Okay, Good Morning!
Waited up last night a bit, but…sleep is good. So, here I am, late, but enthusiastic. This chapter's mostly a fun day at the fair sort of thing. I figured after everything in complications, I owed it to Danny to give him a good day before I totally destroy everything again. Besides, Val had to meet Dani, clear things up with Danny and his friends, work out the whole Huntress thing with Jack and Maddie, and express her opinion of Phantom. Also, Tucker and Valerie deserved some romance, since THEY didn't get their date! Just know, they're not as fast as they seem at first. That's brought up later, just know that now so you don't freak out too much. Mostly just fluff humor and Danny plushies. It's just one of those Phantom products that couldn't fail to make the ghost boy red. Had to do it. XD
Okay, Reviewers! You rock! Thanks to Queen S, Epona, Idiots Unite, Leah (thanks for pointing out yet ANOTHER homophone error. Stupid wordisms), fan-girls2.0, Fluff Ghost, and the delightfully verbose Esme.
Special welcome to newcomers Horselvr4evr (you're back! Yay!), bloombaby26, and NCphantom. Hope you all like this!
Hope you like it. It's a loooooong chapter. :D
HiddenAuthor
Chapter 4 – Dates
Danny opened his eyes the next morning to find a white-haired, green-eyed ghost girl hovering two inches from his face.
"Whoa!" The young ghost reflexively phased through his bed. "Hey!" Danny glared up at the intruder. "Do you mind, Dani? I'm trying to sleep here." The girl chuckled.
"Come on, cuz, I've been up for like an hour already. Everyone else is awake, too." The older boy quirked an eyebrow. "What? You forgot? We're going to the amusement park! Sam and Tucker are coming, too." Grinning, Danielle floated down and changed back into her human form. "This is the second time I came in here to try and wake you up. You know, as weird as it is, I can understand you floating around the room, but the drooling thing is just gross." Laughing, Dani dodged a pillow coated in said drool, and hurried from the room before Danny could reload.
Grinning in spite of himself, Danny hurried to grab a change of clothes and took a quick shower. He made it downstairs just as the doorbell rang. A minute later, Sam came walking into the kitchen, talking with Danielle.
"I know. That drooling thing is disgusting. And when he's dreaming, he'll kick with one leg like a dog does. Tucker has videos." Ignoring the playful glare from Danny, Sam calmly walked over to the toaster and pulled out some jelly while Dani dissolved into laughter. Jazz smirked from across the table.
"Don't worry Danny. Sam's probably just upset you were still asleep when we called, and couldn't go pick her up in uniform." Sam and Danny both turned a brilliant shade of red. Rushing away from the toaster, Sam got a very embarrassed Danny into a decent headlock before he could even begin to react.
"What have you been telling her?" Choking down a mouthful of cereal and gasping for breath, Danny desperately tried to make her let go, ghost powers temporarily forgotten.
"Nothing…Sam…can't…breathe." Sam relaxed her grip slightly, still suspicious. Jazz quirked an eyebrow, her smirk only growing.
"So there's something to tell, huh?" Going from red to pale in about two seconds, Sam quickly sat down and clammed up. Tucker took the opportunity to walk into the kitchen, grab a glass of milk, and sit down.
"What's going on Sam? You look like you've seen a ghost." Danny groaned at the horrible joke, and Tucker quickly turned serious.
"Look dude. Sam told me what was going on Friday. Since we're going to the park, I'm guessing it worked out. But come on. Details!" Tucker turned his full attention to his best friend. Danny smiled.
"Everything's fine, Tuck. They both know my secret, and they understand why I didn't tell them before. I think they're still getting used to it though." Tucker and Sam looked ready to ask questions, but both of them suddenly froze. Seeming to realize something for the first time, Sam turned towards Danielle.
"Umm, why is she here?" Jazz smiled.
"Dani showed up the other day. Since Vlad can't pop in, she's safe here, so she'll be staying with us." Danny's two friends' eyes bugged out slightly.
