Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Animaniacs or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International. Animaniacs is the property of Tom Ruegger and Warner Brothers.
Goin' KABOOM!
Chapter 32: Dinner Time
Danny saw the two guests walk in. He saw a dark haired woman who looked to be in her early twenties, she wore an expensive looking purple dress and had a big diamond ring on her finger, as well as a snobby look on her face. Next to her was a dark haired man who seemed timid for some.
He turned to Katie and whispered.
"Is this her?..." Danny asked in a whisper.
"Yup..." Katie said, wanting to leave.
However, Danny realized this night might not go as according to plan as the unofficial family reunion began.
Oh boy.
The ghost boy remained silent as he saw Katie's mother hugging the dark haired woman.
"Oh Tiffany, it's so good to see you again..."Mrs. Kaboom said as she hugged her niece.
"You too, Auntie..."Tiffany answered while she saw her husband was still bringing in their bags.
"Hurry up, Mitch...I want to get to our room and start unpacking now..."Tiffany said in a bossy way.
"Coming, Sugar..."Mitch said as he carried her belongings.
"Unpacking?..."Danny questioned.
"Yeah, they are gonna be staying a few days here...unfortunately..."She muttered as she watched her cousin-in-law bring in Tiffany's belongings.
Said belongings were several suitcases and bags, 12 in fact, and the shy man was struggling to carry them in together. It was clearly too tall and too heavy for him, but his wife didn't seem to notice.
Once done, Tiffany mood suddenly shifted as she pointed to the restroom.
"Now, be a dear and get washed up after your done. You're sweating..."Tiffany said.
"But Sugar...I-..."Mitch began, only for the woman to sent him a look.
"Now, Mitch..."Tiffany interrupted.
"Yes, Sugar..." Mitch said in a defeated tone.
Danny saw all this happening and wondered why he didn't ask for help. He decided to step in and see if the man is alright.
"Are you okay? Do you need help?..." Danny asked and Mitch sighed in relief while his wife kept talking to her aunt and uncle.
"Y-Yes... thank you..."Mitch said, stuttering a bit as the young boy went to help carry items that were falling off.
"Okay..." Danny went to help with a luggage that fell.
Katie saw this and smiled.
"Such a sweetheart..."She thought in fondness as she watched.
Danny helped Mitch carry the suitcases to the living room before setting it down.
"What a relief... so, who are you?..."Mitch asked.
"I'm Katie's... boyfriend..." He said, wishing he didn't say that last word.
Mitch suddenly had a strange look on his face, one of shock.
"I see..."He said, looking sympathetic for Danny for some reason.
Before he could say anything else, his wife called out to him.
"Mitch Honey, I don't hear that faucet..."The woman said impatiently.
Tiffany then noticed Danny and looked at him with a raised eye brow.
"Who's this?..." Tiffany asked as she sent a critical look.
Katie put her arms around one of Danny's and snuggled him tight, indicating that he's with her.
"My boyfriend..." She said defensively. "Meet Danny, he's my loveable Pookie-bear..."She said proudly as she held him tight.
The ghost boy felt mortified that she could even say that name with a straight face in front of her cousin but she did. Clearly, she didn't care how it sounded to other people.
"I really hope someone tells her how lame that is..."Danny thought as also hoped her family doesn't call use that as his official nickname.
Tiffany sent a dismissive look before choosing to speak her mind.
"Huh... so cute. So, lost a bet?..." She asked in a snooty way, intent to insult.
"I happen to like Danny very much, thank you..." Katie said defensively, making it clear she was striking a nerve.
"I was talking to him..." Tiffany said with a smirk.
Katie's eyes glowed a moment and Danny felt the grip on his arm tighten a moment.
"Oh man!..."Danny thought before slightly nudging the girl, reminding she had to calm down.
Katie sighed, taking a deep breath before loosening her grip on him. She then adopted a fake smile.
"So... lost the winter weight yet? Actually, never mind... I found it for you..." Katie said in a joking manner.
Tiffany's nostrils flared before she smiled.
"Still the kidder, I see..."She said as the two females sent icy glares to each other, he ghost boy could've sworn that he was about to witness a cat fight to end all cat fights.
"Why do I get the feeling tonight will make Halloween look cute?..."Danny thought with a gulp as watched the interaction.
