WoM- How is it that this story's only gonna be six chapters long, and I'm seeing more of it then any of my other stories? Ah, well. After this, I'm going back to a chapter a week, so it doesn't matter I suppose… Here we live it up in the Present with Danny! Fun Fun! 'laughs'
Paulina: (While possessed) You can't get away from me!
Danny: Wow. I waited all puberty for a girl to say that to me, and now, it's a complete bummer.
Christmas Present
"Huh?" Bonnie blinked around her in shock, smirking when she saw they were back in Middleton of now. "Told you they'd realize they had the wrong girl!" She said triumphantly to Kim.
"Not exactly," A voice behind them made all three jump. Wheeling around, they met the warm, amused smile of a boy around their age, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you…"
"Too late," Ron said faintly, paling.
"Christmas Present?" Kim guessed.
"Danny actually," the ghost grinned, "But I've got the role for the day. Nice to meet ya,"
"Oh, he's a Christmas present alright…" Bonnie murmured, suddenly very cheerful. Pushing past Kim and Ron, Bonnie walked over to Danny and purred, "Hi! I'm Bonnie Rockwaller! And it's very, very nice to meet you, Danny!"
"Uhh…" Was Danny's intelligent response as he blinked at the girl in alarm. This most certainly wasn't the reaction he's expected…
"Bonnie!" Kim scolded. "He's kind of a ghost!"
"So?" Bonnie shot back, "A hottie's a hottie," Suddenly, Danny's blushed, the snow around him melting as he lost slight control of his new power over the heat of the air around him.
"Can we continue?" Danny asked, eager to change the subject. "We're really burning sunlight here…"
"Whatever you say!" Bonnie chirped, latching to his arm, "Say, are you doing anything later on?"
"Bonnie!" Kim said warningly. Then she yelped as She, Ron and Bonnie were all enveloped in a green glow.
"Relax," Danny told her, "I've got you." Kim didn't look completely reassured at this, but she did become a little less tense, slipping her hand into Ron's nervously.
Danny flew them all over to Lowerton, hovering over a rickety-looking building in front of a large oak tree for a moment before phasing them all through the wall.
"Where are we?" Bonnie asked, looking around as the kids around her played and laughed.
"Oakview Orphanage," Danny responded, "Sound familiar?" Bonnie frowned.
"That's the place we're supposed to go caroling for," Kim told her, giving the girl a cold look.
"Exactly," Danny said, nodding.
"Why are we here?" Bonnie asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.
"Because there's someone you should meet," Danny answered, flying away from the playing kids.
He led them to a small table, where a little girl was coloring a paper in crayons. She was all alone, and looked very depressed. Apparently one of the workers noticed this as well, as she came over to the girl, looking worried.
"Katherine, sweetie, why don't you play with the others?" she asked. Katherine drew away from her slightly, and the woman sighed in defeat and left, casting the girl one last worried look.
"This is Katherine," Danny told Bonnie, "She's the girl you were supposed to have bought a present for, remember?" Bonnie frowned.
"That's this got to do with anything?" She asked Danny.
"Because," Danny said grimly, "Katherine lost her whole family in a car crash three months ago, and hasn't said a word since the accident."
"A mute," Kim said frowning at the girl in worry.
"She's in a lot of pain, Bonnie." Danny told the girl. "Her mother, brother and sister all died while she was right there." Bonnie looked at the girl, silent for a second.
"Well… what can I do?" Bonnie said, both defensive and helpless, "I don't know anything about kids, and even less about comforting other people!" Danny raised an eyebrow.
"You want to help?" He asked. Bonnie froze, realizing that she did indeed want to help the girl. Danny smiled. "Good."
"Well, even if I do, it's not like I can do anything," Bonnie said, crossing her arms and turning away.
"You can give her someone to hear her," Danny told her.
"She can't talk," Bonnie said shortly, embarrassed and uncomfortable with the conversation.
"She can," Danny said, "But can you listen?" Bonnie didn't respond, and Danny sighed in defeat. "It's time for me to go now. Kim, Ron, I'm supposed to bring you back to your own reality,"
"But we want to stay," Kim protested.
