Disclaimer: I don't own either "Danny Phantom" or "Pirates of the Caribbean". Most of the characters you see are either property of Nickelodeon or Disney. Some others are my own.

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The Spirit of the Ship

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Chapter 20: Home Again

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Several hours passed since the climactic battle for the world's fate. Commodore Norrington had been kind enough to escort Jack to the island of Tortuga. Jack had hoped he'd meet up with his crew from the Black Pearl there eventually. Jack was using the staff to make sure the winds were blowing to Tortuga. Danny and Adriana had come along to say their last good-byes to eachother.

"So," Danny said to the young thief, "what are you gonna do from here?"

"Well," Adriana started to answer, "I'm going to stay in Port Royal. If I'm apart of your life in the future, it's best I stay there. I also asked Elizabeth, and she said I can work in he mansion."

"I don't mean to interupt this farewell," Jack said in the middle of their conerstion, the staff in one hand and a cane for his now bandaged leg in the other, "but I thought I'd like to say that whenever you're ready, Danny, you can send yourself back to your time period."

Danny looked back at Adriana, then reached for the staff. He withdrew his hand quickly and slapped it against his forehead.

"Oh, no!" Danny said in utter worry. "I forgot! I can't use that thing!"

"Why not?" Adriana asked.

"I remember what Skulker said back at the cave," Danny explained. "He said the staff could only be held by the living. If you look at it closely, I'm not. I'm practically living and dead. Those two cancel eachother out to be neither."

"Donny boy's words are still ringing in your head, eh?" Jack said. He then recommended, "You know, I can use it to get you back."

"No, that's the thing," Danny said. "You don't know where to get me back. Now Jack, I'm not calling you stupid or anything, it's just that trusting you to get me back home is a little risky. You could probably send me too far ahead and I'll be in some future that's ruled by ghosts because of me being gone for so long. Or you could send me too early and I'll be before I was even in third grade and ruin this space-time continuim thing. As much as I'd..."

During Danny's rambling, Adriana grabbed the staff out of Jack's hand and shoved it into Danny. Danny was about to say something until he realized he was holding the staff and nothing was happening to him. A look of surprise, then delight came to his face, then two bright, white rings apeared around his waist as he took his ghost form.

"What do you know?" Danny said, still with the staff in hand. "I can even hold this thing in my ghost form. But what gave you-?"

"I was thinking that if you had the advantages of being dead with the sirens," Adriana explained, "you'd have the advantages of being alive with the staff."

"Apparently," Jack threw in, "with all the time you had thinking of all that you were just talking about, the thought that Adriana came up with blew over your head entirely."

Danny looked over the horizen, then to Adriana. He then said, "This is probably the part where we do this certain good-bye, but it'd feel kind of weird making out with my best friend's great, great, great grandmother or something. So, how about just a friendly good-bye hug?"

He opened his arms wide, to which Adriana quickly lunged herself into. She knew how much she'd miss Danny dearly, and wanted the hug to be a bit more than a good-bye one. Eventually, she let go.

Danny tried remembering how Gustavo worked the staff. He remember seeing him holding it like a shotgun, now he had to worry about destination. He recalled what he told Jack and just thought about his home in the present. The end of the staff started to glow green, and a few seconds later, a green shot was fired, which sent Danny a step back. The shot went several yards and stoped, turning into a portal above the ocean.

Danny looked at the portal, then gave the staff to Adriana. He readied himself to fly, but then turned to the thief next to him and said, "Oh, Adriana, you know that 'unique is good' thing you told me that one day. Pass that on to any family you might have. Someone's gonna need it."

"Who?" Adriana asked, curious to know.

"Me," Danny simply answered. With that, he readied himself to fly again, but was surprised when he felt a peck on his cheek. He turned to where it came from to find Adriana. She had just kissed him! Her tanned face now took more of a reddish tone. Danny's face had also done the same.

He looked at Adriana, then at Jack, and said, "Thanks for everything, guys." He then floated up and flew into the portal he had made. Almost as soon as he entered the portal, it vanished.

Adriana walked up to the railing, shortly after, looking into the horizon with a tear shed. She then whispered, "Nunca me olvidaré de usted, Danny Phantom."

