Hello once again! Here's another chapter for all you lovely people!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Only the ghost forms, and Ember's mom, and Shadow.
Chapter 7
Danny awoke in the middle of the night, hearing ragged coughing coming from Danielle's room. He slid out of bed, careful not to wake Ember, and quietly opened her door.
He saw her sitting up in bed, hunched over, and hacking up a lung. He quickly made his way over to her. "Hey, baby girl, you ok?" he asked softly, rubbing her back. She just shook her head, pointing to her throat. "Can't talk, huh? Come on, let's get you some water." He poured her a glass and handed it to her. It was gone in three seconds. "Can you talk now?" he asked, but Danielle shook her head before grabbing a notepad and pencil and started writing.
Can't talk. Throat hurts a lot. Hurts to breathe. Been coughing up green stuff for a few minutes before you came in.
Danny paled. There was only one disease that he knew of that made you cough up ectoplasm.
"Dani, get your coat. We're going to the doctor."
Dani looked at him, confused, but did as he asked. Meanwhile, Danny went back to the bedroom to tell Ember what happened.
"Ember…Ember, wake up," Danny said softly.
"Mmmm…what is it?" asked Ember drowsily, annoyed at being awoken.
"I think Danielle's caught the ecto-flu. We're going to see Frostbite."
Ember sat bolt upright. "Ecto-flu? I'm coming with you."
Danny knew better than to argue, so after leaving a note for his parents in case they were gone until morning, they teleported to the Far Frozen.
They flew at near-Mach speed to Frostbite's hut. Danny pounded on the door. "Frostbite! It's me, Danny! It's an emergency!" he shouted.
Within seconds, the door was flung wide open, and a concerned Frostbite was standing in the doorframe. He took one look at Danny's worried expression and brought them inside.
Danny brought Danielle to the medical facility (he was sent here numerous times during his cryokinesis training) and laid her on the table.
"What's been happening?" asked Frostbite as he put on a stethoscope. Danny explained every symptom that Dani told him about, including the coughing-up-ectoplasm, and Frostbite furrowed his brow. "That sounds like ecto-flu. There is a cure, and it is instantaneous in its effect, but it is a complicated formula and not easily made," he said grimly.
"Can you make it?" Ember pleaded, concerned for her daughter.
Frostbite grinned. "I invented it."
He walked over to a medicine cabinet and pulled out a small blue bottle. He gently opened Dani's mouth and poured a crystal-clear liquid down her throat.
Immediately, Danielle showed visible signs of improvement.
Danny and Ember breathed audible sighs of relief. "Thanks, Frostbite. I owe you one, big time," Danny said as he gathered his daughter in his arms. Frostbite shook his head. "There is no need, young one. You did what had to be done with the resources at your disposal. Feel free to come back anytime, all of you. The realm of the Far Frozen is now open to you," he said with a smile. Danny nodded and hugged Frostbite, as did Ember. After saying goodbye, they teleported back to the Fenton house.
Danny looked at the clock. 10:00 on the dot. Man, time really did pass differently in the Ghost Zone.
BOOM.
The entire house shook with the force of the explosion. Danny and Ember stumbled a bit. There were two thumps and two yelps, and Jazz and Johnny stuck their heads through the ceiling.
"Man, that's one hell of a wake up call!" Johnny exclaimed.
They floated through the ceiling, righting themselves to land gracefully on the floor.
Suddenly, a soot-covered Jack Fenton came through the door to the lab.
"Sorry about that! We're trying to invent new tools that could help us if we ever have to fight ghosts!" he boomed. Everyone rolled their eyes.
"Come on, Dad. It's not like a ghost is gonna-" Jazz was cut off as the Fentons' ghost senses went off. A blue man in overalls and a blue beanie phased through the floor.
"BEWARE! I AM THE BOX GHOST! MASTER OF ALL THINGS CARBOARD AND SQUARE!" he shouted. Everyone groaned. "It's like there's another Dad…he's so loud!" said Danny. Suddenly, the Box Ghost raised his hands, and with a mighty "BEWARE!" sent cereal boxes flying at the teens from the cabinets.
"Johnny, Ember! You know this guy?" Danny called as he dodged some Fruit Loops.
Ember shook her head, but Johnny answered. "He calls himself the Box Ghost. He has power over anything that's classified as a box. The boxes themselves aren't usually a threat, but their contents can be. I remember I fought him once and was nearly crushed by a refrigerator."
