Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International.
Stuck
Chapter 17: Stalked
Previously
Danny groaned.
"My female best friend and my girlfriend are no where to be seen...Sam might be tough but Star is still new to this..."Danny groaned.
"This can't get any worse..."Danny groaned...
Unfortunately, he forgot the universal rule of never saying "This can't get any worse"...and this was the consequence to that.
"Bonjour, Mon Amour..."A flirtatious but smug french accented voice said and Danny turned around in shock.
"COLETTE?!...'Danny exclaimed in shock.
Yes, it looks like things have just gotten A LOT worse now...
Earlier that evening
Colette had witness Danny Phantom and a boy who's name she did not recall but she did know that he is suppose to be one of Danny's friends, leaving her step sisters bedroom in the middle of the night.
She also did a little more investigating and didn't see Star in her room at all, which is most curious.
"Hmm...seems Estelle has been a bad girl...magnifique..."Colette whispered in a sinister way as she took more pictures with her brand new cell phone.
Once done, she knew what she had to do, but first thing is first, she had to buy some time.
Sure, she doesn't have a curfew but her father and step mother both like to be informed where she will be and for how long when she is "out with her friends".
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. A few moments later, someone picked up on the other end.
"Hello..."Was heard.
"Bonjour, Mama..."Colette greeted, using her sweetest tone possible.
"Ah, Colette...how is everything with you and your new friends?..."Stella asked her step daughter.
"Oh, it has been magnifique, Mama! They have all been so nice to me, and I do feel that I am learning so much more about my dear...sœur..." Colette made a face at the last word, before continuing to pour on the charm.
"Well, this is wonderful! I told you that things would be better and we would get along better as a family...'Stella said in a pleased tone.
Colette rolled her eyes, before continuing to speak in her faux sweet, charming tone of voice.
"Yes...anyway, Mama...I wanted to know if I could spend the evening with Estelle and her friends tonight, S'il vous plaît..."Colette asked, and just as always, her step mother never could find it in her to refuse her requests.
"But of course, Colette...so, you will be sleeping over with your step sister tonight?..."Stella asked.
"Oui oui..."Colette lied.
"In fact, I will be on my way to her house right now..."She lied once again, already having an alibi ready.
"Well, alright...I do not see why not..."Stella said.
"Merci beuacoup, mama...bonne nuit..." Colette said cheerfully before hanging up.
Once done, she rolled her eyes with a smirk.
"So easy..."She thought as she then decided to call a taxi.
She had a place to go and someone to see, but it is not whom her step mother believes.
Not in the slightest.
Later
It was very late at night and Colette has spent the last few hours looking for the person she wanted to see most.
Danny.
She had gone to his house, information she got after flirting with some nerd at school into getting it, but once there his older sister told her that he was sleeping and did not wish to be disturbed. Colette knew she was lying when she acted all to forcefully to make her leave their home, especially when their parents would have come.
Colette has had more of her fair share in sneaking out and helping her friends do the same and she knew a potential cover up when she saw one. This means that Danny is likely not home, and if so...he is probably involved with whatever she saw happening in her foolish step sister's room.
So, she spent the rest of this time looking for him, even checking that repulsive fast food burger joint called the Nasty Burger but he was not there.
She just really needed to find him and speak to him right now!
After almost two hours of searching, Colette was about to call a quits, only to find whom she was looking for in a park across the street to the local football stadium.
"There he is!..."Colette thought in joy.
"STOP THE CAR!..."Colette shouted and the cab driver halted.
She got out, eager to go to her Mon Amour.
"Hey, don't forget, you owe me $450 for making me drive all over town at night..."The cab driver shouted, only to be silence when Colette handed him a crisp $500 bill.
"Keep the chance..."Colette said, not caring as she went into the park. She soon hid behind a tree as she could hear that they were in deep conversation.
She also saw that he was with that weird friend of his but she did not see that ghostly superhero or her stupid step sister anywhere.
"Perfect...'Colette thought in glee as she overheard what he was saying to his friend with the glasses...
"My female best friend and my girlfriend are no where to be seen...Sam might be tough but Star is still new to this..."Danny said.
"What is he talking about?..."Colette thought in confusion but it only confirmed to her that her theory that Estelle was up to something potentially bad.
Colette smirked as she decided to make her move, just as Danny said this next time.
"This can't get any worse..."Danny groaned...
"Bonjour, Mon Amour..."Colette greeted him from behind and he turned around in shock.
"COLETTE?!...'Danny exclaimed in shock.
"My darling!..."Colette said eagerly as she tried to hug him but Danny managed to dodge her.
"What are you doing here?!..."Danny exclaimed as he tried to keep out of her clutches.