"What? You mean your parents found out about your powers and your clone on the same day?" Tucker shook his head. "And they still want to go to the park? Dude, I've said it before, but those two are seriously weird. I don't know any other parents who would see paranormal super powers and clones as reasonable surprises." Danny nodded.
"Well, they actually learned about my powers on Friday and Dani on Saturday. So, there was some time in between." Sam and Tucker just shook their heads. "It's not like I meant for things to happen like this. One shock was enough, you know? And I haven't even told them everything yet." Dani looked over at Sam and Tucker nervously.
"Um, guys? No hard feelings for the whole 'evil plot' thing, right? I really didn't know any better, and I'm sorry." The two looked back and forth from the nervous young girl to each other, then smiled.
"Fine, Dani. We forgive you. Just don't throw any more food at us, okay?" Grinning, Dani nodded and grabbed a piece of toast.
"Hey, that's mine!" Dani flushed, and tossed the toast over to Sam and put in some fresh bread. The group continued chatting aimlessly for a few minutes until Jack and Maddie came down the stairs. Jack looked around at them all and beamed.
"Hey kids! Ready for a great day at the amusement park?"
After a quick mug of coffee, the Fenton parents led everyone out into the RV. Danny Sam and Tucker all took the middle seat, and Jazz and Dani shared the rear. After everyone was buckled in, the engine roared to life and Jack floored it. Hanging on for dear life, Danny quickly filled Sam and Tucker in on everything that happened after he got back from his date with Sam, Jazz and Danielle filling in any blanks.
After twenty minutes that were almost definitely more thrilling than any ride at the park, the RV slowed to a stop, and everyone but Jack hurried to escape the death trap, grateful to be alive. Jack stepped out calmly, having driven quite safely by his standards, and locked up. He then led the procession of still shaking passengers over to the park entrance and they all bought their admission tickets. The family walked in past the carousel and standard quiet rides near the entrance and headed towards the more interesting thrill rides in the back. After a moment, Maddie fell back and grabbed Danny by the arm. After they were out of easy earshot, she turned towards her son. Danny gave a start when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. Noting his reaction, Maddie smiled slightly.
"I didn't get much sleep last night. I was thinking about something. Actually, a lot of somethings." His mother frowned. "First, I remembered that while you had ghost powers, you didn't use them when we went on the DALV trip." Danny paled. "And as truly sorry as I am about the Specter Deflector incident," Maddie continued, looking pained, "I remember that when I snapped it on your waist, you weren't effected. It was like you had been rendered powerless somehow. And then I remembered how the Wisconsin Ghost had somehow rendered you powerless before your big fight Fiday. There were just so many obvious connections, I was up all night just finding new ones every second. Vlad." Maddie chuckled humorlessly. "It really wasn't creative, was it? Vlad Masters is Vlad Plasmius." It wasn't a question. Danny remained silent. Noting this, Maddie turned towards her son. "Danny, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I don't think it will do any harm now." Danny just sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Yeah, you're right. Vlad got the ecto-acne and ghost powers. Since then, he's been trying to kill dad and steal you. Lately he's been trying to get me, too." Danny turned towards his mother. "Please, just don't tell dad yet. I wanted to tell you guys, I just thought it would be a bit too much at once." Maddie smiled sadly.
"For Jack, it would. I've always known Vlad was a creep. Besides the ghost powers, it isn't really that surprising. I got over most of the shock last night, anyway. I suppose your confession was harder, since it was a new idea." Maddie reached over and kissed him. "Thank you for trusting me, Danny. When I think he's ready, I'll help you tell Jack." With that, Mrs. Fenton pulled herself together and walked briskly back up to her husband. Sighing to himself, Danny quietly rejoined his friends, trying to lift his mood.
"Tucker!" Everyone stopped and looked over towards the carousel. Valery Grey jumped off of the still moving white horse and jogged over to her boyfriend. Danny shot Tucker a smile, feeling better already, if a bit bemused.
"Wow, you and her just happening to come to the park on the same day. What an incredibly well-planned coincidence." Tucker just grinned and shrugged.
