13AN: Well this took longer than it should have. I've been busy and I didn't realize I had reviews Whoops! :D Sorry about that. This chapter is longer than the first one, a whole thousand more. I really don't like short chapters so sorry about the first one. It was just my way of seeing if people would take interest in this. So don't worry about short updates, they most likely won't happen. Heads up, I mention the Mediator thing in this chapter and Tucker comes in! Yay for Tucker! R&R Please!
I do not own Danny Phantom
"Danny, I'm only going to tell you once and never again. Don't ever, ever do that again!" Tay yelled while proceeding to punch me in the arm.
"Ow! Hey don't punch the driver. You wouldn't want us to crash again would you..." She glared at me and punched me again. "Ow!"
"Don't even play around with me mister! You do that again and I'll personally take you to hell."
I turned to look at her. "But how are you going to get to heaven to get me if you're already in hell?" Punch. Okay, I should have seen that one coming. "Okay, I'm sorry. But come on, you know I have ghost powers."
"So! That doesn't give you the right to speed up and head straight for a semi, scare the crap out of me, and go intangible the last second!" I just smiled at the road. "I was seriously thinking I've became friends with a psychopath for a second." I rolled my eyes.
"Okay. Mental note: Don't scare the shit of Tay." I looked at her
With a beaming smile, she said, "Perfect."
I merged onto the left side of the highway to get on North Lake Shore Dr and off the I-55.
"Look at you. Barely been here more than a couple times and you already know how to get downtown."
"Well, Taylor, I've actually been here plenty of times. While saving the city and all, I did bother to memorize the roads from an aerial view of course."
"Why do I have a feeling you did it to look like a big shot and know-it-all to try to impress dates."
"Now that's pretty creepy that I've known you for a year and you're already inside my head."
"It's one of my seven senses."
I raised an eyebrow, "Seven?"
"Yup" She responded with lips firmly pulled.
"What's the other extra one?" I said a little to lightly for the situation since she remained silent.
"Um...I'll tell you later just get off here before you take us way up the North Side." I didn't ponder her with the questions I had and just drove towards her-well our apartment building now I guess.
We live on the same floor now in an apartment building not to far away from the lake front. It was by The Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park. And it was the same building that I ran into Taylor. I was thinking about moving to the city and figured a walk around the place would help me decide. Long story short, I got lost. I bumped into Tay at the entrance of the building. She didn't recognize me but when I introduced myself she was supper chill about it. We went out for a couple of drinks and instantly clicked. She was majoring in astronomy and was interning at the Adler Planetarium. She works there now as an assistant for their head astronomer, Jeremy Kane.
I, on the other hand, moved to the city for NASA. NASA has helped me out a lot since high school. They kept trying to convince me to move to Florida to become an astronaut and eventually become head of their ghost and space program they've made since the Disasteroid. Imagine that, NASA is offering me a chance at becoming an astronaut, my dream job, and I'm the one who has been turning it down. I would have given anything for this to have happened before.
But I couldn't leave Amity Park of course. Not with what was happening and not to mention I've barely managed to finally have complete control of.
But still, NASA was determined to have me. So I basically learned everything at home. People came to help me train and learn what I needed to learn in college. They've set up the headquarters for this program in Chicago and it's still under the radar for the public for now. I've still got a lot to learn, but by moving here a lot closer to headquarters, I'll be ready in a couple years.
I turned into our street and parked the truck in front of the entrance where Tucker was waiting for us leaning against the building. He's probably the one who's changed the most between the two of us. He buffed up in our senior year of high school and he's probably 6'1" if I'm like an inch taller than him I think. He ditched the red barrette and changed his glasses. He was currently wearing black Adidas pants, a blue tee, and a dark faded red hoodie.
"Took you guys long enough." He walked over to the back of the truck as we did the same. "Are you sure you don't want me to hire some movers, Danny?" I opened the back up.
Taylor turned to him hand on her hip and a smirk on her face, "All buffed out but still as lazy as ever."
"Hey I'm just saying." He shrugged.
"Thanks Tuck but if I needed movers, I could hire them myself." I lifted up a box. "Besides, why would I hire some strangers when I have free help."
"Who said anything about free?" Taylor said while picking up a box. "I expect a box of pizza and a twelve pack of beers."
"What?" She just smiled at me and walked into the building.
"Sorry dude," Tucker said as he also picked up a box, "But I'm with her."
Well, it could be a lot more costly with movers.
"So, what toppings then?" I ask headed to the building.
A million trips from the street to the top floor later and we're sitting on my couch, pizza on the coffee table, and a pack of beers on the floor.
