Welcome to my summer 2011 oneshot collection!

DannyPhantomSG1 and I are writing all summer long in order to stay in touch since we can no longer just walk down the hall to say hello. :) It's her idea and so you'll have to thank her for everything good that comes of this project. Her album is Informal Inspirations ( .net/s/6972859/1/ ), but I will include the individual titles to her companion pieces if we write on the same prompt.

There are a dozen we can choose from including: words/phrases, dictionary words of the day, sets of song lyrics, and some poetry. These pieces probably won't be as polished as some of my other simply because there is limited time to mull over and perfect them. Hopefully, you will enjoy anyway. :)

My blanket disclaimer for the entire collection is as follows: I don't own Danny Phantom.

NOTE: (8/31/11): All of the stories are up. I'll probably go back through and fix typos and whatnot, but we're done for now. I may try to expand some of the stories in the near future, especially Who I Am and Nerves, if I can get ideas and inspiration to do so. If you have ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them. As well as comments in general. I love reviews and will definitely reply to you if you're signed in. :D

Table of Contents:

1. Cryptic. May 12, 2011. Tragedy. K. TxJ DxS. Sam is dead. Tucker and Jazz are very concerned as Danny pushes them away, but didn't realize how serious it was until they found a note in his empty room.

2. Walk in Darkness. May 15, 2011. Suspense/Horror. T. NP. Vlad starts on the nightly tour of his castle, only to find that something isn't quite right. It turns out that ghosts can be haunted too...

3. Pretty Lies. May 19, 2011. Angst. K. NP. A depressed Danny reflects on what he has realized as he's grown up. It turns out that everything you learned as a kid is just a pretty lie; there are no heroes, not really...

4. You Will Remember. May 24, 2011. Humor/Friendship. K. NP. Ghost Writer discovers a set of lyrics that would be perfect for Ember to sing. When she refuses to even consider them, he just doesn't understand why...

5. Animal. May 26, 2011. Humor/Fluffiness. K. DxS. A week before graduation finds the trio ditching school. Naturally, their normal bout of good-natured teasing ensues...

6. Assay. May 29, 2011. Humor. K. NP. Danny goes to Casper High to find that things are a little weird. Well, weirder than normal, that is. Set after Micro Management.

7. Fireworks. July 4, 2011. General. K. NP. Nothing beats a city-wide show of ghostly fireworks. Happy Fourth of July!

8. Who I Am. July 1, 2011. Mystery/Drama. K+. DxSxG/E. Gregor/Elliot comes back to Amity Park seeking Sam's help because something has happened to him. But she's not quite sure what to think... about any of it.

9. Blessed Ghost. June 20, 2011. Drama. K. NP. After waking up five feet above her bed, Maddie is forced to rethink everything she has ever known about ghosts.

10. Iota. July 5, 2011. Humor. K. NP. The first few moments of Dan's rampages and the idea behind the name of his greatest power told through the monocled lense of a few underused ghost chaps.

11. Nerves. July 25, 2011. ?. K. DV. AU. Exploring the compound on her search to find Maddie and join the Ghosthunters, Valerie comes across a blue-eyed boy who was seriously starting to get on her nerves.

12. Ancient Town. August 4, 2011. Adventure/Suspense. K. NP. While being chased by Skulker, Danny comes across ruins of an ancient town. The longer he explores it, the more he realizes just where he is... in trouble.

Cryptic

Week One: May 12, 2011

"Hey, how is he today?"

"As well as can be expected. Better even. He is a lot stronger than any of us really give him credit for; he's shown us that again and again. But he's still only human and he has to deal with everything that comes with the territory. The grief. It hit him hard and he is experiencing all the classic symptoms of the loss of a loved one…"

"In other words, he's a mess."

She sighed. "Yeah…"

There was silence for a few pained moments before Tucker broke it again.

"He told her that afternoon, you know. Finally admitted it. I'd been trying for years and got his courage worked up. And just an hour after he does…"

"Now you're starting to sound like Danny."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you sounded like you think it happened because you finally convinced him to admit his feelings for her."

