Mossmask: If this seems familiar, it's because it's an old oneshot from my Glimpses collection. I've decided to use the premise to make a new series of drabbles, oneshots, and short stories. All based on this au concept. Everything up to and including D-Stabilized has happened. Phantom Planet never took place.

Chapters will not always happen in chronological order. Most of the time, they'll probably be out of order. Just the first two will help establish the universe. After that it's all been thrown in a blender and who knows what'll come out.

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Home

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A new lease on life. A fresh start. That's what she was being offered. That was the opportunity she had been given. The question was, would she take it?

She'd never really had parents. She'd never even accept the fact that she'd ever had one. She just couldn't see him that way. She'd never gone to school before -what would it be like? Would she make friends? How does someone make friends anyway? She'd never had those before either. Would she know enough, or would she look foolish in front of everybody?

For someone who'd only been alive for 2 years, she at least felt rather clever. Yes still, she was scared. She'd never had siblings either. She could hardly imagine what that might be like – she'd heard mixed reviews on the subject.

But she was being given everything she had ever wanted. A real life, with a real family, in a real house. Her own life, as her own person. And she could make her own decisions. Do what she wanted with her life, but not alone. She could have love and support, if she only said yes.

So then, why did she hesitate? Why didn't she just accept this gift? The concept scared her. It was something new. It would be completely different from what she was used to. Was she ready for such a big change in her life? She just didn't know. That's why she ran off.

The first time she ran off, the second time, and now, for a third time, she had ran off. (Or rather, flown off in the first two cases). This time however, she wasn't so hard to find. She hadn't meant to leave for good. She just needed to be alone to think.

"Dani?" She jumped, startled by the familiar voice so close. She glanced behind her and wasn't surprised by what she saw. Danny Phantom, floating leisurely a few feet off the ground, regarding her with a worried expression. "You okay there?"

She gave the slightest nod. "Mhmm. Sorry I ran off. Again."

He smiled faintly. "You are starting to make a habit of it." He admitted. "But it's alright, really. I get it, I suppose. Why you ran off."

"But do you?" She asked, suddenly. "I mean... I don't even understand."

"You were scared." He answered with a shrug.

"Was not!" Was her automatic reply. His response was to snicker at her indignant look.

"Not actually afraid of anything. I mean... inside." He poked her chest, making her rock backwards slightly. "You weren't expecting what just happened, and it took you by surprise. You didn't know how to respond, so you ran off so you wouldn't have to."

"How would you know all that?" She wondered, confused as to how he could guess so accurately how she was feeling.

His reply was a shrug. "Well, I guess I've done so much running away myself that it's easy to recognize now." He grinned.

She couldn't help but smile back. "Well, okay. But still... what do I do?"

"Say yes!" He announced happily, allowing himself to tilt backwards 'til he was nearly upside down, turning his body so he was still facing her.

"Why?"

"Well... don't you... want to?" He frowned at this point, only now realizing that she might not actually want to stay.

"I guess, but that's not what I meant. Why would they even ask? They don't know me. They don't know who I am – or what I am." she added with a dark undertone. "They don't know anything about me. Why should they just offer to give me so much, without asking anything about me? Or anything from me? People don't... do that, Danny."

He seemed troubled by her reply, and slowly floated himself back down so he was sitting beside her on the grass. "Well, maybe not everyone would. In fact, maybe you're right, and not very many people would do that. And I know you certainly haven't had much of a chance to see any of the good in people. Even a regular twelve year old wouldn't know too much about the world. The thing is, most of them are sheltered to only see the good in people, and need to learn the hard way that not everything in the world is as nice at it seems. You're the other way around. You've only gotten to see the worst of people, and you're having a hard time believing there might be good people out there too."

"But I know you're good. I trust you."

"Yeah, but, strange as it may seem, there are other people like me in the world." He looked comedically irritated as Dani giggled at him.

"Oh, Danny. I'm not sure there's anyone quite like you in the world."

He sighed, but conceded a grin at least. "Right, well. Weirdness aside, my parents are still good people." He spoke again after a moment, returning to the topic at hand. "I know you're afraid of a lot of things, but they don't need to be one of them. Well. I suppose to some degree, but so long as you're careful." He laughed, and she smiled a bit, knowing what he meant.

"And they're not asking questions because they don't need to know about you if you don't want to tell them. What they do know is that you need help. You show up on our doorstep injured and homeless – I'd be shocked if they didn't offer a place to stay. Just because a few weeks turned into a suggestion for something a bit more... permanent, you don't need to be scared. Just take things one day at a time. And I'm sure that everyone will understand if you ever need time to slip out and be alone. As for telling them about, y'know... everything between us... don't sweat it. They don't even know I'm half ghost." Dani remembered how shocked she'd been when she first learned that. After all, the only people she'd met in Danny's life had been Vlad, and a very brief appearance with his other two friends. They all seemed to know about him. To imagine that Danny's own parents didn't know... she almost found it funny.

"So, it's not likely they'll figure it out unless you tell them. Trust me, they can be pretty clueless." He continued. "Me and Jazz can both help keep it secret. If you trust her, that is. I still haven't told Jazz. She's suspicious, I can tell, but she won't go poking her nose around in your business. She's not like that."

"Well... I suppose..." Dani hesitated, wiping her blue sleeve under her nose. Her other fist was rubbing her eyes. "I guess... I guess I can try it, for a bit." Danny nodded, smiling encouragingly.

"But, do you think we could walk home?" She asked, not even noticing her own use of the word 'home' to refer to Danny's house. He nodded, getting to his feet and immediately transforming back into his slightly more human self. He stretched his arms and legs as Dani got to her feet beside him.

Then, she took his hand in her own, fighting her mounting nervousness back down, as they began the slow walk back home.