Chapter 26: Tough Talk

Barbara Gordon was in front of a movie theater waiting for her boyfriend to show up. Danny eventually did. "Did my Dad have more questions about Major Flu than I thought." She jokingly asked.

"Actually, he wanted to talk about us." Danny answered, showing more fear than he ever did in front of Barbara and she already saw him fighting ghosts.

"What did he say?" Barbara asked and then smiled. "Leave it for later. We have a movie to watch."

One movie later, they were discussing some aspects of the film. "Danny, do you really believe spy girls would dress like that?" Barbara asked her boyfriend.

"Yes." Danny quickly answered, remembering Alex and her friends.

"You sound too sure of that, Danny." Barbara maliciously commented. "Like you knew for a fact."

Danny then briefly got worried about accidentally betraying Alex's secret. He didn't feel comfortable about doing so even back when Alex didn't know he found out. "The World Organization of Human Protection helped me with one of my attempts to stop the asteroid. And before that, one of their renegade agents caused trouble in Amity Park." He explained.

"Okay." Barbara replied. 'I must check the renegade part later.' She thought. "Now, about my Dad…"

Danny sighed and started telling.

Flashback begins

"Danny, you understand why your friends in the Justice League and even some of the Avengers like Spider-Man or the Falcon have secret identities, right?" Commissioner Gordon asked.

"Yes, Sir." Danny sadly answered.

"Don't just say you know." The Commissioner demanded. "Say what their reason is."

"They keep a secret identity to protect their family and friends from their enemies, Sir." Danny replied.

"Exactly." Commissioner Gordon stated. "And I'm not spending all that time trying to talk my Princess out of becoming a cop just to see her being in danger anyway."

No matter how afraid of his girlfriend's father Danny was, it now became a matter of defending Barbara. "In that case, perhaps you should let her join the GCPD anyway. It's not like you could stop her from pursuing her dreams once she became an adult. At least the fear of becoming a cop killer would hold criminals at bay."

"Most of them, anyway." The Commissioner replied. "Until then, try to keep her safe."

Flashback ends

"True that, Danny." Barbara commented. "Dad can't stop me. And besides, I think he already knows about me being…" She whispered the rest.

"So much for your dreams." Danny muttered.

"What?" Barbara asked, wondering what Danny meant.

"You do know what became of that Detective that turned out to be one of the Batwomen, right?" Danny asked Barbara.

"I was out of town back then but yes, Danny." Barbara answered. "And besides, Dad can always buy me one of those deflector belts if he's so worried about your ghostly enemies coming after me. That you wouldn't be able to touch me either would probably work as another selling point."

"Tell me about it." Danny said while thinking about how the first belt harmed him.

After that talk, they decided to play bowling. During the game, Danny told some jokes to lighten the mood. "How many cavemen are needed to change a light bulb?" He asked.

"I don't know." Barbara answered while making a strike.

"None." Danny said. "Cavemen no longer existed by the time the light bulb was invented."

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehe!" Barbara like the joke. "My turn. How many lawyers are needed to change a light bulb?"

"I don't know." Danny answered while knocking down 9 pins. "How many?"

"Two." Barbara answered. "One to build a case for the light bulb change and one to build a case against it."

"Good one, Barbara." Danny commented. "Now, how many cockroaches are needed to change a light bulb?"

"I don't know, Danny." Barbara answered.

"Nobody knows." Danny explained. "Once the light is turned on, the cockroaches leave before we have a chance to count them."

"Best one so far, Danny." Barbara commented while chuckling.

After the game, (Barbara won by 223 – 187) Danny offered to take his girlfriend home. "How about going via Air Phantom?" He suggested.

"Okay, Danny." Barbara replied. Danny flew her home and gently landed. Commissioner Gordon quickly got out of the house. "Phantom, the Joker's robbing a jewelry store at the center!" He said.

"I'm on my way." Danny replied as he flew away.

"You didn't say that just to make Danny leave, did you?" Barbara jokingly accused her father.

"If only." Commissioner Gordon sadly replied as he got into his car.

When Danny arrived at the crime scene, he noticed Batman and Robin looking from a nearby building. "What's the situation, Batman?" He asked.

"Joker and his henchmen have a hostage, Danny." Batman answered. "Can you phase him out?"

"Yes." Danny replied.

"Where's Batgirl?" Robin asked.

"With her father." Danny answered and the Dynamic Duo understood the meaning. "Anything else I should know before trying to rescue the hostage?"

"Just remember not to underestimate his seemingly harmless toys like last time." Robin teasingly replied.

Danny turned himself invisible and intangible and entered the jewelry store. He noticed that the hostage was all tied up and Harley Quinn was pointing at him with what seemed to be a water-squirting flower but he figured out the "water" was replaced with something that made him miss Dash's water balloons that had something else instead of water. Danny split himself into two. His duplicate grabbed the flower while the original Danny phased the hostage away. One they were away, Batman, Robin and the cops entered the building and arrested the villains.

Back at home, Danny told his family and friends about the robbery. "You keep going like that and the Danny Phantom merchandise will sell so well in Gotham you'll need a manager." Tucker commented and then thought it over. "I'm available!"

"Tucker." Sam admonished the techno geek. "You don't see the Justice League using their heroics for that kind of profit, do you?"

"He already won't be a full-fledged Leaguer anyway." Tucker commented and Sam glared at him.

"And you cannot be available, Tucker. You have a girlfriend." Danny joked. "That aside, my parents are already handling the marketing."

"Mostly your Mom, I hope." Tucker commented.

"Yes, Tucker." Danny agreed. He loved his Dad but knew his mother was best suited for the job.

"And, what about Commissioner Dad's ultimatum?" Sam asked, wondering if she'd have a chance to get Danny on the rebound.

"Barbara already risks her neck everyday as Batgirl and wants to become a cop." Danny explained. "If the fear of being targeted by villains doesn't stop her from either, it won't stop her from dating a known superhero."

"You said it Danny." Sam replied. Resenting Barbara for taking Danny from her or not, the goth respected girls who could fight their battles.

Meanwhile, Barbara and her father were discussing her dating life. "Princess, I still think it's dangerous to date a superhero with no secret identity." Commissioner Gordon commented. "And it's not just about his own enemies but also the Justice League's. There's a reason even some Avengers have secret identities."

"Dad, a future Commissioner must get used to that kind of danger." Barbara argued. "Especially in Gotham."

"Barbara Gordon, I didn't encourage you to take self-defense classes to see you getting yourself in danger." Her father stated. "I encouraged you to take those classes so you'd be able to defend yourself should need arise either way."

"Would you be that opposed to me becoming a cop if I were a boy?" Barbara asked him.

"Yes." He quickly replied.

Meanwhile, the Joker at Arkham thinking about his options. "Batsy is pals with the Commish. Things would be interesting if I could make him cross a line Bats wouldn't cross. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"There's no hope for that clown." One of the orderlies commented.

End chapter

Deadpool's comment: You're lazier than usual, Luiz.

Shut up, Wade.

You know the drill, Luiz.

Chimichanga eating contest in Dimmsdale, California. Please do something to Vicky while you're there.

My pleasure, Luiz.

Answer to Guest: In my fics, it's his love interest from the movies. I don't speak for the other authors.

Answer to Leonardo (Guest): Ele quer ser um astronauta no final das contas.