Happy New Year, dear readers! Here with another chapter for your enjoyment. I want to thank you guys for your patience while I write this. I haven't had a story of mine be so well accepted by readers before and I hope I'm living up to your expectations. But enough about that. Onto the story!

Disclaimer: Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom. Sophie, Willow and all other such characters are mine, no takie!

There wasn't much left to the orphanage Sophie had once called home. In Danny's opinion, the charred remains probably shouldn't even be standing. Yet there it was, the broken and blackened skeleton of a building that once housed many a lonely soul. A section of it had collapsed, leaving a gapping hole in its side. Snow had settled in the building, mixing with the soot and giving an eerie sight. The two half-ghost teens stood before the remains.

"You sure about this?" Danny asked.

Sophie didn't answer at first. She slowly walked towards her former home, stepping under the yellow caution tape. Danny sighed as he followed her. The floor was riddled with holes and debris, and the ice that had gathered wasn't making it any easier. It was a depressing place, to say the least. Broken and burned toys and stuffed animals scattered about, wallpaper melted off the walls. Both teens took it all in, silently. Danny rubbed the back of his neck. In the back of his mind, he wondered what it looked like before the destruction.

As he was lost in thought, Sophie continued on ahead. By the time Danny realized it, she was already halfway up the stairs.

"Hey, wait up!" he called, shuffling towards her. He made it as far as the bottom stair before he was halted by Sophie's raised hand.

"You stay down here," she said.

"You sure?" Danny asked. He tried to look passed her at the next level and what he could see wasn't very promising. It looked like the slightest movement would make the whole floor crumble. "I mean, I can fly us-"

"I need to do this myself, Danny," Sophie cut in. "I'll be fine. Just... Wait outside, okay? Please?"

Danny studied her face for a moment before nodding. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will."

Sophie continued up the stairs while Danny made his way back out of the building. The air was cold, even with his ice core. He'd found out a while back that once his ice core was under control, the cold didn't bother him nearly as much as it would a normal person. Yes, he still got cold, especially when he wasn't in ghost form. But below zero weather was more of an annoyance than anything else. Still, he blew into his hands, trying to warm himself.

"The hell..."

Danny turned to see who had spoke. He saw what only could be described as a punk rock teen. The only thing he was missing was the guitar. The boy was staring up at the burning building.

"What the hell happened?" he breathed.

"A fire," Danny said. "The police suspect arson, but there's no proof."

The other teen looked at him, as if finally realizing the halfa existed. "Who the hell are you?"

"Danny." He scratched behind his ear.

"You know who did this?"

"No, I-"

"What about the kids?" the boy pressed. "Did everyone make it out?!"

"I... I..."

The guy was starting to get agressive. Which only helped to get Danny flustered. When he failed to give a clear answer, the other boy ground his teeth.

"Fucking useless."

Danny glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"If you're not gonna answer my damn questions, then get out of my face!"

"Back off, man! You're not the only one with problems, here."

"Go whine to someone who actually gives a shit!"

"What the hell is your problem?!" Danny yelled. His eyes began to glow a faint green in his anger.

"MICHAEL!"

Both boys turned to see Sophie standing in the doorway of the orphanage. She had a charred stuffed bunny in her hand as well as a book tucked in her arm. Michael stomped towards her.

"What the hell happened, Sophie?" he demanded.

"I thinks it's a little obvious what happened, don't you?"

"Well, is everyone alright?"

"No," Sophie said. "Jenna's in the hospital. Broady and Aiden are dead... Ms. Collins got crushed..."

"Oh my god..." Michael covered his mouth. "..What happens now? Where'd everyone go?"

"Some of us are staying with friends for now, but most of the kids got shipped on a late night bus to the nearest facility."

Michael paced, running his fingers through his hair. Danny stayed to the background. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on. But he could tell this 'Michael' was about to lose it. Bad.

"This is such bullshit!" the boy snapped.

"Don't yell at me, Michael," Sophie said, rubbing her forehead.

"Where were the police when this happened? Or the damn fire department!"

"Dude, just chill," Danny said.

"Don't you fucking tell me to chill!" Michael yelled. "I just lost my house, you got that? I go out for one night and come back to some loser kid I've never met before telling me kids that looked up to me are dead? You don't get to tell me to chill! I mean, come on! We're in fucking Amity Park! Where the hell is our mascot when he's actually needed?"

Danny's jaw set hard. His fists were white-knuckled at his side. It was bad enough he was beating himself over the incident. He really didn't need it slapped in his face again. His eyes felt like they were burning from his frustration, but then a chill ran through him, making is already frosty breath colder. He frowned. A ghost? Now? But it felt different. Like the cold was being radiated.

"Where were you?"

Sophie's words were quiet. And yet they seemed to hold an entirely different sort of weight to them. Like they were dangerous.

Michael frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Where the hell were you, Micheal?" Sophie said, in the same eerily calm voice. Danny gave her a wary look. This wasn't the Sophie he knew.