"But how does that…?"

"He thinks it's his fault."

"But it isn't. I mean, that doesn't even make sense! It was an accident."

"I know. But he doesn't want to see reason. He's just stubborn like that."

"Dude, that's bad. Have you tried talking to him?"

Jazz gave him a pointed look.

"Okay, okay, I get it," he put his hands out in front of him as if hoping to placate the girl. "You're Jazz. You talk. It's your thing. That was a dumb question."

"Yeah, it was." She smiled. "But, seriously, I did talk with him this morning, through the door." She added almost as an afterthought, "just to make sure he could handle seeing you today like we arranged."

"…handle seeing me?"

"Well, he hasn't actually come out of his room to my knowledge. He's been pushing everyone away, refusing to see anyone. It's his way of dealing with things. He just needs time to figure it all out." She shrugged. "Sometimes, that's how people react."

"Yeah…"

"You have to realize that this is the second time he's had to live through Sam's death. And before you ask, yes, he did talk to Clockwork; it was the first thing he did, but apparently he can't, or won't, mess with the time stream again. So he has to live through this all again. It's hitting Danny a lot harder than it would even a normal person. Especially since he did actually break down his barriers enough to tell Sam that he loved her. He's really vulnerable right now. Just agreeing to see you is a huge step."

"But I'm his best friend!"

"Exactly."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, you know; you're the other end of the trio. You two were never together without Sam. Seeing you will only reinforce her absence and I didn't want to remind him of that until he was ready for it."

"You think he is?"

She shrugged. "He said he is. I think if he is willing to try, we should let things play out. It may help a lot. If not, well, I'm sure you'll understand if…"

"Yeah. I'll leave if he doesn't want to see me." Tucker swallowed to clear his throat of the lump that was rising.

Jazz watched him sympathetically. She could see just how much he was hurting. His eyes were dull and he lacked his normal spunk. He had become more soft-spoken in the past several weeks as well. Sam's death had completely devastated all of them.

Even Jazz would find herself occasionally wiping away tears that she didn't know she had. She may not have been friends with Sam like Danny or Tucker were, but she was her friend. At least, Sam was probably the only girl around her own age that she could claim to be in any way close to...

And she was gone, now. All because of a stupid drunk driver. The girl had been fighting ghosts for years now and she was killed because of an accident. Simply being in the wrong place and the wrong time. Nothing could have prevented it. Nothing could have saved her.

But Danny did not see it that way. While he was pushing everyone away in order to deal with his grief and misplaced guilt, Tucker needed someone else to lean on. There was only so much that a PDA would listen to; he needed a human shoulder to cry on. Sam used to be that shoulder, but she was not here any more. That was the whole point. He had lost his rock, and the only other person to which the techno-geek could turn had locked himself in his room refusing to come out. If Danny broke down now, lost his nerve and shut the door, Tucker's last defence would be shattered.

Jazz saw it and understood his reservations.

"It'll be okay. He'll be glad to see you, I'm sure."

Tucker smiled to reassure himself.

Jazz looked at her watch. "Well, do you think we should head up?"

Tucker nodded and they were about to climb the stairs when Maddie came down.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. F."

"Hello Tucker, Jazz." She paused then, as if unsure of whether she wanted to ask them something.

"Is everything okay, Mom?"

"I'm not sure, sweetie."

She became defensive immediately. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I just went in to check on Danny..."

"Yes? And? Is he...?"

"He's not in his room." She said slowly. "Do you know where he would be?"

Tucker and Jazz shared a look.

"Umm..."

"Actually..."

"He said he was going to meet us here in a couple minutes."

"That's strange though, I didn't hear him leave."

"He did, Mom, almost half an hour ago. You were in the lab."

Maddie nodded. "Well, it's an improvement. I'm glad he got out of his room. Let me know when he gets back, will you?"

"Sure thing, Mom!"

Jazz sighed in relief when Maddie had left.

"That was close."

"Tell me about it."

"Is he really not in his room?"

