Monday, the day everyone dreaded. Adults had to go to work and children had to go to school. While most were getting ready for the day though, a certain Halfa had other plans. Danny, still in his pajamas, was currently sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast while Danielle sat in her high chair eating her own breakfast of Cheerios and a sippy cup of milk and Cujo ate a plate of scrambled eggs that Danny made for him. It was this scene that Maddie came upon when she came downstairs.

"Danny, why aren't you dressed for school?" questioned the Fenton matriarch. She knew her son was always dressed to leave for school after breakfast.

"I'm not going to school today," replied the teen. "In fact, I don't plan on going to school for the whole week."

Maddie frowned at hearing this. She gave her son a narrowed look and put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean you're not going to school this week?"

"Danny's not going to school this week?" questioned Jazz, who just arrived. Being the brainiac nerd that she was, this didn't sit well with her.

"It's as I said. I'm not going to school this week. After what happened yesterday with Danielle (Jazz flinched at the look Danny gave her), it's clear that she is TOO dependent on me. Granted, that's not a surprise since she's three, but how can I leave her in someone else's care if she'll just go ghost and fly away again?"

"And how will missing a week's worth of school help, young man?" questioned Maddie, still not liking the idea of her son playing hooky.

"My plan is that I'm going to try and have Danielle get used to other people," explained Danny. "Maybe if I'm there as well it will tell Danielle that she can trust them as much as I do."

"I don't know, Danny…"

"Mom, I need to do this for Danielle. Besides, it's not like I'm really going to miss school. You and I both know that Jazz will make sure I get my schoolwork. She's predictable like that."

"Hey!" exclaimed Jazz, giving off a pout. "I am not predictable!"

"Jazz, you're as predictable as Dad."

"Take that back!"

"It's true though. In fact, Dad's about to come downstairs to get some fudge right about…now."

The sound of thundering footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs as Jack soon made his appearance.

"Time for some fudge!" exclaimed the large man with a grin as he made his way over to the fridge.

While Jack rummaged around in the fridge, Jazz had a look of horror on her face while Danny grinned in victory.

Maddie let out a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jack, do you know what your son plans on doing?"

"Follow in our footsteps and fight ghosts?!" replied Jack with an excited grin.

"Uh, Dad? I already do that, remember?"

"Jack, Danny plans on skipping a week of school," stated Maddie with a frown.

Now those who did not know Jack personally would think he was an idiot, but even Jack knew the importance of school. He wouldn't be where he was today if he never graduated from college.

"No son of mine will be skipping school!" exclaimed Jack, a rare serious look on his face.

"But this is for a good reason, Dad. I'm going to be teaching Danielle that she can trust other people," explained Danny as he lifted his daughter out her high chair, to which the little one then snuggled closer to her Daddy. "Besides, don't forget that I already cut class sometimes so I can fight off the bad ghosts."

As Danny mentioned earlier, Jack was predictable. He knew that his father would agree if he not only brought up ghost hunting, but his cute little granddaughter as well.

"If that's the case then I see no reason why you can't stay home!"

"Jack!" scolded Maddie, giving her husband a look. The excited grin that was on Jack's face fell and instantly turned into a dejected frown. "Danny is not skipping school!"

"Come on, Mom! I need to do this for Danielle!" stated Danny, desperate to get his mom to agree. "Can you imagine what could happen if she somehow got out again to try and find me? This is something that needs to be done!"

Maddie really wanted to stand her ground and say no, but Danny wasn't making it easy. Especially when he was holding up Danielle and the little girl was looking at her with those innocent blue eyes. Pinching the bridge of her nose once more in frustration, she soon relented.

"Only for this week, Danny. Do I make myself clear?"

The Halfa gave off a grin. "Thanks, Mom! I need to go call Tucker and Sam and let them know why I won't be at school."

"Wait, Danny, who exactly are you going to have Danielle get used to first?" asked Jazz as she watched her little brother head towards the stairs. "Tucker, Sam, and I will be at school and Mom and Dad will be busy, so who is left?"

The grin that appeared on Danny's face left an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach.

-:-

In the Ghost Zone…

Kitty was humming a little tune to herself as she applied her makeup. Off to the side, Johnny stood and watched her in confusion, not sure why she was getting all dolled up.

