WoM- 'Sweatdrops,' Wow, not many people are too fond of Sparks any more... 'gigging' This chapter has lots more S/D hintng fluff, and a few near homicides. Big thanks to Stella Gold for being my Beta! THANK YOU STELLA!
"Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight."
Phyllis Diller
Scene 11
"Knock, knock."
Jazz blinked in a daze, looking up from her cereal to the handsome star smiling at her from the doorway.
"Oh!" Jazz said, straightening up. "Derris! Hi…." She laughed nervously.
"Eating breakfast?" Derris asked as he sat across from her, taking some of the Ghosty-Os for himself.
"Yeah," Jazz said, twirling a strand of her long red hair nervously between her fingers. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No," Derris laughed, "I always wake up this early. You?"
"Yeah," Jazz smiled. "I've always been the early bird. Danny's the one who's still brushing is teeth while running to catch the bus." Derris laughed, not too surprised with how easily the image she just described came to mind.
"Hey, listen," Derris smiled, "I was just wondering if you were planning anything today?"
"Today?" Jazz repeated innocently. "No. I don't think so. Why?"
"It just so happens that a famous magician I'm close friends with is putting on a show tonight," Derris explained. "I was hoping the two of us could go. And maybe afterwards you can show me there the best place to eat in Amity Park is."
Jazz smiled at that. "Why not?" she said in a cool, collected voice. "That sounds like fun…." Then something hit her. "Oh, but I should probably tell Danny -!"
"No!" Derris shouted, barely able to turn his cringe into a smile. "I mean, let's keep Danny out of this, shall we? Tonight will be about just you and me getting to know each other better."
Jazz hesitated. "I dunno…" she said slowly.
'I don't like being somewhere that Danny doesn't know how to reach me when something happens….' she added mentally.
"Come on," Derris smiled, "Danny's a tough kid, he can take care of himself for a couple of hours. I'm sure he won't get mad if you set out of the 'big sister' role and just be 'Jazz,' for the night, would he?" Jazz smiled slightly at that.
'Well, he is always complaining that I'm overprotective….' she reminded herself, 'I guess maybe one night would do us both some good, just some breathing room for a while.'
"Why not?" Jazz said with a smile.
"Great!" Derris grinned. "The show starts at seven, but we need to be there by six thirty to verify out reservation, so we'll leave here around six in the limo. And there's a semi-formal dress code, too."
"I can work with that," Jazz said in a collected tone.
"Glad to hear it." Derris smiled as he stood up. "I've got to get down to the hotel. Michael said he wanted me to do some interviews today. See you at six, Jazz."
"See you, Derris," Jazz called back at the movie star left. The second she heard the front door shut, Jazz tore out of the kitchen, leaving her half-finished cereal behind her. "Mooooooooooooooooom!"
"Mmmwha -?" Maddie moaned as her daughter barged into the room. Next to her, Jack kept right on snoring away, cuddling his teddy closer. Blinking in a daze for a moment, Maddie picked up the alarm clock next to her and read the digital numbers. "Jazz, sweetie, do you have any idea what time it is?" she moaned to her daughter.
"Yeah, I know, but we really need to go shopping, NOW!" Jazz whispered hurriedly.
"What for?" Maddie yawned. "We got everything yesterday, Jazz, we don't need anything else right now."
"But mom!" Jazz whined, "Derris is going to take me out to dinner, and it's semi-formal! I don't have anything semi-formal!" Maddie took about three second to process this before shooting out of bed to seize her daughter's arms.
"He asked you on a date?" the mother asked excitedly.
"Uh-huh!" Jazz said. "To a magician show, and then out to eat wherever I want!" Maddie squealed in delight as she jumped up, tearing her closet door open to hastily pick out an outfit.
"Give me two seconds to change and brush my hair!" she said, heading into the adjoining bathroom where she closed the door to change into her usual blue hazmat. "Ooh, this is so sweet! Why, your father and I went to see a magician back when we were dating…." Maddie sighed, lost in her memories, and Jazz tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for her mother to finish.
"Uh, mom?" Jazz said. "I've got until six to get an outfit, make up, and everything else I need."
"Oh!" Maddie said, blinking back to reality and coming out of the bathroom to join her daughter. "Then we really don't have a second to waste! GAV or your car?"
"GAV," Jazz decided at once, adding in a rather dry tone, "It clears traffic faster, after the way Dad's handled it on the road…." Both women giggled at the jest on Jack's poor driving skills, heading happily out the door to yield to the one hobby Fenton women had shared proudly since the beginning of time…
"Shopping time!"
"Wait, so your mom and Jazz just took off to go shopping without telling you or your dad?" Tucker clarified. "Weird…."
"Tell me about it…." Danny sighed. "And the weirdest thing is, they still won't tell me that's it's about. They say it's a girl bonding trip or something like that…."