"Well, he could be out dealing with a ghost or just flying. Flying helps him deal with things. Then again, he could have just gone invisible if he didn't want to talk with Mom or deal with her therapy sessions. Sometimes, you need to let him be in order for him to get better instead of constantly hounding him with questions and making him talk things through. Being overprotective like that will smother him, but he always comes round eventually if you leave him alone and wait long enough."

Tucker tried to hide his snort of laughter but Jazz heard it.

"What?"

"Oh, nothin'. Anyway, should we go check on him?"

"Yeah, that would be good. But if he really is out, we don't want Mom to catch him coming in without someone to clue him in on the story we cooked up. How about you stay here and I'll see if he's in his room. I'll let you know if he's there and then you can come up."

"Sounds good."

Tucker took his post at the foot of the stairs and stood there worrying and waiting until he heard a loud thud above him. He wouldn't have thought anything about it in a halfa-infested household, but it was followed by a poorly muffled cry.

Jazz.

He tripped up the stairs, making a huge commotion in his hurry.

"Jazz? Danny?"

He walked in the partially opened door wrist ray at the ready. No ghost was going to take Tucker Foley down without a fight.

But there was no ghost in sight. No Danny, either. Just Jazz, collapsed on the floor.

After a quick sweep of the room to make sure that there was no threat, he knelt down and gently pulled her up so that she was facing him. Tears streamed down her face and sobs wracked her slim frame.

"Whoa, Jazz, what is it? What happened? Where's Danny?"

She could not answer him, but curled into his shoulder and continued to cry. The move startled him and he was not sure quite what to do.

He had never had to comfort a girl except for Sam once or twice and he could not really use those as guides because they always ended with her promising to kick him to kingdom come with her steel-enforced combat boots if he ever whispered a syllable of what had happened to anyone.

So he just held Jazz, rocking her back and forth and whispering what he hoped were comforting sentences until she would calm down enough to tell him what was going on.

Her parents rushed into the room before that happened, however, attracted by Jazz's initial fall and Tucker's noisy ascent up to the second floor.

"Is it a ghost?" Jack ran in with bazooka blazing.

"What's going on here?" Maddie asked Tucker, concerned when she saw the state her daughter was in.

"I don't really know, I just came up here and she was crying. I haven't been able to get her to tell me anything."

Maddie knelt down and took over from Tucker. She smoothed her hair down soothingly and spoke quietly. "It's alright, sweetie. Whatever it is, we can make it better." Jazz shook her head into her mother's teal Hazmat and made a pained noise. Maddie looked up at the two men in the room to see them just as confused as she was. "What is it, Jazz, honey, what's wrong?"

Jazz held out a crumpled piece of paper which Jack took with his usual eagerness, but couldn't make heads nor tails of whatever it was supposed to be. He gave it to Maddie's outstretched hands, but she too could not make much of the message.

It was in Danny's handwriting—that she knew. It was a little messier than normal and there were tearstains on it, but whether they were from her son or daughter, she could not tell. The note itself did not mean anything to her. It was just a few lines and did not even say anything concrete. How could it have reduced Jazz to tears?

"Mrs. F?"

Maddie looked at Tucker and handed the note to him, hoping that he could come up with something from the paper. She wanted explanations. Perhaps Danny's best friend could give them.

Tucker read the note apprehensively and paled.

No. It couldn't be. He couldn't mean that. He had promised them—all of them. But there it was in black and white. And Danny was nowhere to be seen. So he had actually…

The note fluttered to the floor as his eyes went wide and his jaw opened in shock.

He did not see Jack's hand waving in front of his face. Jazz's crying and Maddie's frantic questions were lost on him.

Of course they would not have understood the note—how could they have? Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were the only ones who could possibly know what he meant. They were the only ones who had known what would have happened…

.

I guess it really was just a matter of time. I'm so, so sorry. —Danny

.

Wow. For all the trouble I had coming up with a story for the prompt, that kind of wrote itself. :) Wasn't expecting the TxJ (just for you, DPSG1!) or that dramatic of an ending.

So there's the first installment… would love to know what you think. Thanks for reading!