Chapter 8: Love Triangle Up North

The Fenton children arrived, ready to hang out with Nat and her friends.

The ghost boy and his sisters soon arrived at the bus stop to take them to the slopes and spotted Nat, Susan and Ellie.

"There she is." Danny went, smiling.

Jazz sent him an amused look while Danielle crossed her arms, not liking this as her brother went to greet the girl that he likes.

"Sup." Nat went.

''Sup..."Danny imitated, happy to see her before greeting her friends too.

Soon, Danny and Nat were talking with each other. Meanwhile, Jazz and Danielle were with Nat's friends, Ellie and Susan.

"Ellie and I weren't properly introduced to you. I'm Susan. You are?" Susan asks.

Danielle frowned, clearly not wanting to be here, while Jazz tried to be sociable.

"Hi, I'm Jasmine... Jazz...it's nice to properly meet you..." The red haired girl said, trying to be polite.

"Hi, Jazz. It's nice to have a proper bit of talk with you..." Susan said.

"Whatevs..." Ellie said, crossing her arms and looking uninterested.

"And what about you, little one?" Susan asks with a smile.

Danielle, however, refused to speak, but a glare from Jazz told her to do so.

"My name is Danielle... Dani with an I... " Danielle said, frowning.

Her attitude was noticeable, but the two said nothing about it.

"Seriously? Danny and Danielle? Your parents must not have any imagination..." Ellie said, getting on the younger girl's nerves.

"I'm adopted, genius..." Danielle said, irritated.

Ellie was growing upset as Susan held her back. Jasmine tried to apologize for her little sister's hostile attitude.

"Sorry about that, she's usually not so snappy… Jazz said, before sending a reprimanding look to her little sister.

Meanwhile, Danny and Nat were still talking.

"So, I need to know, have you ever snowboarded before?" Nat asks.

"Uh… no." Danny went.

"Oh, cool. I don't mind showing you a thing or two." She offered.

"Sure…" Danny went with a smile.

"Great, come on." Nat offered, gesturing for him to come.

''Okay..." Danny said as he went with her, happy to get this far.

That went easier than I thought… Danny thought.

At the slopes

While Danny was with Nat, the other girls went to a nearby cafe and had some hot cocoa, however a little ghost girl wasn't focusing on her tasty drink.

Danielle frowned, seeing Danny with Nat so far away.

"Come on, Danielle… we can have fun." Jazz offered as he offered the hot cocoa to her.

Despite having a sweet tooth, Danielle lost her appetite due to seeing how close that other girl is with her big brother.

"I doubt it…" Danielle muttered.

Danny and Nat were now alone at the slopes, ready to snowboard.

Nat began to shred the slopes, riding her board like a pro.

"Give it time and you'll be this good!" Nat said as she stopped to get a look at Danny.

Danny, on the other hand, was fumbling and trying hard not to fall face first right now.

"Oh man, how does mastering superpowers come off as easier than this?!" Danny asked himself as he tried to maintain control, only to crash into a nearby snowbank.

Nat winced a bit and walked towards Danny.

"You okay?" She asked as Danny got up and shook the snow off. "Actually, I can guess the answer…"

"I'm fine. Used to this..." Danny said, trying to save some of his dignity here.

"I recommend trying to balance your weight more when you want to move to the side and only lean slightly when you want to move, like this." Nat offered as she even demonstrated. Danny got back on the board and slide downward. "Good Danny, you-" He crashed into a tree and she winced again. "... almost got it."

Jazz and Danielle, who saw this, cringed and felt sorry for their brother.

"He's actually doing better than I expected. At least she's not making fun of him..." Jazz said as her brother kept trying to snowboard and fail.

"This is so stupid. We should be hanging out together, not separate..." Danielle grumbled, irritated to see Nat so close to her big brother.

"Danny just wants to get to know Nat better, chill out..." Jazz scolded while Danielle crossed her arms in jealousy as they watched the potential lovebirds continue with the snowboarding lesson. "I got no problem, outside of bruising he's getting.

Danny got back up as Nat joined him.

