By Nyassa Kaiba
Notes: I was given a Fenton Gadget.
Ember: Oh no.
Oh yes.
Ember: What is it?
The Fenton-Fic-Fodder-matic! (unveils FFFM)
Ember: ;;
Just watch! Pop in a character… I'll use Sissy for an example.
Sissy: What did you just say? (brandishes Gatekey)
WHAT? I thought Benten took that away from you?
Sissy: She gave it back.
Alright, not Sissy. (looks around) Sam, will you…
Sam: Don't even ask it.
I know! (ties Valerie up and marches her to the FFFM)
Valerie: let me go you creep!
In you go! (dumps Valerie down chute) Now you crank the handle and use your imagination…
Ember: (mutters sarcastic comment)
And add a pinch of salt…
Ember: O.O
And bring it to a boil…
Ember: (covers eyes)
And out comes a ready made fanfic!
Ember: O.o You are NEVER getting me in that thing. Hey, what happened to Valerie?
Valerie (staggers around) .
Ember: Cool! Can I try it on Danny next?
(hugs FFFM) Nope, its mine.
Ember: Darn.
Feralae FINALLY got to sleep that night after Danny told his parents about two thirds of his adventures over the last year or so. He left out the part about learning to overshadow people, which she thought was wise.
"So everything turned out for the better?" Poindexter was camped out on Feralae's floor.
"Yeah, I suppose. Dex you need to learn about dignity. The whole point of Skulker attacking was to expose and embarrass Danny. By coming forward on his own at the last second Danny was able to snatch that victory away from him."
"But you lost. I mean, he got your real name." Poindexter said worriedly.
"I know, and I'm scared of that, but you know, I can still beat Black Velvet, all I need to do is learn how to mimic ghost powers more effectively. That's training YOU should be doing too."
"I know I know." Poindexter sighed.
Then a knock came on the door. "I'm decent!" Feralae replied. "Come in!"
It was Danny. He smiled sadly. "Hey, some day wasn't it?"
"Yeah. ZP is gonna kill me tomorrow morning." Feralae shook her head.
"Hey Poindexter, come back for an evening?"
"I like the company." Poindexter commented.
Danny laughed. Poindexter had sounded so annoyed. "Sorry, shouldn't laugh, but your expression…"
"What's so funny about it?" Poindexter asked.
"You looked like you'd been accused of something else… never mind…" Danny chuckled. "You're funny you know that?"
"I am?"
"When you don't mean to be, yes." Danny replied. He yawned. "Feralae… thank you for helping me. I'm sorry about your real name getting out."
"The sooner I finish my business here the better." Feralae told him. "Tomorrow we start searching for the Ghost Master."
"That's good. My parents are going to be out and it's a Saturday." Danny told her. "Bright and early right?"
"I'm warning you, with me, bright and early MEANS bright and early." Feralae told him as she rolled over.
Poindexter laughed. "You'd better get back to bed, you know what they say, late to bed and early to rise, makes a man stupid and blind in the eyes."
Danny glared at him. "You can't stay very long Poindexter, remember, mom and dad have security devices all over the house, and depending on how badly you get on my nerves, I may or may not save you." Danny stated.
Poindexter sighed. As soon as Danny was gone. "I knew it was too good to be true."
"What was?" Groaned Feralae, rolling back over.
"I thought Danny and I could maybe be friends. I guess he still doesn't want to be." Poindexter sighed as he rolled over midair, subconsciously mimicking Feralae.
Feralae thought better than to comment, and fell asleep dreaming of her adventures in far off dimensions. Not Lyoko, that was too sad, but the Titans. What good times she'd had with them. A voice came to her mind. /You can have good times here too/ Said the voice.
/D… Delphine? You're a ghost/
/I'm part of you. Remember my sacrifice? Listen, I can't stay long, but you listen to me, have as much fun as you can here with Danny and his friends okay? Because you never know when its going to end./
/Delphine… please… don't go…/
/I have to Feralae, and you have to let me./ Delphine said softly, sadly. /You'll always be like a little sister. And Benten sees something in you. You have a gift… for bringing out the good inside of everybody. Look at how you handled Poindexter./
/That's not too hard./ Thought Feralae.
Then she sat up straight in a cold sweat. The sun was up outside the window. The bedside clock said ten thirty. "TEN THIRTY?" She shrieked. She got up, pulled a spare robe on over her nightgown, grabbed her clothes, and ran to the bathroom to shower.
She found Danny in there drying his hair with a towel. "Right, bright and early."
"Oh shut up." Feralae growled. "Great, I have a dead friend visiting me in my dreams and now I have to go to the ghost zone to find somebody. Please tell me that Delphine doesn't appear."
"Delphine?"
"It's a long story. Delphine was a friend of ZP's. I nearly died trying to pull the three of us out of an interdimensional void and Delphine gives herself instead of me." Feralae growled, looking for a spare toothbrush.