Suddenly, Danny had to jump out of the way. An entire box of knives had just launched itself at him, its contents threatening to impale him. "I think I see your point," he punned as he stared at the quivering knives that had sunk into the wall.
Danny turned and launched himself at the Box Ghost, not seeing Johnny do the same on the other side. The Box Ghost turned intangible at the last second, causing Danny and Johnny to crash into each other and land in a heap on the floor. Maddie ran up the stairs, off the wall, and threw a flying side kick. She missed and hit Jazz, sending her through the living room wall.
Dani hid behind her mother, crying. She was terrified of this new, unknown threat.
A large box knocked Jack off his feet, and something silver and cylindrical fell out of his pocket. It looked like a soup thermos. Quickly and quietly, he unscrewed the lid and pointed it at the Box Ghost. He prayed this time it would work.
"EAT FENTON THERMOS, GHOST!" he bellowed. The thermos shot out a blue light that engulfed the Box Ghost and sucked him inside, screaming.
Jack quickly replaced the lid and slid down the wall, thoroughly exhausted.
Danny, Johnny, Jazz, and Maddie all sat up, groaning and holding their heads.
Danny was the first to stand, but almost fell over again due to Danielle attaching herself to his chest at high speed. He held her until she calmed down before asking, "Okaaaay…what was that?"
"A ghost, obviously, or the new Fenton Thermos wouldn't have worked," Jack pointed out. "What exactly does that thermos do?" asked Jazz. Jack beamed. "It's guaranteed to capture any and all ghosts and cram them into a tiny space!" he said proudly. Everyone in the room took a step back, out of firing range.
Fortunately, Jack seemed to realize the problem and hastily set the thermos on the counter.
"So, one thing's for sure: we need more training," said Johnny, but Danny shook his head. "Training more won't do any good. That ghost was able to take on all of us at once. If anything, we need to work on our teamwork," he said. Suddenly, a black combat boot nailed him in the head, and he went down like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Will everyone just SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP?!" Sam roared from her room. Everyone in the living room flinched. Jazz could be scary, but Sam could be downright terrifying.
Everyone instantly shut up until they heard Sam's door close. Jazz turned to her mom and dad. "Speaking of training, you two haven't had practice with your elemental powers yet," she said.
"Indeed, Jasmine," a new voice said.
The Fentons, plus Johnny and Ember, whirled around and were met with…
"Clockwork?" Danny asked groggily as he slowly came to. A steel-toe boot to the head hurts. "What are you doing here?"
Clockwork smiled. "My…employers…are called the Observants. They…well, they observe the current time stream. If something appears that could threaten the timeline, they send me to remove it. Sometimes, though, I intentionally make myself scarce just to anger them," he said with a smirk. "But that's only part of the reason I'm here. Jackson, Madeline, I understand that you have not had practice with your elemental powers. So, I took it upon myself to locate you a tutor. His name is Vortex. He just so happens to have control over the weather, so naturally, he has both lightning and wind powers."
Jack and Maddie gaped. They had almost forgotten about their elemental training.
"When will we meet him?" asked Jack. Clockwork smiled again. He opened a portal behind him. "Right now," he said, and pushed the two into the portal. It closed behind them, and Clockwork sighed.
"Now that that's taken care of, I'll take my leave. Farewell."
He opened a portal and floated through it with a wave.
MEANWHILE
Jack and Maddie landed in a very undignified manner on an island in the Ghost Zone.
"Ouch! Damn Clockwork…" Jack grumbled. "Now, where do we find Vortex?"
Maddie pointed to a nearby island where a storm was raging. "Oh," said Jack sheepishly.
As they flew towards the island, they felt the wind pick up, and rain soon coated their skin. Soon, they were struggling to fight their way through the storm.
"It's too dangerous to fly, Mads! We'll have to leg it from here!" Jack shouted as lightning flashed. They landed on the edge of the island and forced their way through the gale.
After what felt like hours, they finally reached the eye of the storm, which surrounded a gigantic obsidian castle.
Exhausted, Jack and Maddie flopped down on the ground in front of the castle. The last thing they saw was a green ghost with a ghostly tail that looked like a tornado, before darkness clouded their vision and they passed out.
Jack and Maddie awoke with a start. They were in a soft bed. They looked around their unfamiliar surroundings, trying to figure out just where they were, when a door opened to their left. The same ghost they saw before passing out floated through. Upon closer inspection, the green ghost wore a black shirt with a V and a lightning bolt on it. He smiled, showing sharp teeth.