"Okay… you managed to avoid a tree for more than 20 seconds..." Nat said as Danny went to the restroom.

"Yeah… I'll be right back." He said.

He soon left for there, happy that Nat still seems to want to be around him despite all his flops.

As soon as he left

Danielle, seeing that Nat is alone, smirked as she saw an opportunity.

She saw Jazz talking with Ellie and Susan right now, neither noticing her right now.

"So, what colleges are you both planning to apply to? I'm already making plans for Harvard, Yale and Standard but it's still hard to choose since they all have excellent psychology programs and great locations." Jazz went as the other girls seemed lost.

"Uh, I might go to get a job at a store I like." Ellie said, disinterested in this conversation.

"And I don't really have a clue. Also, I love your top." Susan said, trying to politely change the subject.

Danielle saw an opportunity and snuck away.

Time to save my brother. She thought mischievously as she went to the snowboarder girl.

"Hi." Danielle said, getting her attention.

"Oh. Hello, Danielle, right?" Nat asks.

"Yup. Came to see how you and my brother are doing." Danielle went with a smile to hide her intentions.

"Oh… Also, if you're adopted, why do you look like him so much?" Nat asks.

Danielle flinched, thinking quickly what to say.

"Uh… I'm from a cousin of his dad's side. Interesting bit of news, right? But I bet you would love to learn more, like with Danny." Danielle said.

"What do you mean?" Nat asked, curious.

Having her attention, the little ghost girl continued to talk.

"Well, my big brother is the nicest guy ever... but he does sneak into the girl's locker room sometimes." Danielle said.

Nat heard this and raised a brow.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah, he's a dirty minded guy, might peek at you if you're not careful..." Danielle said, trying hard not to smirk.

Jazz, who was still talking and not realizing the other girls were just humoring her, noticed this and then spotted her with Nat.

What is she doing? She thought as she couldn't hear that part of the conversation.

"I'm serious, Danny does mean well but he has some gross eating habits. Just imagine all the burritos he must eat." Danielle said, while Nat just blinked at that.

Jazz heard this last part and frowned as she marched over to her little sister and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Excuse me, Nat... I gotta talk to my sister for a bit. Family matter...and it's urgent..." Jazz said, pulling her.

"Oh, okay..." Nat said, seemingly unaffected by whatever Danielle just told her.

Once she was gone, Jazz glared at Danielle.

"What?" Danielle asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't give me that. What was that all about?" Jazz demanded.

"We were just chatting..." Danielle said, shrugging.

"Are you sure that you weren't just trying to make Danny look bad?" Jazz asked, having heard that.

Danielle frowned and turned away.

Meanwhile

While Danielle and Jazz were talking, which was actually Jazz scolding and Danielle was not listening, Danny left the bathroom and ready to return.

I just hope that Nat isn't bored with me… Danny thought, since he wiped out multiple times.

He already left the restroom, ready to try again. That's when he saw something.

He noticed a stag deer watching him from afar.

He waved at it and it made no move.

"Wait, is that the same deer from last night?" He asked.

To his surprise, the deer was not moving and just looking in his direction without blinking, as it seemed to be staring at him in a strange, kind of listless manner.

Why is it looking at me? He thought as the deer started leaving.

Despite it leaving, the ghost boy was still creeped out by what had just happened.

"Uh… are deer around here usually interested in staring contests?" He asks before he notices Nat looking at him like she's upset. "Uh… something amiss?"

"I just had a talk with your little sister. And she just told me some… interesting things about you." Nat said.

Danny's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Sh-she did?"

"Yeah… how you sneak into the girl's locker room… eat a lot of burritos, and collect lots of comic books and have an old teddy around." She said.

"I… see…" He went.

"Yeah… so, Danny?" Nat went, looking upset.

"Yeah?"

"You…" She suddenly giggled. "You have an adorably protective sister. You two must be close…"

Danny felt calmer now.

"Yeah… close…" He said, feeling upset at Danielle's actions.

Elsewhere

While Danny was in Canada, Sam and Tucker were hanging out.

They were currently at the Nasty Burger, Sam was enjoying a tofu soy melt and Tucker was wolfing down a mega meaty cheesy melt, super sized.

