatening to come out and the main reporter looking like she had just won the mega-million dollar jackpot.

"Where are they? Who are they? What do they do? Do they know you're you? Are they the reason you couldn't rest? Do you blame them for your death? How recently did you die? Why haven't we seen a picture or heard of a young boy dying recently that could be you?" She wouldn't let up and, while the others kind of thought this breached some barriers of common morality, they were too curious to find out the truth.

All of a sudden, Danny's awareness of his ghost powers came back when she leaned in closer, pointed the microphone in his face, and expeditiously listed the questions. Throwing them all a smirk, Danny said, "Sorry, but that's all I have for you today," and rocketed up into the sky.

The entire interview had been playing since then and it was already the next week's Wednesday.

"Is there so little happening in Amity Park that they have to play that...that monstrosity over and over again?" Danny was sick and tired of it. His friends and family, especially Maddie and Jack, loved it. After the big reveal, including all main and side stories, his parents felt very estranged from their son and took any chance they could to bond with him. It annoyed Danny at first since they were so clingy, but Jazz explained and he understood that they were just trying to catch up on the years they had missed.

"Well, it's not like anything exciting's happened here since a month ago," admitted Val, a bit peeved.

The ghost "appearances", and no longer "attacks", whittled down the month after the Disasteroid threatened to hit. In the first month, the Box Ghost came almost every hour on the hour, most of the time with Imogen, which was the Lunch Lady's real name. He was pretty peaceful since Imogen wouldn't let him fight while they were on dates to the Human World. "Eeeewwww," was constantly heard around the world. Skulker came twice a week to "hunt" Danny and then decided to put his stubbornness aside and form a truce with the young whelp. Klemper visited in search of new friends whom he found in members of Inuit tribes who didn't mind his company. Ember came around every now and then to jam and give Danny guitar and piano lessons. She was surprisingly well-versed in classical music. Frostbite came a couple of times to discuss science with Danny's parents and made many almost unbearably hot summer days cool. Pandora came and, after frightening many people, taught interested humans about her ancient Greece and which legends were true or not. She soon left though to see what her Greece looked like now. Even Wulf came by and freaked out Danny's parents immensely. But the werewolf ghost soon warmed up to the family and he and Jack became best buds.

After Ghost Writer had witnessed Danny's greatness, he got Danny's permission to write an epic poem about him that would "rival the Iliad". This bonded them immensely and ensured no more wackadoodle literature curses. Desiree showed up once and started a fight, during which the real reason of her hatred for others was unearthed: her inability to grant her own wishes while being forced to bring others' into fruition. Danny said that was an easy fix and wished for her to not have to grant wishes anymore but be able to choose and use her power to live her afterlife as peacefully as she pleased. She scolded him, saying that it wouldn't be so easy. He tested her to wish for something and she wished for a golden crown, reminiscent of one she had seen as a living child. In a swirl of shining green and blue, the immaculate circlet appeared, enticing glowing tears from the genie ghost's eyes. When asked by Danny if she was okay, she sniffed haughtily and told him that he had just made her more powerful and he would regret it deeply. He tensed for a fight but was pleasantly surprised when she summoned a portal to the Ghost Zone and mumbled that she guessed she should thank him.

Random ghosts he had met briefly before and those that had heard of him visited as well. Amorpho showed up one day to do some harmless pranks. Poindexter was a keynote speaker for an anti-bullying conference. Cujo came almost every day to play freely with the humans of Amity who were only slightly afraid of the ghost dog in puppy form but still scared senseless when he was in full demon dog mode. A few literature, specifically Stephen King, fans thought he was appropriately named. And the dog did get to make up with Damon Gray and his daughter Valerie; through this, he had gained a new, however reluctant, female playmate. Even Danielle visited and was introduced to all of Danny's friends and family since they only got her name and a fake backstory and Valerie already knew about the little clone. She had been given the guest room as a permanent room and, by Jack and Maddie's insistence, become an official member of the Fenton family. She was to be home-schooled over the summer so she could be ready for freshman year in August.

Clockwork, the ever slightly creepy, riddle-making, random, all-powerful time master had shown once to congratulate Danny on matriculating to his junior year successfully, eliminating the ectoranium threat, and successfully avoiding any possible Dan future. The last had come as a shock to all, especially Danny, since they thought Dan's chance of existence had come and gone. But Clockwork's reassurance that he could see nothing immensely negative in the near future had greatly relieved Danny. After all, Clockwork was the only godfather that Danny actually liked and he was welcome openly to the family. Jack and Maddie learned much from him and, at the embarrassment of Danny, had discerned several research possibilities.