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In the Fenton laboratory, all seemed calm until a green portal, which wasn't the ghost portal for once, opened up over the floor. A certain ghost boy then spilled out of it, landing directly on his front on the linolium beneath. He shook it off as the portal disappeared behind him. He looked around to see everything around him so hi-tech. He was in his parent's lab. Danny was finally home.

Danny changed back into his human form, not knowing what to expect when he went up the staircase. He crreked the door open to see his best friends, Sam and Tucker, as they were when he last saw them. They were staring at eachother blankly. Tucker then opened his mouth and said, "What are you looking at me for? You're the smart one, I just carry the neato gizmos."

Moments after Sam slapped her head in frustration, Danny ran at them and gave them a big group hug. Confused, Tucker asked, "Danny, what are you doing?"

"I really missed you guys," Danny said, releasing his hug.

"You were only gone for a few seconds," Sam said. "What the heck went on?" Sam then noticed the air around her and asked, "And why do you smell like salt water?"

"It was crazy," Danny said. "It's a long story. I started off in-" Danny stopped and looked at Sam and said, "Sam, did you trace your family back to Spain?"

"Uh," Sam said to the rather random question, "some parts. Why?"

"YES!" Danny shouted. He finally knew for sure he saved his best friend, and had to shout it to the heavens. Now finding himself in an awkward state, Danny quickly said, "Uh, no reason."

"Speaking of what happened to you," Tucker added in, "what happened to Skulker. He went in the machine just after you did."

Before Danny could answer, another portal opened next to the still active Fenton Time Tunnel. Skulker blew out of it afterwards, passing Danny, Tucker, and Sam like a subway train. Skulker started muttering after he got to his knees.

"Blasted Gustavo," he said, completely unaware of who was behind him, or the rest of his surroundings for that matter. "I had that ghost boy in the palm of my hand! He will rue the day he messed with Skulker!" He threw his remaining fist in the air as a threat he was sure to meet. He was flabbergasted when his Plasmius Maximus, still exposed on his wrist, was blown into pieces. "HEY!" Skulker said, finally looking behind him. He couldn't believe it. His prey was now in front of him, green smoke emiting from his finger. "YOU!"

Quickly reacting, Tucker opened the Fenton Thermos and fired it at Skulker. A light blue ray enveloped Skulker, then he got pulled into the thermos.

"YOU WILL BE MINE!" were the last they heard of Skulker. ...For now at least.

"Just one more thing to call it a day," Danny said. He turned back to the time tunnel and fired a ghost ray at the top of the opening. A huge chunk of it blew off, causing the tunnel to shut down almost immediately.

After the task was done, Danny's family (mostly his dad) came bursting out of the kitchen. Danny took quick notice of his dad wearing a big, metal nose on his face.

"It's in this very room," Jack Fenton confidently said. "I can smell it."

"Uh, you just missed it," Danny lied, and also trying not to laugh at whatever was on his father's face. "It came in here and ruined the room... and blew up part of the house... and destroyed the Fenton Time Tunnel... which, might I add, is probably your most useless invention yet, Dad."

"Well, I'll agree to the useless part," Jack said, "but the Fenton Scent Sensor doesn't lie. It blocks out every known scent except those being emitted from a ghost." Jack took a whiff of the air around him. "And this one's close. It smells just like... the ocean."

Figuring it's the second time the salty scent was brought up, Danny took a smell of his underarm. Almost gagging, Danny found out how much of a salty dog he smelt like. He quickly said, "Uh, that reminds me. I gotta go shower." Danny darted past Sam and Tucker and up the stairs. It didn't take long for Jack to figure out whatever ghost was around was almost absent.

"The trails getting cold," Jack said. "It's on the run! Come on, Maddie! It's heading up!"

Jack followed his nose, with Maddie following him, up the stairs. Maddie then told Jack, "If we catch this ghost, it'll be the treasure for the ages."

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THE END

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Well, that was good. Now that this guy is finally off my back, I can get going on other projects. It'll be a trilogy, only two of which I know will be crossovers. Thanks for the support and reviews, guys. This story wouldn't be a hit without you! PEACE!