"Do you really wanna eat like a wild animal?" Sam criticized.

"I have no shame..." Tucker said with his mouth full, before going back to scarfing down his food.

Sam rolled his eyes and kept her plate away.

"And you wonder why you don't have a date…" Sam muttered.

"Hilarious." Tucker went.

"Maybe I can get Kwan to do the Heimlich like that lady..." Sam said, surprising her friend.

"Wait, for real?" Tucker asked, briefly stopping eating due to his shock.

Sam nodded.

"Yeah, I was surprised too to see him do that..." Sam said, before shaking her head.

"So, does this mean that he's not that bad a guy?" Tucker asked.

Sam thought about it and shook her head, waving it off.

"I doubt it. I'm sure that whole "saving her" thing was just a fluke. Plus, we only hung out because we literally had no one else to hang out with..." Sam said.

"You sure?" Tucker asked.

"I am. He's just another dumb jock..." Sam said, being stubborn.

Kwan might have done a good deed, but they still had a rather unpleasant history together and she'd much rather just stick with the friends she already has. She doesn't see any need for anyone else.

Meanwhile

Danny and Nat were alone now and getting hot cocoa. After the flop with snowboarding, the two teenagers were now taking sips and talking.

"So, Danielle really said all of that?" Danny asked, looking mad and feeling betrayed.

"Yeah, she also said that you used to be scared of squirrels..." Nat said before taking another sip.. "Don't be too harsh on your sister. It looks like she's overprotective."

"It still doesn't make what she did cool." Danny said.

"I know, but she's probably just really attached to you. I have some cousins and the younger one is really attached to his big sister and can't stand the thought of her leaving..." Nat explained, giggling a little.

"Even so, there's gotta be limits to that..." Danny said, shaking his head.

"Looks like you could use some time away." Nat suggested.

"I guess." Danny said.

"You wanna head over to town, maybe in an hour to grab some lunch..." Nat said, surprising the ghost boy.

Wait...lunch together? Is this like a date? He thought, excited but tried to compose himself.

"S-Sure...uh...sounds fun..." Danny said, trying hard not to grin too much.

Nat smiled.

"Cool, it's a date..." She said while the ghost boy blushed upon hearing that.

"A…date?" Danny asks.

"Sure." Nat went, earning a smile from him.

Unknown to them, Danielle heard this and felt upset.

Danny. No...you can't leave me… She thought, looking down and feeling upset.

Unknown to her, Nat's friends saw this too.

"Huh, finally moving on from Rod." Ellie snarked.

Unknown to either Phantom, someone else was nearby and heard the whole thing, staying invisible the entire time.

It was Ember, who had seen Danny and Nat together and overheard their plans.

Thinks he can forget me, huh? She thought, feeling jealous and ticked.

"I don't think so..." She muttered, making plans of her own.

Later

Danny, who was alone in his room right now, was busy getting ready for his date with Nat.

Okay, gotta get ready. He thought as he checked his hair and even added a bit of cologne too.

Once done, he checked his reflection and was glad that he didn't have anything on his clothes or teeth, as well as the flowers that he got as a gift for Nat.

"I sure hope that she likes these flowers..." He said out loud, putting them safely on his dresser.

However, his ghost sense then went off and he cursed under his breath.

As if on cue… He thought as he looked around and prepared for the worst.

"Aw, you got flowers for me? I didn't realize that you cared..." Ember's voice was heard.

Danny turned around and saw that it was Ember.

"Why are you back?!" He yelled.

"Is that any way to talk to a lady? Didn't your mom teach you any manners?" Ember asked.

She had the flowers in her hand, which Danny pulled away.

"Ember, I'm not in the mood. I got places to be, so let's exchange the witty banter and get it over with..." Danny said.

"Oh, what? Getting ready to go out with that plain redhead. Yawn…" Ember said dismissively, but it was clear she was trying to hide her jealousy.

"You've been spying on me?" Danny asked angrily.

"I'm a bad girl… remember? Plus… I figure you and I could… have a little fun to pass the time." She said, cracking her knuckles.