"Uh...I should let cousins get reacquainted..." Danny said as he pulled his arm out.
The two glared at each other hatefully as he snuck away, weary of what's to come.
"I see you found someone who tolerates you...He's actually pretty cute...for a kid that is..."She commented, trying to sound insulting.
"So, Danny was it? how much is she paying you to pretend to be her boyfriend?..."She asked and Katie gritted her teeth at that.
"Yeesh, it's like watching Sam and Paulina arguing..."Danny thought but at least when they fought, he didn't have to worry about anyone turning into rage monsters...at least not since they got that amulet away from them, that is.
"Uh...she's not paying me. I dated her of my own free will..."Danny said as he stepped back, hoping that this wouldn't escalate.
"Contol...control..."Katie thought as she forced a fake smile on her face.
"Danny and I happen to be happy together. We're going steady and and I'd never pay a guy to pretend to be my boyfriend..."She said, her arms crossed as she tried to maintain control. "Especially not to take him wherever you were..."She muttered the last part quietly.
She did, after all, promised her parents to at least TRY and get along with Tiffany...Plus, Danny is here and she didn't want look bad when this is technically the first dinner he is having with her family.
"Danny's here, so stay calm. I don't wanna cause a scene and look bad in front of him..."She thought, managing to keep her cool for now.
Danny, meanwhile, was trying to keep a calm face and not show how terrified he was to be here. He was very eager to say he wasn't happy with her anymore but resisted as it is not the right time. Taking a moment to relax and bite his tongue, he tried to calm himself down.
"It's okay Fenton, you just have survive long enough to do what you came here to do..."He thought, determined as he reminded himself of his place.
As soon as he got her alone and away from her folks, build up the courage to tell her what he needed to say.
However, before he could speak up, it was time for everyone to gather as Katie's mother called out to her guests.
"Dinner time..."Mrs. Kaboom said as she waiting at the table.
Soon all the guests were lead to the dining room where everyone was seated and plates were ready...all the while Danny was second guessing this entire plan.
"This might be harder than I thought. I wonder if this where the saying "stuck between a rock and a hard place" comes from?..."He thought as he found himself seated between Katie and Tiffany.
He was wishing he could go as this so-called dinner party has only just begun.
In the dinning room
Dinner had begun and just as Mrs. Kaboom describe, it was a spread of mash potatoes, roast beef, yams and for dessert, some apple cobbler.
It looks good but the atmosphere was tense and a little nerve-wrecking.
Katie's parents seemed to be forced smiling and trying to act like everything was normal as Katie and her cousin sat down and continued to stared daggers at one another as they faked smiled.
Danny was a bit frightened as it felt like it was one bad word away from fighting.
"Let's hope that this food will be able to cool down the tension between those two..."He thought as he looked between his girlfriend and her cousin.
Unfortunately, Katie and Tiffany glared daggers at each other while sending fake smiles and fake compliments.
"Well, you sure know how to pick 'em. Then again, you've had practice getting new boyfriends, so it's not that surprising..."Tiffany said with an edge in her sweet sounding tone. "He sure seems your type..."She added, but not as a compliment.
The blonde girl frowned and tried hard to maintain her control.
"Thanks Tiff, you always know just what to say to make a person feel better..."Katie said in a false happy way while her boyfriend felt nervous.
''This must be what it looks like when Vlad and I are like that from Jazz's perspective..." Danny thought as he slowly ate his food.
Katie then smiled 'sweetly' at Tiffany , and held Danny's hand..and the ghost boy noticed how tight her grip is.
He put up with it since he was trying to keep Katie calm and stable for now. Anyway, the blonde girl cleared her throat as she spoke up and possibly make a jab at her cousin.
"So, how have things been with you two? All good since the wedding?..."Katie asked, hoping to annoy her.
Suddenly, Tiffany's mood changed to smug and happy.
"Oh, it's been heaven...Mitch has been so attentive, loyal and he always hurries home when I need him..." She said, looking like a bashful newlywed as she sent her husband a loving look.
Danny blinked at the sudden mood change in the woman across from him, it was almost like a switch was flipped in her.
"I guess she really loves him..."He thought as he noticed the tired but loving look on Mitch's face.
