Epilogue

"I said I wouldn't kill them. Hurting them was my little concession to Impurity."

"You maimed Kovich. Probably for life, Danny!"

"Ramirez would never leave him behind. But Kovich would leave the other two behind without a second thought. It was a countermeasure. He won't be escaping after getting kneecapped."

"What are you, the mafia?!"

"Well, actually, I think there was some Italian blood on my mother's side–"

"Danny," Sam scolds.

"Okay, really, I was hoping Ramirez would get the bullet, but it's better that Kovich got it."

"And why was that?" she asks, her eyes narrowed, "Was it something that happened while you had me walled out?"

His jaw clenches, green and red swirling briefly in his eyes, "Yeah."

"I'll let you watch. Do you think she'll call out for you?"

"…Danny?" she asks cautiously, placing her palm on his cheek, "…are you okay? Your eyes…"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he closes his red eyes, and they return to blue.

"So…am I going to have to watch out for Impurity taking control from now on?"

"I don't think so," he shrugs, "There was always a little bit of a rift, but I really stretched it after the future incident. I was scared that he was…" he swallows, "but I think we're pretty okay now. I know he's there, and I accept that. He's part of me. I think the better question is…" he swivels his gaze on her, "Are you okay with that?"

"I kissed him, didn't I?" she smirks.

He laughs, "Yeah, I suppose you did."

They make their way down the steps into the garden, towards the marble pavilion. Pandora has provided a shower, and Danny's spent some time patching up the worst injuries, but the blood blossoms had left him weaker than usual, so some bruising still marred their skin, along with a few new scars.

She'd also provided new clothes – though not a modern style. Sam wears a Grecian, long violet chiton, with a black himation, and black sandals. Danny wears something more of a Medieval European descent. A mid-thigh length black tunic, with dark grey trousers and black boots. A white cloak is secured by a silver medallion with an emerald at his shoulder.

"So…what was it that you went chasing after on the ship?" she presses, a knowing smile on her face, "I thought I heard something…but I was a little preoccupied, so I may have misheard…"

He swears, "Well, that ruins everything. I had it all planned out, the romantic sunset over the ocean, just the two of us in a remote corner of the deck while everyone was eating…" he swears quietly once again, "Well, that was another reason to put a bullet into Kovich's knee."

"So, Danny, are you just going to talk about it, or are you going to take advantage of Pandora's gorgeous garden pavilion?"

He fingers the ring in his pocket with one hand and rubs at the back of his neck with the other. He swallows thickly, and takes a deep breath before beginning to laugh, a large grin splitting his face.

He drops to one knee, pulling the ring from his pocket.

"I know I am probably not the most attractive man on earth at the moment," he begins, "I probably look like death warmed over, even after the shower and change of clothes provided by Pandora, but…" he swallows, "Samantha Faith Manson…will you marry me?"

She slips her finger into the offered ring, "Of course!" she flings her arms around his neck, slamming her lips to his. He laughs, lifting the two of them into the air with a swirl of fabric.

"So…do you like it?" he asks quietly, his forehead against hers. She lifts her hand, admiring the new ring.

"It's perfect. How did you find something this me?" she asks.

"I had it made, just for you," he chuckles, "I now know more about women's jewelry than any straight man should."

"It's perfect," she kisses him again.

Something flashes in their peripheral vision, "Wow, so I missed the big event? What gives, man?!"

"Sorry, Tuck. I didn't think you'd get here this fast," Danny apologizes, turning to where the technogeek waits, a camera in his hand, "And I wasn't planning–"

"I pushed him into it," Sam smiles.

"Well, look at you," Tucker smirks, "You need to stop listening to her, Danny. Every time you do, something dies. First you end up half-dead, and now your bachelorhood is officially on its deathbed. Way to go!"

"Paulina's going to be crushed when she sees her ghostly beau with a wedding ring," Sam worries mockingly.

"Yeah," he laughs, "try not to look too triumphant, or you'll blow his cover. So, Danny, did you talk to her parents?"

Danny's smile falls from his face, "I…didn't exactly have time…" he winces.

"Dude–"

"I wouldn't want him too anyway!" Sam scowls, "They'd just freak out. Mom would, anyway. I'm not their property, they have no right to tell me who I can and can't marry."

"Sam," Tucker dismisses, "Everyone says 'permission,' but they really mean 'blessing.' Don't get your dander up. It's a formality, that's all. So…how are you going to break it to them?"

"Carefully," Danny squeaks, pale as snow, "very carefully."

-BREAK-

Small feet skip up the steps to Fentonworks, followed by smaller paws. Black hair, pulled into a ponytail, swishes in the cool spring air. Her breath puffs over a red scarf, and she pulls her beanie tighter to her head before ringing the doorbell.

"Be good, Cujo," she strokes her companion's green head, "Don't jump."

"Hello?" A woman opens the door, her short, orange hair a halo in the light of the house.

"Hey, I'm here to see Danny. Is he around?" she asks.

"Yeah. Come inside," she smiles warmly, "It's cold out there."

"Can my dog come?" she asks, "I promise he'll behave."

