Chapter 6: Anger
William Lancer woke up the next morning and began to go about his daily routine quietly, so as not to wake his guests. As he was in the kitchen preparing coffee, a timid voice spoke up from the doorway.
"How much has Danny told you about me?"
Lancer turned to see a somewhat perky Danielle wrapped in a blanket and looking at him warily. He smiled, trying to put her at ease.
"You're his clone," he said. "Vlad made you but you turned on him. Danny hasn't seen you in about a year and a half."
"Did you know I melt if I use too much of my powers at once?" she asked.
Lancer nodded. "You mentioned something like that yesterday."
"Vlad was supposed to stabilize me so that didn't happen." Dani moved out of the entrance and took a seat at the table. "What do you have for breakfast?"
Lancer flicked the coffee maker on and opened a cupboard. "How does cereal sound?" he asked her.
"Great!"
He poured her a bowl of cheerios he didn't even know why he had and gave it to her along with a carton of milk. Then he popped some bread into the toaster, put two eggs into a pot of water, and sat down opposite her.
"Dani, a lot has changed around Amity Park since you were last here. Danny's parents know his secret, as does the other freelance hunter."
Dani raised her head to look at him quizzically. "The red one on the hoverboard? I saw videos of her in Vlad's lab a few times."
Lancer nodded and continued. "They also know about Vlad. Danny and I are seen as heroes now, not villains. I'm working for the city to help improve the situation further."
The girl nodded again. "Does Danny know I'm here?"
"I haven't had a chance to tell him," Lancer sighed, then, noting the look on her face, added warningly, "I don't think it would be wise to visit him yourself though. You need to get your strength back. Cathy's going to stay with you."
"Your girlfriend?"
"No!" Lancer's toast was done then and he got up from the table. She's off limits, anyway. It's inappropriate to date someone still technically married. I doubt she'd even be interested. "She's just a friend."
"Uh-huh." Dani didn't entirely believe that. He's as bad as Danny. Hope I'm never that clueless.
"Did I hear someone mention something about Dani being a clone?" a sleepy voice asked from the doorway. The two halfas jumped and looked in Cathy's direction. Dani fought the urge to just disappear and Lancer became aware of his face becoming uncomfortably hot. That wasn't something he'd wanted Cathy to know. She asked questions, and got the truth out of people in return. It was time for a half-truth.
"Yes. Dani's, er, a clone of Phantom. An imperfect clone which is why she's half-human, female, and younger."
"A clone? Really? So that's what you meant about not having parents." Cathy placed a hand on Dani's shoulder and smiled down at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't tell. You've been through enough, I'm sure. Toast again, William?"
Lancer ignored her as he brought his plate over to the table with a twist in his stomach. She bought it. She bought it. But why am I feeling bad about lying to her? I lie to everyone else all the time and never feel a thing.
Cathy grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and poured some cheerios into it. "You're feeling better today, Dani?"
"Yup," the girl beamed. "Perfect!"
"Hmph. I doubt that," said Cathy, "but you've definitely improved... Feel up to shopping this afternoon?"
Dani gave the woman a calculating look, then nodded. She could use new clothes before she had to skip town again. It was only a matter of time before Vlad found out where she was, after all, and there was no way she was letting him catch her. She finished her bowl of cereal and stood up from the table.
"Is it okay if I watch TV?" she asked, eyes wide with innocence. Lancer nodded.
"For a while," said Cathy, "and then I want you to have a bath."
"Aw man!" Dani headed back to the couch and fell backwards onto it. Lancer looked at Cathy, who shrugged.
"I'm a parent." She turned back to her breakfast just as Lancer gasped out a stream of blue smoke.
"Do you see why I eat so much toast?" he asked dryly as he stood up from the table. "Ghost World."
The rings of light encased him again, and Cathy didn't even blink. She'd seen his transformation enough by now that it didn't faze her. Instead she said, "Kick butt, William. See you tonight."
Lancer took off and Cathy went into the living room, where Dani had sat up and tensed. The older woman realized that Dani must also be able to sense ghosts.
"Spirit's gone after it. Relax." Dani did, but turned to look at Cathy as she lay back down.
"What's he called as a human?" she asked.
"William Lancer."
Dani nodded, filing the information away, then turned back to the TV. Cathy returned to the kitchen and finished her breakfast. When she was done rinsing out her dishes, she walked into the bathroom and started filling the tub with hot water. When it was halfway full, she came back into the living room and turned off the television.
"Bath," she said pointedly.
Dani groaned, but obediently went into the bathroom and shut the door. Cathy looked at it for a moment before going into her bedroom to find something decent for the girl to wear to the mall. Those rags were completely unsuitable.
As she rifled through her things, she thought about Dani again and smiled. Sweet kid. Still listens to authority after living alone like that. I hope she finds a good home.