"Ah, you're awake! Good! It's Jack Fenton, AKA Shade, correct? And your wife, Maddie, AKA Specter?" he asked. They nodded dumbly. Jack was focused on the swirling winds that made up the ghost's tail.
The ghost looked down, following Jack's gaze, then laughed and his tail formed a pair of legs that were dressed in black jeans.
"Sorry about that, the wind can be a bit mesmerizing. I'm Vortex. Clockwork visited not too long ago, said something about you two needing training with lightning and wind powers?" Vortex asked, and Jack nodded.
Vortex smiled. "Well, then. Let's get started."
And so they trained. Jack was soon able to control all forms of electricity, and Maddie could use the winds to increase her speed in the air as well as fire concussive blasts.
Jack's strongest attack was called Zeus' Fury, in which he knocked his opponent down with a charged punch before flying above them and calling down a series of lightning bolts. He would finish the attack by firing a large ball of electrically-charged ectoplasm at his opponent, causing a large explosion.
Maddie's strongest attack was called Cyclone. She flew into the air and used her power over air to create a large tornado charged with ectoplasm, which she would hurl at her opponent. It was useful, but the drawback was it caused massive amounts of property damage, something she actively tried to avoid.
They even had a combo attack, called Maelstrom. Jack and Maddie would stand back-to-back, and Maddie would create a hurricane while Jack charged it with lightning. The attack would then be condensed into a ball between them and hurled at the opponent, exploding on impact.
Once Vortex could teach them no more, Clockwork retrieved them and sent them back to Amity Park, where they practiced their elemental powers with the rest of the family on the outskirts of the city.
Eventually, they made a breakthrough. By combining all of their powers, they created a devastating attack.
They called it Apocalypse Storm. Danny would use Ice Age to freeze the surrounding area, while Maddie and Jack used Maelstrom (without condensing it into a ball), which Jazz amplified with her fire powers.
The result was an electrically-charged hurricane that rained fire on a frozen landscape. Nothing could escape once caught in the attack, and it dealt heavy damage, but didn't kill. The downside to the attack was it required time and energy to create, so it was only to be used as a last resort.
Danny, meanwhile, had practiced with his swords and hidden blades. He took it upon himself to teach Ember, Jazz, and Johnny how to fight with swords and knives, as Johnny taught Danny and the others how to effectively fight with a chain. Jazz had no weapon skills to teach, though she did teach the others how to put up a barrier strong enough to withstand a tank shell, and no one other than Danny could use Ember's guitar effectively.
Maddie helped the others improve their hand-to-hand skills and endurance, while Jack helped with basic strength training. By the end of their training period, Danny, Johnny, and Jack were all ripped. During the training, Danny had hit a huge growth spurt. He now stood about 6 foot 2. It took all of Ember's and Jazz's self-control to not grab their respective boyfriends and haul them off to their bedrooms and lock the doors.
Maddie, however, had no such limitations. One day, Jack accidentally walked through the kitchen, shirtless, and Maddie grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall.
When Danny heard the lock click, he quickly suggested they go out for lunch.
Danny, Ember, Danielle, Johnny, and Jazz all went to the Nasty Burger for lunch, where they met up with Tucker. They had a good time, until…
"Well, hello, Danny," said a voice with a Latino accent.
Aw, shit, Danny thought as he turned around in his seat to face Paulina. She took in his new appearance. She had to admit, he was pretty damn good-looking. With his prominent muscles and the scar on his face…wait. Didn't that super-hot ghost boy have a scar like that? She couldn't remember, so she shoved the thought aside.
Then she noticed Ember, and began to put two and two together (AN: surprisingly, she can actually do that).
She was Phantom's girlfriend (grrrr…), so why was she hanging around with Fenton, unless…
Oh.
Oh, shit.
Danny watched as Paulina's eyes widened. He had noticed her staring at his scar, and realized that she was beginning to put the pieces together.
In order to head her off, he smiled and said, "So you finally figured it out?"
"So it's true? You're the ghost boy?" Paulina whispered.
Danny closed his ice-blue eyes briefly, and when he opened them, Paulina was shocked to see them glowing neon green.
She had just opened her mouth when Ember cut her off. "One word to anyone without our say-so and no amount of plastic surgery will fix what I do to you." Paulina gulped and nodded. She then put on her most provocative look.
"So, Danny, how about you ditch the bitch and hang out with a real woman?" she asked, fluttering her eyelids. Danny put on a mock look of thought.
"You know what? You're right." Ember was shocked, and Paulina smiled victoriously.