"Why couldn't we have gone shopping on that guy bonding thing we did?" Tucker complained, making a face. "Shopping doesn't leave bug bites!"
"Morning, boys!" Jack bellowed as he entered the room. "Danny, have you seen your mother - "
"She and Jazz went shopping for something," Danny replied, rolling his eyes.
"Guess that means we're on our own for breakfast," Jack said as he sat down at the table for some Ghosty-Os. "And lunch and dinner, for that matter…." Danny grinned.
"By the way, Tuck, is something wrong with Sam?" Danny asked. "I called her last night, but she didn't pick up…."
Tucker cringed. "Ah, well, whatever it is, I don't know anything about it!" he said hastily in a loud, nervous voice. Danny's eyes narrowed, but he didn't dare ask anything else in front of Jack and the cameras.
Sable chose this time to meow for attention, ignoring the wary glances she got from both Jack and Tucker. Jumping up to the counter, she pawed at the remote, turning the TV on.
" - In other news, last night crowds were shocked when the mysterious ghost Danny Phantom saved the rare female purple-back gorilla from being tragically burned to death in a fire that started at the zoo.
"According to witnesses on the scene, Phantom rescued Delilah before promptly being attacked by the ghosts that started the fire, and apparently were responsible for several other fires in the last few days as well, including the one where Phantom saved young Emily Candice from a burning apartment building.
"The night ended with the gorilla habitat being burned to the ground, along with three nearby habitats. Luckily, no animals or humans were harmed from the fire, and Phantom managed to fight the ghosts off with a rather… interesting new battle tactic."
Danny's face burned at they showed a picture of Sparks kissing him before the anchorwoman continued in an amused voice.
"Needless to say, many young women across Amity now have a much stronger desire to 'fight' with young Danny Phantom. I'm Tiffany Snow, and we'll be right back after these commercials…."
"Shut. Up," Danny growled at Tucker, who suddenly seemed to be coughing up a lung.
"Dude," Tucker whispered back, "didn't you hear what she -?"
"TUCKER!" Danny hissed.
"What are you two muttering about?" Jack asked.
"Nothing!" Danny and Tucker said as one. Jack blinked at them in confusion before shrugging.
"Anyways, do you want to hear the new theory Maddie and I are working about the Ghost-boy?" Jack asked excitedly. Tucker and Danny exchanged looks, but before they could reply, Jack continued anyways. "See, we think he might be a completely new breed of ghosts! That's why they treat him differently, and even why he acts different from other ghosts! I bet that's even why our weapons act differently around him! Some will lock onto him as a ghost and others won't, then others only work about half the time. It makes perfect sense if you think about it. If humans evolve, who's to say ghosts don't?" Danny swallowed back a lump in his throat. That was far too close to the truth for comfort….
"Really?" he asked loudly. "Uh, you can't prove it, though, can you?"
"Not yet," Jack admitted, "but just wait! It won't be long until we have all the proof we need, and then we can design special weapons just for Phantom!"
Danny and Tucker cringed. "Uh, is that really necessary, Mr. Fenton?" Tucker asked.
"'Course it is!" Jack replied cheerily. "We gotta wipe him out before he can breed, right?" Tucker backed away from the table slightly, unsure if it was healthy for anything to get as red as Danny's face was right now. "If you two need me, I'll be down in the lab," Jack said, standing up and lumbering down into the basement level.
"Well that was an awkward conversation…." Danny muttered.
"Yeah," Tucker agreed, "it's amazing how uncomfortable things get as soon as the word 'breeding' is brought in…."
"Tucker!" Danny glared at his friend in a combination of embarrassment and exasperation. Tucker blinked back innocently, as if to ask "Who, me?" Before Danny could respond to the look in less then two words (which were far less than innocent) Mandy came into the room, looking bright-eyed and cheery even though it was still early out.
"Morning!" she said happily, petting Sable on her way to the fridge. "Where's everyone else?"
"Derris took off already," Danny sighed, "and Jazz and Mom went Shopping. Dad's in the lab."
"What about the scary old guy?" Mandy asked. Danny blinked, then grinned.
"Vlad?" he clarified, his affection to the small girl going up a notch when she nodded. "Dunno. If he's not in his room, I can't tell you where he is."
"I don't think your cat likes him too much," Mandy noted. "She attacked him again last night when you were sleeping. I think he was trying to get into your room, or something…." With his affection of Mandy rose his affection towards Sable.
'Any enemy of Vlad's is definitely my friend,' he thought to himself.
"Hey, Danny, can you do me a favor?" Mandy asked. "I want to visit my Auntie, but I'm not allowed to go out on my own anymore and I don't like riding around in the limo. Can you and Tucker take me to her house on the bus?"
"Uh, sure," Danny said, blinking. "Hang on. Lemme call Sam and see if she wants to come, too…"
"She's busy," Mandy said bluntly, nibbling at her toast.
