Sweetest Gifts

A fan fiction by Kate-chan 91

Disclaimer: I refuse to paraphrase the difference between the canon Danny Phantom and this fanfiction.

Kate-chan 91's tidbits (A/N): (Throws toast to Fanficaholic) I can't believe it- I've finally found my Winnie today! I know, I know, what kind of Winnie am I talking about? The answer and explanation: she's a teddy bear of mine. As my profile states, I collect bears, and Winnie just happens to be one of those Hallmark bears that they sell around Valentine's Day. Since I like the name and that the female bear looked like it, I decided to name her… well, I guess y'all get the idea!

Moving on, I have several things to say before I continue typing this chapter. First of all, I know that I do have some unanswered questions in the overall fanfic so far; I'll try to have all of the current ones (for example, how Tucker and Valerie are in Amity Park even though they're supposed to be back in Seattle by now) answered soon enough. Also, this week is the week I'll be taking the CRCT (Georgia's standardized test), so hopefully I'll have no homework and more time to work on this and my other fanfics. Finally, the last piece of news will be announced after the chapter.

Enjoy!

Chapter Seven: While Danny was Out

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"Do you believe the girl is still in this house, Missus Fenton?" Keith asked Sam.

"I hope… I'd suggest you check under the beds or the closets…"she replied.

"You heard her, boys! Go check 'em!" Keith commanded as a police officer released a bloodhound with intents of detecting the little girl's scent.

The two women then walked towards the rubble ridden living room where Broussard, Danny, Jack, Maddie, Tucker, Valerie and Vlad resided as they awaited their arrival; Keith sat next to Broussard while Sam sat next to her husband and the father of their born (and unborn) offspring.

"Alright… who wants to go first? We haven't got all day, dammit!" Keith said to the throng of people in front of her as Broussard pressed 'record' on the recorder.

There was no answer as a long pause followed.

"Oh, come on…" Keith muttered to her before she pointed at Tucker and Valerie. "You two!" she demanded. "What do you have to say?"

"Um, Detective Keith, we got here almost right after you arrived…" Tucker pointed out as Valerie slowly pushed the backpack containing her ghost hunting weapons under the couch with her feet.

"Okay…" Keith said in an annoyed voice.

Because she didn't explain what she wanted him for, Danny said, "Detective Keith…"

"What is it, Mister Fenton?"

"What did you want me for?"

"Well… your wife informed me that you applied for a job at the Nasty Burger. Was she correct, Mister Fenton?"

"Yes…" he answered.

"Were you aware that the restaurant is currently under investigation since someone had been caught urinating in the drink machine?"

"As a matter of fact… no," Danny replied.

"Were you also aware that the manager from your previous occupation has asked that you pay for the car that you destroyed?"

Danny shook his head nervously.

Keith then proceeded with, "Well then… who wants to talk right now?"

There was another long pause as Keith's mental tea kettle of anger finally whistled.

"Son-of-a-bitch, people!" the irate detective yelled with both hands up in the air. "What does it take give me an explanation?"

"Well, some of us weren't there so we have no idea what's going on," Danny answered as images of him beating the living crap out of the woman flashed in his head.

"Thanks for the answer, but I didn't ask you for your opinion, Mister Fenton!" Keith retorted as she pointed at Danny. "Getting back to business though… which of you guys were even there when whatever happened did so?"

There was still a moment of silence, only Keith received an answer that time. Of the seven non-police enforcement people, only two (which were Sam and Vlad to be exact) responded by raising their hands.

"Alright then…" Keith said with a satisfied grin. "Which one of you two wants to talk about our little situation?"

"I will," Sam replied as she stared at the billionaire with the ugliest look in her body language arsenal.

"That's fine with me as long as words actually get out of your mouth, Missus Fenton."

Sam got right to business. "Around two today, Danny, Jack and Maddie were out and Winnie and I had the house all to ourselves. While the dishwasher was running, I was helping Winnie read a couple of those early starter books, you know, the ones where there the text is nothing but very short simple sentences in large text and a huge picture on the side. We were about halfway done with Where's Sparky? when I heard someone knocking on the door. When I answered it, I found out that the visitor just happened to be that fucking bastard over there!" As she said the final line, she pointed to Vlad.

"Continue…" Keith told her.