Those emotions changed when Danny turned to Paulina. "Leave," he deadpanned.
Ember and Tucker nearly fell out of their chairs, they were laughing so hard, Sam choked on her drink, and Paulina's jaw hung to the floor. No one talked to her like that. NO ONE.
She had opened her mouth to yell at Danny when he pulled out a familiar pink-and-black flash drive. She immediately shut her mouth, and Danny put the drive away. "Good girl," he said sarcastically. "Now go suck off Kwan or Jeremy or whoever you're banging this week."
Paulina looked mortified. She instantly turned on her heel and ran out the door.
Danny looked at Tucker, who was typing away furiously on a laptop he pulled from God-knows-where. "Any chance you can send the stuff on that drive to the teachers next year?" he asked. Tucker chuckled and shook his head. "Dude, I'm six steps ahead of you. These just went viral. We have…125,244 likes on one, another fifteen thousand on page two, et cetera, et cetera. I could probably sell these and make millions, easy."
Danny smiled to himself. After all, Tucker did it, not him. All he knew was the results would be entertaining.
Boy, was that the understatement of the century.
Paulina Sanchez went from A-List queen to a mere peasant within 12 hours.
And yet, she still didn't understand why everyone kept looking at her weirdly.
Danny, Tucker, Ember, and Sam all roared with laughter when she finally figured it out. She screamed and raged at Danny and the others, but Danny tuned her out. He leaned over to Tucker and whispered in his ear.
"I'll give you five bucks if you send it to her mother."
Long story short, Tucker was now five bucks richer.
Two days later, Danny and Ember were hanging out at the mall. They had planned to meet Sam and Tucker for lunch. Sam and Tucker had the biggest crush on each other, but they were almost as clueless as Danny ("HEY!"). Danny and Ember could see it though, and kept trying to force them together. However, it was taking longer than anticipated. They just refused to admit their feelings toward each other.
Danny and Ember were discussing yet another plan to get the two together when Danny's ghost sense went off. They ducked into a deserted alley, where Danny transformed. He flew up above the mall, searching for the ghost, when a blue ball of ecto-energy blasted him in the chest, knocking him into a building. He burst out of the rubble, eyes glowing green in rage.
Before him was the most ridiculous-looking ghost he had ever seen (in his opinion).
He looked like a robot. His body was made of metal, and he had a green Mohawk that looked to be made of fire. He had metal wings coming out of his back with jet engines attached to them.
"Who the hell are you?" Danny asked, floating up to the ghost's level.
"I am Skulker, the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter!" the ghost roared. "And you, whelp, are interfering with my hunt!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. How about you go back home, you Iron Man reject!" Danny yelled while shooting an ecto-beam at Skulker's wing. Despite the weight of the metal, Skulker was surprisingly agile, able to dodge the beam and return one of his own. Danny dodged before flying in close and delivering an ectoplasm-charged punch to the robot's chest. Thanks to Danny's increased strength, the blow did far more damage to Skulker than the metal did to Danny. Skulker went flying into the side of a building.
Danny reached for the Fenton Thermos on his belt. Ever since the success of the weapon against the Box Ghost, Jack had insisted that everyone in the family carry one at all times, with the exception of Danielle.
Suddenly, Skulker shot out of the rubble and extended a blade from his arm.
Danny couldn't react fast enough as he felt the sharp blade cut him diagonally across his chest. Now he would have an X-shaped scar on his chest.
Danny stumbled back in midair before his eyes glowed brighter and he drew his swords, charging them with his ice energy. Skulker extended a second blade from his other arm and flew towards Danny, who adopted a defensive stance.
Suddenly, the sound of a power chord ripped through the air, and Skulker was sent flying from the massive pink fist that smashed into his chest.
Danny looked down and Ember with her guitar, floating up to him.
"Thanks, Emy. I owe you one."
Ember smirked. "Damn right you do."
Suddenly, she was hit by a glowing green net. She fell to the ground and screamed as electricity coursed through the net, electrocuting her.
Danny whipped around and saw Skulker lower his arm.
"A ghost with control over music? A fine prize indeed! And she's pretty…might make a good mistress," Skulker said as he flew down and reached for the net.
Then he looked down at the sword blade sticking out of his chest.
He smirked and turned to see what the whelp was trying to accomplish. What he saw wiped the smirk from his robotic face.
Danny was looking at him with ice-blue, rage-filled eyes. Ice coated his hands and elbows, turning them into razor-sharp blades. Danny flew forward so fast, Skulker had no chance of dodging.