"…At the risk of getting banished, did I forget about a date we had today?" asked the biker ghost.

The biker chick rolled her eyes before continuing with her makeup. "No, Johnny. We didn't have a date today. Danny called and invited me over for the day. And before you say anything, he invited you too. We're going to spend time with our cute little niece!"

"Count me out, Kitten," replied Johnny with a shudder. "There ain't no way I'm spending the day in a house filled with things that can harm ghosts!"

Rolling her eyes once more, Kitty turned to her man with a pout. "Johnny, Danny would not let anything happen to us."

"What about his folks?! They're ghost hunters, remember?!"

"And Danny and Danielle are ghosts and you saw that they have no problem with them," countered Kitty. "The only ghost they're after now is Plasmius and for good reason."

"I'm still not going!"

The biker chick gave off a huff before glaring at Johnny. "Ugh, why do you have to be such a scaredy-cat?!"

"Hey! I ain't no scaredy-cat!"

"Then come with me to Danny's."

"…"

"Scaredy-cat," replied Kitty as she took off for the Ghost Portal, leaving behind a pouting Johnny.

-:-

A chorus of giggles filled the room as Kitty held and nuzzled Danielle.

"How can someone be so cute?!" exclaimed Kitty as she continued to nuzzle the child, causing more giggles to come from Danielle.

Danny gave off a smile as he watched the two. "I really appreciate you coming over on such short notice, Kitty."

"Are you kidding? Who'd give up the chance to spend time with such a cute little thing?" replied Kitty with a giggle. She then looked Danielle in the eye. "I'm going to spoil you rotten! Yes I am!"

"Um, try not to spoil her too much, Kitty," said Danny with a nervous laugh.

This earned him a pout from the biker chick. "You're no fun, Danny."

"I'd just rather not have Danielle end up like someone like Paulina. You do remember her, right? You possessed her so you could date me and make Johnny jealous."

"…Oh yeah, her. I kinda regret that, now that I think about it," replied Kitty with a grimace. "You wouldn't believe how many showers I had to take after getting out of that body."

Danny had to hold back a laugh. "How do you think I feel? I used to have a crush on her!"

"You can do so much better, Danny."

"I've never been that lucky," replied the halfa. As if to prove his point, a blue mist then escaped his mouth. "See what I mean?"

"Beware! I am the Box Ghost!"

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as the annoyance known as the Box Ghost appeared from the floor and flew out of the house. He gave an apologetic look towards Kitty.

"Just go. I'll keep an eye on Danielle," said Kitty with a smile.

"Thanks, Kitty," said Danny as he transformed. He then turned and placed a hand on Danielle's head. "Danielle, I need you to be a good girl for your Aunt Kitty while I'm gone, okay? I'll be back very soon."

The little one let out a whimper as she reached out for her Daddy.

"Don't be sad, Danielle! You get to spend time with me and have fun while your Daddy deals with an annoying idiot!" stated Kitty as she tickled the little girl, getting rewarded with a fit of giggles.

With that, Danny took off after the Box Ghost. Kitty made her way over to the couch and sat down with Danielle on her lap. Cujo was off to the side sleeping in his little doggy bed, his legs in the air and occasionally twitching as he dreamt.

As Kitty played with Danielle, she didn't notice the figure that came up from the floor behind her.

"Ha! About time the Box Ghost was useful for something! With Baby-Pop busy with that idiot, I can go and do my thing without any interference!" exclaimed a voice, causing Kitty and Danielle to jump in surprise.

Kitty turned to look behind her and was surprised to find her best friend floating there with a grin that only spelled trouble.

"Ember?"

The ghostly rock diva blinked in confusion before turning to where her name was called. Her ecto green eyes widened upon finding Kitty.

"K-Kitty?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I should be the one asking that! And watch your language in front of the baby!"

"Baby?" questioned Ember in confusion.

"Yup! Meet Danielle!" exclaimed Kitty with a giggle as she held up the ghostling, who stared at Ember with wide blue eyes.

Ember had a blank look on her face as she looked at the child, trying to process a few things. Why did this kid look like Baby-Pop? Why was Kitty in Baby-Pop's house? And most importantly, who was the skank she had to hunt down for entrapping Baby-Pop?!