"Looking for you..."Colette said as she tried to make her move but he kept his distance.
Tucker saw this and got jealous, before he decided to make a move on her. Since Danny doesn't want her, maybe he has a shot.
"Hi, I don't think we have met but I'm-
"You are annoying me, now go away! I have only come to speak to my darling Danny..."Colette said in a rude tone before Tucker even finished introducing himself.
Danny glared at that.
"First, I'm not your darling anything! And second, you have no right to speak to my friends like that!..."Danny said in defense while Colette just had that smirk on her face.
"I do suppose we have more important things to speak about...like the fact that you are out very late right now, Mon Amour..."Colette pointed out.
"So are you..."Danny pointed out.
"I do not have a curfew and Mama gave me permission to spend time at...a friends house...'Colette said and Danny blinked.
"Does she really have no limits?...'Danny thought, before Colette took a step closer to him.
"Colette, I don't have time to waste on you, so what do you want?!..'Danny asked, wanting to go back to looking for the girls.
Suddenly, Colette had a dramatic look on her face as she claps her hands together, making it look like she had bad news.
"Oh, Mon Amour...I have the most horrible of news..."Colette said as she looked like she was about to shed a tear.
"What? Your family decided to go back to Paris but leave you here!...'Danny mocked but Colette didn't register that as an insult.
"No, much worse and I am afraid that it affects you, Mon amour..."Colette said dramatically and Danny rolled his eyes.
"Just get on with it?..."Tucker said, already annoyed with her and Colette glared at him.
"You have a lot of nerve, seeing as you are a part of this horrible thing..."Colette said and Tucker looked confused.
"Colette, what are you talking about?..."Danny demanded, tired of her games.
"Estelle has been deceiving you..."Colette said and Danny blinked.
"Excuse me?..."Danny asked.
"I had seen her having boys in her room at night, and one of them is your friend here, the other was that ghostly boy who is rumored to be enamored with my foolish step sister..."Colette said dramatically.
Danny's eyes widened but not for the reasons that Colette believed.
"You were spying?!..."Danny exclaimed in shock and horror.
"I was not spying..I was just in the neighborhood and noticed two figures leaving Estelle's room in the middle of the night...male figures and your friend here is one of them..."Colette said and Tucker who looked nervous but not for the reasons Colette thought.
"Colette saw us in Star's room..."Tucker thought in worry.
"Oh man, at least she doesn't realize I am the ghost kid..."Danny thought.
"Yeah...and?..."Danny asked, trying to play dumb and Colette looked stunned.
"Mon amour, don't you realize that Estelle had boys in her rooms at night...that she might be cheating on you with one of them?!..."Colette said and both boys realizes what she was trying to pull here.
"WHAT?!..."Danny exclaimed and Colette looked pleased.
However, her smile dropped when he got angry...but not at Tucker and Estelle.
"How dare you accuse Star of acting like that!..."Danny shouted and Colette looked stunned.
"But darling, did you not hear me, Estelle-
"I heard you the first time and let me tell you, you just accused my girlfriend, my best friend and possibly the town hero of going behind my back and I am telling you that you are wrong..."Danny said.
Colette however, marched over to Tucker and lifted him up by the collar, surprising the two boys since she was stronger than she looks.
"CONFESS! WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN ESTELLE'S ROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND WHY WAS THE GOOD LOOKING GHOST BOY IN THERE AS WELL, WE'RE BOTH OF YOU THERE TRYING TO ROMANCE HER AWAY FROM DANNY? CONFESS!..."Colette shouted as she started shacking the tech geek a bit.
"Oh please, if Star wouldn't date me when she was single, why the heck would she go for me when she is dating my best friend, and even then, I don't do that sort of thing!...'Tucker said, actually insulted that Colette would think that.
Colette blinked but realized that maybe she did accuse the boy for nothing, now that she got a closer look at him and realized that he is not even half as cute as Danny is.
Yeah, she supposes that theory didn't make a lot of sense...
"Okay, so maybe not you...but how do you explain why both you and that ghostly boy was in her room at night and why she was not in there herself?!..."Colette demanded and both boys eyes widened.
"Colette, I trust Star and I know that she would never, ever cheat on me..as for the ghost kid..uh...why was he there again, Tuck?..."Danny questioned and Tucker gulped.
"Uh...he, uh...saved us for...that Box ghost who tried to scare us and offered to fly us all home, remember, Danny..."Tucker lied quickly.
"Oh...Oh, yeah...yeah, I remember now...he took us all home...first he dropped me off, then Sam, then Star and then you..."Danny said quickly before turning to Colette.
"See Colette, you were wrong...Star isn't seeing anyone else..."Danny said and Colette looked confused.