Ember watched as Danny nearly carved Skulker to pieces. I had no Idea he could do that, she thought. He obviously used his ice powers that he learned in the Far Frozen, but where did he learn a technique using four blades?!
Suddenly, Danny stopped slashing and the blades disappeared. "You know, Skulker, I just realized something. You're a ghost, right?"
Skulker nodded dumbly, and Danny gained an evil smile.
"That means you can't die, right?"
Another nod. Danny's smile grew.
"Which means I don't have to worry about breaking my oath when I do this."
Danny made a gigantic icicle. It was the original finishing blow of the move he just used, Icy End. With a yell, he thrust it into Skulker's chest.
Skulker's armor exploded. Danny walked over to where the head lay, and was surprised to see a tiny pair of legs sticking out the bottom of it.
He grabbed the legs and pulled. Then he nearly fell over, he was laughing so hard.
In his hand was Skulker's true form, a green blob with arms and legs. It spoke in a high-pitched voice. "Unhand me! I am Skulker, the Ghost Zone's greatest-"
He was cut off as Danny opened the Thermos and sucked him in. Putting the cap back on, he cut the net Ember was trapped in using his hidden blade and transformed. He felt his healing factor start repairing the damage to his chest, but he knew that it would scar. Suddenly, Ember attached herself to his chest, crying into his shoulder. He immediately put his arms around her and teleported them to his room. He held her, rubbing small circles on her back and stroking her flaming hair, until she finally calmed down. She looked up at him and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thanks for saving me, babypop," she said. "You're welcome, Emy."
Suddenly, Danielle burst through the door and pounced on her parents, knocking them to the floor. "MOMMY! DADDY!" she screamed happily as she hugged them both tightly. They laughed and hugged her back, and Danny ruffled Danielle's hair, causing her to giggle.
Danny stood up and put Danielle on his shoulders before walking down to the kitchen, crouching a bit so Danielle wouldn't hit her head on the doorframe.
He looked up at Danielle. "You hungry?" he asked, and she nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, what do you want?" Dani thought for a minute before saying excitedly, "Macaroni and cheese!". Danny smiled; it was her favorite food. He set her down at the table and prepared the food. Dani squealed in joy when Danny set her bowl in front of her.
She was finished with her third bowl in less than 2 minutes. While Danny was serving her fourth helping, Dani noticed Danny's hidden blade. "Daddy, what's that?" she asked, pointing to the weapon. Danny followed her gaze and laughed. "That's my hidden blade. It's very helpful if I'm ambushed and don't have time to use my swords," he explained as he flicked his wrist, extending the blade. "When you get a bit older, I'll teach you how to use it."
Dani pouted. "But I wanna fight ghosts with you," she whined, giving Danny the puppy dog eyes. Danny smiled and ruffled her hair. "Not till you're older, kiddo."
She continued giving him the puppy dog eyes. Danny was unfazed. She could use it well; that much was given. But Danny had invented the technique. He just smiled and shook his head.
Seeing she was getting nowhere, Dani resorted to plan B.
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
…And so on. Finally, after ten minutes, Danny sighed.
"Tell you what. If it's okay with your mother, we'll start training you. But, you won't be able to fight ghosts unless me or your mother says you can. Does that work?"
Dani thought about it for a minute before nodding.
"Good. Let's get started then," Danny said, whisking away the untouched bowl of macaroni.
"Hey! I was eating that!" Danielle complained. "Okay, number one: no you weren't. Number two: it's a very bad idea to undertake intense training on a full stomach," Danny said. "Believe me, I've made that same mistake."
Dani pouted but said nothing. She didn't want to ruin her chances of finally being trained to fight ghosts.
And so, they trained. The entire Fenton family helped, including Sam. Sam's job was to make sure she knew how much power to use on either ghosts or humans. Ghosts were more durable than humans, so they could take harder hits. While Dani went all-out with the rest of the Fentons, Sam would jump in from time to time and force Dani to change the power of her attacks at random times, because you can't predict everything in a fight.
Johnny helped Dani use the environment to her advantage, using whatever happened to be laying around as a weapon. For example, a broom handle became a bo staff, a chain became nunchaku, a tree branch became a club, and so on.
Maddie helped her with hand-to-hand combat as well as endurance. She and Dani would spar until one of them (usually Dani) surrendered. Soon, Dani could go on for over 45 minutes without even breathing hard.