"Things really couldn't be better for us..."Tiffany said in a gushing way, one that really contrast the snooty attitude she had moments ago. "It's been bliss, like when we spent our honeymoon visiting the Niagara Falls and the view was beautiful. I could have stayed there forever..."She said while her husband seemed less than nostalgic for it.
"Huh, deja vu..."Danny thought as her mood changed fast.
This scene seemed quite familiar to the ghost boy, almost like watching similar events that happened to him...only they weren't married.
He wondered if these sudden mood shifts were hereditary or something this family is really good at. Either might explain things.
"We took plenty of pictures and got plenty of souvenirs, even had some wonderful clam chowder..."Tiffany said, bragging. "Mitch and I definitely are going back one of these days..."She said, still bragging about her marriage.
"Dear?..." Mitch asked but was silenced with a hand placed on his mouth as his wife kept talking, not noticing his discomfort.
"It's like we won the lottery or something, what luck. Oh and guess what, Mitch also just got a promotion at work and soon, we'll be able to move out of his apartment and into a proper house...one big enough to have kids someday...hopefully soon..."Tiffany said, not seeing the color on Mitch's face drain.
The Kaboom parents just smiled and congratulated her, while having some sympathy for Mitch's fate.
"That's wonderful, Tiffany..."Mrs. Kaboom said as she adopted a nervous smile.
"Yeah, a proper home for a family. It took me and your aunt here about 2 years before we moved out of our first apartment..."Mr. Kaboom said, wanting to sound encouraging.
However, deep down, they both concerned for personal reasons but their niece did not know this. She just kept looking starry eyed as she kept talking.
"Yeah, I plan to make sure it's our forever home..."Tiffany said with a proud look.
"That so? That sounds super..." Katie said, hiding her annoyance with a smile. "So they're getting a house...big deal..."She thought as her cousin kept bragging about her and Mitch's "accomplishments" as newlyweds.
"Exactly. Oh, it's so wonderful to be married. I feel bliss whenever we're together. Lovely walks in the park, romantic movies, massages when I ask. Once we have our own house, we'll have a lovely backyard, a bigger room for ourselves, weekend nights of us having-" She stopped talking upon realizing a clueless Tinker is watching. "Uh... Chinese food..."She said quickly.
All the while, her husband was quiet. Tiffany didn't notice since she was having fun bragging about married life...but Danny did.
"I've seen that look before...Something's not right here. These two aren't acting like happily ever after came, you'd think his wife was enslaving him or something..."He thought as he chewed silently.
However, Tiffany kept talking.
"So yes, it's wonderful. It's as great as I imagined since our wedding. Mitch is always caring and he's sweet too..." Tiffany said.
"Good to know some guys are willing to settle for you..." Katie remarked with a smirk.
Tiffany made a face at her before adopting a fake smile.
"Well... hopefully Danny's the kind willing to settle for you..." She said.
Katie adopted a similar fake smile, even though her eyes and Tiffany's were less than pleased.
"What a pompous windbag..."Katie thought in a ticked off way.
"You're such an envious little harpy, Little Katie..."Tiffany thought in irritation.
As both girls were silently glaring at each other, the rest of the family wanted to move on.
"You know Danny...we've never really asked about you...why don't you tell us more about yourself?..."Mr. Kaboom asked, hoping to change the subject.
Danny was about to answer, but Katie spoke up in his place.
"Oh, he's such a kind and considering boyfriend, Daddy..."She said, not seeing the annoyed look on Danny's face.
"Not how I would have put it..."Danny thought, not liking that she was speaking for him.
"I see...uh...so what are your goals again?..."Mr. Kaboom asked.
"Well, I-..."Danny was about to say something unimpressive to make them think he wasn't good enough for their daughter, but Katie once again beat him to it.
"Oh, that's an easy one. Danny wants to be an astronaut and already is junior certified..."Katie said happily with a proud grin on her face, beaming at him.
Danny blinked at her inability to shut up about him and wouldn't let him get a word in. He felt less than happy about it.
"So, she is paying attention when she's not holding my lips hostage..."He thought before rolling his eyes. "Of course, she's paying attention when it's stuff about me, but not about how crazy she makes me..."He thought in agitation as Mr. Kaboom nodded.