"I want answers…NOW!" growled out Ember, her anger showing through her ponytail.

Kitty merely rolled her eyes. She had a feeling of what Ember was thinking. The biker chick really wished her friend would just be honest with her feelings.

"Danielle's not mine, Ember," said Kitty, holding back a smirk.

"I know that! We hang out so much that I would have to have been blind not to notice if you were ever pregnant!" snapped Ember, glaring at her friend. "Why is there a baby version of Baby-Pop?!"

"I can't tell you."

Another growl came from the rock diva, making Kitty hold Danielle protectively.

"Kitty…"

"Ember, if you want to know, then you'll need to wait until Danny gets back. If he feels that you can be trusted, then he'll tell you," replied Kitty.

The blue-haired girl was starting to wonder if she stepped into an alternate reality. What the hell was going on?!

"Stop playing around, Kitty!"

A growl could be heard, making Ember stop in her tracks. Looking down, she found a small, green puppy growling and glaring at her.

"I should warn you, Ember. Danny brought Cujo to live with him as extra protection for Danielle. We might be friends, but if Cujo thinks something is a threat to Danielle, I'm not stopping him."

Ember gaped like a fish as she stared at her best friend, who had a serious look on her face. This was all just too confusing to the rock diva.

"Wh-Why are you doing this, Kitty? Does Johnny know about this?"

"…I'm not cheating on Johnny if that's what you're implying," said Kitty, giving Ember a narrowed look.

"Then what the hell is going on?!" yelled out Ember, glaring at Kitty. "First I find you in Baby-Pop's house like it's an everyday thing! Then I find you with a kid that looks exactly like Baby-Pop and you won't even tell me why! Give me something!"

Kitty could see the hurt in Ember's eyes. She knew her friend had it bad for Danny (even if Ember wouldn't admit it), but to think that Ember would think that she would cheat on Johnny with Danny was absurd.

Letting out a sigh, Kitty called out to Cujo. "Cujo! Lie down!"

"Arf!"

The puppy trotted back over to his bed and fell promptly back to sleep. Kitty sat back down on the couch with Danielle on her lap and patted the spot next to her.

"Ember, sit."

"I'm not a dog," muttered out Ember, but sat next to Kitty anyway. "Are you going to tell me everything?"

She really shouldn't, Kitty knew this, but this was her best friend and Kitty trusted Ember more than anything. She knew Ember wouldn't do anything to Danielle. She just hoped Danny would understand when he gets back.

"Not everything. Technically, I shouldn't be telling you anything since I don't know if Danny trusts you," stated Kitty. From the corner of her eye she saw Ember flinch at the mention of Danny's mistrust in her. 'Oh, Ember…You really do love him, don't you?'

"Then what are you going to tell me?" asked Ember in a quiet voice. It hurt knowing that Baby-Pop didn't trust her. Sure, she tried to brainwash the world, but that was only so she could achieve her dream of being a world famous rock star! Was that so wrong?

"The only things I can tell you is that Danielle is Danny's daughter and that me and Johnny get to be her aunt and uncle!" replied the biker chick. "Oh, and Danny's folks know about him being a half-ghost and they know about Danielle, so they won't hesitate to protect their granddaughter if anyone goes after her."

Even if this wasn't the whole story, it was still a lot to take in for Ember. Baby-Pop had a daughter. A daughter! How the hell did that happened?! Baby-Pop was a goody-goody. There was no way he'd be that irresponsible…unless some slut decided to take advantage of him. When she got her hands on that skank, oh, she was going to make her pay.

Then there was the fact that Kitty, and apparently Johnny, found out and Baby-Pop trusted Kitty to watch over the kid. She clenched her fists at that.

Lastly, Baby-Pop's ghost hunting parents knew his secret and he was still alive! Last she heard, Baby-Pop's ghost half was public enemy number one in his parents' eye.

As Ember processed all of this information, she never noticed that Danielle had been staring at her. In fact, Danielle's eyes hadn't left Ember since the rock diva first appeared. The ghostling was curious as to who this person was. The only thing the three-year-old knew was that Aunt Kitty liked her, so that must mean the new person wasn't scary!