"What's it matter where I-"

"Let me tell you where you were." She took a step forward, advancing on Michael. "Knowing you, you were probably off in some crackhead's basement, drinking cheap beer and snorting as many lines as you can cram into your nose."

The teen blinked at her. He stumbled backwards as the girl kept advancing. "Sophie, what the-"

"Do you know how many times I've had to cover for you? How many times I had to wipe your puke off the bathroom floor because you decided to come back with a hangover? How many times I had to lie to the caretakers that you were sick but really just high as a fucking kite?" Her voice never lost the cold monotone it took on. "You're nothing more that a selfish, pathetic bastard."

"I'm not like that anymore, Sophie," Michael said. His voice sounded small, much like a scolded child. "You know that."

"Why should I believe you? You still go out, don't you? No one knows when we'll see you, anymore, nevermind where you've been. What's stopping you from shooting up like the junkie you are?"

"That's not me!"

"The hell it's not, Michael. Maybe before you start blaming others, you should take a good long look at yourself." Sophie turned her back on the boy and walked up to Danny.

"Let's get out of here," she said in the ghost teen's ear. She adjusted the book in her hands before marching away.

For a moment, Danny was frozen. He couldn't comprehend what he'd just witnessed. What had happened to Sophie? What had made her snap like that? Danny looked back at Michael. The teen looked like he was on the brink of tears. He kicked a nearby trashcan. In the back of his mind, Danny wondered if any part of what Sophie had said was true. He took a brief glance back at the girl before walking up to Michael.

"...Hey," he said, hesitantly. "...She's... Not normally like that, right?"

Michael shook his head. "Can't really say I blame her, though." He looked Danny up and down. "You her friend or something?"

"You could say that."

Michael kept his gaze down. "...I know I'm a screw-up. I'm not exactly proud of my past, and I've been doing whatever it takes to put it behind me." He looked up at the orphanage. "I have been to foster homes, orphanages, juvie, you name it. This was the last place to take me in. My last real shot of getting clean. And it's gone."

Danny turned to face the building and sighed. "So it is." Michael tsked at his words, which made the hero look at him. "But no one ever said it had to be your last shot. I might know a few people. Maybe we can help you out."

The other boy let out a short laugh. "You don't say?"

Danny nodded, then held out his hand. "Danny. Danny Fenton."

Michael blinked. "Fenton? As in-"

"Amity Park's one and only mascot," the boy said with a two-fingered salute.

"Oh. Well, I feel like an idiot."

Danny's eyes turned sad. "I did what I could for them. I just wasn't fast enough."

"I believe you... Just wish I could've done the same."

They stood in silence for a moment before Michael offered his hand. "I'm Michael. Sophie's big brother."

~DP~

"Sophie has a brother?!"

Sam, Tucker and Jazz all looked at Danny as they yelled in unison. They all sat in the living room as Terminatra III played on the TV. Jazz and Danny were still in their pajamas. Danny's 'break' from ghost hunting had also spread to the rest of them, which meant Sam was more or less grounded (she'd snuck out, of course) and Tucker was restricted to his mayorly duties. Which was why Danny had brought the subject up.

"I was a little surprised, too," he said, rubbing his neck. "Her being an orphan and all, I kinda figured she was an only child."

"A great deal of kids in foster care are siblings," Jazz said. "Most of the time, they get separated by the state, though. They're pretty lucky to have been kept together."

"From the sound of it, it wasn't easy on either of them," Danny said.

Tucker shook his head. "A junkie older brother. I don't know how I could deal with that."

"Me, either," Sam said.

"Think you could do something for them, Tuck?" Danny asked.

"Not sure, man. Being mayor isn't exactly a cure all. I'd have to go through the board to get a motion passed, and I'm not even sure what that motion would be."

"We could start by rebuilding the orphanage," Sam suggested.

"But that won't solve the underlying problem," Jazz said. "Doesn't seem to me like the orphanage itself actually cared about the kids. I mean, Sophie was gone, what, two months and no one went out to look for her?"

"So you're saying we need to enact a better foster care system in Amity Park," Tucker mused. "Won't be easy. St. B. Mary's was a part of the state's grid, not something run solely by the town. It would be something I'd have to take up with the governor."

"But we could start a support group," Jazz said. "Give the kids a place where they feel like they matter."

"There's an idea."

"Will the board support it?" Sam asked.

"They will if I make a good case of it," Tucker said.

Danny began to muse. "So we rebuild the orphanage and look to get a support group started in Amity Park. Then we need to confront the governor about the foster care system, which we have no idea will do anything." He scratched his head. "Why'd we start in politics again?"

The front door swung open, grabbing their attention. Willow waltzed into Fenton Works, heading for the staircase.

"Willow?" Danny asked.

She stopped to glance into the living room. "Oh, hey Fenton."

"How do you keep getting into my house!" Danny said with a glare.

Willow put her hands on her hips. "A better question would be why are you still wearing pj's?" She looked at his clothes, frowning. "What are on them?"

