Fifteen years later…

"Jackson Daniel Manson! Get down here! You are not going to be late for your first day of high school!" Sam shouted up the stairs.

"Okay, Mom! I'm coming!" The teen came into view at the top of the stairs, and Sam gave a smile. Jackson certainly looked like his late father. There were some differences, of course, like the violet eyes he inherited from his mother, specked with soft pinpoints of green, but he had the thick dark hair and body structure of his father.

"Where did you find that shirt?" Sam asked softly, eyeing the red and white tee.

"The attic. I found a chest with a bunch of these shirts in there. They're in great shape, too." He gave a dopey smile. "Do I look like him now?"

"He'd be proud." She twisted the ring on her left hand and sighed. "Even I have to say it's a nice change to see you out of those boots."

"Your boots."

A knock at the door distracted the two, and Jackson hurriedly bounded down to answer. "Hey, Uncle Tuck!"

"What's up, kid?" Tucker ruffled the teen's hair as he stepped in, offering a smiling nod to Sam.

"Nothing much."

"Staying out of trouble?"

"Nope."

"Well…at least you're honest." He glanced to Sam, waving his hand. "Jazz said her parents are coming up from Florida for a visit soon. Sounds good, huh?"

"Sounds perfect," she agreed.

"Is Aunt Jazz coming over later?" Jackson piped up. "She promised last time she would. I want to show her how good I'm getting."

"How good?"

"Yeah! I've been working on my blasts! I can keep them up longer now! Oh, and tell Aunt Jazz to bring Steven, too. I won't see him at school anymore."

"Steven will come, too," Tucker reassured. "You two are attached at the hip, I swear…"

"Well, you practically raised them in the same playpen," a voice mused.

"Hey, Elle," Jackson greeted, turning to watch as Danielle—'Elle' for over a decade—lazily drifted through the ceiling.

"You ready to go or what?" she challenged, hip jutted to the side as she crossed her arms. "Or do I have to race myself?"

"You'd still lose." A hazy ring fizzled at the top of his head before sparking down to his feet. With it came small changes, such as his black hair being peppered with flecks of white, his eyes being mixed with bits of yellow, and his body glowing with a small eerie aura. His clothes didn't so much as crinkle in response to the change, remaining a tee shirt and a pair of black jeans.

He grew stronger every day, but the thought of him every being as powerful as the late Danny Phantom was nothing more than a pipe dream. He was more human than he ever would be ghost.

Elle lightly punched his shoulder at the jab as Sam inquired, "Forgetting something, Jackson?" He rubbed the back of his neck, helplessly shrugging his shoulders. She pointed toward the bottom of the stairs, and he chuckled, quickly picking up his backpack. "Now, have a good day. I packed the thermos in your bag along with money for lunch. And be nice to Mr. Lancer, he's getting old—"

"Of course, Mom." He cut her off with a hug, adding, "Love you."

"I love you, too. Be safe."

"Always am." He gave Tucker a final grin before chasing after Elle as she shot through the ceiling. "You're cheating! Wait up!"

"I hope Jazz freaks at the shirt he's wearing," Tucker mused with a laugh. "The counselor will need counseling."

"How are you two?" Sam asked.

"We're good. She's great as usual."

She nodded her head, folding her arms as she scuffed a socked foot at the floor. "She's Jazz."

"You're going for a visit, aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"It's been years of the same thing, Sam. If I can't notice that, I'm not doing something right."

"I know it seems…silly—"

"No. You like to feel that closeness. I get it. I'll stop by later." He quietly shut the door on his way out, and she turned to walk up the stairs, stopping at the door with 'Jackson' running across it.

It had changed over the years, for obvious reasons, but there was still an air of familiarity to it as she stepped inside. Some of the same posters were still tacked to the wall, the bureau was still in the same corner, and the old basketball hoop was still hanging from the closet door.

She collected some of the clothes that littered the floor in order to dump them in the hamper at the end of the hall, thinking about her next term of action. She wouldn't leave for a couple hours yet, but the idea of her visit was enough to leave her jittery until she left.

"Keep up, Jacky!" Elle called over her shoulder.

"I'm trying! And don't call me that!" Jackson said, narrowing his eyes at the spectral tail of his 'distant cousin.'

"You're going to need more practice." She slowed upon reaching City Hall, waiting for him to tumble his way to a stop. "A lot more."

"Just keeping in the air is hard enough and you want to talk about doing more?" She steadied a hand on his shoulder to keep him still and followed his gaze to the large statue below their feet. "He did a lot more."

A standing structure made of stone stood tall, carved into the shape of a teenager. Danny Fenton smiled across the square, arms folded and thermos hanging over his shoulder by the strap. A golden plaque was placed below his feet with a simple caption of: KEEP FIGHTING.