"But..if the ghost boy had just been dropping you all at home...why are you guys out at night so late? And why did I not see Estelle in her room afterwards?...'Colette asked, confused.
"None of your business!..."Danny reacted hostile like, but soon realized that was a bad move.
Especially when an idea came to Colette's mind.
"Danny...you knew about this...and if so, it's not an affair..."Colette said as realization dawned on her face.
Danny gulped and mentally cursed himself.
"Oh man, now what?..."Danny thought in dread as Colette soon started smirking again and giggling mischievously.
"What's so funny?...'Danny asked, getting unnerved by her laughter.
It's no where near as cute and sweet as Star's.
"Estelle and your friend are out at night, by themselves aren't they? Don't deny it, I heard you..."Colette said and Danny's eyes widened.
"Oh crud.."Danny thought in horror.
"Uh...I don't know what you heard Colette, but I am sure that Star is home right now...Tucker and I...were...uh...doing this as part of a dare..."Danny said lamely, and Colette obviously didn't believe me.
"Oh Mon Amour, you look so cute when you try and fail at lying..."Colette giggled maliciously and Danny glared at that.
She had originally hoped to cause a scandal including her sister, make Danny doubt her fidelity and it would make him breakup with her and she would be there to pick up the pieces but that didn't work. So she had to be more creative...and she knows how!
"Hmm...I don't know what this is all about or how it involves that ghostly boy but it seems to me that Estelle is more rebellious that I thought...she has been very naughty...being out pass curfew, especially when that fool of a father of hers is out of town...'Colette said with a wicked smirk.
"Mr. Strong isn't a fool ..."Danny said in defense of the guy... "And I already said-
He was then interrupted by Colette, who kept talking.
"Never the less, I have heard from Mama that he has been most very stressful, what with his job and all of the trouble Estelle has gotten herself into lately...hmmm...I do so wonder how he would react if he found out that his daughter has been out gallivanting all over town at night, especially when she promised she would be home on time..."Colette said with a mischievous smirk on her face.
Danny tried hard not to show the nervous look on his face, but is failing at it.
"What are you saying?..."Danny asked, not liking this at all.
"I am saying that...her father has made such a big deal about being worried over Estelle, and with how dangerous this town is due to ghosts...with how stressful his work life is and all of that, if he thinks he can't trust his own daughter's word...I wouldn't be so surprised if he did something drastic...such as sending her away...like a boarding school or maybe even better, out of Amity Park all together for her safety..."Colette said and Danny looked appalled.
"She..she can't be right...he wouldn't really send Star away...would he?..."Danny thought in worry.
"Hmm...I would hate to see things come to that..although..."Colette paused and Danny knew there is a catch at the end of all of this.
"What?..."Danny asked and Tucker looked worried too to say the least.
"I could be...persuaded to keep this as our little secret..."Colette said.
Danny didn't like the sound of that.
"What do you want?..."He asked.
"Just break up with Estelle and pledge your love to me tomorrow and I will promise not to speak a word of this to any of our families..."Colette said and Danny's jaw dropped.
"You can't be serious!...B-Because...there is no secret at all...Star hasn't done anything!...'Danny lied, refusing to admit to anything.
If he admits to anything, he is just giving Colette all of the confirmation she needs.
"You can give it up, I know that Estelle isn't home...where she is, I don't know and I don't care but I do know that if either Mama or Estelle's father find out, she will be history!..."Colette said with that smirk of hers.
"And what if we tell them what we just told you?..."Tucker suggested weakly.
"Oh please, whom do you think my mama and papa will believe, you two boys, or me?..."Colette said smugly, before sending Danny a sauntering look.
"Mon amour, I will give you until 7:00am tomorrow morning and if you do not do as I say, I will tell everyone...so, au revoir..."Colette said with a wink before walking away dramatically.
"I hate her!..."Danny said in outrage to his best friend.
"I HEARD THAT! Consider this strike une!..."Colette shouted at the end of the park before heading inside her cab and leaving.
"Dude, what are we going to do?..."Tucker said in worry while Danny looked more determined.
"One thing is for sure, we are finding the girls and getting them back home...after that, we'll deal with the nightmare with hair extensions..."Danny said in determination to his best friend.
There is a lot at stake now and they had to find the girls and fast.
Meanwhile
With Sam and Star
"What is wrong with you?!.."Sam shouted, only for Star to use her free hand to cover her mouth.
"SHUSH!..."Star hissed, before looking trouble.
"Someone was out there..."..."Star whispered to her and Sam's furious look was soon replaced with shock.
"W-What?..."Sam questioned when Star let go of her mouth.
Both girls snuck a quick peak out the window, it was still dark and raining hard but just then a flash of lightning appeared and Sam's eyes widened when she saw a figure in the distance, in that brief flash of lightning.