Jack helped with her basic strength training, not that she needed it. She had inherited Jack's monstrous strength, so his role was primarily to spar with her and Sam, helping her control her immense power.
Jazz tutored Dani with energy-based attacks and shields. Jazz would fire energy blasts of varying intensities while Dani held her strongest shield, until it broke. Then Jazz would put up a shield and Dani would throw ecto-blasts at it until she either broke through or used up her power.
Ember didn't really help too much, considering she used her guitar for combat, and was not as skilled in hand-to-hand combat or ecto-blasts. She mostly taught first-aid, should Dani get injured in a fight.
Finally, Danny trained her in weapon skills. First, she learned how to properly wield different types of swords, then use them in a fight. Then she moved on to dual-wielding, then knife fighting and properly wielding throwing knives. She had a particular talent for those weapons. Then Danny showed her an unconventional style known as "espada y daga*" which utilized a combination of sword and knife.
Finally, Danny taught her how to use a hidden blade. She used Jack's blueprint to design her own, and add a bit of personality to it. Her blade was about an inch shorter than Danny's, but it still packed quite a punch.
A month later, they could teach her no more. The Fentons stood off to the side as Danny approached his daughter.
"You've done well, Dani. I'm proud of you," Danny said with a smile. Dani smiled back. "But, it's time for your last test. A fight," he continued. Dani smirked, but it quickly fell when Danny drew his swords. "And your opponent will be me."
Dani gulped. She had never fought against her father before. She had no idea what to expect. She just steeled herself and flicked out her hidden blades.
Danny smiled and explained the rules. "The fight will go on as long as necessary. The winner will be declared by way of knockout, surrender, or a killing blow withheld. If blood is drawn, the fight will stop immediately while the wound is attended to. Any and all weapons and tactics are fair game," Danny explained, before adopting a leisurely stance, pointing one of his swords at Dani. "Ready? I'm not going to go easy on you."
Dani nodded. Danny nodded back. Dani blinked, and her father was gone. Instinctively, she rolled to her left as her father's blades whistled through the air where her head had been. All she knew about her father was that he preferred aerial combat and his favorite weapons were his swords. If she could keep him on the ground and separate him from his weapons…
As she was thinking, she accidentally let her guard down and saw Danny lunge toward her, swords positioned like a giant pair of scissors.
Devoid of any other options, Dani did the one thing she could do.
She screamed bloody murder.
…And released a Ghostly Wail.
Taken unawares, Danny was launched back by the force of the attack. As he stood, he couldn't help being shocked. For that power to manifest itself at that age…time to give Vlad a call.
He was caught unawares yet again as Danielle slammed an elbow into his stomach, sending him down on one knee. As she brought her blades down, he disappeared in a cloud of snow, reappearing in the air behind her. He took a deep breath, gathering the ecto-energy in his throat…
…and whistled.
It was like a miniature, condensed version of the Ghostly Wail. The attack hit Dani right as she was turning and sent her into a wall. Danny flew over to her as the resulting cloud of dust began to settle. He heard movement and swung his sword, stopping before he caused damage.
The dust settled, and Danny had his blade an inch from Dani's neck.
He smirked. "I win," he said. Dani smirked back. "Look down," she said.
Danny looked down to see Dani's hidden blade less than an inch from his chest, directly over his heart.
Danny raised an eyebrow. "A draw, huh? Closest I've ever come to being beaten in a straight-up fight," he said with amusement.
He sheathed his swords. "Congratulations, Dani. You have passed all your tests with flying colors. As such, I have a few gifts for you." He turned and picked up a wooden box. Dani opened it, and inside were a set of Assassin robes just like her father's, except hers were white while Danny's were black.
She put them on quickly, and Danny nodded. "They suit you," he remarked, and Dani grinned.
Danny then handed her another box. This one was longer and slimmer than the other one. Dani opened it and found two swords identical to her father's, albeit shorter so they were balanced for her. She squealed in delight and quickly strapped them to her belt.
Other gifts included a belt with throwing knives, two daggers, and a new collar for Shadow, who had grown to the size of a pickup truck. He was still only 6 months old. Once he became the size of a full-grown Labrador at only 4 months of age, they found out what he really was. Courtesy of Skulker.
Skulker had exited the portal and found Danny feeding Shadow. His mechanical eyes widened and he whispered, "A hellhound?! A worthy prize…". He tried to shoot a net at Shadow but the dog jumped out of the way and proceeded to turn Skulker's armor into an oversized chew toy.
