Author's Note: Wow, it's been a while, huh? As I may have mentioned before here or on one of my other stories, I tend to focus on one thing at a time. And ideas/inspiration come along here-and-there. So, I guess I'm slow sometimes… Sorry. Anyways, the Review Replies will be placed AFTER the story, in case people want to get right to the meat of the matter.

I must add about this particular chapter that I've never done a 'couple gets into huge argument' plot before. Maybe because I like it when pairings get together. Maybe it's because I'm actually a lonely single person, therefore why even think about breakups… Probably both. Ah well, in any case, I'd like to thank Heartless Demon Wolf for the plot idea of this chapter. You made a good point, so I thought I'd give it a shot and see how they work things out.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 9: A Song Of Fire and Icy Receptions (Yes, I Went There, Game Of Thrones Fans)

In much of human knowledge and history, there are few destructive forces out there that top the lore of fire itself. The heat, the erratic nature of it when it's let loose, the raw power… Whether it be a volcano eruption, a forest fire, somebody throwing some Molotov cocktails, or… perhaps a fire-elemental specter when she's holding a grudge.

The freezing cold. A dangerous element in its own right. Anything from merely slipping to things like frostbite or being completely frozen can be a result of a complete lack of heat. It can be said that ice and cold have its beneficial uses, even in science with the concept of cryogenic freezing. But mankind, if one were to think of such motives, could also use the nature of ice to destroy as well as save. Such was proven, at least metaphorically, by a certain half-ghost…

When fire meets ice, usually the result is the usually calm, tranquil element of water, so logic dictates. But when fiery tempers and icy demeanors clash, the result tends to be quite far from tranquil…..

"YOU BASTARD! I can't believe you'd even say that!"

"Well, sorry, 'Princess'! You can't always have your damn way!"

"The Hell went up your ass and died?! What? Gotta be the damn squeaky-clean uptight do-gooder about everything now?"

"That autographed electric guitar was for a 10-year-old little girl fighting cancer, delivered by the frontman himself of that kid's favorite band! Swapping it out with one of your old ones when nobody's looking?!"

"That kid wasn't going to last long!"

"You don't know that!"

Ember paused, glaring, her hair ablaze with rage. She had to admit his point on that. She wasn't that cruel. "Fine… It's not like I want her to die, ya know… Still, she ended up with a kickass guitar, no matter which one it is!"

"That's not the point, Ember…"

"Oh great, the morals again…" she muttered, raising her hands up in a flustered resigning gesture, voice laden with sarcasm. Then, it happened, before Danny could even think of what he was saying.

"And you wonder why your parents dumped your ass!" Not even a half a second passed before his eyes went as wide as possible in horror as he realized what he'd just uttered. He'd done it now. Ember had never told him the full story of how she died or the outcome of her constant disagreement with her parents when she was alive. She'd considered the matter to be extremely personal, which was understandable. But he had suspected.

And judging by what had happened in the three minutes that ensued, his suspicions were dreadfully close to being right.

At first, there was silence, the comment hanging around the minds of both like a bomb had been set off… Then, Ember's eyes narrowed. Her hair flared up to triple its size, changing colors to a fierce red, making her skin also seem somewhat crimson. Her teeth were bared in growing fury. What started as a low growl increased in volume until, finally, she barked "GET! OUT! OF! MY! REALM!"

With that, she spent two and a half minutes hurling red fireball after fireball at Danny, the halfa frantically dodging and ducking as he found his way through her (formerly their) home until, ultimately, he found the door and burst through to the open green-and-black expanse of the Ghost Zone, not stopping his flight. He had good reason to not even look back as, during his flight, he noticed more fireballs whiz by him, missing him by feet or inches. Ember was in, dare anyone say, 'hot' pursuit.

"HOW COULD YOU?! I THOUGHT YOU… YOU CARED!" the newly-red rock star bellowed, pitching more and more flesh-melting projectiles. "NOW YOU SIDE WITH THEM?! GET THE FUCK OFF OF YOUR HIGH HORSE! WE'RE THROUGH!" With that last shrill statement, she had powered up a pretty sizable fireball and launched it. It was the size of a wrecking ball.

Good news for Danny was that he was within range of the Fenton Ghost Portal. Bad news was that he slightly misjudged the speed of the giant fireball…

His upper half made it through, but as it did, the fireball made contact with his legs and, of course, his ass. "YEEOWWWWW!" he bellowed as he flew around the Fenton lab, his legs and lower torso aflame. It took him a few moments to focus enough to use his cryokenetic powers to put out the fire.

The fire safely put out, he crumpled to the floor in the corner, the burns to his lower half being excruciatingly painful at the moment. He gazed at the Ghost Portal as he caught his breath, waiting for the Queen of Rock to barge through like some sort of valkyrie, bent on vengeance and made of feminine wrath.

But nothing came.

Somehow, that saddened him even more, on top of his current guilt. In his shaken state of mind, he considered the fact that she didn't follow him to finish the job to be a solid confirmation that she had truly broken up with him.

Why the hell did he even say that in the first place?

"Danny… It's not often that you choke… But when you do… Ugh, screw the meme! Danny, how dumb are you?!" was Jazz's initial reaction to his story, shaking him by the shoulders.