The best things of all, during that month after the Disasteroid, that allowed all of the ghosts to visit was, one, Vlad's absence and, two, the total disbanding and complete destruction of the GIW. President Hartman and many representatives of the EU had detested the group after a ghost boy had saved the world and they still claimed him to be an evil entity focused on world domination and the eradication of mankind. After an investigation was conducted of the GIW and their operations uncovered, there wasn't a single government on Earth that publicly wanted them in their borders. This left Danny Phantom, the Fenton scientists, the Red Huntress, and a few less equipped ghost hunters as ambassadors between the humans and ghosts. The relationships between the two groups ameliorated so fast through Danny's leadership that many were wondering why they hadn't tried that approach earlier.

But something had changed near the end of May. Less ghosts started coming through the Fenton's and natural portals. Vlad's was already shut down and no one could pinpoint the reason they weren't coming as often as usual until Danny asked the Box Ghost who had only showed his face three times that last week.

"Do you FEEEAAARRR me not being here MOOORREEE than the BOOOOXX GHOOOSSTTT being here?!" The entitled specter exclaimed, annoying the masses as he waved his arms to and fro, still trying to be menacing.

"No, Boxy," Danny said, floating upside down, hair slightly obstructing the view of the blue ghost. "We were just wondering what was happening on the other side."

"Well, if you must know," Box Ghost seriously whispered, making Danny float closer with his ear out. "THE INHABITANTS OF THE GHOST ZONE are going under reform now that no threats affect our existence...BEWARE!" He yelled exaggeratedly, making Danny cringe and his ears ring, before flying off into the distance.

In May, no ghosts appeared, not even Cujo. Danny had thought about talking to Clockwork about it, but remembered his reassurance the previous month and just hoped to see everyone later. Valerie heavily missed having a reason to go out on her hoverboard and use her suit, which had been further modified by a collaboration of Technus, Tucker, and the Fentons...mostly Jack because he thought it was "super coolio"...Technus had indeed rubbed off on him. Jack and Maddie, along with others in their field, had worried about the absences as well, mostly because it meant less pure samples of ectoplasm but also for the recent friendships and acquaintanceships they had made.

This left Danny, Sam who was his girlfriend, Tuck, and Valerie who was Tuck's girlfriend free all of May and the beginning of June. The free time allotted the teenagers to make up precious study time with the help of Lancer, Jazz, and the Fenton adults. They had all matriculated surprisingly—for Danny—with GPA's greater than 3.0 with Danny bringing up the rear.

"Cool it, Val," Tucker gasped, cradling his snatched PDA in his hands and easing his breath from the chase. "It's not like we ease up on the daily torture, I mean, training anyway!"

The group had been increasing their stamina, endurance, aim, and muscle mass under the supervision of the Fentons, mostly Maddie since she was a 9th degree black belt. They went through combat drills. They sparred. They learned how to fire arms and produce makeshift weapons. They even were taught some of the basic physical science of ectoplasm and entities made up of such. Surprisingly, it was Danny who understood most of the science aspect the best. He chalked it up to his own knowledge of his body and powers.

Speaking of Danny, he had been teaching Danielle how to control her powers better and they were working on whether or not being his clone meant that she had the same abilities. It turned out that, even though she had the same ectoplasmic and human DNA, she did not have an ice core nor the ability to wail. But she was able to teleport easier than Danny and create Dani holograms that were like stationary, intangible clones of herself. This unique power of hers affirmed her confidence and individuality. She finally had an identity but was still under the moniker of "Dani". When she expressed this to the family, they told her it was an easy fix; she just had to change her name. After thinking about it for a few days, she decided to name herself Phoebe after the character from a summer reading assignment from the book The Catcher in the Rye.