"So I made a call before I came over this morning." Sam raised an eyebrow and shot Valerie a look.
"How'd you beat us here anyway? I mean, Mr. Fenton doesn't exactly drive slow." Valerie just smirked, and mimed clicking her heals together. The older Fentons frowned.
"Young lady, we've been a bit…preoccupied, but have you told your father about what you've been doing? If not, we're calling him right now." Valerie frowned, and nodded.
"Yeah, I did. He just about hit the roof, but…" the girl bit her lip. "After a while, he calmed down and started to accept it. Besides," she continued, "it's not like we can take the suit off. My new one is built into my body. And I think maybe he's proud, too. Ghost hunting…it's a part of who I am now, and I wouldn't give it up for anything." Frowning, Jack and Maddie looked back and forth between Valerie and her son, then nodded, relaxing slightly. Not willing to risk their son's secret by asking more, the two led the way to the first thrill ride they could find, a new roller coaster. The thing had a huge freefall, corkscrews and loops, and it was painted pitch black. Weaving around it was another track, vivid red. Next to the entrance, the sign rested, painted bright white against a black plaque.
"The Phantom…" Maddie threw a casual glance over her shoulder to see her son staring at the ride, open-mouthed.
"You've got to be kidding me." Danny half-moaned as he looked at the giant ride. Sam and Tucker were too busy holding in laughter to respond. Jazz just rolled her eyes. Dani looked over at her cousin, smirking.
"At least it's not called 'The Inviso-Bill.'" The older ghost turned and glared at her, to which she simply stuck out her tongue. Valerie looked at the ride and scowled. Noticing her reaction, Danny wilted slightly, and turned to her with what he hoped was a casual expression.
"So, uh, Valerie. Mom and dad told me what happened last week. What, er, what's going on between you and Phantom?" Valerie turned towards Danny and glared.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Fenton, asking me that." She turned towards Tucker with an equally vicious look. "You, too. All that time, you knew what I was doing, and didn't say anything. And now you want me to talk to you?" Tucker returned the glare.
"You're one to talk, Val. First you date Danny, then you start going out with me, but you never trusted us enough to tell us anything. If you think us asking you stuff is unfair, try and remember that you started the whole secret thing." Danny flushed guiltily at that small lie, but didn't interrupt. Valerie's expression softened, and she deflated a bit.
"Okay, okay. Look, I'm not sure what to think. That ghost's been nothing but trouble for me for a really long time, and I'm still mad at him. But if he's the 'good guy,' what does that make me, huh?" Valerie turned her eyes to the others, getting no response but an awkward silence. "I'm just gonna need some time to think things over. Tell you what. When I figure things out, you guys will be the first to know." At the head of the line, the Fenton parents stopped listening in and relaxed further. Valerie's audience did the same, Dani actually grinning. Seeming to really notice her for the first time, Val turned towards the other girl.
"And who are you, anyway? You look a lot like Danny. Are you a cousin of his?" The young ghost girl nodded.
"Yep. I'm his cousin Danielle. Call me Dani." Valerie blinked at that. "I know, same name, look a lot alike. I get that all the time." Danielle fixed on what she hoped was a sad expression. "I'm living with him now, since my parents died. Some creepy vampire ghost did it." Danny blinked at that one. Valerie looked shocked.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry. I saw that ghost fight Phantom two days ago. I guess he really did save the town." Her expression softened further. "Look, if you ever need to talk, let me know. I know you don't know me very well yet, but I'd like that to change. I lost my mom a few years ago; maybe I can help you through this. You know, make it a little easier for you." That said, the older girl turned back around and walked towards the entrance line, noticing a separate path to the red coaster for the first time. "Oh for the love of-" Everyone's looks went from serious back to grins in an instant.
"The Red Huntress. Huh, imagine that." Danny said, grinning. Still red, Valerie turned to retort.
"Yeah, well, it looks like a lot more fun to ride than 'The Phantom.'" Danny scoffed humorously.