It didn't take long for Jazz to discover her disheveled brother in the Fenton Lab. As luck would have it, she happened to be passing by the lab door when she heard his screaming. The lab was mostly soundproofed from the rest of the house. It didn't mean that it was 100% soundproof, though.

"I know, Jazz! Jeez…" Danny huffed, content with hovering above the floor while his ghostly healing factor slowly worked on his legs. "How the hell do you think I feel?"

"Like a piece of shit?" Wow. Blunt, cussing Jazz… If he wasn't in enough hot water before…

"Well, that pretty much sums it up, thanks… Dammit, I don't even know why I even went there. It just… I mean… aah, what the hell…" he grumbled, going silent after that. Boy, did he ever feel low.

"Almost felt like it was natural instinct to go personal like that?" Jazz inquired, instantly going into what Danny called 'Shrink Mode'. Danny nodded. Jazz frowned, looking analytical for a few moments before raising her hand with one finger pointing up in a sort of 'ah ha' gesture. "Unfortunately, it may seem that your instincts in battle may not be just of a physical nature. You may be so conditioned to find weaknesses and flaws in any opponent in battle that your instinct for that may sometimes cross over to verbal conflict as well. You remembered one of Ember's mental or emotional nerves, something she always kept personal and guarded, and you went for it without a second thought. Tsk, tsk… I could be wrong about my theory, but still, I haven't heard you be that reckless about anything since your rookie years…"

"So… Dare I ask what I do about… this?" the halfa asked, gesturing toward the Ghost Portal where, somewhere in there, lurked a very angry lover. Former lover, he probably should say, as glum as that thought is.

"First of all, leave her alone and give her some space to vent. Most people always want a quick solution to conflicts like this, especially when it concerns significant others. However, a lot of times, there are no quick fixes. Emotional wounds don't just heal in five minutes or even five hours." She explained almost clinically.

"What if she holds a grudge…?" Danny was almost afraid to ask. The last thing he wanted was for things to go back to the 'bad old days' between him and Ember. Not after all they went through together. Of course, he'd defend the city if her temper somehow threatened it, but it wouldn't be an easy task. Then again, if she did start something in Amity Park, it would give him a chance to try to apologize...

"I'm hoping she won't. But we both know how she is, baby brother. As a woman, I feel she has every right to be pissed right now. Nobody should have their worst moments dug up like that by someone they love, especially if it somehow involves how she might've died. Mistake or not, you still said it. But I know you, Danny. And so does Ember. I'm sure that she might calm down and realize that you didn't mean it." Jazz said with a reassuring smile on her face. Surely, Ember wouldn't throw away their entire relationship because of one lapse of judgment, so Jazz figured.

"I'm gonna kill that sonova bitch! Then, I'll revive him, so I can kill him again! Then, when he's a full ghost, I'll get an apology from him the hard way! Then we can go back to normal!" Ember raged as she stormed around Kitty's lair, the green-haired ghoul laying on a couch, watching her still-red friend stomp around.

Kitty wasn't surprised by the turn of events. Not because she began to think they were a bad match or anything. No, it was because that Kitty knew that most couples eventually get into arguments at some point or another, some arguments bigger than others. It's the natural order of things. Her long experience with Johnny was proof of that alone.

"Ember, dear. I know what he said was harsh. But you do know he'll apologize, right?" Kitty asked calmly, as if it was a peaceful talk. Ember stopped, merely turning her head in Kitty's direction.

"Of course he will. When I make him! He'll BEG!" she replied, barking the last word before pacing again.

"No, hun. I mean, he'll apologize on his own, naturally. We both know that what he did isn't his style. He bends over backwards to try and make you happy. Hell, he did that literally that one time… But, mistakes happen." the green lady-friend said sagely.

"That's your bit? 'Mistakes happen'? Like it's that simple!" Ember growled. One could almost think that, with every exhale of breath she forcibly made, steam would billow out and float upward.

"Yes, mistakes happen. You remember that time Johnny pissed me off when he said that he wished I had a bigger ass like those Kardashian whores? Yeah, I was mad. And yes, it took some force. But he learned his lesson. But that's Johnny. Stubborn and pig-headed. Two things that Danny isn't. Well… I take that back slightly, he's pretty stubborn in battle. Heh… Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if the Boy Scout is beating himself up over this. Probably not crying like a baby like you're probably imagining right now, mind you…"

"Hey, can't I mock him a little? He mocked my death…" the diva said, her face giving an indignant look, momentarily pondering how Kitty knew what she was imagining.

"Fair point. But still, don't just go in there, guns blazing. Look, let's go to the club with Johnny and hang out a bit. Some time away from each other might do you two some good anyway and help the healing process." Kitty suggested, getting up off her couch in excitement over the prospect of hitting the club. She always did like teasing Johnny by dancing and seeing how annoyed he'd look whenever guys dared to flirt with her.

"My healing process involves giving my pain to someone else, Kitty. And don't suggest that we start a bar fight for old time's sake. I want-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You want Danny's head on an 'axe'. Got it. Sigh… I still think he'll beg for you on his own. You don't need force, dear. Jeez, all you have to do is play hard-to-get when he does apologize. Make him squirm a little. Then, everything's normal again. Trust me, Ember, I know that it hurt, but he's hurt too."

Ember just remained silent, a look of pure skepticism on her face. Kitty sighed. "Dammit, Em… Just wait and see. Hell, bet you a crate of booze that if you left him alone for a couple of days and then just so happen to pop by the mortal realm, he'll eat crow. We're talking about the boy scout, not Skulker."