"They're satellites," Danny said with a slight blush.

"Okay, nerd alert, and I'm going up to see Sophie." She headed back towards the stairs.

"I am not a nerd! Ah! And stop breaking into my house!"

"Relax, Danny. I'm sure she's just kidding," Jazz said as she walked passed her brother to the foot of the stairs. The older teen raised her voice to Willow. "She might not come out! Sophie's been locked up in her room all day!"

"She won't have a choice!" Willow's voice muffled out as she turned a corner.

"Third door on your left!" Jazz sighed. "I hope she does come out for her. It's not healthy to be cooped up like that."

"She probably just needs time to herself," Sam said. Tucker nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she'll come out on her own, eventually. Right?"

Danny frowned. Sophie hadn't waited for him to follow before getting home the night before. By the time he'd gotten back to Fenton Works, the girl had holed herself in the spare room and had yet to come out. He was slightly worried, but Sam and Tucker were probably right. She'd come out, sooner or later.

"Sophie, I'll kick this door down if you don't open it in the next three seconds!"

The ghost boy winced. He hoped it was sooner.

~DP~

"One! Two!"

The door clicked open before Willow could finish her count. She smirked. Worked every time. She saw Sophie peer at her from the small opening she'd made.

"You could've just knocked," she said.

Willow rolled her eyes. "I did. Four times." She put a hand on the door and forced her way in, making Sophie stumble backwards. She let her backpack hit the floor with a soft thud. "Next time, answer me, why don't you?"

"Sorry..."

The girl's gaze was cast downward. Willow frowned and followed her gaze. She sighed. The floor was riddled with pages of scrap paper. Each one held a detailed sketch of kids doing various things. Some asleep, some playing around, some just done as portraits. The sketching wasn't bothersome; Sophie usually went through a notebook or two on a regular basis. It was what she was drawing that had Willow worried. She couldn't say for sure, but it seemed that each child Sophie drew was from her orphanage. At least three of the scattered pages showed the little blonde girl... What was her name? Jenna? Willow'd only met her a couple times, but each time the kid was always glued to Sophie. Practically joined at the hip. And now... Willow looked up at her friend. She seriously needed to get in best-friend-mode if she was gonna have any chance of getting her to smile.

"So," she said, clapping her hands together. "Get dressed."

Sophie frowned at her. "Huh?"

"We're going out, today."

"I... I'm not really up for-"

"Don't wanna hear it. We're going out for chili-dogs, slurpies, and an all-around good time. Now get dressed."

"But... I don't have-"

Willow lifted her bag to show to the girl. "Got if covered. Please don't make me dress you."

Sophie slumped over in defeat. "Shut the door, then."

~DP~

Of all the things, why? Why would Willow put her in a freaking bustier? Sure, it wasn't as restricting as some might be; she still had a wide range of movement. And it wasn't like she looked bad. The gold-lined, green fabric flattered Sophie's curves nicely, and it did have sleeves, though the shoulders were cut out and they looped around her middle fingers. Add on the green jazz pants and Sophie looked both sleek and stylish. But really? What was the point of getting all dolled up like this? Especially when the girl wasn't feeling nearly as good as the clothes made her look.

"I knew I should've added more lace around the hands," Willow said. "Or at least some embroidery. The sleeves look plain."

"Couldn't you just once put me in normal clothes?" Sophie whined.

"And have you be more boring? No way! Besides, you look hot. Now, let's go, already!" The red-head shouldered her bag and headed downstairs.

"I don't want to look hot," Sophie mumbled as she followed.

As the ghost girl descended, she caught sight of Willow going into the living room.

"Seriously? You're not dressed yet?" she said, which made Sophie frown. Even more so when she heard Danny answer.

"Uh, no?"

"Well, hurry it up! I am not being seen in public with a dork wearing flannel flying saucers."

"Satellites."

Sophie came up beside her friend. "Danny's coming too?"

She immediately felt all eyes on her. All four of them stared at the clothing she wore and fell silent. She blushed. Her arms came up to try and hide her torso and breasts. Her hair fell in a curtain in front of her, hiding her further.

"Woah," Sam said.

"Lookin' good, Sophie," Tucker said with a smirk.

"Of course she does," Willow beamed. "She's wearing a Willow Jones Original."

"You made that?" Sam asked. She got up to get a closer look.

"Yep. I make all my clothes."

Sam circled Sophie, studying the outfit. "Got to admit, I'm impressed. Got one in black?"

"I might," Willow said, raising a brow. "But they don't come cheap."

"How much?" Sam frowned.

"We can talk business later, Morticia. Right now, get your boy toy's butt in gear so we can leave."

Danny folded his arms. The pushy teen was really starting to get on his nerves. "And where exactly are we going?"

"Uh, hello? We're a bunch of teens with time to kill. Where do you think we're going?"

And SCENE! Hope you liked it. Remember, reviews keep me going people! And a big thanks to Winter Coma for being my biggest supporter here. See ya next time.