Due to his size, Shadow had to stay in the Ghost Zone, though the Fentons learned how to summon him to and from the Zone. Danielle was better than the rest of the family at the summoning spell, for some reason.
Finally, Danny laid a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "As your father, I hereby give you permission to help out with the ghost attacks," he said, and Danielle hugged him so tightly, he felt his spine pop.
That night, Dani went out on her first patrol with Danny. They chatted, enjoying the father/daughter bonding moment. As they flew over the town, Dani floated over to Danny and promptly sat on his back, effectively making him a flying taxi. Danny just smiled.
After a while, they ran into the Box Ghost. Again. He attacked the town almost daily. He'd become more of a pain in the ass rather than an actual threat. Dani used this opportunity to test out her hand-to-hand combat skills. Poor Box Ghost…
After beating the Box Ghost into the Fenton Thermos, Danny and Dani went to the park and transformed. Danny smiled as he watched his daughter play on the playground. After a few minutes, Dani stopped playing to let out a huge yawn. Danny transformed before flying over and gathering his daughter in his arms. She yawned again, wrapped her arms around his neck, and promptly fell asleep against his shoulder. He smiled as he took off towards Fenton Works.
He phased into Danielle's room and woke her up so she could get ready for bed. She stumbled to her dresser to get her pajamas while Danny exited the room to give her privacy.
A few minutes later, he heard Dani get into bed and walked in to kiss her good night. Dani snuggled into the covers and was out like a light. Danny turned off the light as he left and went downstairs, where he found Ember looking at a piece of paper with a huge smile on her face.
"What's up, Emy?" Danny asked. Ember said nothing, she just held out the piece of paper. It was addressed to Daniel James Fenton and Amber Leanne McLain, 1353 W 14th street, Amity Park, Minnesota. There was no return address, just the letters CW.
Danny raised an eyebrow. Why would Clockwork send him a letter?
He opened the paper and started reading.
Dearest Daniel and Amber,
You may not know this, but since you are both ghosts (half, in Daniel's case), you have the opportunity to make your own lair in the Ghost Zone. Come see me if and when you want to make yours. The offer is extended to the rest of your family as well, including Ms. Manson and Mr. and Mrs. Masters.
Say hello to Danielle for me.
Regards,
Clockwork
Danny's grin very nearly split his face. He just turned to Ember and wrapped her in a hug and spun her around in a circle, laughing.
Ember was caught off guard but laughed anyway.
Danny set her down and was almost vibrating with excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" he said enthusiastically and teleported in a burst of snow.
Less than ten seconds later, he reappeared, looking sheepish. "Umm…do you know how to get to Clockwork's lair?" he asked nervously.
Ember facepalmed. "Dumbass…" she muttered before taking his hand and leading him to their room. "Let's sleep first, babypop. We'll go see Clockwork in the morning."
"But I caaaaaaaan't!" Danny whined. "I have too much energy!"
Ember's annoyed expression turned into a sly smile. "Well, then, we'll have to do something about that, won't we?" she said seductively. Danny gave her a confused look. Ember facepalmed again and whispered in his ear.
Danny immediately went very red, before a goofy smile found its way to his face and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Let's go, then," said Ember, leading him into their room.
Long story short, they both had a very good night's sleep.
The next morning, Danny was the first one up. He tried his hardest to wake Ember up, but to no avail. She was a really heavy sleeper.
Sighing, he resorted to desperate measures, even though it likely meant the end of the world as he knew it. But he was willing to take that chance, so he used the one thing that nobody, living or dead, could sleep through.
He woke up Danielle, and after bribing her with a stick of gum and two packs of M&M's, brought her into their room. He stuffed his fingers in his ears and nodded at Danielle, who proceeded to produce the loudest, ear-piercing scream anyone had ever heard.
Everyone on the block was instantly awake. Ember included.
After retrieving his girlfriend from the ceiling, he left the room so she could get ready to go to Clockwork's.
Soon, Ember walked downstairs with a frown on her face. "I'll have my revenge, babypop. Just wait," she growled. Seeking to head off her revenge, Danny quickly put on his strongest puppy-dog look. Ember flinched, but was otherwise unfazed. Suddenly, Dani pulled out her puppy-dog look and whimpered, "Please don't be mad at Daddy, he's just excited…" Ember's willpower crumbled under the combined force of the father/daughter assault.
"Oh, fine. I'll let it slide this once," Ember sighed. When she turned around, Danny quickly slipped Dani another pack of M&M's.