"I miss him," Elle murmured, mainly to herself. Jackson looked to her, placing a hand over the gloved one on his shoulder. After another few moments of quiet, she cleared her throat, saying, "I think we should get you to school."

The flight to the school, short to Elle, was much longer in Jackson's perception as he fought to keep up. The struggle was made better by spotting Valerie lazily straddling her jet sled, sans helmet. She waved and ran a hand through her cropped hair. "Have fun, Jackson!"

"Thanks, Valerie!"

"I'll meet you after I drop him off!" Elle added with a grin, latching onto Jackson's hand to pull him along. Upon touching down on the stoop of the school, the same blurred ring fell over Jackson, and he bumped his fist into Elle's as she nudged him toward the door. "I'll see you later, Jacky."

"Sure thing, Danielle." She narrowed her eyes at him, and he cheekily grinned back as he pulled the door open and escaped inside. He dodged one body after another in search for one person in particular, moving into a hurried jog when he found her. "Shay!"

A girl looked over her shoulder and smiled, shouldering her backpack as she met him halfway. "There you are, Jackson."

"You ready for this?"

"Mom says it'll be easy."

"Valerie says everything's easy."

"Either way." Shay led the way to their first class, entering a classroom housing an aging man seated behind his desk. "Hello, Mr. Lancer!"

Mr. Lancer glanced up from his book and smiled. "Mr. Manson, Miss Gray," he nodded, "pick any seat you would like." As the teens did, he added, "I would like to make one thing clear, Jackson."

Jackson warily stared back, eyes a bit wide as Shay mockingly snorted behind her hand. "Yes, Mr. Lancer?"

"If you are anything like your father, you can be sure I will not go easy on you. Falling asleep in my class may be a family tradition in your eyes, but I expect to have your attention."

The boy chuckled. "I'll try, but to quote my mom on doing things that are 'definitely inherited from my father's side of the family,' I'm not making any guarantees."

"Fair enough."

"Hey, Danny," Sam whispered, kneeling down and tracing her fingers along the name on the gravestone. "We're doing well. Jackson is growing up so fast- Well, he's always been growing… Elle has been helping him a lot, Jazz and Tucker are teaching Steven everything they know, and I'm helping everyone of course. Valerie's a great help, too. Jackson and Shay are closer than ever. I don't think we'll be the lovebirds anymore, huh?

"…I miss you, Danny. I love you. Your mom and dad are going to visit soon, and the ghosts are starting to come around more often. I think they want to see if Jackson has what it takes to live up to your name. I know he's not so strong, but there are other ways to do things and I think he has what it takes to make it work. I got Skulker to promise not to hunt him, too. I don't think anyone really wants to hurt him, so it's all right… You should see him, though, Danny." She laughed a bit, stretching her legs out and relaxing back on her hands. "He acts like you sometimes, and it's almost scary. The shadow of Danny Fenton, right? And Cujo keeps following him around. That dog probably thinks he's you; I think we might as well keep the little bugger if he gets out again.

She sighed. "I wish you were here. Don't feel sorry, either. We're fighting through everything, and we're doing a good job. I promised to keep fighting. Maybe I'll see you again one day. And I finally took Jackson to the Ghost Zone the other day. I still wanted to wait, but he kept insisting, you know? He's too stubborn sometimes. I mean, so are we, but… Anyhow, we saw Johnny and Kitty, and…" She chuckled and shook her head. "It was too funny- Johnny rode up beside the Specter Speeder and asked if he had another punk to watch out for. Jackson just puffed out his chest and said, 'What do you mean my dad was a punk?' You should have seen him, Danny." Sam shifted to lean against the gravestone, staring across the cemetery. "We saw Ember, too. She didn't call him any names, though. I think most of that goes to you. I asked… I asked if she'd seen any sign of…you, but… She almost looked sad when I asked. I think they miss you, too. Pain in the neck or not." A slight breeze riffled through her hair, and she smiled a little. "I wish you were here, Danny."

A crow suddenly landed in front of Sam, briefly startling her. It was completely black, except for its white tipped wings. A white rose was clamped between its beak, and the bird dropped it at her feet, bouncing a few times as it squawked. With a hard flap of its wings, the crow took off again, disappearing as quickly as it had arrived.

Sam slowly picked up the rose, running her fingers over the stem as she curiously looked around. "…maybe you are." A broader smile picked up her lips as she settled back against the gravestone, resting the flower in her lap.

"Hello, Danny. I'm glad you're here."

Thank you for reading!

The sequel, titled 'Memories Come to Haunt,' is now up. ;)