"No," Danny said grimly, "No you don't. Not for what will be…" He turned to cast Bonnie a serious look, making her blush. "Good luck. You're going to need it for what you're about to see." And, before Bonnie could respond, Danny, Kim and Ron disappeared, and the world around her faded to black…
"She's starting to come around," Vlad observed, "It shouldn't take too much effort to correct her attitude now."
"Why'd the other two have to leave?" Youngblood asked Clockwork.
"The future is far too personal for Bonnie," Clockwork answered, "She would not want her classmates to know of it, if she had the choice."
"But this is supposed to be a punishment, isn't it?" Youngblood asked, frowning in confusion.
"Not at all, Youngblood," Clockwork said, watching Red X appear on the portal, "Quite the contrary, it is a mercy…"
Red X sighed in annoyance as the scene in front of him cleared to an unfamiliar house in a middle-class neighborhood. He turned, scanning the area, until his eyes fell on the ghost hovering three inches off the ground behind him.
"You guys don't know when to give it up," He grumbled.
"Comes with the job," his newest nuisance responded without pause.
"Present?"
"Danny Phantom," Danny corrected.
"Another fill-in," Red X grumbled.
"The usuals are kinda incapacitated," Danny said, bemused. Red X stared.
"Ghosts get incapacitated?"
"They do when you drop a wall on their heads," Danny shrugged, "Kind of off topic, though." Red X smirked.
"You say that like you have any more of a chance of turning me into a goody-goody as the brat before you, kid,"
"And you say that like you're really that much older then me, thief," Danny shot back. "Now come on, there's something you need to see."
"Do I get a choice?"
"Well, you could Spend the rest of eternity in the state you're in now…" Danny suggested innocently. Red X glared at him.
"Let's get this over with," He grumbled. And with that, he followed Danny into the house.
The scene before him was unfamiliar after all the years alone. A mother was stilling on the floor, playing with two girls and baby boy as her husband watched on in amusement.
Finally, the three children ganged up on their mother, dragging her to the ground where they all laid in a laughing heap on the carpet.
"What's some mushy family junk got to do with me?" Red X asked. Danny raised an eyebrow.
"What you don't recognize her?" He challenged. Red X glared again.
"Okay, kids, time for bed," The father said as the kids started to catch their breath. All three of them groaned loudly, causing the mother to laugh.
"Listen to Daddy, kids," She said, smiling, "Tomorrow's Christmas, remember?" All three brightened at that, and jumped up. Kissing their mother on the cheek and hugging their father good night, the younger girl and the boy raced upstairs, arguing over who had seniority enough to wake their parents in the morning.
The oldest girl, however, stayed behind.
"You okay, Hon?" Her father asked.
"Fine," She answered, "Just thinking."
"As touching as this is," Red X said in annoyance, "Can I go back home already?" Danny sighed.
"Not just yet," He said grimly. Red X started to say something when the husband's question made him stop.
"Why do you light those every year?" Turning, he saw the girl with a match, lighting candles in an all-too familiar holder as her father watched on.
"It's a tradition my other mom had," The girl answered, "One for everyone you love, see? There's you, mom, my first mom, Jake and Sarah."
"I see," The man said, smiling, "It's a beautiful tradition, Anna. But who's the last candle for?" Anna smiled sadly, not seeing the way the invisible Red X's eyes widened as he finally recognized his younger sister.
"That one's for my brother," She told her surrogate father before standing and rushing off to bed.
"That was-!" Red X cut himself off before he finished.
"Is it still easier, Red X?" Danny asked. The thief didn't respond, or even move to acknowledge he'd heard Danny. The young halfa sighed as darkness closed in on the two of them…
"He's being stubborn." Clockwork observed.
"What did you expect?" Vlad asked irritably. "Young Daniel isn't fairing any better then Youngblood did."
"Hey!" Youngblood protested.
"Actually, Plasmius," Clockwork cut off anything else the young ghost would say, "I think Danny's doing quite well. This isn't about forcing them to see things your way, it's about slowly convincing the other side that it is in their best interest to listen. Forcing someone to do something only builds resentment. Showing them your side and letting them choose for themselves gives them more of a chance of staying true to your cause." Vlad frowned at that, wondering if it was a subtle jab at him, when he was distracted with the start of the next scene.
"What the- HEY!" Vicky growled "GET BACK HERE TO LITTLE-!"