"Speaking of which, TF," Val purred, "you sure have gotten better." She was right. In fact, they all had physically changed drastically. Tucker was no longer as wimpy but now stood at 5 foot 11, much to his consternation at barely missing 6 feet. He had gained significant muscle mass that had made him buy new clothing, but he stuck to the same yellow-shirt and camouflage-green cargo pants. And he definitely didn't forget the red beret even though he decided to grow his hair out in dreads. Valerie had slimmed down a bit and grown to 5 foot 8, maintaining her curves but gaining more lean muscle which allowed her to fit more weapons in her suit. Her style had changed a bit to reflect her boyfriend's. Her shirts were still yellow but she ditched the orange skirt for a red one that he said reminded his of his favorite accessory. She kept her long wavy hair which was somehow her natural hair texture even after she got it wet.

"Lovebirds," Sam cried out loud, drawing blushes out of the African-Americans. She had grown a little but stopped stubbornly at 5 foot 6. Her height change and the insistence of her parents and encouragement of her grandmother made her change her clothing as well. She now wore more blues and greens in her attire. Today, she had on a neon green tank top with purple trim and black leather pants that somehow did not make her sweat. To this she would replay, "I'm goth. We don't sweat. We simmer." And she would never get rid of her steel-toed combat boots which added two inches to her height. But she did change her punk ponytail and allowed her hair to fall down. It was just above shoulder length now that she had decided to grow it out.

Danny guffawed at his other friends' torment and squeezed Sam's hand a bit tighter. He had changed most of all. Wimpy little Danny Fenton now towered over them all at a staggering 6 foot 3, mirroring his father's side of the family even though he hadn't reached the giant's 6 foot 8...yet. His ebony hair was as messy as ever but had grown a bit; he refused to get it cut even when the newly-deemed Phoebe threatened that she would chop it all off in his sleep. He didn't bulk up like they expected him to but instead gained the lean muscle his mother's side of the family was known for having...expect for Aunt Felicia in Arkansas...but the growth spurt had made a new wardrobe absolutely necessary. Of course, Sam, Maddie, Valerie, Jazz, and even Phoebe jumped at the chance—and at Danny—to drag him to different stores for an impromptu fashion show. After six grueling hours of being dragged from store to store, dressing room to dressing room, and kiosk to kiosk, Danny had finally chosen a new wardrobe that would placate the females' excitement. He mostly had darker colors to complement Sam and bring out the oddly unnameable, bright blue of his eyes. He insisted that the jeans were a must but now had on less baggy ones. Most of his shirts referenced nerdy topics and a few were differently styled Phantom shirts just for giggles. But he really like the three-quarter sleeve shirts which were mostly a deep red or ocean blue with black accents. He kept his lucky and very battered red converse and bought two other pairs of the same design except one pair was black and the other blue.

Nevertheless, even with the physical changes, the groups' mentality never changed. They were still best friends...family...Team Phantom. And nothing nor no one could tear them apart. There was no force on Earth that could get in the way of their bonds...but the Ghost Zone may have been a completely different matter.

As the youths and adults of Amity delighted in the summer season, the Ghost Zone was as quiet as an empty grave. From the lands near the Fenton Portal where green and purple swirled equally in the sky to the ancient zones where darkness was so thick it was tangible, no being made a noise. Nothing but island or random rock was seen floating in the vast expanse of the Infinite Realms. No dragon ghosts fought. No rocker spirits partied. No ghosts were out but instead all hid, trembling, quaking in fear. Territories reinforced their borders and loner ghosts fled their residences. A great clock tower stood in near empty space; its wear and tear more noticeable now and still smoldering from a recent attack. The old guardian was chained in a cell in his own home confused as to how he could not have seen what was to be and how he had been defeated too easily. He spoke no words but thought into the distance an apology at a certain young boy he had come to know.

In a certain ghostly lair far away which had darkness rolling off of it like living shadows, a sole ghost kneeled in a hall decorated in dark purples, blacks, and greens. Ghostly flames flickered from the sconces situated on supporting pillars in the room. An old hand rose from a sitting figure on the throne, pointing towards the kneeling spirit.

"As you have commanded, my Lord," he acquiesced and quickly flew out of the hall to his business blowing out the remnants of the flames lining his path.

All that could be seen in the darkness was one sole glowing eye radiating a bright, hateful, neon green.

A/N:

And hopefully all of my chapters will be about this size and not 8K word blockbusters that make me want to procrastinate on this story! More to come in about two weeks; so be patient, peruse other fanfics, and do work-work or homework while you wait and be good productive citizens for the Overseer...I jumped on the Bethesda train a little late...

And again, as the symbol of our friendship and the first chapter of a new story, here's a potato!

Love, JennaUtena...Deuces!