WCSII: You are absolutely right. Thankfully, I've gotten on track with where I want this to go, so hopefully it will be much smoother sailing from now on.
Reyow: Well, I go a bit vague about meeting the kids in this chapter, but later chapters will have him really getting to know the clones. And don't worry, Dani will be found out soon.
meapzilla2mouse: Yeah, the GIW had to go for this fic, haha.
IsadoraKayStone: Well then here you go!
LittleRedRiddingWolf: *Checks watch* I'd say right about now.
popie92: Review.
princessbinas: Don't worry, it'll happen soon.
ChopSuzi: Yep!
animeandmangafangirl: Hehe, it's always amusing when that happens.
"Danny! You're going to be late for school!" Maddie spoke through her son's bedroom door. He had slept through his alarm again, no doubt due to fighting ghosts.
The halfa groaned in protest before acting, getting up and scrambling around to get ready. However, it was only when he paused in front of the TV that he saw a problem. Instead of just the traditional news stories, a group of kids was on the screen, each wearing uniforms similar to Dani's GIU outfit. He stared in shock, noticing a few people he'd seen around school including Cate.
Eyes wide, Danny grabbed his backpack and transformed, flying off to school. Apparently, he had a ghost girl to talk to.
Danielle ran by the training room in a pink robe, her black hair dripping on the floor behind her. She could feel her heart racing as she slid around a corner back to her room. Everyone else that was going to school had already left, and she had overslept. Her date had been fantastic, though it went past curfew. As punishment, she had to spend an hour training before bed. Much like Danny, she stumbled and fumbled her way to getting ready before flying off.
When Dani, as Cate of course, walked into class, all eyes fell on her. She walked to her seat as the final bell rang. Leaning over to Danny, she asked, "Why is everyone staring at me?"
"You don't know?" Danny asked in shock. "Cate, why is the GIU employing so many kids who look freakishly like me? Everyone knows. Why didn't you tell me?"
The noirette's eyes widened, and she turned away from her father, staring absentmindedly ahead. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "And Danny… there-there's something you should know about Danielle. She's-"
"Alright, class, despite the hullabaloo going on today, we will be continuing with the lesson," Lancer said as he walked in. Class went on and on, many students wondering if it would ever end. Really, who needed to know what Orwell meant by writing 1984?
While nothing of worth happened in first period, gym was a whole other story.
Dash walked up to Dani, seeing her sitting in the stands. "So," he began slowly, "I didn't expect this to be the follow up to our date."
Dani let out a small laugh and nodded. "Yeah, it's… unexpected. No one was supposed to find out about me and the other clones."
Dash only shrugged. "Shit happens," he notified the girl. "But if it's any consolation, I had fun on our date."
"So did I," Dani smiled. She opened her mouth to say more, only to have it cut off as a strangled cry as she was pulled through the bleachers. The yelp ended as she was caught by Danny. "Oh, hey," she said with a nervous giggle. "I'm guessing you want to talk?"
"Cate?" Dash called under the bleachers, wondering where the halfa had vanished to.
"I'm fine!" Dani assured him. To Danny, she whispered, "Okay, look, I didn't want to keep this from you, but I had to so I could protect my brothers and sisters."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "You mean the other clones?" he asked indignantly. "Just how many of you are there?"
Biting her lip, Dani struggled with whether or not she should tell the older halfa anything more. "Look, I've got to get back to Dash. We were talking about our date."
"WHAT?" Danny demanded. "You went on a date with Dash?"
Dani only shrugged. "I don't see why I shouldn't have."
"You- well he-" Before Danny could form a complete thought, Danielle walked out from behind the bleachers.
Danielle climbed back up to the bleachers and sat next to Dash. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "My dad can be a bit… protective."
"No, I get it," Dash nodded. "My dad is the same way with my sister."
With that, the two launched into a joking debate over whose father was more protective.
Letting himself simmer third period, Danny was ready to rip Andrew a new one by fourth. The lesson was over ghost defense, but Danny wasn't exactly interested in cooperating.
"Alright, Mr. Fenton, if you could take an offensive stance in front of me," Andrew declared.
"Only if you tell me why you hid the other clones from me," Danny hissed back.
Dani covered her face with her hand as Sam leaned in. "Dani, why didn't you tell Danny about the other clones?" she asked quietly.
Dani's head shot out of her hand as she turned to look to her father's girlfriend. Her eyes were wide as golf balls as she stared, wondering just how the noirette had found out her secret.
"Valerie told me and Tucker," Sam explained. "By the way, she said to tell you that she found out the GIU is run by someone named Alexis Volkov. Now my question."