"An astronaut? Well, that's interesting..."Mr. Kaboom said, sounding like he's already giving Danny his blessing.
The ghost boy was about to speak up, but Katie interrupted him again.
"Yeah, it sure is..."She said in a perky way.
The ghost boy didn't like this and felt kinda annoyed that she answered his question and didn't let him get a word in.
"Why do people think finishing each other's sentences is cute?..."He thought as he tried to speak for himself.
"Yeah...well...maybe not at school...my grades aren't exactly big deals..."He said, happy to speak up and try not to look too good to be true.
Katie, however, "came to his aid" and offered to help to both brighten his image to her folks and to be of assistance.
"High school grades aren't everything. Besides, I can help you in classes, especially math. No offense, but you're not that great at it but I can definitely help with that. I am getting an A in that class..."Katie said with an assuring smile.
Danny mentally rolled his eyes.
"Well, if I end up stuck with her longer than I thought, at least my math grades can start to improve..."He thought, as it was the only mildly positive thing in this nightmare of a relationship. "So long as she does take a break and stop smothering me with kisses..."He thought with an eye roll.
The times when he and Katie studied together were mostly filled with make out sessions and even if they do get some work done, it's in between all the kissing she subjects him to in between the beginning and middle of it, and then again when it was over.
Katie's dad, however, didn't seem bothered and thought Katie was being helpful.
"Well, that's my little girl for ya, smart and sweet..."Mr. Kaboom said, proud of his daughter.
"Yes, she's quite the studious young lady. She always finds time to be thoughtful towards others and I'm sure that you are grateful for it and will thank her for it when the time comes, Danny..."Mrs. Kaboom agreed, looking more relaxed.
Danny frowned.
"Why aren't they starting to see I'm not that into her?!..."He thought, unable to believe it.
Before he could sulk about it, Tiffany spoke up again.
"Anyway, did I forget to mention that Mitch and I have been looking for towns with nice neighborhoods and good school districts?..."She said, wanting the attention back on her.
"I see...find any place that caught your eye yet?..."Mr. Kaboom asked.
"We're still looking but it's only a matter of time before we find the perfect place to call our forever home..."Tiffany said, speaking for both of them.
Her husband just remained quiet as she kept talking for the both of them.
"Whatever we end up finding, I know it will be perfect and hopefully it will be close to where Mitch works..."Tiffany answered before her eyes landed on her cousin again and sent her a fake grin.
Katie did the same, but even the ghost boy could tell that those smiles weren't genuine. Katie's cousin just gave a mocking smirk before she finally decided to talk about something other than herself.
"So, anyway...about you and Danny... I take it you two are going strong..."Tiffany said, looking at her dismissively.
"We are..."Katie said, glaring back while her boyfriend felt nervous.
"So, tell me again how long you both been going out?..."Tiffany had to ask, wondering how they started dating.
"Oh, we've been dating since I moved here...in fact, we met in the park on the very first day..."Katie said in a perky way.
"Should have just gone to the mall instead..."Danny thought, regretting being there that day.
"I see... how quaint..."Tiffany said.
"Yeah, we literally bumped into each other and hit it off almost instantly...Soon enough, we went on our first date and have been together ever since..."Katie said as she held Danny's hand underneath the table, much to the ghost boy's discomfort
The ghost boy felt kinda sick remembering his clueless mistake back then.
"Why did I even walk to the town park back then in the first place?..."He thought in a panic as he felt Katie's hand on his, wrapping around it.
He almost wished that Undergrowth or someone else showed up just to disappear into the Ghost Zone for a while and have an alibi and leave.
However, Whatever she planned next was interrupted by Mitch, who finally spoke up next.
"Uh...Katie...uh...what did you say you were hoping to be after graduation?..."Mitch asked suddenly, earning a look from his wife and snapping Katie out of her Danny-fantasies. "Uh...since we just asked Danny...I..um...I'm just curious to know..."He said, sweating a bit.
Katie had no problem answering though.
"Well, to be honest. I still haven't decided between going into law, photography or even becoming an actress. Might be a voice actor depending on my mood. Someone also mentioned that I should look into get a medical diploma, but I don't know..."She said. "But me and Danny are just sophomores and I'm sure I'll have it all figured it out when it's time to graduate..."She said.