"No way, 'Phantom' is way cooler." At the back of the line, Jazz and Sam grinned at each other and Dani smacked herself on the forehead. Valerie snorted in fake irritation.
"Fine, there's only one fair way to judge. We'll have to ride both of them." Danny grinned, secretly glad Val didn't know yet. That argument might have gotten physical.
"Okay, but try to give 'Phantom' a fair chance." With that, he tore off on the path to 'The Phantom,' everyone else hurrying to keep up. At the top of the ride, they all stared at the setup of the ride. An assistant came over to help them into their harnesses.
"Welcome. First timers?" After seeing them nod mutely, he grinned. "Phantom is a suspended coaster. When we decided to build it after the Pariah Dark incident, we designed it to feel as much like you're actually flying through the air as possible." The young man smiled. "Since we weren't sure what sides either of them was on, we built Red Huntress at the same time, so it looks like the two rides are fighting each other midair. Have you read that one yet?" Everyone shook their heads. The man chuckled. "Oh, you'll like that one, too. It's one of a kind." Valerie shot everyone a superior smile as the assistant helped her into her harness beside Tucker.
"Of course, so's Phantom." Her grin dropped. "The track's rigged special." Everyone looked at him questioningly. "Well, Phantom always flies away after the Huntress shows up, so we made the ride mimic that. You'll see…" He finished cryptically as he loaded Danny and Sam into the rear harnesses and went over to start the ride. Jack threw his hands in the air and whooped as they jerked to a start and climbed a tall starter hill. Maddie turned towards her husband.
"Jack, did you notice that the way the track is designed…" Jack held up his hand.
"Already saw, Maddie. Don't ruin the surprise for the kids, though!" Laughing, the two got ready for the ride of their lives. In the back, Danny trudged along with a bored look on his face. Sam quirked an eyebrow.
"What's up, Danny?" Her co-rider just sighed.
"Nothing, Sam. It's just…well…I've actually flown. How's this supposed to come close?" Just then, the ride tipped over the top of the hill and rocketed down into a steep corkscrew, and Sam instinctively grabbed his hand as she screamed. With a suddenly much better opinion of the ride, Danny joined in the yelling and leaned back to enjoy the show, and the grip on his wrist.
The ride pulled up out of the tight corkscrew into a loop. The riders finally glimpsed the car for the Red Huntress, looping upside down through the Phantom, and the two rides started a mock dogfight, looping and twisting through the air at ridiculous speeds. Suddenly, Phantom's track seemed to just…end. Every rider on Phantom screamed as they pulled a sharp left, and reconnected with the track they'd just come in on. As the Huntress pulled away, their car went through the entire ride again the other way, cresting the steep hill and rushing through the loading area and out the other side, rocketing into a second series of loops and meeting up with Huntress yet again. After a second dogfight, their car once again looped back, and finally came to rest in the loading area, facing the same direction it did when they got on.
Panting with excitement from the insane ride, the Fentons and their friends waited as the assistant let them out of their harnesses. Tucker let out a whoop as they all headed down the exit ramp.
"That was awesome! No way can Huntress top that! Ow!" Valerie jabbed him in the ribs, but seemed to be smirking.
"We'll see about that." Tucker grinned back.
"Want to try and influence the judge?" Smirking, the two ran off ahead of the rest and past two thankfully oblivious chaperones to spend their time waiting at the Huntress, among other things. Chuckling, the rest of the group wandered with the two adults out the exit.
"Hi!" Danny turned towards the call and stared at the booth across the way from the ride's exit. It sold nothing but Phantom merchandise. And the person making the sales was none other than –
"Susie?" The older girl grimaced.
"It's Stephanie. But points for being close, since I never told you my name. You must be good at remembering nametags." Danny frowned.
"But I-" He froze. He had heard her name, but as Phantom. "Oh, yeah. Well, I guess my memory isn't perfect." Danny walked over to the booth, friends and family in tow. "What are you doing here?" The Stephanie grimaced.