After a few minutes, Ember let out a sigh before turning to Kitty with a serious look.

"Who is the mother?"

Kitty glanced away nervously. "Well…"

"Man, you'd think the Box Ghost would learn by now," said a voice, making the girls jump.

"Daddy!" exclaimed Danielle, reaching out towards the older Halfa.

Danny had returned from dealing with the Box Ghost, which obviously didn't take very long. He smiled when his daughter called out to him, but he was then surprised when he saw one Ember McLain sitting on his couch.

"Ember…what are you doing here?" questioned Danny getting on guard.

He watched as she gave him a narrowed look.

"Well I was going to head out into Amity Park, which is why tricked Box Ghost into going through the Portal first to keep you occupied," started Ember. "And then I find not only Kitty hanging out in your living room, but you also have a daughter?! What the hell, Baby-Pop?!"

Danny looked over at Kitty, a slight look of hurt and fear in his eyes.

"I didn't tell her much, Danny," said Kitty, not liking that he thought she betrayed his trust. "The only things I told her were that Danielle was your daughter and that your parents know your secret and about Danielle. I figured that if you wanted her to know everything, that you'd tell her yourself."

The young hero was about to ask why Kitty would tell Ember anything, but then he remembered something Kitty had said yesterday. Only the lowest of the low would go after a toddler. He trusted Kitty, but not Ember, and yet Kitty trusted Ember and he doubted Kitty would have Ember as a friend if the diva were willing to harm a child.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Danny gave Ember a narrowed look.

"You're lucky you're friends with Kitty."

Ember turned away with a huff, but this was more to hide how hurt she felt. Kitty was sad for her friend and hoped that she could change how Danny saw her in the future.

Taking Danielle from Kitty, Danny then sat near the girls and told Ember everything about how he found Danielle and her existence. To say that Ember was shocked was an understatement.

"Y-You're kidding me, right? Are you seriously telling me that, that whack job actually tried to CLONE you just so he could have you as a son?!"

The scowl on Danny's face deepened. "Unfortunately, yes. Vlad really is that crazy and desperate to get me."

"And he just upped and abandoned Mini-Pop, not caring what would happen to her?!"

Danny had to fight the smile that threatened to appear at the nickname Ember gave Danielle. "Unfortunately again, yes. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the fruit loop would abandon someone just to save his own skin."

"Luckily, Danny was there to find the little cutie and bring her home!" chirped Kitty with a beaming smile.

"And your parents had no problem with any of this?" asked Ember, not taking her eyes off of Danny.

"No, but you can imagine how scared I was to even bring it up them," replied Danny with a sigh, as he ran his hand through Danielle hair, to which the little one enjoyed. "I was ready to just run away and raise Danielle on my own if Mom and Dad still saw me as an "evil ghost"."

Ember had to suppress a shudder upon hearing that. If Baby-Pop had run away from home, then she'd never get to see him again. Hell, the main reason she still comes to Amity Park, aside from holding concerts, was to see HIM. They may have always fought when they crossed paths, but that was part of the fun.

"Then I guess it's a good thing your folks accepted you, huh, Baby-Pop," said Ember with a smirk.

This time a smile did appear on Danny's face. "Yeah. Looking back, I should have had more trust in them."

The three ghostly teens continued to talk, moving on to lighter subjects. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and it was soon time for Kitty and Ember to leave.

"Oh, wish we didn't have to leave already," said Kitty with a slight whine as they stood in front of the Ghost Portal.

"Yeah, well I'd rather not be here when Baby-Pop's friends get here. They'll probably think we're up to something," replied Ember with a huff. 'That and I really don't want to be here when the Goth shows up. Stupid nosy bitch.'

"Can you blame them, Ember?" questioned Danny in a deadpan tone, making Ember to flinch. He then turned to Kitty with a smile. "Anyway, thanks again for coming by, Kitty. The more people Danielle can get used to the better."

The biker chick let out some giggles. "It was no problem, Danny."

Ember watched the scene of Kitty and Baby-Pop being friendly; a stabbing pain in her undead heart. Did Baby-Pop really hate her that much? With an angry huff, she turned towards the Ghost Portal, wanting to leave.