"I don't like how she just implied we'll still be a couple by then...or that we'd going to the same school after Casper High..."Danny thought as he was hoping to pull his hand free.
He knew about her career interests since she mentioned it during one of their first dates and he also knew of her interest in photography since she mentioned it was a hobby and even asked to take pictures of him for practice.
At first it was flattering but now it's a bit concerning and kinda skin crawling creepy since he had no idea what she's done with those photos.
"Note to self, find photos and destroy them!..." He thought as Katie and her cousin continued their war.
"Yeah, it's really great that you've found someone...kinda not that big in comparison since I'm already in my job I like and married to the man I love..."She said, fawning over him.
"Yeah, well Danny and I have more years ahead of us than you..."Katie said, trying to sound bigger.
Both women glared back at each other as they went back to comparing their boyfriend/husband and their respective lives.
They didn't see the misery they caused them. They just kept talking.
"Oh yes, I'm sure you two have fun..."Tiffany said before smirking. "While still relying on allowances while we get to pay for our own dinners..."She said, making a dig.
Katie frowned at that but then smirked as she decided to fight fire with fire.
"Well, that's lovely and all, but Danny and I have gone on few romantic dates ourselves..."Katie said..."If fact, Danny just took me to Chez Etoile for lunch today..."She gloated.
Tiffany eyes widen upon hearing that.
"Is that so?..."She asked. "How lovely...that place is almost as nice as the restaurant Mitch took me to for my birthday...so fancy that I can't pronounce the name correctly..."Tiffany said, still gloating.
"Yeah but we got our food for free. There's something you don't get every day. We even treated ourselves to some dessert afterwards, it was so much fun..."Katie said, trying to one-up her with the experience.
Neither girl noticed that their significant others weren't exactly enjoying it, if anything they seemed a bit embarrassed right now but knew they couldn't stop them if they wanted to.
"Maybe it's not too late to pretend to be sick..."Danny thought, wishing to leave.
"Why do they always have to do this whenever they meet?..."Mitch thought, dragging a hand down his face as the two Kaboom women kept their war up.
"I bet you two barely have time to just spend with each other anymore..." Katie said.
"Oh, we do more than talk, but I guess you wouldn't even know what that's like little Katie..."The older woman said, earning a glare from her cousin. "And did I forget to mention that Mitch got me these beautiful new ear rings..."Tiffany said in a competitive way, flaunting them.
"Oh yeah?! Well, you're not the only one to get gifts...Danny even got me this beautiful necklace..."Katie said as she proudly displayed it.
Tiffany's eyes widen while Danny buried his head under his arms.
"I wasn't the one to give it to her..."Danny thought, reminding himself to get payback on Vlad for that later.
Tiffany just stared at the necklace and was in awe at the sight of it.
"It's beautiful..."She commented as she wasn't thinking.
Katie smiled and felt she scored a victory.
"It is. I just love it. My Danny is such a sweetheart and quite the gentleman..."She said proudly, admiring her gift and thinking he's flattered.
"Again, not a gift from me!..."Danny thought as one of his fist tightened under the dinning table.
He was not as flattered as she thought. Tiffany, on the other hand, decided to go for round two.
"Well, a great relationship isn't based solely on lovely gifts. It takes commitment, talking, going out of your way to make the other happy..."She said, feeling confident.
"Yeah, I'm sure it as great as you make it sound..."Katie said with an eye roll, wanting her to shut up already.
However, all this talk of relationships and marriage was thought provoking for her, especially recently. The blonde girl pondered as ideas formed in her head and couldn't wait to try them out with her boyfriend.
She then looked at Danny with a starry glimmer in her eyes, as she saw her boyfriend stare back at her and quickly looking away, which she misunderstood again.
"Aww, he's so cute whenever he gets bashful~..."She thought, assuming that Danny was just being shy.
"Quit daydreaming when someone's talking to you!..."Tiffany said, not in the mood to being ignored.
This snapped Katie out of her short daydreaming, clearing her throat.
"Oh, uh... oops..."Katie said as she tried to pay attention to her cousin.
The blonde girl then thought back to her favorite dream. The one involving her boyfriend whom she loves so much and couldn't help but stare at right now.