"What makes you so sure?" Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow as Danny dialed the Goth's number into the phone.
"I dunno," Mandy shrugged. "I always know stuff like that…" Before Danny could comment on this, a haggard sounding Sam picked up her phone.
"Whoever this is, you have five seconds to tell me why you woke me up before I hunt you down and kick your ass," she grumped. Danny smiled slightly.
"Well, you seem to be in a better mood this morning then you usually are," he said cheekily. "Normally, you'd threaten to hang me with my own intestines or something like that…"
"Danny?" Sam asked, her grogginess clearing away from confusion. "Why are you calling me before ten on a weekend?" Danny laughed a little at the inside joke.
That was one of the things that was normally taboo in their group, as Sam wasn't the most charitable person to be around first thing in the morning.
As a matter of fact, Tucker was the only one among the trio who took the morning in strides. Danny and Sam were both victims of low-blood pressure, though Danny's usually wore off after about fifteen minutes while the boys had to tread carefully whenever they wished to talk to Sam before noon.
"Tucker and I are taking Mandy to visit her Aunt," Danny explained. "Wanna join?"
"I'd love to," Sam sighed wistfully, "but Mom is forcing me to go shopping with her and Electra. She pulled the guilt card on me, and after I ran out like that yesterday…."
"I understand," Danny said, a little put out. "Call me when you get home, okay?"
"If I get home, you mean," Sam grumbled. "You forget I'm going shopping with my mother, pal. That means I'll probably be ready to hang myself before noon."
"If you do, can I have your computer?" Danny asked.
"Your sympathy is touching," Sam said dryly.
"What can I say? I'm a giver!" Sam laughed at that.
"Are you two gonna stop flirting any time soon?" Tucker complained. "I wanted to check out some stuff today too, you know!" Danny's face flushed, but Sam had apparently missed what the Tech-geek said.
"Sam? I've gotta go," he said in a slight growl. "Someone over here has a death wish." Tucker gulped and edged towards the door.
"Got it," Sam said airily. "Tell me if you need help hiding the body. Oh, and Danny?"
"Yeah?" Danny said, keeping one eye on Tucker to make sure he didn't escape when the half ghost was distracted.
"I'm really proud of you," Sam said, a smile obvious in her voice, "For last night, I mean. When you saved Delilah. That was really cool…!" Danny's face burned and Tucker snorted with laugher, sharing pointed looks with Mandy.
"I-It was nothing," Danny stammered back. "Look, I gotta go. Call me later?"
"You know it!" Sam replied before the two hung up. Danny turned to Tucker, who's grin fell away almost instantly.
"Tucker…" Danny growled. That was all he needed to say. With a frightened yelp, the boy was gone, his friend at his heels and Mandy left sitting in the kitchen alone, almost out of breath from laughter.
"You're sure this is the place?" Vlad asked, eyeing the crisp, practical building with a look of someone who had just found something revolting.
"Positive!" his vulture replied. "The sniveling coward's in there, alright! We even - !"
"That's all I need to know," Vlad cut him off brusquely, heading up the steps and into the building. The secretary looked up when she saw his approach.
"Sir," she said, standing when he continued without pause, "you need a reservation to see anyone working here! Sir!"
"Don't worry," Vlad told her, brushing her protests off with a wave of his hand, "I'm expected." And, leaving the bewildered young woman behind, Vlad continued on his path, until he reached a pair of heavy mahogany double doors on the executive suite.
Opening the door, he glared coldly as a man behind a sleek, modern black and glass desk looked up at his arrival, a small smirk playing at his lips.
"Ah, Masters old chum!" the man said as he stood. "I wasn't expecting you, please, please, sit down…." Vlad smiled back the smooth, practiced smile of a businessman on the prowl.
"Kimbers," he acknowledged the man, his tone buttery smooth. "Sorry for dropping in unannounced like this, but I feel we are… overdue for a discussion…."
WoM- There you go! Next chapter has a lot of Sam, and the long awited chat between Danny and Mandy. Also, just how will Jazz's date with Derris turn out...? (And my friends wonder how I can sleep at night. 'grins widely')
Thanks to;
briedee
epobbp
Light Dragon SunsSong
Luna Weasley and Hermione Potter
cakreut12
Master of Procrastination
Tetsukon
WhiteMoonDragon
Stella Gold
whirlgirl
the sleep warrior
Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet
Kuki Salazar
Rob Phantom
Spirit of Zurvan
The Great Susinko
conan98002
The Sole Survivor
phantomshadowdragon
dramaqueen07
Inumaru12
SquirrelGirl
AirGirl Phantom
The Unknown Alias
Kirril
littlekittykat
Writer's-BlockDP
Kyuugi
puppyface
random-idiot-v2
BratCat
Satoshi Silver Syoran
Next update; January 26th
See you then!