"Come on, Kitty! Let's get out of here before Johnny does something stupid like flirt with some bimbo!" said Ember, knowing that bringing up Johnny's womanizing would get Kitty moving.

"He better not be if he knows what's good for him," replied the green-haired ghost with a growl. She then flashed Danny a smile. "So same time tomorrow, Danny?"

"Same time tomorrow, Kitty," replied Danny with a chuckle.

Kitty giggled once more before leaning down to look at Danielle. "Now you be good for your daddy, okay, Danielle? And I know your Aunt Jazz isn't as fun as me, but don't give her too much of a hard time, okay?"

"…'Kay," replied Danielle with a smile. She wasn't exactly sure what Aunt Kitty was talking about with that last part though.

With that, the two female ghosts turned to leave, but were halted by the sound of whimpering.

"Danielle, what's wrong?" asked Danny as he looked down at his daughter who was currently trying to reach out towards the girls, more specifically Ember.

"What's up, Mini-Pop? I don't have anything for you," said Ember, confused as to what the ghostling was doing.

"Aw, I think she likes you, Ember!" exclaimed Kitty, her eyes sparkling as she took in the cuteness.

"Why? I didn't do anything with her!"

"That doesn't change the fact that she apparently likes," said Danny with a frown. "Which is strange considering she wasn't even like this towards Jazz, Sam, and Tucker."

"Maybe she just likes ghosts?" questioned Kitty.

"That can't be it. She loves her grandparents and they're human," replied Danny as he tried to keep Danielle in his arms.

"Well whatever the reason is, make her stop, Baby-Pop!" said Ember with frown. She then muttered out. "Not like I'm even welcomed here anyway."

Danny could feel his eye twitch in annoyance. What was with this girl? First she turns up unannounced, then she demands to know about Danielle, and now she's acting like she's been insulted. He glanced over towards Kitty, who was giving him a look that said "make this right", then down towards Danielle who was still reaching towards Ember. He let out a sigh of frustration before looking at the scowling diva.

"…Look, Ember, I've got this entire week off so I can watch over Danielle. I guess, if you want, you can come over with Kitty to spend time with Danielle so she can get used to other people."

Upon hearing this, Ember stared at Danny in shock while Kitty gave off a beaming smile.

"Are you serious, Baby-Pop?"

"For whatever reason, Danielle likes you. I don't fully trust you, but I can trust you enough not to do anything to her."

The fiery diva could feel something stir in her core. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Maybe she could prove to Baby-Pop that she could be trusted beyond watching over the Mini-Pop. Looking at the ghostling, who looked ready to cry, Ember gave her a reassuring smile.

"Cheer up, Mini-Pop. I'll be back tomorrow with your Aunt Kitty, so be a big girl and don't cry, got it," said the blue-haired girl. Seeing the little one give a nod, she grinned. "Good."

Now that Danielle had been calmed, Ember and Kitty went through the portal. As the two girls were making their way back to their realms, Kitty turned to Ember with a sly grin.

"You must be happy with the way things turned out."

"What the hell are you talking about, Kitty?"

"Oh nothing. Just remember, if you play your cards right, you might become something a little more than just a friend to Danny~"

Ember blushed brightly as she stared at her best friend in shock and fear. "H-How…?"

"Ember, it's kind of obvious that you love Danny. You should really just admit it and be happy. So use this opportunity to show Danny that you're different from how he sees you," explained Kitty before floating off towards her realm.

The ghostly rocker could only stare at the spot her friend was just at before turning towards her own realm. She had a lot to think about before tomorrow.

CHAPTER END

-:-

This chapter was supposed to be up a LOT sooner, but as I mentioned in one of my more recent IzuJirou fics I got really sick and had to put everything I was working on, on hold. This chapter was one of those things.

Anyway, if you've read my other Danny Phantom fics, you probably knew what the main pairing for this fic was going to be. As you can see, Ember is already in love with our hero. Canon-wise, we know that she is in love with Danny; we just don't know WHEN she fell in love with him. For all we know she did fall in love with him during the series. Of course, things won't be easy for her since Danny doesn't completely trust her, but is giving her a chance for Danielle's sake.

Next up will be Ember spending time with the Phantom father/daughter duo, with a few surprises thrown in.