"I'll take that bet. Better save up your cash." Ember answered surly as she brushed past Kitty to prepare to hit the club. Deep down, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she hoped Kitty was right. Still, a painful serving of humble pie crammed down the halfa's throat first wouldn't hurt her one bit.

The next five days would prove to be one hell of a strange roller coaster for Danny. The first two days were long and dreary for the Phantom as they were heavily accentuated by the obvious absence of Ember. It made Danny notice that the two had been practically inseparable since they officially crossed from friends to lovers, despite the fact that they did go off and do their own things often enough. Danny with school and family and heroics, Ember with concerts and fighting thugs and stealing musical items (she meant "reward collecting"). Damn, he missed her already.

At least the only crime that happened those days was merely the Box Ghost and Klemper. Easy pickings, especially since if he couldn't kick himself all the time (as Jazz suggested), he could at least kick somebody else's ass.

On the third day (a Tuesday), Danny rose again…and that's when things got weird, right at 7 am. A loud angry power-ballad started blasting out of his computer speakers, heavy on the electric guitar. Danny covered his ears, the power of the music reverberating through his body. Stumbling out of his room, he noticed a real problem. The music seemed to be coming from every possible speaker and audio outlet in Fenton Works. His parents burst out of the master bedroom, clutching their heads and screaming at Danny to do something (which was pointless, as he couldn't hear them, but he saw their mouths move and guessed what they meant). Jazz stormed out, holding a pillow around her head against her ears. She glared at Danny, as if guessing what the problem is.

Being unable to stop the music, they left Fenton Works to avoid risking damage to their hearing, still wearing their sleepwear. Already their ears were ringing loudly. Danny normally slept in a shirt and shorts, Maddie and Jack both had pajamas on, but Jazz had a reason to be surly about the problem as she tended to sleep in just lingerie. Lacy Victoria's Secret lingerie, at that. Lacy lingerie that she had NOT planned on suddenly displaying to whatever cars and pedestrians happened to pass by…

"I know I told you to give her space…. but now would be a good time to try and apologize, brother." said Jazz before suddenly grabbing him by the shirt and bringing him close. "And I do hope you learned not to piss off a woman with superpowers, because I do not appreciate having to put myself on display out here like some stripper!" she growled before shoving him backward.

"Well, Jazz, suitable pajamas would be an improvement in case this kind of thing happens again. What if it was a fire?" said Maddie, not really thrilled with finding out her daughter's choice of sleepwear.

"Mom! I'm almost a college woman! This is normal!" Jazz snapped. Just then, a car passed by with its window down. The driver, a young man having noticed the young redhead, gave an appreciative wolf-whistle as he passed. Jazz screamed.

"And you wonder why college women complain about men being pigs…" Maddie said in a rare show of snide attitude. Although, the matriarch couldn't be blamed, due to the very rude awakening she and her family got. Soon enough, the music stopped playing inside Fenton Works. Danny, since this was his problem, headed toward the door first. Cautious, as this was Ember he was dealing with, he opened the door. Nothing. Not a peep. No immediate trap.

Danny let out a sigh of relief and stepped inside.

And was immediately assaulted with even louder music (heavy metal, this time). He flew back out and slammed the door. The music stopped again. He stood there and thought. He slowly opened the door and placed one foot on the floor inside. Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" began playing, the speakers cranked to 11. And so, Danny shut the door again.

"Dammit, I'm barred from my own home!" he grumbled loudly, trudging down the front steps back to the family. Jazz had that analytical look again. "Let me see something…" she said softly as she approached the door.

"No, Jazz, don't! Your ears'll ring for life!" Danny warned, covering his ears. The older redhead opened the front door and placed one tentative foot on the floor. Nothing. She paused, holding her position. Still, no sound. The near-naked girl took a couple of steps inside, glad to be out of the eyesight of possible perverts. "Well, it's clear! I think…" she called out to the others.

Danny, still wary, had a thought. "Jazz, cover your ears. I'm gonna try something." he said. After she did, Danny approached and took one step inside. Immediately, dubstep music began blaring, the heavy bass managing to shake any and all loose and light items around. Danny backed outside and the house fell silent.

Jack and Maddie shook their heads. Danny had informed them of what happened soon after his initial talk with Jazz. The two couldn't believe that Ember had apparently decided to act out against their son, but all relationships had their bumps and rough spots…

"Well, dear, I'm sorry, but… looks like your girlfriend evicted you… Umm… Maybe you could stay with Tucker or Valerie? Maybe Sam could sneak you in and harbor you for a while?" Maddie suggested awkwardly. Most parents punished their kids by grounding them at home, but what did one say when the punishment is that they can't come home?

"Ah, maybe… Not so sure about Sam. Last I heard, her girlfriend was planning on sleeping over last night. I'll try Tuck's." he said. He wasn't sure whether he would be disgusted or secretly thrilled if he ended up walking in (or phasing in, rather) on his friendly ex 'teaching' the preteen clone the "perks of teenage romance". Hell, he wasn't sure if they'd gotten to that point, the official relationship only being a couple of months long. But those two were always so touchy-feely whenever they were out together, with or without friends. Well, mostly the energetically curious Dani, but Sam never refused her advances…

In any case, he hoped the Mayor had an extra guest room. But after he transformed, Maddie took an opportunity to impart some sage advice. "Dear, please apologize to Ember. I know you would never mean anything like that, but…" she trailed off when Danny lightly raised a hand signaling her to stop.