"Well, then, let's go!" Danny exclaimed, scooping up Danielle and placing her on his shoulders. Ember rolled her eyes and they teleported to Clockwork's tower.
Danny and Dani marveled at the slightly Gothic design of the tower before Danny remembered why they were here. He enthusiastically knocked on the door, and it soon opened, revealing a smiling Clockwork.
"Ah, hello Daniel, Amber. I take it your trip was uneventful?" he asked, inviting them inside.
"You know the answer to that, Clockwork," Danny said sarcastically. Clockwork just smiled. Suddenly, Dani launched herself off of Danny's shoulders and grabbed the Master of Time around the middle. "It's good to see you, Grandpa Clockwork!" she said happily, and Clockwork smiled down at her before hugging her back. "It's good to see you as well, little one," he said warmly. Dani let go and floated back to Danny's shoulders.
"Well, would you like to create your lair?" asked Clockwork, and both Danny and Ember nodded. "Let's get started then."
A few hours, lots of arguments, and several ecto-blasts later, they were finished. Danny and Ember agreed on just one thing: it needed space. Fenton Works was too small for five halfas, two ghosts, and a human to live together quietly.
So, they built a castle. A huge castle. Seven stories, complete with a moat and drawbridge. And guarding that drawbridge was everyone's favorite hellhound…
"Shadow!" Dani squealed as she ran to the gigantic dog, who promptly rolled over on his back so she could rub his belly. Seconds later, Shadow's leg was kicking, his tail was wagging, and his tongue lolled out of his open mouth.
Danny and Ember smiled at the sight before customizing some of the rooms. The master bedroom was a combination of black, white, and blue, while Danielle would customize her own room. Danny had a full gym, including an indoor track and Olympic-sized pool.
Ember had a full recording studio, complete with a set of guitars that would make any collector jealous. There was even a stage out back that she could play concerts on.
Next to the stage was a training area, where Danny and the others could practice their powers or blow off steam.
Finally, there was a garage as big as Vlad's, where Danny kept his cars. He planned on acquiring more, though he had no idea how.
Exhausted, Danny and Ember flopped down on their king-size bed and promptly fell asleep.
MEANWHILE…
Jack was working on another project in the lab. He was just putting the finishing touches on the word "Fenton" when…
BOOM.
The now soot-and-ectoplasm-covered Jack growled angrily and threw the failed invention off to the side. The only success he had in developing ghost hunting weapons was the Fenton Thermos. Everything else seemed to blow up in his…
Oh.
OH.
Jack had an epiphany. Everything seemed to blow up in his face…
…so why not make something that does the exact same thing to a ghost?
Grinning from ear to ear, Jack pulled on his jumpsuit hood and goggles and set to work.
Three hours later, they were finally done. He held them up and looked at them with an approving eye. The Fenton Ecto-Grenades were finally complete! Curious, he took one and walked over to a containment unit where a particularly malevolent ghost was being held. This particular ghost was about to destroy a nursery when Jack intervened and beat the ghost into submission.
Jack pulled the pin and dropped the grenade into the containment unit. "Here, hold this," he said sarcastically.
BOOM.
The ghost was thrown into the wall of the cell by the blast, and it slid down to the floor, unconscious. Jack grinned. Finally, something worked. He quickly gathered the remaining grenades and put them on special belts that could only be worn by himself, his family, Vlad, Ember, Dani, and Sam. Anyone else who tried to wear them were in for a…shocking experience.
Maddie came downstairs. "Jack, what are you doing?" she asked curiously.
Jack smiled and showed her the ecto-grenades. She looked impressed, then asked, "Do you think you could make some timed and remote-controlled ones?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "You doubt my skills?" he asked, feigning offense. At Maddie's deadpan look, he nodded. "Never mind."
MEANWHILE…
Vlad's jaw hit the floor. "Really?" he asked, hopeful he had not misheard. Ellen smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically. Vlad stood there, slack-jawed, for a full thirty seconds before he wrapped Ellen in a hug. According to her, they could make a lair in the Ghost Zone. Vlad was excited enough about that piece of information, but then Ellen dropped the bomb that sent him over the edge.
When they split apart, Vlad immediately went intangible and flew up to the attic.
He spent well over thirty minutes searching, until finally he found what he was looking for.
As he went intangible and phased through the floor, he couldn't help but grin.
He floated through each floor, dancing a made-up jig in midair, his old childhood cradle in his arms.
Jesus that was a long one. R&R Please! Thanks for reading, expect chapter 8 by this weekend!
*literally, "sword and dagger"