Star is right...they are not alone.
Both girls forgot their earlier squabble. All they could pay attention to was the inhuman shape they saw outside appearing and disappearing in a flash.
"Was that... a person?..." Star whispered.
"I don't know so... it looked too large..." Sam whispered back.
"Maybe a ghost?..."She suggested.
Star gasped.
"What if it's the monster from the woods Dash mentioned last time we were here?..."Star said while Sam rolled her eyes.
"There was no monster, it was a ghost that we're friends with who was hiding from other ghosts...it's a long story..."Sam said.
"But the monster of Specter Island was real. So, what if the monster stories here are real too?..."Star pointed out.
Sam couldn't find a proper response, no matter how much she wanted to. As much as she hated to admit it, Star had a point and with the kind of life that they live, it's foolish to not consider the possibility.
"Okay, fine...but that doesn't answer who it was..." Sam says.
Both girls looked back outside, seeing nothing.
Both of them were too afraid and unsure of what will happen to even start bickering again.
"Maybe... it was a bear?" Star suggested.
"Yeah..." Sam responded, trying to convince herself more than actually agree with Star.
"Possibly..."She said in an unsure tone.
Suddenly, there was the sound of scratching and both girls got freaked out and even got closer out of instinct.
"What was that?..."Star asked in worry, while Sam looked and didn't see anything.
"I..I don't know...'Sam admitted.
Both of them looked towards the door. However, the sound stopped.
There was a silence, neither of them were able to find their voice.
"Don't freak...it'...it's probably just the wind or something...this place is pretty lousy and has a lot of loose boards..."Sam suggested but Star didn't look to convinced.
Star still felt uneasy due to the implications that they might still have something lurking out on the campsite.
"Sam..."Star started, still worried.
"What?..."Sam asked, not being in a good place right now.
"Hypothetically speaking...just...what if the thing we saw outside really was a monster...or a ghost?..."Star started and Sam tried to remain brave.
"If it is, he picked the wrong place to haunt..."Sam said as she pointed to her wrist ray.
Star then picked up her Fenton light-saber and held it close, just in case.
"Okay... on one hand, we're armed." Sam said. "On the other hand... we don't know what's out there..."She said.
"Maybe we're lucky and it's something easy, like the Box Ghost?" Star asked, trying to be optimistic.
"Maybe..." Sam said. "Maybe it really is just a wild animal..."She suggested.
"Okay..." Sam began to whisper her orders. "If whatever is out there comes here, we let it have it with these..."She said.
"What if it's too strong for us?..." Star asked.
Sam glared at her.
"Don't talk back!..."Sam snapped and Star rolled her eyes.
"Of course. Once again, I bring up a good argument and you refuse to hear anyone else out..."Star said sarcastically.
Sam held a fist up.
"Do you wanna hear the sound of a fist in your-"
The scratching came back.
Both of them stopped their fighting and faced the door once more.
The scratching stopped.
"Well... that was your chance..." Star mentioned.
"Uh..." Sam was frozen there. She didn't want to admit it, but she was actually scared.
"I wish my Danny-boo was here...'Star said and Sam got annoyed again.
"What? So you can be the little damsel in distress while he saves your butt..."Sam mocked.
"At least I am willing to ask for help when I need it! Besides, how many ghost battles did you win by yourself without Danny being there to bail you out of trouble?!..."Star demanded.
Sam was about to answer..but paused, actually trying to think up something but in almost every ghostly encounter she was in, Danny was there to help her out.
"Uh...Oh, me, his mom and sister teamed up to take down Ember, Spectra and Kitty while Danny was out fishing with his dad..."Sam said.
"I said by yourself...if you can't answer that, quit acting like you're in a different boat than me!...'Star yelled.
"No listen here-
Before the girls could continue with their argument, another flash of lightning appeared...and they saw the figure once again...this time closer than it previously was and they heard an inhuman, animalistic sounds, as well as a greenish glow in it's eyes from a far.
"AHHHHHHH!..."Sam and Star both screamed in fear as they realized the horrible truth.
Whatever is out there is no animal...and it knows that they are there!
-To be continued-
Next time on Stuck
Stalked II
A/N: Special thanks to NeoMark for helping with some scenes here. You rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:
Fiona Starblade: Yeah, I never really saw them as that compatible either, which is why I enjoy pairing Danny up with other characters like Ember, Star and even people from other franchises too.
qazse: We will see how this turns out...
Invader Johnny and 61394: You can say that again...
Holiday Tomorrow, biginferno, cg037, Jebest4781 and Dani Manson: Thank you :)
Chris Zilla18: Mmmhmmmm
kombatant88: I hope this will do for now...
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)