Chapter 12: The Places Life Takes You

- Fenton Works Next Day -

Danny growled angrily at the phone. That had been Sam, she was on her way over and she wasn't happy. Tucker was sitting at the kitchen table staring at Ember's new human form. She was glaring at him for staring and then starting glaring at Danny for not doing anything about him staring. Apparently both Tucker and Sam remembered everything. Tucker thought it was cool that he actually fought Danny one on one and almost won, he had been rambling none stop until Ember walked in.

"Tucker close your mouth or it'll start to get dusty." Danny stated bluntly. Tucker's jaw snapped shut with an audible click. Danny sighed. This was not going to be a good day.

"Sorry man, I can't help it I mean," He looked Ember over again, "wow!"

She scowled and glared at him even harder. Tucker gulped and suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting. Ember smirked and glanced at Danny who just sighed again.

"Whats wrong baby-pop?" She questioned a little smugly.

Danny glared up at the ceiling his eyes flashing fiery green for a moment. "Sam," He said causing Ember to raise an eyebrow, "she isn't going to be easy to talk to right now..."

"Come on man," Tucker said happily, "it's Sam I mean how bad can it be..."

Danny glanced at him and Tucker's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, your right it's gonna be bad..."

There was a furious banging on the door. Tucker flinched muttering about how mad Sam must be. Danny shivered and got up to get the door. He opened it slowly and as soon as he did a very, very angry Sam Manson stormed into his house.

"Were is she?!" Sam yelled right in Danny's face. Oh god it was worse then he thought...

"Sam calm down..." He started.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! Your ghost girlfriend beat me up and you didn't do anything to try and stop her!!"

"You were possessed by a demon, we didn't have a..."

"Were. Is. She." Sam hissed.

Danny swallowed. This defiantly wasn't going to be a good day.

"Not until you promise me you aren't going to start a fight..."

"I am not going to start a fight!" She screamed.

Danny flinched. "Sam you need to keep..." He stopped when he saw Sam's eyes widen in shock at something behind him. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and felt Ember's body press against his back.

"She seems pretty pissed doesn't she baby-pop?" Ember whispered in his ear. That sent a shiver of a completely different kind through him.

Sam shook her head as she recovered from whatever mental shock had just hit her. "Who the hell are you?" She snarled.

Ember laughed. "What, you don't recognize me? Then maybe this will help." Danny glanced over his shoulder just in time to see a purple ring appear around Ember's waist and split in two. One ring moved up, the other down and the next second Ember's familiar fiery haired ghost form stood before them. Sam stared. Even Danny stared for a second, she hadn't bothered trying to transform back yet or at least not in front of him.

"Ember? But... But how did..." Sam was obviously a little more then simply stunned.

Ember just started laughing. "Oh the look on your face. I should of brought a camera!"

Danny grimaced. Was Ember trying to provoke a fight?! Sam's face turned stormy instantly. Oh god...

"You little rock hussy I ought to..." Ember phased and appeared right in front of Sam.

"You oughta what?" Sam just stared, "Come on, oughta what? What are you going to do? Glare me to death? Let me tell you something you little goth drama queen I have seen a few very scary things lately including a demonic vampire, an insane angel, and a dragon that was capable of wiping out entire planets so don't think for a second you can scare me!"

If anything Sam glared even harder and Ember glared right back. Danny gulped, secretly hoping Draconum was watching and would decide this was the right time to throw out a miracle...

Tucker walked in waving his arms. "Ladies, ladies calm down! We can talk about this in a nice civil manner can't we. We just need to sit down and talk this out like rational people." Sam seemed to relax... a little and Ember followed suit.

'I don't know who did that or if you can hear me up there,' Danny thought with a mental smile as he glanced up at the ceiling, 'but thank you!'

"Sure as long as goth girl doesn't blow another gasket." Ember muttered mockingly.

"Ember..." Danny said in a warning tone. She smiled at him mischievously.

Sam growled, but made no other reply. Danny nodded and led the two girls and Tucker to the living room. There weren't nearly as many sharp objects in there.

He practically threw himself into an arm chair. His eyes widen a little when Ember decided to settle across his lap instead of finding her own seat. Sam glared daggers at them and Ember smirked back at her triumphantly. Danny sighed for the hundredth time that week. He would never understand women.

He glanced at Tucker who was staring at them, but he had a small grin on his face. He saw Danny looking at him and gave discrete a thumbs up. Danny grinned back and unceremoniously wrapped an arm around Ember's waist. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled warmly.

Sam snarled. "As cute as this is what exactly am I doing here?"

Danny sighed. "Sam, Tucker you both remember the fight right?"

"Yep." Tucker chimed happily.

"Yes..." Sam growled.

Danny took a deep breath. "That needs to be explained, but I need to know what you remember in order to actually explain it."