"Mom… I know. I want to, believe me. I really do. Sigh… But as you can tell, I really don't think she's in a listening mood right now." Danny said, almost dejectedly. He had grew to have a real reluctance of the concept of fighting people he cares about. After all, he had fought "Pharaoh Tuck", "Poison Ivy Sam", his own parents (not directly, of course), and, repeatedly, the Red Huntress. He even fought himself. No one in the know would blame the halfa for hoping that Ember doesn't want things to go back to the 'bad old days'. The young hero bid farewell to his parents and took off in the direction of Casper High. It didn't occur to him until later that he left the house in only a shirt and shorts…

In the small gap between Fenton Works and the house next door hid Kitty and Ember, both had wanted to witness Step 1 of Ember's revenge in action, but for different reasons. Of course, the diva got a good laugh out of Danny's misery about the noise prank. Both then got a bonus chuckle from Jazz's frustrations (although, Kitty was impressed by the redhead's choice of lingerie, making a mental note to look through some clothing stores later). But then came Mrs. Fenton's last plea and Danny's silent interruption and response.

"See?" Kitty whispered as Danny floated away, not wanting the resident ghost hunters to notice the eavesdroppers. "He wants to apologize. He's hurt. Why mess with him anymore? Just talk with him and play hardball about it, like a normal girlfriend."

"He hasn't learned his lesson yet. He just needs a few more…pointers…" Ember simply replied, chuckling to herself, her eyes glinting with mischief as a perfect idea came to mind. Kitty noticed that familiar look. Poor Danny's going to continue learning the downside of dating Ember McLain…

By late afternoon, Danny began to recall recent issues of Amazing Spider-Man. Specifically, how Spidey suddenly found himself in the middle of a bitter feud with the Black Cat, who had suddenly gone from loving him to wanting him dead. At least Danny's mind hadn't been replaced with the brain of Technus. "The Superior Danny Phantom". As if that would go over well…

Danny's train of thought had an obvious origin. During school, there seemed to be a crime wave of ghostly activity, taking place at different times. First, Lunch Lady. Then, Youngblood. Then, those three elderly Vultures that used to work for Vlad. Finally, Walker. However, these fights seemed to be a bit harder than usual. Maybe they were getting stronger? Possibly. But a keen observer would notice that different things seemed to be happening to Phantom in battle.

During the fight with Lunch Lady, it would've been so much easier to duck and dodge her giant meat attacks if somebody wasn't constantly sniping him from behind. Energy blasts. Familiar, loud ones… Not ones that did any major damage, certainly not. That damage would come from the blows that the sniping was leaving open opportunities for! And not once did Danny ever get a glimpse of whoever the mysterious sniper was (although he already knew who, much to his chagrin).

Youngblood was robbing Amity Park's only toy store, "Toys Were Us". Of course, it wasn't money he was after… With Youngblood, the interference was more direct. An acoustic guitar smashed over Danny's head from out of nowhere. A really solid one too, since it managed to knock him for a loop. Moments later, Youngblood actually won that fight by shooting, of all things, a Grammy award at Danny's face with his arm-cannon. Victory by knock-out, Danny's first loss in a long time. The streak had ended.

Ten minutes after Youngblood had finished his robbery, Danny was left sprawled out on the trashed floor of the store, the smashed guitar lay beside him. People had begun to reenter the store to scope out the damage since things had gotten quiet. Imagine the townsfolk's surprise to see the hero being the one beaten to a pulp and left for dead. A certain biker babe approached the fallen hero, easily walking past the small crowd of a couple dozen.

Kitty took a small water bottle she had brought along, opened the cap, and dumped its contents onto Danny's face, making him wake up sputtering. "Wha?! Huh? What… what happened?" Danny asked, sitting up and looking around the bare store, the faces of strangers, and one annoyed ghost girl.

"Welcome to how criminals feel when they lose." Kitty remarked, squatting down. "Painful, isn't it? I guess this should help you watch what you say around certain people from now on, huh?" she asked with a pointed look, one that told him that she knew what he said to Ember. Of course she had to, since she's Ember's best friend. Danny put his head in his hands, not bothering to answer her question.

"Look, Danny. She's not around anymore at the moment. Those complaining Vultures started wreaking havoc a few blocks down soon after Youngblood left with his loot, so Ember went to take care of that for ya. But I'm going to use this chance at a one-on-one to tell ya that she's got at least a couple more 'surprises' headed your way." she explained. Danny started to get up, his head feeling sore. "Not to sound rude, but I agree with her anger." Kitty added, making Danny glare a little in her direction. "Well, you blew it, buddy." she defended with a shrug, standing back up.

"I know that… Been regretting that ever since." Danny muttered, his balance slightly disoriented due to his temporary migraine. "Ouch… Now I physically feel like crap. I deserve that…"

"Damn straight. However, I'm kinda on your side too. Teaching a lesson is one thing, overkill is another. Besides, you seem to still be the little boy scout I've always known, so yeah, I believe ya when you say ya didn't mean to say that. I'm going to keep trying to convince her to cut the pranks and just talk. Obviously, that hasn't gone well so far…" she said with an empty chuckle, knowing that it wasn't funny but trying to lighten the mood with laughter anyway.