"I knew he would worry," Danielle whispered her explanation. "You saw how protective he is of me. He's going to get the same way with the others, and a war with the GIU is not in his best interests."
Sam nodded and spared Dani a sympathetic glance. "You know the court case is probably going to get thrown out, right?" she asked. "The GIU's lawyers are going to say that if Danny wants you, not taking all the other clones would be neglect, and he wouldn't have the means to take care of you all."
"Freakishly high IQ, remember?" Dani said with half a laugh. "I'm not too surprised that the clones have been found out." She glanced to the front of the class to see Danny and Andrew arguing over the clones. "I just hope that this doesn't escalate any further."
Sam snickered. "This is Danny we're talking about, right?" Dani couldn't help but join in the laughter.
"Miss Streams, perhaps you will be a bit more cooperative," Andrew called out.
Knowing that everyone knew of her origins and current living location, she whined, "But Andy…"
"Training in class now or three extra hours of it after school."
"That's extortion!"
"That's parenting."
A frown on her stressed face, Danielle sighed. "Fine," she agreed, getting up and pretending to attack Andrew.
"Are you out of your mind?" Danny demanded as he followed Dani out of school at four. "You lied to me, Cate!"
"Well what did you expect?!" Dani shot back. "I've been training for months, only hearing about you from stories from Danielle! I was scared. I didn't know what to do when I met you."
Danny only blinked at the halfa. "Really?" he asked quietly. "You were scared of me?"
"No," Danielle quickly replied. "I was scared about meeting you. Danielle said you were so kind and loving and forgiving, and I didn't know what to do. I thought you would shun me if I told you I was just some clone."
"Just some clone?" Danny asked, stopping short. They had made it a good distance from the school by now, thankfully without being followed. "Cate, each of you are important to me. I may not know you all, but you're my kids. I love you, all of you, even if I barely know you."
Tears in her eyes, Danielle smiled. "Thanks," she whispered. "Do you… do you want to have dinner at the GIU? With me and the others?"
A smile spread on Danny's face. "Of course," he nodded. "I'll be there at six?"
Danielle grinned. "See you at six; it's the old mattress factory, just converted."
"See you there."
Danielle nervously checked her hair, making sure every strand fell in the right place. The top half of her hair was clipped behind her head with an emerald green barrette, the rest of it falling free in loose curls. A black dress adorned her body instead of the usual training suit.
"You look like a princess," Melody sighed happily, looking up at her sister. "I hope I look like you when I grow up."
A smile crossed Dani's mouth, and she bent down so she was at Melody's height. "Mel, you are an incredible person," she assured the redhead. "You can only be who you are, and that is great. You're a unique individual, and no one can take that from you."
Melody beamed at the compliment. "Really?" she asked.
"Absolutely."
A ringing sound caught both their attention. "Well, are you ready to meet Danny?" Melody only nodded excitedly in reply.
The two girls rushed to the dining hall where Danny stood waiting, looking around the metal-and-concrete room. "Hey, Danny," Danielle smiled. "Thanks for coming."
"Hi there," Danny smiled. He glanced to Melody. "Who's this cutie?"
"I'm Melody," the redhead explained shyly.
Danny smiled and shook the girl's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Melody," he said. "I can't wait to get to know you."
The ghostly teen soon found himself practically surrounded, clones asking questions of him left and right through dinner, though he was only able to give half of his attention to his children- literally. The other half was exploring the GIU thanks to a double.
"Now what is going on…?" the double muttered as he wandered around the lowest level of the GIU. It had been a pain to get there thanks to the ghost shield, but he managed. Obviously someone didn't want any intruders.
He got to a door labeled 'President Volkov,' and tried the door. It was locked, of course, but it was worth a shot. He attempted to phase through the door, only to run into a ghost shield that crossed the whole of the wall. While he pondered just how to get in, the door unlocked and began to open.
Eyes growing wide, Danny turned invisible and pulled back slightly. Out of the office walked a dark-haired man with blue-grey eyes and a scar cutting across his cheek. The man looked around for a brief moment before shaking his head and going back into his office, locking it behind him.
Danny let out a sigh of relief and faded back to the visible world. He turned around, hoping to find more in another room, only for a dart to hit his neck. However, instead of passing out, the double simply disappeared back to his original in the dining hall.
A scowl on his face, the dark-haired, scar-faced man lowered his gun and let out a curse. "Butter brickle!"
Oooo, someone be shootin' at Danny... And I've already got the next chapter working slowly but surely in my head. Oh, and would you like me to put up some oneshots of what's going on at the GIU? Like little snippets of Dani and the other clones throughout (and maybe even after) the time of this story?