Tucker shrugged. "I fell asleep in my bed and woke up in a forest unable to control what I was doing. It was like watching a movie or something. I could see it all happening, but I couldn't do anything about any of it."

Sam nodded agreement.

"Ok, do you remember Vlad being there?"

"Oh yeah." Sam muttered. "It's hard to forget his ugly face."

To everyones surprise Ember snickered at the joke.

"Well... what about the big lizard looking guy?"

Tucker and Sam looked at each other, then Tucker started to rub his stomach and Sam placed a hand around her throat carefully.

"Yeah..." They said quietly at the same time.

"The lizard was named Draconum, he was a super powerful ancient being that at one time nearly wiped out all creation, but Ember and I managed to stop him. It's a really long story. Anyways Vlad was possessed by his own demonic ancestor, Vlad Dracula..."

Tucker's jaw dropped, "You mean as in Count Dracula? Vlad "the impaler" Dracula?"

Danny nodded. "That was my reaction to. Yeah, Vlad Dracula was one of Draconum's old enemies. An angel named Hadriel was using Vlad as a kind of bait to draw Draconum out and weaken him so that Hadriel could just swoop in and finish Draconum off before he recovered. Vlad knew that Draconum would bring Ember and me along so he went and got two helpers himself. He got you two. Some how he possessed you and used you to keep us busy so he could fight Drac one on one."

They were both staring at him wide eyed. He couldn't really blame them, if they didn't have the memories it would sound a lot like a made up story.

"Wait wait wait!" Tucker nearly yelled. "What were you doing walking around with a monster that tried to destroy the world?!"

"It was... complicated. Like i said it's a long story and not what we are here to deal with right now."

Sam glared. "So you are saying you didn't have any choice, but to fight us? That sounds like a load of bull Danny Fenton..."

"We didn't have any choice." Ember said firmly. "He didn't want to fight either of you at all. Draconum was the one that asked us to keep you busy until he dealt with Vlad."

Tucker blinked. "What do you mean dealt with?"

Danny looked right at Tucker. "Drac killed him." He said flatly. Sam gasped and seemed to pull back into her chair.

"He... he killed Vlad? Bu... but Vlad was a millionaire! What will happen when they find the body or..."

"There isn't a body. In fact there isn't even ashes." Danny was being cold and he knew it. The thing was that he didn't care. It was the part of Draconum in him.

"So now there is a killer super monster walking around in the world?" Tucker asked nervously.

Danny looked down at the floor sadly. He felt Ember put a hand on his arm gently.

"Danny?" Sam asked worriedly. "Danny are you all right?"

"Draconum died," He said sadly, "protecting us from the fallen angel Hadriel."

He glanced up and saw the surprised look on Tucker and Sam's faces.

"He died? To save you two?" Tucker asked quietly. Danny had known they would ask this stuff and he thought he could deal with it, but it hurt more then he expected. He missed Drac and he probably always would. They were brothers after all.

"Yes. He died protecting us, in fact if we hadn't been there he might still be alive." Danny said regretfully.

"What about the angel?" Sam asked.

Ember responded. "Dracy cursed him to eternal darkness just before he died. Then two other angels came and sealed him away forever."

Tucker was speechless and that was saying something, it took a lot to knock Tuck for a loop that bad. The poor guy's jaw looked like it was about to fall off. Sam was staring wide eyed at them, but still had one last question.

"So what happened to you two then? I mean Ember has a real body..." Sam asked.

"I had a real body to begin with!" Ember growled, but Sam completely ignored her.

"So how did that happen?"

Danny shrugged. "Draconum gave us each a parting gift. He made Ember half human so now she is just like me."

Tucker finally regained his composer. "What did he give you then?"

Danny looked right at him again and let his eyes spark with green fire for a second causing both his old friends to gasp. "He gave me his power. All of it. The only draw back is that a very small part of his personality came with it."

Tucker blinked. "You can destroy planets now?"

Danny stared at him for a second and then started laughing. "Maybe some day, but Drac could do that because he had thousands of years of experience. He was ancient and I am sure that I will never live to have that kind of control."

Tucker sighed in relief. "Don't get me wrong, but thats good to hear."

Danny just chuckled. "Don't worry about. I know how you feel."

He glanced at Sam and stopped laughing instantly. She was glaring at him suspiciously.

"Sam? Something wrong?" Danny asked her.

"Yeah." She breathed. "How can we be sure you are really you?"

"What?!" Ember asked outraged. "Look at him! It's Danny! You must not of known him very well if you can't even..."

"I meant how can we be sure he isn't this Draconum creature?"

"Because..." Ember stopped. They both knew he wasn't Draconum, but there was no real way to explain it to Sam and Tucker.

Danny sighed again. "You are just gonna have to trust me I guess."