"Evidently not. Sigh… Thanks anyway, Kitty." Danny said, trying to smile a little bit, but his current mood (and a bruised cheek and jawline) prevented it from being anything more than a slight upturn of lips. It was the kind of thanks that, while truthful in terms of appreciation, still gave the opinion that her attempts might be a waste of time. But she would keep trying anyway. "Don't mention it" she answered, reverting back to her biker-chick nonchalance.

Walker was no walk in the park, pardon the pun. Especially in this particular fight, since Danny was still a bit sore (physically and mentally) from his loss to Youngblood. The crazed warden was attempting to break out specific criminals from the city prison. How specific? Only the ones that have murdered before. Danny was too sore and too pissed off to care about reasons, but he thought he had heard Walker ramble something about how murderers are similar to his ghostly army of cops in the sense that both enjoy destroying humans…

In other words, "Typical Villain Trope Number Sixty-Who-Gives-A-Damn".

The only upside to this, Danny figured as he barely caught Walker's nightstick in his hands and kicked him in the gut, was that Ember hadn't bothered to do anything this time. Good, he could focus on the task at hand. Danny flew up in the open space of the multi-floored cell block, ignoring the angry/bloodthirsty yelling of the captive audience of inmates. Walker followed, the duo immediately ensuing mid-air combat.

The good news for either combatant in this situation was that there were plenty of walls, railings, gates, floors, and ceilings to ram the opponent into in some way or manner. The bad news was that the opponent was thinking the exact same thing. Back and forth, they would go, in between punches, kicks, and ecto-blasts. Danny would tackle the warden, pushing forward until the enemy's body met the opposing hard surface. Walker would soon respond to that, by grabbing him by the hair, spinning around, and tossing him in a random direction, the halfa smacking a railing back-first at full speed before momentum carried him over the railing and onto the upper floor itself. The sore back he would have from that would take a while for the ghostly healing factor to deal with, no way around that one.

Groaning as he got up from the floor, he barely rolled out of the way of Walker's charge as he tried to ram Danny into the cell door that he was standing in front of. The warden phased through the barred door at the last second before stopping and turning back, glaring.

"Just accept your fate already! Your sentence is impossible to serve completely as it is, even with eternal ghostly afterlife. No one else ever received a sentence of Infinity, so either way, you will be ended." the frustrated warden snarled, clearly baffled as to how some punk kid keeps managing to trump him at every turn. Despite the back ache, Danny grinned defiantly.

"Sorry, pig. No can do. Got too much to live for and even something to die for. Care to chat about this next millennium?" he said, finishing his statement with a double middle-finger salute. Authority: defied. Hero: disgruntled. Advantage: …the 'fans'?

Yes, the prisoners. For while everyone, even the guards, was distracted by the free metahuman fight, somebody had sneaked her way toward the control room of the prison. Invisibly, of course. But the distraction helps anyway for what was about the come. Thankfully, the control room was placed on the opposite side of the cell block, so the guards did the only thing possible… Leave the control room to get a closer view! Talk about slackers…

The sneaky diva approached the control panel and looked it over. Obviously, a series of varying switches and buttons. It could mean anything to her, but it didn't help her immediate purpose. Until she saw… The Button. Big! Red! Separate from the rest of the controls! And, most obvious of all, warnings that nobody should touch it except for very special circumstances! Jackpot, baby! Thanking Clockwork that whoever designed the layout of the prison's technical controls seemingly based off of bad action movies and Saturday morning cartoon shows, she pressed The Button.

As she figured, The Button had unlocked all the cell doors of the prison, causing every door to slide open automatically. To say that the inmates were glad for the opportunity for escape would be an understatement. Walker and Danny soon found themselves amongst a rushing swarm of thugs, the ones in their immediate vicinity either stopped or slowed their pace, as if pondering whether to attack the city's resident superhero, watch the fight, or just keep going.

Ember couldn't make out the fighters' faces clearly, but she noticed them looking around at the mass jailbreak as if wondering what's happened. So far, so good. Now to complete the prank. She phased through the wall, heading for the outer wall's gates to make sure they remained sealed, locked and impenetrable. After all, she only wanted trouble for her boyfriend, not the entire city. 'Let's see how you like playing 52 card pickup, only with criminals instead of cards!' she thought. Only Ember would be the one to do something like this while completely disregarding the guards currently stationed there…

Well, no one ever said that rock stars were perfect strategists…

Mayor Tucker was beginning to grow concerned. He wouldn't go as far as to say "worried". (Although he was, but his male pride wouldn't let him admit it as such.) Danny didn't report back to school before classes were finished for the day. He didn't put much stock into the idea that Danny got seriously hurt or anything. That halfa had proven time and again to be 'tougher than a $2 steak', as Tucker was fond of saying lately.

When he had gotten back to his office for some after-school mayoral duties, he had heard from his staff that there had been a couple of incidents, including a successful store robbery that Phantom had somehow failed to stop and a mass jailbreak of the prison's entire populous that was thankfully stopped by the fact that the outer wall gates were locked tight. However, this had left Phantom and the prison guards with a mass of rowdy, pissed-off criminals to chase down/beat up and put back in their cells, as well as sightings of Walker at the scene.

