Chapter 6: The Rules of Shopping
Once out of range of the reporters and anyone who may have been outside watching, the four finally came into view, laughing their heads off.
"That. Was. Amazing!" Tucker said. "If the political career doesn't work out, you should definitely be an actress!"
"Yeah, Ellie," Sam said with a smirk. "You almost had me believing you. And I swear, half the audience was crying."
"Don't call me that," she mumbled, but kept the smile on her face. "But thanks guys. I was getting a little nervous toward the end. I wasn't sure if anyone believed me."
"Well you did great. Unfortunately, it's only going to get more annoying from here," Danny said. "Now that they know you're here and who you are, they're going to try and dig up any info they can on you, what you've done, and things like that. The reporters are gonna be all over the place looking for us even more than usual. Other people are probably gonna be sympathetic and that's gonna get on your nerves a lot. Not to mention the…Phan Boys…"he grumbled.
Danielle rolled her eyes. "Calm down. I'm 12 so I probably won't be dating any time soon anyway."
"Got that right," he retorted, making Sam smile at his overprotective behavior.
"Yeah, especially if you inherited Danny's social skills," Tucker said with a laugh. Danny glared at his friend before a mischievous idea come to mind. Danny smiled as he let his friend's arm go, relishing in the screams of fright as he plummeted out of the sky and right into an open dumpster behind the Nasty Burger.
"Dude, so not cool," he mumbled before the lid closed on top of his head. "Great, now I need another shower."
Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at the mall, but Tucker was more than a little disgruntled about his earlier bath in thrown out food and the stains that came with it. Danny, Danielle and Sam, however found it extremely funny while the aforementioned two transformed back into their human forms.
"This is so humiliating. Do you know what's gonna happen to you two if I find even one picture of the Mayor in a dumpster in the paper?" Tucker threatened.
"Maybe that will teach you to heed my warnings more often," Danny grinned. "Now, getting back to more important matters. Our goal is to get Danielle new clothes and any essential things she may need." Sam coughed, and gave Danny a pointed look to which he smirked back at her. "Also, Sam and I have been talking, and after some negotiations, we've finally agreed on some rules that we're gonna go over before we go in."
"Ok," Danielle said, facing them both.
"First rule is an obvious one; no ghost powers unless necessary like if a ghost attacks or, if need be, escaping from the crowds. No need to draw extra attention to ourselves."
"Agreed," she said as she imagined them having to run from screaming fans who wanted an autograph or a photo with them. It was not a thought that sat well with her.
"The next one is my rule. Originally, I was going to say no skirts, but after talking with Sam who agreed to make sure they were all sensible, I ok'd it. So you are allowed to wear them, however, they CAN NOT be short then 2 inches above your knee. I catch you wearing anything smaller than that, you'll be wearing sweatpants until you're 40, got it?"
Danielle rolled her eyes, but nodded her head, knowing that arguing with him that she wasn't that kind of girl wouldn't get her anywhere.
"Next rule, body jewelry," Sam said. "I talked it over with Danny, and neither of us seems to have a problem with it."
"Really!" Danielle said, getting excited. She'd seen people with all types of piercings as she traveled around and it was something that always interested her. Many of them she thought were actually cute; though she wouldn't be caught dead saying that out loud, while others she thought were weird and probably painful. One in particular she noticed was a girl who had piercings that were all around her rib cage which made Danielle cringe and hold her body every time she thought about it.
"Yeah. But there are rules. You can get your belly button pierced, but you should probably wait until you're a little bit older. You can get your nose pierced, but only once, and you can get your ears pierced as much as you want. But let me make myself very clear on this," she said, becoming dangerously serious. "If I ever find out about you getting a piercing ANYWHERE below your waist, I will personally rip it out for you. Are we clear?"
"Ye-Yes ma'am," Danielle said nervously.
Sam smiled and nodded her head in satisfaction. "Good. Now, why don't we go and start off with getting you some new underwear, then we'll go and pick you out some new clothes while these two go and do whatever since I'm sure they'd rather not go shopping for women's undergarments," she said, giving them a look that they clearly knew meant 'Scram!'.
Danielle blushed at the comment but nodded her head. Normally she just wore her hoodie which was baggy enough to cover her chest, but lately it was getting a bit small, making the young girl self conscious about her slowly developing chest. Unfortunately since she didn't have any other women in her life until recently, she couldn't really talk with anyone about it, and even now that she did, she still felt a bit uncomfortable talking about it. Though she wasn't exactly looking forward to bra shopping with Sam, it would be a welcome relief to have something to help her cover up and get rid of some of her self-consciousness.
Waving a quick goodbye, the two girls headed toward the clothing stores while the guys head into the electronics store. Danny simply browsed for a while, not really finding anything he was looking for, while at Tucker was going wild like a kid in a candy store. After almost half an hour of mindless looking, Danny decided to pull his phone out and text Sam.