While she was staring at Danny, Katie's mind started to drifted to lala land, to her favorite fantasy.
Towards a future that she hopes to make some of it come true.
FLASHBACK
Katie's Dream
Katie and Danny, now older, had just gotten married.
Danny was looking strapping in his tuxedo while Katie looked lovely in her wedding down.
They had just said "I do" and were now at the end of the ceremony, all of their friends and families were throwing fresh rice at them as they ran out of the church hand-in-hand.
"MUAH! MUAH! MUAH!..."Was heard as the newlyweds kissed in their limo before driving off for their Honeymoon.
A few years later, Katie Fenton and her husband Danny were packing their belongings in their new home together, bringing everything they need to start their wonderful new life together.
They had bought a nice little house in the suburbs and were now parents to several children who they adored. They had about 8 of them, 8 beautiful daughters who resembled the both of them and whom they dote on and raised lovingly together.
It was the perfect life as Danny worked as an astronaut as he always dreamed while Katie serving as both doting mother, devoted wife and working as a famous photographer, attorney or actress like she always dreamed. It was all so wonderful as they spent their days working, taking care of their children, celebrating holiday's together, going on family vacations, taking the kids to visit both sets of their grandparents and the other relatives and their families, watching their children grow up and growing more in love as they grew old together.
Many years have passed and an elderly Danny and Katie, now in their eighties, gray and in the porch of retirement home, were in matching rocking hairs that were next to each other.
Old Katie placed her wrinkly hand on his, the one that had her wedding ring on it. Old Danny smiled and squeezed her hand, smiled at her.
The two kiss as they both looked out to the rising sun of a beautiful new day together. They were enjoying their golden years together, having spent a happy lifetime together.
END OF THE DREAM
Katie was blushing deeply and had a dreamy expression on her face as she recalled that beautiful, wonderful dream of the possible future they could have together.
"One day, Future...One day..."Katie sighed dreamily as she thought of the future that she'd kill for.
Danny noticed her expression and became uneasy.
"What the heck could she be thinking about right now?..."He thought, nervous.
Usually, she makes that kind of face when she wants to practice her French kissing skills. Now, she looks like she might be after something more intense and intimate.
Very intimate.
He was less than comfortable with her silence, especially as her eyes drifted to her "Pookie-Bear".
"What is she-..."Danny's thoughts were cut off when he felt a familiar foot brush against his and went up his calf, sending a shiver up his spine.
He felt his face turn red and his body shiver. He stared back at the perky blonde, who quickly sent him a flirty wink as she kept twirling the edge of her foot against his.
"She's actually doing this again... right now of all times... IN FRONT OF HER FAMILY?!..."Danny thought as his blonde girlfriend didn't stop what she was doing.
He tried to pull his leg away but couldn't do much since Katie is sitting right next to him and he can't move too far without getting out of his chair. The blonde girl just giggled, thinking he's enjoying it but being nervous.
"Sorry, but this is the only way we can be close..."Katie whispered quickly to him, thinking he's liking it.
"I see..."Danny muttered as he tried to ignore it.
The blonde girl just smiled and pretended to stay still as she leaned in and whispered again, her leg still so close to his own.
"You don't have to try so hard Pookie-bear, besides I know it's not easy listening to Tiffany's gloating...I can't wait for after dinner, so I can give you your special dessert that involves you, me and something cherry favored..."Katie whispered flirtatiously, as she quickly licked her lips.
Danny felt himself heat up in discomfort from that remark of hers, so much that he felt the need to get up, much to the blonde girl's surprise.
"I'm gonna go...uh...gotta use the bathroom...excuse me..."He said quickly went.
The Kabooms blinked at how fast and uncomfortable he was.
"He must've had more water than we thought..."Mr. Kaboom said.
"I guess he did..."Katie said, not realizing the real meaning behind her boyfriend's actions and the fact that he did not enjoy it as much as she thought.
"More mash potatoes, please..."Tinker asked, not caring as he was stuffing his face.
The Kaboom family just kept eating as their guest disappeared on them for a bit, not that any of them seem to have noticed at the time.
With Danny
The ghost boy hoped his bathroom excuse worked, mostly because he hadn't thought up any backup excuses after this
Thankfully it did, which Danny was grateful for as he needed to think. He was also glad to be away from Katie, who was acting all touchy-feely again.