Damn, this town gets hard to run sometimes. And just as he thought that, the door to his office opened. In walked a mess. Or at least he looked like one. Ripped hazmat suit, some bleeding wounds, bruises, a black eye, hair that was the messiest it ever looked on him, and he walked with quite a limp as well. "Holy shit, Danny! Rough day at the office or what? Haven't seen you this beat up since that time Valerie chased you down and you accidentally phased into the girls' locker room."

"…I need to do something about this…" Danny grumbled, limping into the office. "She's driving me up the wall…" Having been briefed by Danny at school, Tucker knew what must've happened.

"Up a wall? More like she brought the walls down on ya! Dammit, dude. This city doesn't need to be down one superhero." the tech-based mayor answered, leading him over to the office's couch. At the very least, this would be a good test to see how fast his ghost side can recover from a major beating. Both teens knew that Danny's abnormal recovery rate doesn't match the likes of Wolverine or Deadpool, but still, he's lucky to have the ability at this point.

The hero slumped onto the couch, immediately slacking so much, he began almost looking as if he was part of the couch itself. He let out a deep sigh, one that told of resigned frustration. Tucker felt sorry for him. All this over a stupid comment…

Ah well… Tomorrow was a new day. Maybe she'd have gotten this vengeance spree out of her system.

Danny ended up sleeping on that very couch, too sore and tired to move to one of the guest rooms. He awoke with the sun when it shone through the office windows, the light beaming right in his face. Sitting up, he immediately noticed two things. For one, he was a lot less sore than he was last night. His back still ached and his bad leg was still somewhat stiff, but they're more manageable than last night. The second thing he noticed was that his neck felt a little funny. But he didn't pay much attention to that. It felt as minor as one would feel his or her shirt collar brushing against the neck.

Deciding to float, rather than push his luck with his recovering limb, he left the main office and found his way to City Hall's semi-luxurious kitchen area, where he proceeded to fix himself some cereal. Little did he know that, once Tucker had found him, they both would discover that Ember wasn't quite done with her little halfa…..

Tucker found Danny an hour later as he was stretching out, giving his body a bit of a test run to see how much it recovered. Always good to know where your limits are. "Yo, Danny. How's the ol' body?" he asked, concerned. Danny, seemingly at peace with the day, turned to speak. But in the span of 5 seconds, that peace would be shattered.

"OoOOOh, It sEeMs to BE WoRkIng FiiinE rIGht Noooow!" Danny said in a mechanically melodious tune, to which both guys froze, eyes widened. 'What the hell was that?' they both thought simultaneously.

(Author's Note: To hear the kind of voice I mean, the best example off the top of my head would be for you to go to YouTube and look up the "Saints Row: The Third" character called Zimos and listen to him talk with his autotune-voicebox. Seriously. If ya haven't played that video game, go look it up. Unless you know the kind of vocal effect I am speaking of and can picture Danny being forced to robotically sing whatever he wants to say. In any case, the funky typing represents Danny's adjusted voice.)

"WhAAAAAAt the HelL is WrOnG wiTh MY VoIce?" Danny said, panicked. His hands went to his throat, where he felt something that wasn't there before. A choker, strapped tight against his skin, with a mechanical device pressed against the center of his throat. It must be what's causing the mechanical vocal distortion. "Yo, MaN! ThaT woMaN StrApPed tHis devICe On Meee! I MuSt soUND LiKe a DoUcHE!" Danny complained musically as he tried to get the choker off. It was so tight that he couldn't work a finger under it and there was no clasp or anything that kept it together around his neck.

At this point, Tucker couldn't help but bust out laughing. His best friend sounds like a singer trying to compensate for a bad voice or perhaps some crazy pimp with a gimmick. "Oh God, wait til the other's hear you!"

"NOOoooo! I rEalLy WouLD prEFeR iF tHis wAS kEpT BetWEen ME aaaAaAaNd HeR!" Danny snapped, somehow keeping a melodious beat. The more he talked, the more he got fed up with it. He hoped that crime will decide to lay low today. Who knows what his enemies would say about his new voice. Maybe something like 'What're you gonna do, destroy me with some R and B?'.

"Dude, come on! You guys bust on me all the time!" Tucker pointed out, hoping that perhaps Danny would let the prank roll. After all, logically, Tucker did deserve at least one time where he wasn't the primary focus of something embarrassing, the poor guy. However, Danny wasn't buying it.

"DoOo You tHInk yOU wOuLD lET sOmEtHing ValEriE PrANkeD yOu With Be sHOwn tO thE PUbliC iF You tWO wERe iN a Biiiiig fiGHt?" Danny asked, looking Tucker in the eye in such a way that suggested the young mayor really think about it for a moment. Of course, the effect of his look was slightly lost by the ridiculousness of the mechanical adjustment to Danny's voice… But his point still got across, judging from the frown that suddenly appeared on his face.

"Good point. That would be what she would want. Fine… Let's see if we can get that thing off of you" Tucker relented. Unfortunately for the duo, nothing worked. They tried scissors, but the choker is so tight against Danny's neck that Tucker was worried that he couldn't get a blade underneath it without cutting Danny somehow. Tucker then suggested damaging the little autotune machine pressed against his throat. However, a few light taps to and around the face of the little machine proved to be ineffective. Of course, hard strikes were out of the question, because that would essentially be a punch to the throat…

Out of ideas, Danny was pretty much stuck with it until Ember got it off of him, which probably wouldn't be for quite a stretch of time… He would have to try to get through school in complete silence if he wanted to avoid any embarrassment.