"He's not gonna listen," A new voice cut her off, "Trust me on that," Vicky blinked in shock at the ghost in front of her.
"Who are you?" She asked warily.
"Call me Danny," He answered, "I'm playing the part of Christmas Present in this twisted play."
"Well then, Danny," Vicky glared, "Where am I now?" Danny blinked in amusement.
"What, you don't recognize this place?" He asked, "You spend enough time here…" Vicky looked around, then jerked back.
"This is the Twerp's house!" She exclaimed. "Why the heck am I here?"
"Because there's something you need to see," Danny responded, guiding her downstairs.
Once there, they found the sight of little Timmy Turner sitting on the couch between his parents, watching a Christmas Special and drinking coco.
"The twerp?" Vicky asked, "I see him all the time!"
"No you don't" Danny said, annoyed, "You scare him all the time. I want you to see what he's like when you're not working him to death." Vicky glared at him before sighing and complying with the ghost.
She stared at the boy sullenly, wondering exactly what it was she was supposed to be looking for. He still looked the same, after all. Same pink hat, same bucked teeth, same all around Twerpiness.
…Okay, that one wasn't a word, but still…
Danny frowned as he watched Vicky, knowing that she was too self absorbed to see what she was supposed to.
"Uuh… Is that Vicky fly over Timmy right now?" Danny blinked at the voice that seemed to come out of nowhere.
"Hey, it is!" Another voice said loudly, "How come we can see through her?" Danny was puzzled now. Funny, it sounded like the voices were coming from the fish, but that was impossible…
"Maybe she's dead…" The pink eyed goldfish suggested.
"It would be like her to haunt Timmy from the grave," Her companion agreed with a grin that looked stupid even on a goldfish.
Yep. The Goldfish were talking. It was official, Danny had seen it all…
"She's not dead just yet," Danny informed the goldfish, watching them scream, jump and wheel around to face him as one. They froze.
"Uuh…" The green eyed goldfish said, "Who are you?"
"A ghost," Danny answered, "Sort of, anyways. And you are…?"
"A pet goldfish, of course!" Green eyes answered. "Yep, Just a plain, ol' pet goldfish with no fairy powers whatsoever!"
"Goldfish that talk?" Danny asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"…No we don't," Green eyes insisted, earning dry looks from both his companion and Danny, "Ah, I mean… bark, bark!"
"Cosmo you idiot…" Pink eyes sighed. Then she frowned suspiciously at Danny. "If you're a ghost, what are you doing here?"
"I sorta got stuck as Christmas Present for the Day," Danny shrugged.
"Ouch…" Pink eyes flinched. "Sorry to hear it, sweetie."
"Well after Vicky, there's only one other scrooge left." Danny sighed, not mentioning she'd probably try to kill him on sight.
"So Icky Vicky finally made a scrooge?" Cosmo said grinning. "Wow, took 'em long enough!"
"Look, am I gonna do anything but stare at the twerp?" Vicky asked in irritation. Danny and the goldfish sighed.
"Time to go," Danny muttered to them dryly.
"Good luck, sweetie!" Pink-eyes said smiling, "Oh, and if anyone asks, this conversation never happened."
"Ditto," Danny said with a grin before he and Vicky disappeared.
"Cosmo? Wanda? Who are you two talking to?" Timmy asked his godparents curiously.
"Uhh…" They said as one, looking at each other.
"The magical spirit of Christmas?" Wanda offered. Timmy shrugged.
"Works for me," He said, turning back to the movie. The couple sighed in relief, and shared knowing looking.
"Well, that one bombed," Youngblood said casually.
"Christmas Future was always the only chance of Vicky changing her ways." Clockwork sighed.
"Hush," Vlad told them both, grinning evilly, "This next one I want to see…"
Valerie glared around her as soon as the snow cleared. After seeing nothing she'd come to associate with ghosts, the hunter let out a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly. Then, remembering what she was dealing with, she looked up.
And froze.
"YOU?" She screeched, "YOU'RE Christmas Present?"
"Actually, I'm only filling in," Danny said sheepishly, landing a good ten feet away as his (sort-of) friend glared daggers at him. Her hand twitched like she ached to put it around an ecto-gun, and Danny was suddenly very glad Valerie was unarmed.
