Luck Be a Lady
Chapter 1: Before and After 'Margaritaville'
Hello FanFiction readers. While I have done several Danny Phantom stories, mostly involving the pairings of Danny and Ember and Dani and Youngblood, this will be my first attempt at pairing Danny and Desiree. I hope that this story will be up to par with my others. If I completely bomb this story and the pairing, my humblest apologies to you all. Without further delay, let us dive into the story. I own neither Danny Phantom nor the song 'Margaritaville' by Jimmy Buffet. Thank you Kixen for permission to use your cover photo. R&R and Enjoy.
Spring Break. Even for the small town of Amity, it was a big deal for the teens of Casper High. Some, like the A-Listers, had booked a Caribbean cruise. Others planned to go skiing in Colorado. As for the outcast group of Danny, Tucker, and Sam, they were planning on vacationing in Las Vegas. Sam's parents spared no expense on the trio's travel and living arrangements, feeling that a week away from the ghost infested town would do them some good. As the plane took off, the three began to discuss their plans for the week.
"This is going to be awesome!" Tucker exclaimed, barely able to stay in his seat. "I can't wait to clean out a casino!"
"Too bad we aren't old enough to gamble, Tuck." Danny chuckled. He was just glad to have a week off ghost hunting. While it was fun, he definitely needed a break from being shot at by his parents and saving the town from some spectral threat.
"You insult me, Danny." Tucker said in mock indignation. Out of his pocket, he pulled three ID cards. If Danny hadn't know any better, he would say they were 100% genuine.
"How were you able to make these?" Danny asked, looking over his.
"I know some guys that owe me some favors." Tucker said in a matter of fact tone. "With these bad boy, we can do whatever we please."
Still unconvinced that everything would turn out as they planned, Danny turned to Sam.
"What do you think of this little scheme?"
"I think that you need to relax, Danny." Sam replied. "You deserve this break. Hell, we all deserve this break after all the ghosts we have fought. This week, we can let loose and have some freedom that we have never enjoyed before."
"Besides," Tucker chimed in. "what's the worse that could happen?"
"You say that now," Danny said, "But when we wake up the next morning and Sam has gone missing, I'm blaming you just because you said that."
"Don't be so superstitious, Danny." Sam giggled. "Nothing will go wrong."
"Well, I kinda have to be superstitious since we fight ghosts. I'm just a little cautious, that's all. We've all seen the movies where people come to Vegas only to have the worst things imaginable happen to them."
"Tell you what." Tucker said, trying to get his friend to loosen up. "If anything does go wrong, you can blame us for saying the cursed phrases."
Seeing Sam nod in agreement, Danny laughed and put his arms around his two friends.
"I'm taking you guys up on that offer."
***3 Hours Later***
When the plane landed, the trio were picked up in a limo and taken to the Bellagio. Sam's parents had been generous to book the teens a penthouse with a view of the strip. While Danny wanted to take his time and look around the town, Sam and Tucker had other plans. They had quickly changed into some evening clothes, Sam had on a black cocktail dress while Tucker was sporting a purple dress shirt and black dress pants. After listening to their begging, Danny finally gave in and got dressed to go to the casino floor. Putting on a black dress shirt and a pair of white dress pants, he, Sam, and Tucker made their way to the casino.
***Meanwhile***
Unbeknownst to the trio, a certain wishing ghost had just arrived in Las Vegas. In a poof of smoke, Desiree was hovering over the city, ready to cause mischief and misfortune to as many as possible. She could grant someone a jackpot only to have them lose it all on the Blackjack tables. So much to do, so little time, she thought. Phasing into the casino of the Bellagio, she snapped her fingers and gave herself a temporary human form. While her hair was still black and flowing down her back, her skin was now a light brown color, much like it was before she died. Instead of piercing red eyes, they were the shade of dazzling emeralds. She also had two human legs instead of her ghostly tail and she was dressed in a royal blue evening dress. Stepping onto the floor, she scanned the room in search of her first victim.
What she saw shocked her. There at one of the Craps tables was the ghost child and his friends.
"What is he doing here? How could he possibly know I would be here?" Desiree fumed.
Trying to calm herself, she inspected them closely. Instead of their usual attire, they seemed to be enjoying the casino and not actively hunting her.
"It is spring break. They may simply be here to enjoy themselves." she said to herself. Slowly, a grin spread across her face. "They are most certainly not of the legal age to be partaking in any gambling. This should be a fun way not only to ruin their fortune but also act as a little payback."
***Back to Danny***
Danny watched as his friends won yet another round. They were jumping and hugging each other at their luck while he watched from the side. All of a sudden, Danny's Ghost Sense went off. Quickly glancing around the room, he could neither see nor hear any ghostly activity. The only thing of interest that caught his attention was an attractive female making her way towards him. While Danny felt she looked familiar, he couldn't quite place where he might have seen her before.
"Hi there." the women said, a warm smile on her face.
"Hello yourself." Danny replied, returning the smile. "I'm Danny."
"Call me Lady Luck." The women said, winking at him.
Danny did his best to hide the blush creeping up on his face, but Desiree noticed. "So are those your friends?" she asked, pointing to Sam and Tucker.
"Yeah." Danny said. "They really want to go all out this spring break."
"And you don't?" Desiree asked, a little shocked that he was not joining in on their debauchery.
"I do but I also want to take some time to see the sights. Maybe catch a show or two."
"Well, the night is still young." she replied.
At that moment, Tucker and Sam had just landed another win.
"We wish tonight would be the best night ever!" they shouted.
As Danny laughed, Desiree quietly said, "So you have wished it, so it shall be." before snapping her fingers.
***8 AM, The Next Morning***
I blew out my flip-flop
Stepped on a pop-top
Cut my heel had to cruise on back home
But there's booze in the blender
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on
As Danny slowly woke up, he heard the voice of Jimmy Buffet coming out of his radio.
'Damn, guess I had too much to drink last night.' Danny thought. 'As a matter of fact, I can't quite remember what happened last night.'
Deciding that he would simply ask Sam and Tucker what had happened, he lay back and listened. He had one hand behind his head and another wrapped around one of his pillows.
Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searching for my lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
But I know it's my own damn fault
As the song came to the end, Danny decided to sing the last part of the song out loud. What he didn't expect was to be accompanied by another voice. A female voice. A female voice that sounded like she was laying next to him in bed.
Yes and some people claim that there's a woman to blame
And I know it's my own damn fault
Turning to his left, he noticed that his arm was not wrapped around his pillow, but a woman. And not just any women. Desiree.