Enough was enough, dammit…

He had to go find her. She had to at least listen. He couldn't take any more of this. He felt… burned! Yes, an appropriate word for it. Burned by her fiery temper. He thought he wanted to apologize before. Now he needed to apologize. The sooner the better. He shuddered at the very thought of everyone's reaction to his new voice, especially Dash and his A-List or Mr. Lancer. After all, known superhero or not, Fenton would still be just as prone to being pushed around as any other teenager. What superhero would abuse their powers by punching out bullies? It wouldn't exactly be setting a good example or following the laws…

No, this needed to be settled now. Not later, not next week, not next month. After the day he had yesterday? He couldn't last another whole day, especially if his diva had a laundry list of ideas to use against him. So, with a silent farewell to Tucker, he took off, phasing through the walls and ceiling of City Hall.

He immediately started searching the city for his mad lover, starting with her favorite haunts. Unfortunately, as he went from place to place as the hour went on, he had no luck finding her yet. However, that was soon to change… For Kitty had been keeping an eye on Ember's current "chew toy" (figuratively speaking) and saw him fly off. She followed and noted how he seemed to be checking around areas she herself had found Ember lurking about in.

With hope that things might get better sooner than she thought, she returned to Ember.

Two hours later and officially late to school (he would later give the excuse of a minor crime wave), Danny was stumped. The only places in the city he hadn't checked are the places Ember would avoid like the plague: nursing homes, hospitals, churches (not because she hated religion, she just thought church is boring), and niche/antique stores. He didn't think that she'd be mad enough that she'd be willing to be surrounded by things that bothered her just to avoid him. So perhaps she went back to the Ghost Zone.

But the Fenton Portal was in Fenton Works… which Ember might still have cursed to blare deafening music whenever he was inside the house! Crap… As he flew over Ember's favorite clearing in the Park, he finally spotted her. Standing on the ground, arms crossed, glaring right up at him. A good sign might be that her hair's back to its usual lovely light-blue. He flew down and lightly landed on the grounded, standing a few feet from her. Her gaze never deviated away from him.

"I hear you wanted to talk, Phantom…" Uh oh… No nicknames. Not even a 'Danny'. She smirked, almost villainously. "So, talk then." He was about to comply when he realized he still had that damn autotune device strapped on. Crap. Cornered. If he was going to apologize, it would be at the risk of Ember laughing at his misfortune. But then again, better it be just his girlfriend, rather than in public. He sighed, even the sigh carried a note. The undead musician smirked, already knowing how this was going to sound.

"EmMmMmBer… SiGh…. I'm ReaLlY sOrrY fOr sAyiNG tHat yOuR paRenTs lEfT YoU… It wASn'T rIGht FoR mE to BrINg Up… CaN yoU EveR foRGivE mE?" Danny said (or rather, sang). He was almost afraid to watch her reaction, but his eyes never left her face as he took in each feature of her face. Those fierce eyes, that mischievous smirk, the hypnotically-flickering fire hair… Damn, he missed her! But there was time for admiration later (hopefully). Her eyes narrowed and her smirk widened almost into a full-on grin. Was this a good sign?

"Lovely, just lovely… If only your natural voice could sing well… But that's not enough, you silly boy… Oh noooo… Don't get me wrong, I believe you're sorry. I believed you were sorry long before this apology. But… you still crossed a line. And that hurt me. You didn't mean to, but you did. Letting it slide? That's not my style. You know this." She said, slowly approaching him as she spoke, a calm walk, no swaying hips or anything exaggerated like she normally would do to tease Danny.

"So, I wanted to teach you a lesson, to make sure you don't hurt me again. For your apology, I'll take this off…" Ember raised a glowing hand and placed a couple of fingers on the autotune device. Immediately, the device disappeared, but the choker remained for some reason. Danny's hands went to his throat when she took her hand back, feeling the choker…and the solid feel of something else placed where the autotune device was. "Never you mind that, Phantom. Not now, anyway. Just a little something special. But back to business, there's still one thing I want… I had my fun, I got my apology, but there's one teeny-tiny little request I'd like to see happen…"

Danny gulped, knowing that tone of voice. That kind of tone where "teeny-tiny little" anything is definitely not small at all…

"I want to see you beg."

"Wha?" Danny said, his surprise overshadowing his realization that his voice was indeed back to normal. "Wait, what?! Beg?"

"Yes, beg! Like a good little lover…" she said as she stood right in front of him, playfully placing a couple of fingers beneath his chin and wriggling them back and forth, as if he were a pet cat. Danny wanted to lightly swat her hand away, but he knew better. Still, he went through a crime spree from Hell and he finally apologized. What's this about?

Noticing his look of annoyed confusion, Ember grinned. "Come now, Baby-Pop. One little request won't kill you, will it? Besides… we both want this mess behind us, don't we?" Danny perked up a little. If 'Baby-Pop' wasn't a good sign, he didn't know what was. Even so… Begging? "Dare I ask why?" he cautiously voiced. He seriously couldn't imagine any superhero getting down on his knees to grovel for forgiveness from their lovers, not even the heroines. Wonder Woman begging? Not bloody likely.