"Anyway… he just says 'hi' to us, waltzes his ass into the house without asking and just starts talking to me about… I think sports and what parenting a kindergartener is like. Now, I was already very nervous about what would happen as I've known him from personal experience, but I was even more concerned about Winnie, especially since I had no choice but leave her with him as I went to the phone to talk to my obstetrician, who just happened to want to know where I was. I left her with him for about fifteen minutes tops, and when I got back, she was on the floor crying and hyperventilating and there he was, just looking on like as if it was all a big act."

"So you're saying that he attacked her?" Keith asked as she pointed at Vlad.

"No," Sam replied as she resumed her explanation. "Turns out the bastard had waved a picture of an octopus and was trying to make her get over one of her fears."

"Fears?"

"Yes, fears-Winnie is scared of the dark, water, bugs, octopuses and ghosts. Anyway, I tried to get him out of the house so I could try to calm her down, but he refused to leave. I was pissed off but didn't want to say anything in front of Winnie as she likes him for some reason, so we just watched TV for a couple of hours. "

"That's it?" Keith asked, believing that it was the end of the woman's explanation.

"Of course n-"

"KEITH! WE'VE FOUND THE GIRL! SHE WAS HIDING IN A TRASH CAN NEXT DOOR!" A man yelled to the detective as a dog repeatedly barked. The policeman than walked into the room with a shaken, dirty Winnie accompanying him; she immediately ran into Danny's lap in order to seek parental refuge.

"You know, this might be a great time to find out you-know-what from the girl's point of view," Broussard whispered to his partner.

In response to this, Keith asked the kindergartener, "Um… Sweetie, would you like to tell me why you were hiding?"

"W-w-why?" was Winnie's response.

"Well, the police can't do anything to protect you from any bad men if they don't know what's happening to you!" said Keith.

"I d-don't really want to talk right now," she said.

Keith sighed. "What's wrong? Did someone attack your mommy and um… that guy earlier?"

Winnie slowly nodded her head.

"Do you remember what he looked like?"

Winnie nodded again with fear showing in her blue eyes.

"Do you think you can draw a picture of him for me?"

"I guess so," she replied.

As soon as she received crayons and, in the event that she messed up her crayon drawing, three sheets of white typing paper. After creating a stick figure, Winnie thought about the attacker's physical features and clumsily scribbled each one that a five-year-old would be able to do over the figure. Hair. Eyes. Basic clothing. When Winnie almost got as far as her artistic ability, which was obviously still in its infancy, could allow her to do, Danny looked at the drawing and back at Sam with widened eyes as he mouthed an all too familiar name to her: Skulker.

Once Winnie dropped her crayons onto the floor as an indication that she was done, Keith took a gander at the drawing and said, "Now what is that? A green haired punk?"

Winnie's only reply was in body language: moving her head from left to right.

Responding to this, Keith examined the picture using logic and Winnie's answer. After doing this, she replied, "Now when I think about it… is that what I think it is?"

"What?"

"A ghost…"

Winnie quickly nodded as she repeatedly pointed at her drawing. "Mommy said his name was Skuller or something like that. He said he was going to kill me and my daddy so we become his trophies. He called me and daddy weird names, too, like we were special. He also called Mommy something, too, but I don't know what it means. That's all."

"Are you sure?" Keith asked. "He sounds more like the product of a mind of someone that has watched The Most Dangerous Game one too many times."

"What's that?" She asked.

"The Most Dangerous Game was a movie where this hunter guy hunts and kills these survivors of this shipwreck after they wreck on this island. It was based on a book and was make believe." Keith replied to the girl.

"You don't believe me?" Winnie asked the detective with disbelief.

"No, no, no!" Keith replied. "It's just that it's not normal to get a call that some ghost attacked a group of people and threatened to kill them… most of these supposed attacks seem to come from people who are… feeling sick…"

That response was obviously not the one that the girl wanted to hear, as she started to cry. It wasn't long before she started to bawl and yell "YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME! YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME!"

While almost everyone was amazed that a detective wouldn't help a little girl because of her beliefs, it was definitely enough for Jack and Danny, as the irate father and son duo unintentionally got up from their seats at the same time and stormed towards the detective whose job was to help the innocent with anger flashing in their eyes. Both were angry for her making fun of the child they respectively called their granddaughter and daughter and making her cry, but they had other reasons; one was angry at Keith for dismissing a very real enemy as an imaginary friend and considering his girl mentally ill, the other infuriated due to the fact she still didn't believe that a ghost had attacked his family and college buddy and that they didn't even exist in the first place.