"I can't believe she did that..."He thought, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
He turned around the corner and paused for a moment. He caught his breath before walking down.
"Looks like they're all out of hearing range..."He muttered as he sighed as he mentally went back to the drawing board.
He leaned on the door and facepalmed with both hands. He was reconsidering this so-called plan all together now.
"Okay, plan A might be a bust. Do I have a plan B though?..."He thought as he tried to figure out what to do.
He sighed.
He still wanted to get Katie alone in order to talk to her about their situation but her entire family was here and it's taking too long. Plus, there is the fact that her cousin seems to be intentionally egging her on and making his plans worse.
"I should have just made an excuse not to go to this thing..."He thought as he regretted agreeing to this.
He tried to see if his powers came back or not but to his dismay, nothing happened. He couldn't even turn his hand invisible.
"Okay...it was around 1 when I lost my powers...so, I guess another half hour to 45 minutes..."He mused as he realized he still had to wait that long and put up with this whole mess.
Noticing that he was running out of time, Danny decided to prepare himself face the music again since he knew that he can't hide from them forever, especially in their own house.
"Maybe I can run for it...but I don't think I could get to far, plus Katie would wonder where I went and might get upset . I guess I might have to wait a few more minutes..."He muttered under his breath, hoping to have Katie alone soon so he can tell her the truth.
He soon had to rejoin the dinner table and had to keep dealing with Katie's secret glances and occasional footsie (which he tried his best to ignore), her stare off with Tiffany and trying to keep her cool in front of her family who were blissfully unaware of his plans
Now, the dinner was over and plates were being taken away. The ghost boy finished cleaning his plate in record time, according to the KaBoom family's standards.
Now, it was time for the next course of the evening.
"So, did anyone save room for dessert?..."Mrs. Kaboom said as she brought in the apple cobbler and some ice cream.
"I know that Danny and I have..."Katie said as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand under the table.
"Is she trying to fatten me up or something?..."He thought, not liking that she answered for him again.
Before he could say anything, he gave in and had some.
Dessert continued and Danny figured he could use this.
"At least this way I can kill time before my powers come back..."He thought as he ate his apple cobbler, not caring how good it tasted.
He still felt tense to be here with Katie's family. If not for the looming threat of rage monsters and massive property damage happening any second, Danny probably would have thought it was a normal family dinner.
"Too bad I know better..."He thought as he ate the rest of his apple cobbler.
All he could think about was Katie and trying to get her alone to talk and break up with her in a way that won't end with injuries or property damage.
"Hopefully..."He thought as the dessert time continued.
A little later
Soon, everyone went to the living room and there was talking.
At least until someone looked a little annoyed...It was mostly Tiffany who kept talking about herself and having an attitude...and to be honest, Danny could start to understand why Katie wasn't so thrilled about this visit.
"And I was like no way, and she was like yes way and I was like no way. It was so obnoxious, I mean there's no way anyone would insist on saying yes way so much..."She said with her usual attitude.
"Does she ever shut up?..."He thought in annoyance as the older woman kept talking.
"I'm getting thirsty..."Tiffany complained.
"Then get some water..."He thought in annoyance as the older woman started whining.
"Someone best get me my favorite drink..." She said.
Mitch got up and gasped at something. It would seem he was who she was speaking to.
"What's with him?..."Danny thought as the older guy suddenly nervous about something after speaking to his wife.
"Be right back..." He said as he quickly raced towards the front door and ran to the car.
"Huh?..." Danny asks as he spoke to his wife for a moment, before he suddenly left.
After a few minutes, the car came back.
"MITCH!..." Tiffany called out before he arrived.
"Uh, Sugar...I got you your iced tea, just like you wanted..."Mitch said nervously to his wife.
"Why did it take you some time?..." She questioned, her eyes looking less than pleased
"I... had to find a store that sold the kind you like... I'm sorry..." He said, fearing she had no patience.
She did look annoyed it took a while.
Despite it all, Tiffany smiled.
"Aw, thanks a lot. Honey, you didn't have to go that far, you could've at least told me what other options they had..."Tiffany said as she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips.
Mitch felt relaxed and smiled as his wife hugged him.