Sam stood up and they all looked at her in surprise. "That isn't good enough. At least it isn't for me."

"Then what do you want me to do? I can tell you anything that happened when we were in school or..."

"You aren't you any more, Danny." Sam stated flatly.

"What..." He breathed, staring in shock at her.

"You talk different. You act different. You even look a little different. You just aren't the person I thought I knew any more."

"Sam..." He said trying to get her to listen.

"No!" She said simply and turned towards the door. "You are not the Danny Fenton I knew."

"Sam! You have to listen to me hear..." He said standing up.

She spun around glaring at him. "Why should I? You can't prove anything to me, you said that yourself and I can't bring myself to trust just your word any more. I was possessed by a demon, Danny! A demon! I felt it crawling around in my head! How can I be sure that isn't what I am talking to right now. The Danny I know would never had allied himself with a monster! The Danny I know would never have attacked me and Tucker!" She was screaming by the end.

Ember was on her feet. "How dare you! You little..." Danny raised a hand and she fell silent. His eyes were glowing green, but his face was sad.

"You're right Sam. I am not the boy you knew. I have changed, but in my opinion it's for the better. If you can't except me how I am, then I suppose it's time we go our separate ways..."

"We went our separate ways a long time ago, Danny. As far as I am concerned it ended when you started living with her." Sam pointed accusingly at Ember who went ridged with anger.

Danny stood up slowly. He turned away from Sam. "Then I will say goodbye here and now, Sam. I am sorry, if that is worth anything. I really am. In the end though I wouldn't really change anything that has happened."

Sam stared at him a moment then turned and headed for the front door. "Come on Tuck..."

Tucker coughed at squirmed uncomfortably. "Actually I think I am going to stay here and..."

Sam didn't stop walking. "Goodbye Tucker." She said without looking back. "Goodbye Danny."

Danny just closed his eyes sadly as the door slammed shut marking Sam's exit from his life. He glanced over at Tucker who smiled weakly at him. Danny smiled back sadly. They both knew that they wouldn't be seeing Sam Manson again...

- Present -

Danny closed his old journal with a sigh. He always enjoyed reading that part of his life. He missed Draconum and even though he hardly knew them he missed Senria and Errsinor too. He set the book back on its shelf.

"Honey?" He heard his wife call to him. "Guess who came for a visit!"

He turned around and saw two little girls running towards him. He smiled and bent down to their level as they ran head long into his arms.

"Grandpa!" One of the giggled happily. He lifted them up off the ground and they laughed playfully. He saw a tall blond women in her late twenties walk through the door and smile warmly at him. She was followed by a rather large fellow with a warm, caring face.

"Hey dad!" She said with a wave as she walked up to him and gave him a hug.

"Ok! Ok! Enough!" He said laughing setting his grandchildren back onto the floor. "I can only take so many hugs at a time."

"Yeah!" The man said happily. "Your grandpa's getting too old for this stuff!"

Danny laughed at his son-in-law and looked down at the kids. "How about me and your dad arm wrestle so we can see who is old here."

Their father held up his arms in defense. "I said you were getting old not weak." He laughed. "You could still chuck me across the room."

Danny smirked at him. "Yes, that was a very fun prom night for you two wasn't it?"

His daughter laughed. "It was certainly one to remember!"

His wife walked in the room and smiled at the scene.

"Alright, alright. I need a word with your mother alone for a moment." He smiled at them.

The kids begged for him to come and play with them and it was only after he promised he would later that they relented. His son-in-law herded them out of the room with a laughed apology. His daughter gave him a quick kiss and darted after her husband to help control the two little terrors. Danny laughed as they exited.

"Sometimes I still can't believe it..." Danny said quietly. He felt his wife's arm warp around his neck and looked over his shoulder at her. By human terms they were old, into their sixties, but apparently being only half human slowed aging down a lot. They both still looked like they were in there early thirties.

"You're such a dip-stick." She said with a heartfelt smile.

"And I always will be too." He smiled back. "At least to you I hope."

"Always." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Come on they are waiting for you and last time you kept them waiting too long they destroyed the dinner room."

"Ah yes the Thanksgiving fight..." He smiled at the memory. They had to repaint the walls after that little food fight.

Ember laughed at him pushing him towards their family. "Get going already!"

They walked through the door and were greeted by the happy screams of their grandchildren, the laughter of their daughter and son-in-law. Their family.

'The places life will take you. A friend, a hero, a villain, a savior, a father.' Danny smiled. 'I wonder what I get to be next...'

'Only time will tell, little brother.' Danny's eyes widen just a little at the unexpected voice. He glanced out the window at the clear blue sky. 'Only time will tell...'

- A/N -

Well that's it faithful readers. I hope you enjoyed the story. Remember to review. Until next time.

Dragoon321