"Here, mom said you probably didn't have many things with you since you travel so much."
"She's right." Feralae replied as she started brushing her teeth.
"So go on with your story."
"Delphine became a spirit, a spirit that lives inside of me. Until now all I've been able to do is access her memories for help when I need advice, but then she appeared to me in a dream." Feralae shuddered. "Hey, any sign of Poindexter?"
"You AREN'T avoiding this topic Feralae. What I want to know is what she said to you."
"Del said that I should enjoy my being here. Have some fun, you know? She also scolded me for being way too serious."
Jazz came to the door. "Feralae, mom wanted to know if you needed anything. She's taking us to the mall for the day."
"For the DAY?" Danny demanded. "But I thought she was going out of town!"
"After last night she changed her mind Danny. You know learning that your kid is a ghost changes things you know."
"Ahem, half ghost." Danny glared at her.
"Right. I'll make a list as soon as I'm clean." Feralae replied. "Most of it is stuff you could pick up at a pharmacy… store… thing… My first aid kit needs to be replenished speaking of which."
"Just bandaids right?" Asked Danny.
"And Sudafed." Replied Feralae. "Plus vitamins, gotta stay healthy right?" She said with a chuckle.
"Right, anything else you need?" Asked Jazz. "Because I'm sure we have some in the medicine cabinet. It's behind the mirror, just pull."
Feralae opened it. "Yeah, so that saves a trip to the drug store."
"We've got more down in the storerooms in the basement." Jazz explained.
"Yeah, after the incident with Spectra I figure gotta keep everything healthy."
"Oh, the mosquito incident?"
"Yeah." Danny turned slightly green. "That was one of the grossest fights I've EVER had."
"Well you should have picked a better replacement than dad's boogers." Replied Jazz with a laugh.
"Yeah, I still can't believe I did that." Danny chuckled. "Man it feels so good to be out in the open, at home at least."
"Yeah, remember, Skulker's next move might be to expose you to the rest of the TOWN." Jazz pointed out. "Mom's coming to the mall ARMED Danny, true, with a gadget, but its still a WEAPON! She thinks that Black Velvet might come after you in public to try to expose you like she did last night. Do you think you're ready for that?" Jazz said archly.
Danny gulped. "What? I've been able to handle Skulker before."
"Yeah, but this Black Velvet, how long has SHE been around?" Feralae asked.
"She first appeared last week. We did okay against her for awhile. But then she brought in Skulker and Ember and Sam decided that we needed help." Replied Danny.
Jazz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and Feralae can't expose herself either. People normally don't bring swords to the mall."
"Hey, remember the pendant?" Feralae asked. "Now both you clear out. I can't wait to take a shower."
They cleared out and Feralae's singing could be heard as she showered.
Danny came downstairs. "Mom, is it true you're taking a gadget to the mall?"
"Yes dear." Mrs. Fenton replied. "You'd be horribly exposed, so we thought an extra gadget or two."
"As long as they aren't visible." Danny growled. "Mom, I didn't want you to start freaking out, that's exactly what I was hoping to AVOID by not telling you."
"At least take a Fenton Thermos." Mrs. Fenton told him.
"Mom, I've been carrying one ever since I woke up with white hair, glowing eyes, and the ability to walk through WALLS." Danny said sarcastically. "And I'm meeting Sam and Tucker there anyway."
"Fine. We'll take Feralae shopping. And you'd better watch your attitude young man. Our main responsibility as parents is to make sure that you LIVE to reach age eighteen." Mrs. Fenton argued.
"I've got a better idea. How about if I take the gadgets, you drop me and Feralae off to meet Sam and Tucker, go about your business, and pick us up at three." Danny told her. "Besides, we have to help Sam with something anyway, we might as well hang out."
"Fine, take a Fenton Fisher with you too. If Feralae hadn't been there Ember's speed and Skulker's brawn would have over run your powers." Mrs. Fenton glared at her. "You may have the ghost powers, but you don't know their limits."
"Oh, and you do?" Danny asked as he scooped up the armload of gadgets that were sitting on the table.
"No, you're right, I don't. But I think I'll find out." Mrs. Fenton sounded disgusted, almost as if she had forgotten that her son had managed quite well on his own. "Wait a minute, are you saying that Sam and Tucker KNEW about your powers before I did?" Mrs. Fenton demanded.
"Uht-oh, gotta go!" Danny pulled out the Fenton Fisher and Fenton Thermos put the other gadgets on the counter before running upstairs to get his backpack.
"DANIEL FENTON!" Growled Mrs. Fenton after her ghost son.
"Sorry mom, gotta get ready!" Danny shouted back down the stairs.
"Something tells me I'm going to regret the day I ever made that portal." Mrs. Fenton muttered.