"Like that's happening. Even if you aren't an evil megalomaniac trying to take over the world and or/destroy me, I'll have to decline. Y'see, I'm actually happy with who I've just met." He said.

"You seem to be under the impression you have a choice here…" Ember said before she closed the gap and attacked Danny.

"Just my luck..." Danny muttered as he avoid her fist and knew that this will take a while.

Downstairs

Danielle and Jazz had been downstairs, bored out of their minds. Jazz tried to read her little sister a book, only it was not a story book. She felt doing this was ideal punishment for her actions.

It was one of her psychology books and Jazz thought that sharing something that she likes would improve their sibling bond or some such nonsense.

"Let me know what chapter you're on, chapter 7 is my favorite..." Jazz had read, only to be interrupted by the sound of snoring.

She paused and saw that Danielle was on the couch, fast asleep and snoring loudly, even drooling a bit. She was bored to sleep, which made her unable to sense Ember's presence.

Jazz poked her face just to see if she's faking it. Her inaction showed it was not faked.

''Did she really fall asleep on me?" Jazz asked, offended.

"Mrr…" Danielle mumbled in her sleep.

Before she could complain, Jazz then heard the sounds of loud stepping.

"Aww… he's teaching himself to dance just in case, isn't he?" Jazz said with a smile.

Clueless to what was really happening and due to feeling a little tired herself, Jazz decided to take a quick cat nap too, unaware of what was happening in her brother's room.

Upstairs

Danny and Ember were fighting and trying to dominate the other. Ember kneed him in the stomach before pushing him aside.

"Get lost!" Danny yelled as he fired at it.

Ember used her guitar to deflect it and sent him a cocky look.

"Aw, but I just got here!" Ember said, smirking as she tried to hit him with the guitar.

Danny barely dodged it and tried to freeze her, but she used her fiery hair to melt that ice.

"Not how I wanted this to go..." Danny said as Ember collided with him.

Soon, he and Ember were now gripping the other's hands, trying to push the other away and dominate them.

"Got any other moves you wanna try?" Ember asks.

"I could always stuff you back in the Thermos..." Danny said.

To his surprise, Ember just smirked and seemed pleased for some reason.

"Actually...I think I prefer this more..." She said.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked but soon realized what she meant. "Uh oh…"

She took advantage of this and pushed him to a nearby wall, pressing her elbow into his chest. However, she wasn't trying to beat him up right now.

Now, apparently she switched from fighting to smiling at him fondly.

"Huh… I'm really liking how you look from this angle." She commented.

"Uh...you probably leave now...before you remind me that we're supposed to be enemies..." Danny said but Ember ignored him. "You heard me, right?"

"Aw, are you finally coming around?" Ember said as she began to place her hand on his chest in a flirty manner.

Danny blushed and tried not to think about this or how alluring she sounds right now.

Don't think about her and how admittedly attractive she is. Think about how pretty, cool and nice Nat is… Danny thought as he tried to focus on that.

The ghostly diva, however, refused to be ignored and got in his face.

"Aw, why fight it, Baby-pop? You know that you want me, right? So, just give in and we can both have a good time..." Ember said before she got more physical and raised a leg to wrap around his.

Danny let himself relax before snapping out of it and pushing her away.

"No!" He went.

In response, Ember punched him in the stomach and backhanded him to the floor.

Forced back to human form, Danny tried to crawl away. However, Ember grabbed Danny by the foot before he could get enough of a distance and pull him in.

''Oh no you don't, I ain't done with you yet..." She said in a domineering manner.

"Well, I'm done!" He protested but was ignored.

"Don't be so sure." Ember went.

Ember then wrapped her arms around Danny and kissed him deeply. Danny made muffled attempts to tell her to stop, but it was cut off by her mouth as he soon found himself giving in and kissing her back, holding her by the waist.

She's… she feels… nice… He thought, almost giving in.

However, he recalled Nat and that what he is doing is wrong. He then pushed off Ember and put some distance between them, glaring at her and shaking his head.

"I'm serious. I'm gonna be late with my date with Nat. And I really wanna make a good impression with her..." Danny said, being serious.