"Of cour–" she blinks rapidly, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, I know he's a ghost. He's a good boy though, I promise," she smiles sheepishly.

"Y-yeah. Come on. Danny's in the kitchen," Maddie Fenton holds the door open wider, and lets the little girl in.

"Danny!" she jogs to the kitchen, Cujo on her heels, "I've come–woah, what happened to you?!"

Danny is slumped on the table, his shadowed eyes more pronounced than usual, and bruises staining his skin. His cheek is red, and his skin is pale. Sam sits beside him, while Tucker and Valerie sit across.

"My parents just tried to kill him," Sam answers simply.

"Your mom tried to kill me," Danny groans, "On the bright side, Grandma Manson seemed enthusiastic."

"My dad didn't attack you," she adds.

"No," he agrees, "He only threatened bodily harm. I think that's supposed to be normal, though. Wait…Danielle?!"

"Uh, yeah," she snorts, "Do you have another female clone laying around?"

"Danielle!" he laughs, leaping from his seat. They hug, and Danny stoops to pet Cujo, "He's been good, right?"

"Never leaves my side," she smiles.

"You've gotten taller," he smiles, "You're how old now?"

"How long have I been around, or how much am I including the aging process I was put through?"

"Both," he smirks.

"Let's see…" she begins to count on her fingers, "I'm not quite two…so…almost fourteen."

"Will you be sticking around?"

"No–" she begins.

"Oh, yes, you will," he corrects, "Danielle, you can't go traipsing around the world forever."

"Danny…who is she?" Maddie asks.

"Oh, allow me to introduce you to my parents," he laughs, "Mom, Dad, this is Danielle. She's the result of one of Vlad's attempts to clone me."

"A…clone?" Maddie asks.

"Yeah," she replies shyly, "I was created by Vlad Masters. I thought he wanted to catch Danny so he could stabilize me…but he was just using me. Once Danny showed me that, I helped him escape and beat up Vlad."

"I used the Ecto-Dejecto to stabilize her," Danny pats her head, "Vlad was trying to melt her down into a puddle of ectoplasm."

"Ectoplasm?" she whispers, "So…she's…?"

"Yeah, I'm a halfa, like Danny."

"There's only three halfas – unless Vlad bit it in space, then there's just two – and we're both in this room."

"But…" she frowns, "When did Vlad clone you? We didn't have any contact with him when you were little, and she's at least twelve…"

"I've existed for two years," Danielle explains, "But I'm physically almost fourteen. Vlad used an aging process on his clones to make them Danny's age, but it made us all unstable. He stopped my aging at a younger age in an attempt to make me a more stable clone. I did last longer, but I'd be long-gone if you and Mr. Fenton hadn't developed the ecto-dejecto."

"That was all Jack," Maddie corrects dully.

"What about fudge?!" he asks from around the corner.

"Have some," she pulls a square from somewhere on her jumpsuit and gives it to her husband. He vanishes back around the corner.

"So…why are Sam's parents trying to kill you?" Danielle asks, turning her sapphire gaze on her older clone.

"We're not finished discussing this," he frowns, "You're staying in Amity Park."

"Just answer my question," she glares back.

Sam lifts her left hand, "We're engaged."

"Really?!" Danielle squeals, leaping across the table to wrap her arms around Sam's neck, "I'm so happy for you! When's the wedding?!"

They couple grimaces, "Sam's parents insisted that we wait a year," Danny sighs, "To see if 'the rose-tinted-glasses of high-school wear off'."

"Well…" Danielle clears her throat, "It could be worse. You could have to elope to Vegas."

"True," Sam nods, "It's probably for the best, but I'm still going to be counting down the days…all three-hundred-sixty-five of them."

"Same here," Danny groans.

"So…when are you guys getting married?" she leers at Valerie and Tuck, across the table. The cough, choking on their drinks.

"We're not–"

"We have a lot of things to do first–"

"We'll have to see what happens, you know?"

"We're not sure we want to–"

"Of course I love–"

"But we're not ready for that commitment."

Danielle smirks, "Okay, fine…I just better be one of your bridesmaids, Val."

"Yeah, you have my word on that, kiddo," Valerie smiles.

"So, Tuck," Danny leans back, "We're going to need some documents…"

"Yeah, we will," Tucker mirrors him, looking at Danielle, "But you know…I just acquired a hacker who can work with me. He used to work with pirates, but he has serious skills. Took me three hours to get even a toe into his network. I think he might be up to the task."

"I hope so," Danny smirks, "because a certain ghost-girl needs to attend high-school."

"I am not staying! I'm definitely not going to school!" Danielle shouts.

"This isn't up for debate, Danielle," Danny frowns, "I'm going to be off to college, and I can't be around to protect Amity. You, on the other hand, can be. You wouldn't leave me hanging, would you?"

"That's low," she growls.

"But you're going to need a cover identity," he continues, "So what better than the cousin of Danny Fenton? We'll need a story to explain why you're staying with my parents…"

"And official adoption papers," Tucker adds, "I'm thinking 'parents died in an accident, Fentons only living relatives.'"

"Yeah, that works," Danny grins.

"Danny, you can't just decide that your parents are going to adopt me!" Danielle shouts, hugging Cujo to her chest.