"See, there was no need for movers."
"Speak for yourself, Danny. I'm beat."
"Well, well, well, who's lazy now!" Tuck says a little cocky as he took a slice of his pizza.
"Hey, in my defense, I'm not a ghost hunter like you guys...I'm something different..." Tucker and I looked at each other and put our plates down on the coffee table.
"Um, does this have to do with the thing you were talking about on the way here?" I asked.
Taylor had her hands on her lap and was fidgeting with her thumbs. "Yeah. It does have to do with that."
"Well, whatever it is Tuck and I won't freak out."
"Yeah," Tucker cuts in, "We fight ghosts-well not that much anymore but you know what I mean. There's practically nothing you can throw at us that we won't find somewhat believable."
Taylor let out a sigh and relaxed. "Thanks, okay well before the whole Disasteroid incident-actually way before that-I could well see ghosts...ever since my grandma died when I was three. After the funeral, she came to me as I was waiting out in the hallway. She explained to me that it would be my job to help spirits trapped in this world to move on to whatever happens next. I never really found out what that was. But anyways, I tried telling my mom and dad what was going on, but they didn't believe me. I haven't tried again since for the sake of them not thinking I'm crazy and sending me off to some mental place."
"So, even though you guys don't really deal with ghosts from the Ghost Zone anymore, I still have ghosts coming from a different spectral plane every now that I have to deal with. But it's nothing as big as like Pariah Dark or ghosts that you deal with. They're a little more human, most of them recently dead and I have to explain what's going on. A majority have some unfinished business like something they forget to mail or something left out of the will, but then I get a couple violent ones who just really want revenge on someone or don't want to be dead. That's when I have to get my hands dirty and use some hand to hand combat since apparently ghost can't pass through me like they do with other humans." Taylor paused waiting for a response but decided she might as well finish.
"It's called a mediator- what I am. I've gotten hurt a couple of times. You know Danny- a broken rib here, a broken arm there, two concussions, and a bunch of scars and bruises. The usual." she said light heartedly.
"But, I heal faster though." She just rolled her eyes.
"Well, we all can't have the luxury of having supernatural healing powers." She said smiling.
"But wait," Tucker started, "If they aren't ghosts like the ones we deal with, what can they do?"
"Oh you know the usual ghost stuff lifting objects, controlling objects, shaking things, no ghost rays or plasma balls though, none of that super power kind of things. But it really depends on how mad you get them. A ghost uprooted a 40 foot tree at me one. She missed of course." She said smiling triumphantly.
"How do you get them to move on?" I asked.
"Well, it's not easy sometimes. I have to help them do what they want and then they move on. But I've done a couple of exorcisms before- the Brazilian one is my favorite. Works like a charm." She picked up her beer and chugged the rest of it down.
"Will this is kind of strange and funny at the same time." Tucker said looking at Taylor and to me.
"What do you mean?"
"Well Danny, out of all the people you guys could meet in the world, you both met another ghost hunter. Being a mediator sounds like a type of ghost hunter to me."
Taylor slightly laughed. "Funny, that's exactly the same thing I thought when I met Danny." Tucker glanced down at his watch.
"Well it's getting late and I have an important meeting tomorrow. I'll call you guys when I get out of work and we'll chill at my place. Sounds good?" I glanced at Taylor who did the same.
She smiled, "Sounds perfect to me. Hey, Tuck?"
"Yeah Tay?"
"You're okay with what I told you guys right? And you won't tell anyone?" She looked a little worried.
"Of course I'm okay with it. I told you there's nothing you can say that will sound unbelievable. Danny and I are totally supportive about it."
"Yeah, Tay. And if you ever need help just call us."
"Thanks guys. I'll keep that in mind...Well it looks like I need to get home too."
"You live down the hall." Tucker stated.
"Well, I'm tired and I need to get to sleep before a ghost can come and bug me." I stood up to walk them both out. We said our goodbyes and they left.
I wasn't one bit tired since I'm still accustomed to my crazy ghost fighting schedule. I unpacked everything and by 3 A.M. my apartment was settled in.
'Hmm, the walls kind of look blank though.'
I went in the kitchen for a class of water before getting ready for bed. On the counter were some junk mail Suze grabbed from my mail box.
'Here for only one day and I already have junk mail.' I casually looked through it and a flyer caught my eye.
'Art Gallery at The Art Institute of Chicago Friday Only Open To The Public'
Well looks like I found something to do tomorrow. A couple of paintings should help this place out.
Well there's chapter 2. R&R would be greatly appreciated