"Uh...you're welcome..."Mitch said as the bossy woman let go and straightened.
"Now... go get washed up. You're getting sweaty..." She instructed.
"But, what've-..."
"I'll still be here. Now go..." She insisted, this time with an encouraging smile.
Mitch felt himself relaxed more but not entirely.
"Yes, dear..."He said as he kissed Tiffany on her cheek and went for it.
However, his smile dropped once she walked away to converse with her family again and Danny noticed.
"He's not looking so hot right now..." Danny thought as he got up.
"I'm... gonna need to call my folks..." He said as a lie.
"Sure thing..." Katie said, not seeing any issue.
Danny slipped away from the living room, really needing time to himself.
"I need to call anyway, maybe Dad needs my help and I better come...but then I won't be able to talk to Katie about our problem until next time..."He thought, wondering when he can just see Katie alone and be done with it.
He had reached doorway to the hallway when he heard it. Someone calling out to him.
It's Mitch, who was peeking out.
"Psst... kid!..." Mitch went as soon as Danny entered the hallway.
Huh?..." Danny said as he saw the older guy hiding in one of the bathrooms.
The ghost boy followed him and the man was hiding in the dark, looking paranoid now.
"Are they watching?..." Mitch asks.
Danny shook his head.
The man sighed giving a pained smile as he walked over to the ghost boy. The older man looked scared as he glanced at his wife and then to Katie.
"Dude?..."Danny asked, unnerved right now.
Mitch beckoned the boy over, but when Danny stood in his place, he took a few more steps and soon leaned closer and whispered into an ear.
"If you value having a life... stay away from the Ka-Boom family..."He whispered.
Mitch walked away without saying another word, leaving a scared ghost boy.
Danny had been fighting ghosts for over a year, but for the first time, he was scared beyond rational thought.
"I think I'm in trouble..."Danny said with grimace. He gulped audibly as he looked around and spotted Katie talking to her parents but she was looking at him.
When her parents and cousin weren't looking, she blew a quick kiss to him and sent him a flirtatious wink too.
Danny cringed at that and simply forced a smile, waving back at her while on the inside, he was expressing fear again.
"What have I gotten myself into?..."He thought as used the restroom excuse to take a break from Katie.
All the while, he wondered how much longer until his powers returned.
The sooner he can use them to escape and deal with his issues with Katie, the better.
Unknown to the ghost boy, on a KaBoom house wall, there was a tiny fly robot...one with a familiar hair style that was unnoticed as it was closely watched the ghost boy and zoomed in.
"Hmmm...he seems eager to leave...now let's see if I can't make this night all the more memorable for the wrong reasons..."Was heard before evil laughter occurred as the spy bot soon flew out of an open window, deciding that Danny's troubles were far from over..
-To be continued-
Next time on Goin' KABOOM!
Dinner Time Part II
AN: Special thanks for Jay The Average Fanboy, BeConfuzzled Writer, 61394 and NeoMark for their assistance this chapter. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Luiz4200: He mostly just wants to get Katie alone without distractions.
RonaldM40196867:
1) I will think about it.
2) Possibly.
3) She is. She hates Dash and the others and has already "morphed" because of them.
Sound Venom : We shall see.
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
Invader Johnny: :)
Pokemon fan 1991: Thank you :)
FrostHunter: Yeah.
Jacob Cook: We shall see.
ScarecrowReaper: Yeah.
William Escobar 608:
1) Tienes razón.
2) Tal vez, pero todavía está de acuerdo.
3) Sí.
4) ;(
5) Ya di mis propios sentimientos y opiniones personales sobre Sam anteriormente. No creo que sea tan mala como esos tipos, pero su actitud necesita un gran ajuste.
6) Ya veremos.
7) Sam estaba hablando con frustración y realmente no quiso decir la primera en serio, ya que momentáneamente se olvidó del problema principal debido a que odiaba la situación.
8) Ya di mis propios sentimientos y opiniones personales sobre Sam anteriormente. No creo que sea tan mala como esos tipos, pero su actitud necesita un gran ajuste.
9) :(
10) JAJAJA XD
11) ¿Cómo es esto hasta ahora?
12) Supongo que tendremos que esperar y ver cómo resultan las cosas.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)