"This is just adding insult to injury!" the girl growled, crossing her arms, "And you can't expect me to go anywhere alone with you!"
"We're not gonna be alone," Danny sighed. "Look, just follow me, okay? Trust me, it's worth it…" Valerie snorted disdainfully but, seeing no other choice, she reluctantly followed Danny down the street.
She faltered at the sight of the Fentonwork's sign, though, and Danny couldn't hold back his grin as her usual first-time-see-er reaction of shock and… well, mostly just shock, but a lot of it.
"Da- I mean, Jack likes to go all-out for the holidays," Danny explained, "You're gonna have to go in without me at first. I won't be able to get around the Fenton Ghost Shields for a while." Valerie glared at him distrustfully, before starting towards the Fenton house at a brisk pace.
Inside, she found a sight that was as strange to her as they come.
Jack Fenton, Mr. Foley and Mr. Manson were bellowing out some dusty Christmas carol as their wives cheered them on and their children buried their heads in shame.
"Just shoot me now," Sam groaned.
"No way," Jazz glared at her, "If I'm suffering through this, you two are coming with me." At that, Tucker coughed out something that sounded suspiciously like 'evil!' Earning him a pillow to the face.
This started an all-out pillow war between the teens which quickly gained the parent's attention.
"$50 on Jazzy-pants!" Jack bellowed, grinning, "She's got her mother's aim!"
"Well Sammy's been in Kick-boxing classes since she was eight years old," Mrs. Manson said proudly. Then she yelled to her daughter "Show no Fear, Sammy-kins!" Earning a flinch that Valerie couldn't help but laugh at.
"Much as I hate to say it," Mr. Foley chuckled, "Tucker stands no chance,"
"HEY!" Tucker stopped, glaring at his father in insult. He never saw either girl's pillows coming.
'FWAP! FWAP!'
"…Well this is embarrassing," Tucker muttered, lying on the ground as all the adults roared with laugher and even Valerie began cracking up in mid-air.
The girls continued with their pillow fight until Danny came downstairs. They looked at him before grinning evilly at each other and shaking hands in truce. Then, with that out of the way, both girls hurled their pillows at Danny, who caught sight of them just in time to dive out of the way of Jazz's and catch Sam's out of the air.
"Ever hear of fair warning?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow at the two.
"Ever heard the saying 'All's fair in love and war?'" Jazz countered, grinning. "Nice catch though, Baby Brother," Jazz laughed as Danny threw the pillow at her, taking cover behind the couch.
"You know I hate being called that, Jazz," He said, his eyes shining in humor even as he scowled at her.
"Yep!" Jazz said happily, crossing her arms on the back of the couch and resting her chin on them. "Which is why I used it as a distraction tactic against your usually superb awareness," Danny blinked in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Like I said, Danny, All's fair in love and war…" Jazz finished with a wicked grin. And, before this could sink in for Danny, Sam struck.
Which the siblings had been bickering, the goth girl had snuck into the kitchen for 'emergency battle maneuvers,' and came up behind Danny to finish what Jazz had started.
By putting an ice cube down the back of his shirt.
Danny jumped and let out a terrific yelp, fanning the back of his shirt to get the icy source of discomfort out. Now everyone but Danny was practically in tears of laugher.
After dislodging the ice cube, Danny glared at the girls before smirking evilly.
"Danny…" Jazz said warily, eyeing her brother suspiciously. Danny walked calmly out of the room, and everyone else was left blinking after him in bewilderment.
"Maybe we should go…" Jazz said to Sam, "Now,"
"Good idea," Sam said and they began to hastily back away as one as Danny re-entered the room.
"Too late," Danny said calmly, Blasting them both with an ecto-goo gun. But girls screamed and dived for cover from the glowing green gook.
"Danny!" Jazz wailed, "Do you have any idea how long this stuff takes to wash out?"
"Yep," Danny grinned. Jazz glared at him from over the couch.
"Alright, you asked for it!" She said, pulling a spare ecto-goo bun from under one of the couch pillows and shooting Danny. Sam dived to grab the one Maddie had hid behind the potted plant in the corner and everyone else was left in a mad scramble for the weapons, adults and kids alike.
"Only in the Fenton's house…" Valerie laughed as she watched all of this. Then, she got a bit depressed and lonely as she realized she could be down there with them if she wasn't so focused on work.