"I always wanted another little girl," Maddie smiles, wrapping her arms around Danielle's shoulders.

"See? Not a problem," Danny grins.

"Well…" Maddie steps back, "We'll have to make sure she's ready for high school…if you're forging papers, make her a year younger than she is physically…so make her 'almost thirteen.'"

"No!" Danielle gasps, "I don't want to be younger!"

"You'll enjoy it later," Maddie assures, "I'll need to home-school you for a year to make sure you've learned everything you needed to before high school. Sound doable, Mayor Tuck?"

"Yeah," he grins, "Congrats, Danielle. You've got one heck of a teacher."

She glares up at Danny, "You can't make me. I can just fly away."

"I can find you," he replies evenly.

"And I will help," Valerie adds.

"And besides," he smirks, "Are you saying you can't do it? You've pummeled Vlad Masters, have complete control over your powers, and you're too scared of high-school? Too afraid of staying in Amity Park?"

"No," she defends, "It's just a waste of my time!"

"You've had your fun, Danielle. Now it's time to work," he admonishes, "It'll be good for you. You'll find friends, friends like Sam and Tucker or Val. You'll eventually meet a couple of friends you trust with your secret, and their support will mean more than you realize right now. Give it a try. Mom will make sure you can at least pretend you went to a normal middle school, and in a year, you'll start your freshman year of high school. It'll be hard, I'm not going to lie, because you'll be pulling double shifts of homework and ghost hunting. But my parents will be around to help you with the hunting, and the townsfolk are pretty used to ghosts, so there'll be less panic. I'll make sure that Lancer knows about you, and he'll make sure that the other teachers let you leave class when you have to."

"But, Danny…"

"Danielle," he pulls her close, "You don't have to be afraid. Would I ever betray you? Would Val?"

"No…" she whispers.

"We won't let anything happen to you. We're doing this because it's what's best for you. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," she sniffs, "Yeah, fine."

"I'll need you to watch Amity Park for me. I'm trusting you with this. It's important to me."

"I know," she nods against his shirt, "But you're not leaving yet, are you?"

"No," he laughs, "I won't be leaving until the end of July."

"Okay," she pouts, "you better visit a lot."

"I will," he promises, "We can put you in Jazz's old room. Right?"

"Of course," Maddie smiles, "Come on. It's late. We'll work out more of the details in the morning."

-BREAK-

Maddie closes the door to Jazz's – now Danielle's – room softly. The little girl had slipped into some of Danny's old clothes from when he was her age and promptly fallen asleep, her ghostly canine curled in the crook of her legs.

She knocks on Danny's door, getting an acknowledging grunt in return. He reclines on his bed, his textbooks strewn around him, "Yeah, Mom?"

"She's important to you," she smiles.

"We say cousin, but she's more like a little sister to me," he smiles, "here, let me show you," he leaps to his feet, striding to his desk. He opens a drawer, withdrawing an impressive stack of letters and postcards from all around the world, "We kept in touch – kind of – while she was traveling. I let her go, but…" he sighs, "She needs a home, Mom," his voice is soft, barely audible, "I could never stop worrying about her, and having roots somewhere will keep her safe. Not having something to keep you grounded…" he shuffles through the stack.

"Safe from what, Danny?" Maddie inquires softly.

"Her obsession," he answers softly, "to be honest, I'm not sure if she has one. Her ghost half wasn't created like others. Regardless of whether she does or not, she needs something solid in her life to stand on. No one can make it through life without being blindsided. There will come a time when she'll need something to hold on to. It could be tomorrow, it could be more than ten years from now. Either way…" he looks out his window, "she's needs something to steady her."

"She has you," she comforts, "at least."

"I may not always be a permanent fixture," he whispers.

"It isn't easy to love a hero," she whispers, earning a smirk.

"No, it isn't," he agrees.

A/N: Two updates in a single day! Yayz! You love me, and you know it. :D Not sure if I'm uploading Crown of Fire tomorrow or on Friday, but it'll be one of those. The first chapter is more than 5000 words, so look forward to it!

We have a throwback to the epilogue of Journey of Secrets at the end here.

So, we now have Danielle! Rejoice, fans! She'll be showing up a bit in Crown of Fire, and Jazz will play a bigger role too!

There wasn't as much Tuck X Val in this chapter as I thought there might be. I'm thinking that I'll call them Geeky Gray. Or, as (almost) suggested by QueenOfShadows: Cyber Hunter.

I've noticed how much love we have for Impurity. I'm thinking he'll definitely have to show up more. (More than Danny thinks he will.) Definitely a recurring character. I really had fun writing him, if you couldn't tell.

A big THANK YOU to all who've read Journey of Secrets (the prequel to this), and now Adrift! Be sure to check back soon for "Crown of Fire"! Either follow me or just check back soon. As I said: I'm not sure if it'll be uploaded tomorrow or Friday, but it'll definitely be up by Saturday.

Also, if you're looking for another DP fic to fill your time, remember my story, "The Funeral Singer". I don't update it as often, and it isn't my best writing, in my opinion, but I'm sure you'll find SOMETHING you like in it!