"Well… How should I put this…? Sometimes, a girl needs to know that she's loved, right? Not that I go for the sappy stuff, of course. But I suppose this is one of those times. I mean, I doubt you want to keep going through days like yesterday…" she trailed off with a knowing look, letting the implication set in on the halfa. His eyes widened, knowing that she would go through with it.

"Alright, I'll… I'll do it." he muttered, his head sunk. Ember smiled at him, happy that her proverbial boy scout would still do pretty much anything for her. Besides, it's been a few days of venting and troublemaking. She could use some good ol' fun. "Good… Now, on your knees." she ordered, in a not unkind voice.

Feeling a little awkward, Danny dropped to his knees, his upper half still raised. "Ah, ah, Dipstick. Hands and knees. Look at my boots." she scolded, smirking. No way was he going to half-ass this. Danny lowered himself onto all fours facing her. "Now, start begging. And don't worry. It's just you and me here." she said, adding the last statement as a way to perhaps comfort him. Not to mention, to see if he improvises and really goes full-on begging. The things some people do when they think no one's watching…

"Ember… I really am sorry… Please forgive me… I was foolish." he said sullenly, head bowed. Ember shook her head. "Baby-Pop, I'm not feeling it. I need emotion. I need motivation! Once more, with feeling!" she explained in a dramatic tone for emphasis.

Danny looked up at her. Admittedly, it was a nice angle to see her from, what with her curves and such. "What, you trying to be a director now, flame?" he asked with a smirk of his own. He was beginning to get a sense that she was just messing with him again at this point. Ember waltzed over to his side and lightly placed a boot on his back. "Nah. Just wanted to see what it was like to be a dominatrix. I can see how it'd work for me. I appreciate the power boost your attention is giving me, but ya know, there is one element missing…" she trailed off.

'Oh God, not the pain factor. I'm still a bit sore from yesterday…' he thought. Her right hand began to glow as it went behind her back… and came back out, holding her Black Cat belt-whip! 'Dammit…' his brain couldn't help but commentate.

"I could use this on you, seeing as you're down there, all nice and ready. Never really whipped a lover before. Tied him up once with this, yes. But never really dished out pain. Hmm…" she paused, looking down at Danny, whose neck was starting to get a little sore from his position of having to crane it to the side and upward in order to see her. "Mm… Nah. I hear you were pretty beat up yesterday. I'll forgive you." she said, taking her boot off his back. She began to feel better about owing Kitty a case of beer. "On your feet, slave." she 'ordered' with a grin. Danny pushed himself up to his feet.

"Whew… Thanks, Ember." the halfa said, wiping imaginary sweat off his forehead with a swipe of his hand. He suddenly found his lover staring him right in the eyes, barely half a foot away from him, a serious look on her face.

"What have we learned this week, Dipstick?" she simply asked.

"Umm… Don't mention your past…?" was his nervous reply.

"Let's keep it that way, alright?"

"Uh, yeah! Okay! Sure! No problem! Already forgotten! It's your secret! Love you, Ember!" he quickly replied, firing off those responses in one breath. This suddenly got him wondering if Catwoman ever got any dirt on Batman to hold over his head… Ember smiled.

"Love you too, Baby-Pop." she answered before leaning in for a kiss. Which soon turned into a make-out session. Which soon turned into them being quite thankful that Ember's favorite park clearing was quite out of the way of passing public… And so, things once again became like tranquil water for the two beings of fire and ice.

Hours later…

Danny phased back into his bedroom at Fenton Works. No sudden music! Good. Transforming back to Fenton, he seemed ready to really get the rest of this day going. He felt on top of the world! And who wouldn't, if they were in his position? He had a loving girlfriend, an impromptu day off (apparently, "crime wave" is an acceptable excuse for a known teenage superhero to use to bail from school), and he had first-hand experience at how awesome the concept of 'make-up sex' is. Nothing could stop him now!

Until he happened to take a glance at the first reflective surface (the bathroom mirror, when he went to go relieve himself)…

He finally remembered the black choker Ember had 'cursed' him with wearing… Specifically, that she had replaced the autotune machine with something else…

A piece of jewelry that consisted of golden letters spelling out two words, one word above the other…

'LOVE SLAVE'

Danny facepalmed. "Dammit!" He was going to have a hard time explaining that one to his family…

Author's Note: So, there it is, the concept of a hero/villainess couple having an argument. Pretty damn long chapter, if I do say so myself. I certainly hope I didn't 'jump the shark'. If I did, please feel free to let me know in a review. I always appreciate honesty, even if it's about something bad. That way, I would know what to try to improve on for future stories.

PUBLIC REVIEW REPLIES:

Dragon's Swordswoman 2013 – Thank you. I was hoping that I could put a good spin on Dani/Sam. It's a rare pairing, so I'd certainly try to make it a good one. And of course comedy's always a good thing for a lot of stories. Can't deny the power of humor.

DannyPhantom619 – Thanks for the review! I almost forgot that I had already replied to your review via PM. Lol. Now that'd be silly of me, saying the same thing twice!

Invader Johnny – Exactly! As I think I've said before, I'm surprised nobody ever thought of that kind of logic for Dani when it came to the fact of her being a clone of a guy.

As everybody always says, read and review!