'I need to work, though,' She rationalized stubbornly. 'Besides, the only one I'm really comfortable around is Danny. Holidays or not, why would Sam and Tucker decide to suddenly be nice to me. Especially Sam…'
Valerie sighed, watching in a rather detached way as the fight dragged on until everyone was left panting goo-caked lumps on the floor. At least until Danny saw Tucker backing dangerously close to one of the wrapped gifts.
"Easy!" He warned, "That's my gift to Val, remember?" Tucker stopped and changed his path.
"Sorry, dude," He apologized, sitting down.
"When are you gonna give it to her?" Jazz asked curiously, "Sam mentioned she wasn't coming to the party…"
"We'll give her our gifts after break lets out," Sam answered for Danny, surprising Valerie. "Every time we go to see her now she's always gone, and it'd be too impersonal to just leave them with her dad,"
'We?' Valerie thought, blinking. Sam didn't even like her, and she still got her a gift? The same sour goth who she had a silent duel with that was growing as fierce as her one with the ghost-boy?
Speaking of which, where the heck did he go, anyways? He said he'd only be a while…
"I'm gonna go clean up," Danny said, jumping up and heading upstairs, "Then I've got something I need to take care of."
"I call dibs on first shower!" Jazz yelled, racing her brother up the stairs. Maddie shook her head as she watched them go.
"Sorry," She apologized to her fellow moms, "I didn't expect things to get so messy…"
"That's alright," Mrs. Manson said, "I brought three changes of clothes, so it really doesn't matter,"
"And this is nothing a quick shower and a run in the washing machine won't fix," Mrs. Foley chuckled, "Heaven knows Tucker comes home covered in ecto-goo enough times that I've become an expert at getting it out," All three women shared a laugh at that.
"Looks fun, huh?" Phantom said behind the ghost hunter.
"So what?" Valerie said, not taking her eyes off the scene, "Life's about more then just having fun. I had my fun before you ghosts came along. Now, it's all about work."
"Can't you do both?" Danny asked, "All work and no play…"
"You're just trying to get me at a disadvantage," Valerie accused. Danny rolled his eyes.
"No offence, Valerie, but you don't have a single weapon on you and I've got a ton of different powers," Danny said dryly. "If I needed you out of the way and was really as low as I know you think I am, don't you think I would've done something by now?" Valerie glared at him.
"Who are you to say I'm wrong?" She asked coldly, "Ghosts don't care about anyone but themselves!"
"Then why am I trying to help you?" Danny asked, starting to get upset.
"Would you shut up!" Valerie glared at him, her eyes flashing angrily, "I don't trust you, I don't like you and I don't need your help!" Danny sighed after the girl's outburst.
"Then you leave me no choice…" He said regretfully. And, before Valerie could react, everything around her faded away.
"That could've gone better…" Danny said dryly as he floated back into the tower. Clockwork smiled at the halfa reassuringly, putting a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You did reach her, Danny," He promised the boy, "Even if it didn't appear so," Danny smiled back at the older ghost, watching as he shifted from an old man into a young man.
"Your turn," Youngblood smirked at Vlad. The billionaire scowled.
"Hmph!" He grunted before disappearing in a black flash of light. Danny sighed.
"Well, this should be interesting…" He declared dryly, watching the portal clear to begin the next round…
WoM- Sorry about Vicky, but I just couldn't think of anything for her! She's really too evil to have Christmas Present impact her too much…
Speaking of evil, the superintendent of my school is out to get herself killed. Not by me, of course, but by the millions of other students in my district who, like me, were cheated from a snow day last Friday, and ended up freezing and nearly getting themselves killed on the icy Michigan roads. 'growls' EVIL WOMAN!
Thanks to;
Rosadina formerly Tima
Light Dragon SunsSong
Ant Crown
DannysGirlForever
alboc
cheetahs-sperit
InuPhantom
epobbp
A Karswyll
Shadow Guardian of the Gate
SalanTrong
Tetsukon
Night Wing
Queen S of Randomness 016
animegurl088
Questions;
After being consistently pressed about this segment, I've decided to drop it. Sorry for anyone who was looking forward to a responce, I'll be happy to reach you if you leave me your e-mail.
Next update; December 18th
See you then!