10. The Halfa's Tale – Epilogue

Long after she went inside, he stood on her front steps, trying to lock every moment of the evening into his memory. He could still taste her on his lips and feel her cradled against his chest as they flew, aimless, just enjoying the night and each other. Talking and laughing together, their friendship still the foundation of their new relationship.

Their relationship. They actually had a relationship.

This was so much better than a statue, or TV cameras, or addressing the U.N. It was better than having to play the hero or the normal kid. With her, he could just be who he was. All of him, ghost and human.

How long ago was it when he'd sat on these same steps trying to figure out what to do next? Three weeks? It was a completely different lifetime. No powers, Sam angry with him, his parents not knowing who he was, or who he had been.

Now his powers were back, he and Sam were together—actually together!—and his parents knew everything, which meant no more pretending to them anymore, either. A whole lot of other people knew, and maybe word would get out and everyone would know. Or maybe it wouldn't. But it didn't really matter to him. He was himself again. Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom, the "halfa." He felt whole once more.

The front door opened, allowing a sliver of light out onto the porch, and he jumped as a voice called out from inside. "What are you still doing out here, young man?"

He relaxed when he saw it wasn't Sam's mom or dad, but her grandmother on her motorized scooter. Unlike Sam's parents, who disliked him for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which was his family's involvement with ghosts, her grandmother had always been fairly friendly towards him. He waved his hand as he turned to head down the steps. "Sorry, Mrs. Manson. I was just leaving."

"Hold on. I wanna talk to you a minute."

He froze. Had she seen him kissing Sam goodnight? Even if she didn't hate him, that didn't mean she'd approve of them dating. She was a little more religious than Sam's parents, for one thing, and for all he knew, she might object to Sam seeing someone who wasn't Jewish. Swallowing, he turned back, standing one step down from the top. "Uh, sure."

She leaned on the handles of her scooter. "You like Sammy quite a bit, don't you?"

"Uh…" How the heck was he supposed to answer that? "I, uh… yeah. I guess I do. I mean… she's my best friend and everything…"

The arch in her eyebrow told Danny that she knew there was much more to it than that. Her smile was warm, however. "I'm glad. You're good for her, you know that?"

He blinked. "I am?"

"Yes, you are. And your family is, too. I'm so glad she went with you to the South Pole to help that Danny Phantom boy."

Danny thought of the statues she'd commissioned. Nearly two hundred, one in each capital in the world. He felt a sudden urge to thank her, but he didn't think he was supposed to know about that. But there were other reasons to be grateful. "Thank you for talking her parents into letting her go. I… I mean, Danny Phantom really needed her help."

She waved an impatient hand. "If I were younger, I would've gone myself. But Sammy needed to go. It's important to her, saving the world."

Danny smiled, thinking of Sam and her causes. "She doesn't need Danny Phantom for that. She's always been saving the world."

"True." Sam's grandma snorted and put her scooter into reverse. "Well, that's all I wanted to say. You just keep coming back and seeing Sammy, and don't let my uptight son and daughter-in-law scare you off, you hear?"

It was hard not to laugh. "Yes, ma'am."

"I mean it. As far as I'm concerned, you're mishpocheh."

He frowned. "Mish-whatta?"

"Mishpocheh. Family. Now go home. It's late." And then she backed into the house and closed the door.

Danny descended the steps, turning towards home when he hit the sidewalk. At the alley between Sam's house and her neighbor's, however, he ducked in and went ghost, then flew up into the night sky. The late summer night air was warm, with just enough cool edge to remind him that it was almost fall. He was heading more or less in the direction of his house, but wasn't in any particular hurry to get there. He wanted to enjoy the night, enjoy how it felt to fly again, to be himself once more. How it felt to be officially together with the coolest girl on the planet.

Her grandmother had told him to go home, but the truth was, there was no need. He was already home.