Jack was the first to voice his opinion. "Never talk to anyone in my family, especially my granddaughter like that again," he said as he looked at the woman.

Keith explained, "Look, sir…children like to make believe. Sometimes it's dreaming about becoming a princess, other times it's creating an imaginary friend. While people may think it is okay to play along with their kids about someone that doesn't exist, the kid may become extremely dependant on the friend to the extent that they refuse to befriend real children.

"Do you know where those children up? The loony bin at the very least! So when my daughter Claire started talking about her friend Patches, I kept telling her that Patches didn't exist and that she should become friends with this lonely little girl in her class. And you know where she is today? In the Philippines performing surgery on children with cleft lips, that's where! By doing that early in life, I've helped her get on the correct way of life: getting a good education and job!"

As soon as she completed that explanation, she noticed that Jack's son was staring at him with the same expression on his face. In response to this, Keith merely just turned around to look at Danny. "Don't tell me- you're going to tell me almost the exact same thing?" she asked.

"Yes, only I have one more thing- why are you even living in a place where ghost attacks are common when you don't even believe in them?"

"This town has one of the worst police teams I've ever seen," Keith replied. "It needs order, especially since that Invisobill, Danny Phantom, or whatever that damn bastard calls himself nowadays came around and then suddenly disappeared about less than a decade or so ago. I swear, virtually everyone went from resenting him to even somewhat depending on him to save us from quote on quote ghosts. They aren't ghosts- as far as I'm concerned, they're just flying humanoids. Heck, it may even be a really high budget for all I care, but I know there is no such thing as ghosts."

Danny tried to keep himself from pouncing on the detective and beat her to a pulp as she continued bashing those and over subjects. However, he didn't realize that he just punched her in the face until he heard a punching sound and Keith cursing.

"Son-of-a-bitch! Are you okay, Keith?" Broussard yelled as he got up and scooted himself towards the still cursing woman.

Unfortunately for him, Danny's hopes of getting even a mere day of jail time floated away as he saw his usually goofball father cracking and punching Keith in the face; this resulted in blood slowly creeping down her nose. Broussard reacted to this by attempting to both restrain Jack and try to calm Keith down.

The very second Keith calmed down enough to talk and stick cottonballs up her nostrils, she reacted to these sudden acts of violence her style. "Congrats, boys!" she screamed as she cuffed both of them. "Both of you have been arrested for assault and battery on a police officer! You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be said against you! Do you two understand what you've just been charged with?"

"Um, Detective- isn't assault and battery-"

"Mister Fenton, if I've been hit to the extent that I'm bloodied up for no particular reason, then that can be considered as assault and battery. No more questions!" Keith both replied and interrupted to Danny's question as she called for another officer.

"You called?" The officer asked when he got into the room.

"May you please be a dear by sending these two to the station as I finish this interrogation?" Keith asked as she gave them a nasty look like they were animals, filthy and unintelligent.

The officer nodded and took control over the father and son. As he escorted the two towards his squad car, Danny turned around to see Keith sitting back down, Winnie resisting her mother's embrace as she tried to break free and run towards her daddy, his mother, Sam, Tucker and Valerie looking on with varying degrees of gaped jaws, widened eyes, and mere embarrassment, and Vlad just waiting for the detective to question him and being somewhat amused by how Jack, the man that had stolen his love interest from him all those years ago, cracked over a detective denying ghosts and making fun of his granddaughter.

Fucking bastard, he's enjoying this… Danny thought to himself in reaction to this as his father and he were seated into the back of the squad car with their handcuffs still on. The police officer than got in, put the keys in, started the engine, and drove off towards the local police station, the first stop to yet another somewhat hellish saga of the younger half ghost's life.

End of Chapter Seven

A/N: Before closing this installment, I would like to take the time to announce that I've not only broke my longest chapter record again (OVER 2,700 WORDS!), but also currently celebrating that fact that this fanfic has hit the 10,000 word mark! Why I am doing this, you ask? Well, as any of you that checked my profile (as of now) and sorted my fanfics by words, only two have reached that mark: Playing with the Dead and 101 Ways to Kill Scrappy. I guess that pretty much covers it… Well, I guess that I'll see y'all later, and until then- have a great day.

Ja Ne!

Kate-chan 91