Ember scowled at him. She then tossed him aside, making him land near the window.

"For a guy who wants to get a new girlfriend, you should know not to say things like that to girls who actually want you." Ember pointed out.

''And you should know that guys have a right to say no..." Danny said, glaring at her.

"Danny?!" Nat's voice was heard.

"Uh oh…"

Danny looked out the window to see that she was here, waiting for him.

Seeing Nat waving at him, Danny smiled nervously and waved back before he was pulled away. Nat couldn't see who it was, but shrugged.

"I guess he's hurrying up…" She said as she went to the door.

''Get off!" Danny yelled.

"As if, no way I'm gonna be overlooked by anyone, especially for some sweaty snowboarder!" The diva said competitively.

"There's nothing wrong with snowboarding!" Danny went.

"Except for you hitting trees… I saw that…" Ember said as she held him up by the shoulders. "Don't worry… I won't tell…"

"Thank you for that…" Danny said, darting his eyes away in shame.

Ember straddled Danny onto the bed and kissed him on the lips while pushing him down on his chest.

"See? We could have this if you just learn to keep your mouth shut." Ember said.

"And you could have all your teeth if you learn to hear the word no!" Danny stated before going ghost and pushing her off.

The two continued to brawl again.

Downstairs

Jazz, who had woken up due to Nat knocking on the door, let her in.

"Where's Danny?" Nat asked.

"He's up there." Jazz said, pointing to the stairs.

"Thanks." Nat went, going up. ''Danny!"

Danny heard her going up the stairs as he pushed Ember again and morphed back to human form.

''Uh...one moment..." He called back, trying to sound normal.

Ember was about to strike her guitar, but was distracted when Danny decided he had no choice but to kiss her on the cheek.

''Wha?" She went, stunned while the ghost boy used her momentary distraction to push her away.

"Stay quiet..." He whispered as he ran to his door.

Danny opened the door a bit and saw Nat there.

"Ready to go?" Nat asks.

"Sure… just a sec." He said before closing the door.

He glared over his shoulder and saw a smug Ember standing with fists at her hips, and an eyebrow raised.

"See you later…" She whispered mockingly before disappearing.

"I swear…" He muttered before wiping his mouth quickly before opening the door. "Hey.

"Hey…" Nat said.

Danny, recalling the flowers, grabbed them and offered them to Nat.

"These are for you." He said.

"Aww… thanks." She said, taking them. "So, let's go?"

"Yes." Danny said, offering his arm.

The two headed downstairs and waved to Jazz as they walked out. Once the door closed, Danielle stood up quickly.

"Aliens!" She went before realizing she was asleep. "Darn… my favorite dream about stopping aliens from stealing chocolate…" She went before looking around. "Where's Danny?"

"Went with Nat." Jazz said.

Danielle gasped and got on her feet.

"When?!" She asked.

"I'm not telling you. You gotta let Danny have this. He's not gonna be around forever, y'know." Jazz said.

Danielle looked away.

"I know… but…" She went before sighing in defeat.

She had no idea where or when they left, all she knew is her brother might find someone who would make them spend less time together.

Outside

Danny and Nat walked to the bus stop to ride to town for a bite.

As they did so, they were unaware that a pair of red eyes from an owl were watching.

"Where is he going?" That same dark voice asked as the owl flew to follow.

All the while, the stag deer from before slowly followed.

New chapter up.

Special thank you to FP11.

Invader Johnny: I did like that bit if dialogue and used it.

RonaldM40196867: Nope. Maybe. No spoilers.

danifan3000: Interesting... anyway, no spoilers.

Themetavoorhes1996: No spoilers on Rich.

SoundVenom: We shall see.

Matt: Spooky... but not for now.

Luiz4200: Yup.

SuperiorBatman1: He's not sure yet.

Tiamat Dragoness: Wait until he meets the actual thing...

Leonardo: We shall see. As for A Glitch in Time, not sure if that's what'll happen.

tomahawkESP: Yes.

BeConFuzzled Writer: Thanks.

Guest: Updated.