"When that giant fighting robot destroyed the mall, trying to discredit Phantom, our store was totally trashed. Luckily, instead of losing my job, I got transferred here." The lady grinned brightly. "This theme park thing is more my style anyway. I only like Hot Story for the 'Invading MIZ' videos, most of that stuff is just too dark for my tastes." Her eyes widened. "Hey! Any of you guys want a Phantom T-shirt? Even Phantom has one, gave it to him myself!" Shooting a teasing glare at a blushing boyfriend, Sam shook her head.
"Sorry, already bought three." Danny stared for a second at that. Sam just shrugged, slightly red. Jack stepped forward and smiled down at the slightly intimidated woman.
"I'll take four. One for me, size XXX, X, XL. One for my wife, Maddie, size M. And two for my niece Danielle and daughter Jazz, S. Slightly flabbergasted, the nice lady rooted through her stock for a very large shirt, and actually managed to find one. The others were easy. Quickly paying for the shirts, Jack passed them out and turned back to the smiling woman.
"If you're interested we also have Phantom hats, Phantom action figures, Phantom plushies…" Suddenly losing his grip, Danny focused and managed to get away with just teleporting his shoe away. A moment of focus to bring it back, and he bent over to put it back on his foot. Jack quickly bought an action figure for himself, and Jazz bought herself a plushy. Danny's glare at his sister turned into a very red-faced smile when Sam declined to buy one, saying she already owned twelve. Chuckling at the two, Jack and Maddie led the way to Huntress, pulling the t-shirts over their heads and making Danny even more embarrassed. Reaching the top, they found Valerie leaning back against the rail examining her fingernails and Tucker staring off into space, looking dazed but happy.
"Sorry we're a little late, Tuck. There was this booth and-" Tucker held up a hand.
"No dude. It's cool, trust me." Valerie smirked, her judge successfully prejudiced. With nothing else to say, the family boarded the Huntress to experience the other side of the ride. The 'seats' appeared to be a harnessed version of the flying jet board Valerie used, with buckles for the feet and chest. The ride didn't loop like Phantom, but it did fly upside down above it for a while, and had three drops instead of just two. In the end, Dani Jazz Tucker and Valerie voted Huntress best, and tied against Danny Sam Maddie and Jack. Satisfied, they left the ride and stopped by the mandatory Huntress merchandise booth, where Valerie and Jack both bought action figures. Maddie shot Jack a look at this, but the older man just shrugged. That settled, everyone took off towards the food court. On the way, they passed a house of glass and mirrors. Grinning, Dani led the way inside.
Ten minutes later, she came waltzing out grinning, as everyone else except Danny brought up the rear, rubbing their faces. Catching up to his clone, Danny grabbed her arm and hissed in her ear.
"Are you nuts? Val doesn't know about me yet. And there were who knows how many other people in there. I know cheating with your powers was fun, but you could have given us away." Dani snorted.
"I'm not stupid. I didn't do anything when she was looking." The girl grinned. "Besides, it was priceless! Phasing through the glass panes and watching Tucker walk right into them, thinking it was a path!" Chuckling despite himself, Danny nodded. Dani shot him a look. "Besides, I saw you pull a few stunts in there, too. Don't think I didn't notice you create that double of yourself in the mirror maze area to throw people off even more, and how you phased through when you couldn't find the path. If we're both careful, who cares?" Sighing in defeat, Danny let it drop.
"At least nobody seemed to catch us. I wonder why Valerie took so long." Dani grinned.
"Well, I could only prank Tucker for the first part of the maze. After that, he fell back for some reason, and he and Valerie slowed way down." Shaking his head, Danny fell back and shot Tucker a look.
"And you said Sam was fast?" His friend just shrugged.
"Hey, we missed our date on Friday. Besides, we just kissed and held hands. We're not that fast, Danny. So there." Tucker frowned. "And what's up with Dani leading me through plate glass?" Danny just grinned. With nothing else to say, went over to Sam and the two walked along together, hand in hand. The family went on to the food court, only stopping for the occasional game of skill. It was going to be an awesome day.