---
Late that afternoon, Cathy was sitting on a bench at the Amity Park Mall, bouncing her leg on the opposite knee. Danielle's obedience clearly didn't extend to fashion advice. The girl had refused to let Cathy even suggest an outfit for her, so the woman was waiting outside the store for her charge to finish in the dressing room. As she was examining the selection of dresses in a nearby store at a distance and wondering again how teenage girls could possibly take so long to try on clothes, she noticed a man sitting down beside her. Since he was more interesting than dresses, she risked a glance at him, and instantly regretted it. There was something about him that made her want to shift further down the bench to get away.
The man looked to be slightly younger than her, but already had pure white hair which he'd pulled back into a ponytail. He was probably about the same height as Cathy, and thin, so he appeared even taller. His cheeks were slightly hollow and his blue eyes glittered coldly, though he was attempting to mask that with a self-satisfied smirk. He was obviously proud of his appearance and carried himself like he owned the place.
Which, judging by that suit, thought Cathy, he just might.
The newcomer noticed her looking at him and smiled. "Waiting for someone?" he asked.
Cathy nodded. "My niece. Won't let me near her. That age, you know." She laughed nervously, willing this creepy man to go away. He didn't. Instead, he nodded and looked at where her hands were fidgeting in her lap.
"No wedding band?" he asked curiously. "I'd think a woman like you would have been taken long ago."
"I'm going through a divorce," Cathy said coldly, glad of an excuse to finally edge away. He whistled sympathetically.
"I'm sorry. Another woman?"
Cathy snorted derisively. "He doesn't have the spine."
"Another man, then? You met someone else?"
"No!" How could he even insinuate that? This ... snake doesn't even know my name. Cathy began scanning the clothing store for a sign of Danielle, so she could use the girl as an excuse to leave. The white-haired man continued as if he hadn't heard her answer.
"Because I think getting a divorce just because you might have feelings for someone else isn't a good reason, whether you're male or female."
That was going too far. Cathy stood up and turned to him angrily. "It was for a good reason, thank you very much. I don't care who you are, but you have no right to suggest that sort of thing. I bet you're just bitter because someone jilted you. Well, get over it. Move on. Get a cat."
The man on the bench looked like he was about to lunge at her in anger. Nobody said that sort of thing to him and got away with it. This woman was going to pay.
Cathy turned around and noticed a black ponytail behind a rank of t-shirts. She exhaled in relief.
"I'd better go. There's my niece now." She went into the store without even looking back.
---
Dani had noticed Vlad lurking in a bookstore as she and Cathy were about to enter the clothing store, and instantly hit on the plan of escaping while "in the changeroom." She stubbornly refused Cathy's help, even though the woman was picking out some pretty neat stuff, and dashed into the stall as soon as she could. Then she put on an outfit and phased through the wall. She'd made it to the entrance when she ran into what appeared to be an orange wall. Dani staggered backwards and looked up.
"Danny?" asked a woman's voice.
"Y-yes ..." How did they know her name? The people she'd run into registered then. Crud. Danny's parents. Do they know about me?
The man in the orange jumpsuit lifted her up and held her close to his face, squinting at her.
"You're a girl!" he boomed.
"Uh ... yes?" Of course I'm a girl. What else would I be?
"Who did this to you? Was it a ghost?" Jack began to look around the mall frantically. Maddie smacked his elbow lightly.
"Jack, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this. Put Danny down. Now sweetie," she said, turning to the stunned girl, "what happened?"
They don't know about me, or they'd have realized who I was. Well, if they know about Danny and Vlad, I can probably trust them.
"I-I'm not Danny. I'm Dani. As in Danielle. I'm a ..." She was cut off by a tenor voice approaching behind her.
"Dani? What are you doing here? Oh, hey, Mom, Dad ... this is awkward."
The Fentons looked from Danny to Dani in shock and confusion for a moment before Maddie managed to gasp out a "Wha?"
Danny shifted his weight nervously from where he was standing behind Danielle. "She's my, uh, clone, Danielle. I'll explain later. I really need to talk to her right now." He smiled and pulled her away from the entrance, and got down on his knees to look her in the eye.
"Look, Dani, it's nice to see you again, I was worried, but what are you doing here?"
"Shopping."
Danny glared at her. "I meant in Amity Park."
Dani giggled. "Oh, uh, Spirit found me in the Ghost Zone? And Cathy's buying me clothes," she added.
"You're staying with Lancer?" the older boy asked in amazement. He's taking in stray children now? Does he know who ...? He must. We're too similar, especially as ghosts. And I think I've mentioned her before.
Dani nodded. "Yeah, he let me stay on the couch last night. I came here after school yesterday."
"Ghost school?"
She nodded again. Danny looked back at where his parents were standing staring at them, and sighed. "Okay. I'm going to come by there tonight and you're going to tell me everything, all right? Now you'd better get back before Cathy misses you."
He stood up, looked at her pointedly, and went to explain about her to his parents. Dani stood for a moment, torn between returning to the changeroom and making a second break for it. She decided that if the Fentons were at the mall, Vlad wasn't likely to try anything, and if he did, she wouldn't have to fight because Danny would instead, so she slipped back through the crowd to the store. Cathy joined her a few minutes later looking furious about something, but Dani didn't ask.
---
When Lancer finally made it home at seven o'clock that night, he found Cathy taking a casserole out of the oven. He dropped his briefcase and let his coat slide off his shoulders onto the floor. His day had been completely exhausting, with meetings to organize the upcoming lecture. He'd barely even gotten time for lunch.
Cathy heard him come in and turned around to greet him. "Hey. Tough day?"
"Mm-hmm. I didn't think meetings could be so tiring." And that picture of Spirit on Helena's computer screen when I went for coffee didn't help. Lancer collapsed in a kitchen chair. "How was your day with Dani?"
"Pretty good. Except for this, this ... fruitloop who decided to share his opinions on marriage with me." Cathy waved her hand in the air in irritation. The man had really gotten to her. Lancer perked up at the mention of "fruitloop."
"What did he look like?" he asked stiffly.
"White hair, fancy suit, felt like an oil slick personified ... Suggested that I'm divorcing Matt for another guy."
"What?!" Lancer shot out of the chair, eyes blazing neon blue. "He said what?!" Vlad's going to regret crossing that line. No one says those things about anybody, especially Cathy.
"Woah, woah." Cathy held her arms out, palms facing Lancer. "It's nothing to get upset about..."
"Yes, it is. He..., he..., he had no right." Lancer's fist hit the table. "I understand everything else, but you?"
By this point, Cathy was completely lost. She wasn't about to let that show, though, so grabbed Lancer's arm and forced him to stop pacing. "William, calm down. He probably didn't realize..."
Lancer stood up forcefully to make eye contact with his friend. "Oh, you bet he realized..." He became aware of his rage then and relaxed. "You're right. I'm going to go get out of this tie."
On his way to his room, he passed Dani on the couch. She looked up at him curiously, wondering what the yelling had been about. Lancer caught her eye.
"Vlad got to Cathy."
"At the mall?" she asked. Lancer looked at her in surprise. "I saw him. Tried to run away before he saw me. Danny found me and made me stay. Oh, and Danny's coming by to talk to me later too."
"Cathy know this?"
"Nope!"
Lancer rolled his eyes and went into his bedroom. That girl was incredibly similar to Danny at that age. A minute or so later, Cathy knocked on his door.
"Dinner's ready, William, if you're up to it."
Lancer returned to the kitchen to find a steaming square of casserole on his plate and Cathy serving a bouncy Dani. Cathy looked up and smiled warmly at him, letting him know that she was going to ignore his outburst for the moment. He sat down and soon the three of them were eating and chatting about mundane topics.
They were clearing the table half an hour later when both Lancer and Dani shivered and stiffened. Cathy tensed up too upon seeing their reaction.
"Just me!" called a voice. Phantom came into view in the living room doorway, and the rest of the apartment relaxed. "Hey Dani, Will, uh, it's Cathy, right?"
Cathy nodded, taking advantage of the ghost's closeness to examine his appearance. The black jumpsuit she'd last seen him in was still there, but the body under it had filled out more, and he very definitely had the beginnings of a six-pack now. The ghost stood (floated) about six feet tall as well and his face had become more adult. Her eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.
Did he go through puberty last summer? Is that possible?
Phantom continued. "So, uh, Will, is it okay if I borrow Dani for a bit? We need to catch up and, uh, stuff."
Lancer fought to keep a straight face. " Of course. Just don't keep her too late. She's still a little weak."
"Hey!" Dani crossed her arms and glared at Lancer.
"Thanks," Phantom grinned. "I will. So, Dani, wanna go flying?"
"You bet!" She summoned her ghost form and leapt into the air to join her "original," who then took off through the ceiling after giving a mock salute to Lancer. Dani copied him to the letter, grinning.
Cathy raised an eyebrow and looked at Lancer. "I can see the similarities. So now it's just us, mind explaining that outburst earlier?"
Lancer groaned. I knew this was coming. Maybe I can delay a bit, come up with a good lie. I don't think telling the truth would help matters much right now.
"Let's finish the dishes first?" he suggested.
"They can wait."
Well, there goes that. "Fine." Lancer sighed. "Let's go into the den." He walked over to the couch, expecting Cathy to follow him. She began to, but at that moment the doorbell rang, and being closest to the door, she answered it.
"Ah, hello, my dear," said a smooth male voice. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. I was wondering if I could speak with William a moment?"
Thanks to Golden Lunar Eclipse for letting me use her idea for when Dani and the Fentons meet. Yeah for random plot bunnies you don't know what to do with!