-So, how's the shopping going?
-Not bad. We were having a bit of trouble finding things that she likes since she's so much like you….lol
-Lol. Yea, I bet. So are you sure you don't want me to pay for anything?
-Danny, for the last time, I've got the clothes covered. I like doing nice things for her. Besides, you couldn't afford it…lol
-What makes you say that?
-1.) You don't have a job. Well, not one that pays anyway. 2.) She needs a lot of clothes and she looks really nice in a lot of them. 3.) I have multiple credit cards with no limits and am filthy rich. Plus, my parents won't notice.
Danny couldn't help the grin that crossed his face at the message.
-Fair enough. We'll meet you guys at the piercing place in a bit.
-Righto. Love you. Oh and Ellie loves you too. But don't tell her I called her that…lol
-Lol. Love you guys too.
"Come on, Tuck. We still gotta make another stop, and I'm sure you're PDA is upgraded enough for the next year."
"I know, I know. But I can't help it! I'm a techno-geek. Plus, that hundo I got for scaring you guys really came in handy," he said with a smirk.
"Whatever. Did you get it?"
"Yep. Now let's split and get what you need so we can meet up with Sam and Dani."
Danny nodded and walked out of the store with his friend by his side. After making their last stop, the two waited for the girls outside the piercing store where a group of girls no older then Danielle were getting their ears done in some type of party.
"Jeez. Who comes up with Piercing Party as the theme for a kid's birthday?" Tucker asked, keeping his back to the window.
"I don't know. Little girls I guess. But are you really so scared of needles that you can't even watch a couple kids get their ears pierced?" Danny laughed, shaking his head.
"Hey, don't judge me," Tucker grumbled.
"Danny, Tucker!" Both turned to see Sam and Danielle walking toward them with numerous bags in each hand. "Mind helping us?" Sam said.
"Jeez, Sam. What'd you do, buy out the whole store?" Danny said, taking half the bags from Sam.
"Haha. And no. It was only maybe a third of it. We only got a few things, but she looked so good in all of them, I just felt it was probably better to get them in different colors. Oh, and by the way, I was right. You definitely would not have been able to afford," she said with a grin.
"How do I look?" Danielle asked, showing off her new regular outfit. Danny looked down at her, finally taking note of what she was wearing and couldn't help smiling not only at her smile of happiness, but at how nice she actually looked.
Having gotten rid of her pajama pants, she was now dressed in a denim mini skirt that reached the middle of her knees, much to Danny's relief, with a pair of ecto-green leggings and a pair of black gym shoes that were much like her's and Danny's old ones. Her black hoodie was replaced by a thin ecto-green long sleeve shirt that matched her leggings and a black t-shirt over it, both shirts cutting off at the top of her stomach, leaving her belly button exposed, while her old red beanie, which she had left at home, was replaced by one made of denim to match her skirt.
"You look great, Ellie," Danny said with a smile while Tucker gave her a thumbs up. "Green looks great on you, just like it did on Sam during the Undergrowth incident, which by the way, was still very hot, even if you were trying to use me as plant food."
"Ew! Gross!" Danielle said as she shook her head fiercely to get that thought out of her head.
"Danny!" Sam said as a blush of embarrassment crept onto her face.
"I'm just saying, both my girls look great in green," he said with a genuine smile.
Danielle smiled even wider at his comment and grabbed Sam into a tight hug. "Thanks again…m-Mom…" she said, the last part almost a whisper.
Sam was a little surprised, not at the hug, but at the fact that Danielle had taken to calling her mom so soon, or at all for that matter. She didn't expect to feel so strongly about the young girl so soon, but something inside her told her that she had always felt that way, and that it was the way it was supposed to be. Sam smile and wrapped her free arm around her daughter.
"You're welcome. Now, let's see about getting those ears pierced."
Everyone walked in except Tucker who refused to go any further near the store then where he was, though everyone knew it was most likely because he had a high possibility of fainting. While they waited in line for their turn, Danielle looked through every pair of earrings she saw, but found none that really peeked interest much. Danny smirked at Sam who smiled at him as he pulled out a jewelry box that he handed to Danielle, who looked at both of them in surprise before opening the box to find a pair of white gold emerald earrings. She couldn't help the tears that naturally started to well up, but quickly wiped them away and hugging them both in appreciation. After the earrings were in, which Danny insisted on paying for, she quickly admired them in the mirror, noting how they matched her eyes in ghost form, before her stomach growled and she blushed.
Both Sam and Danny laughed before the three headed out of the store to meet with their chicken of a friend and heading to the food court, a decision they all agreed was probably best for all of them. After they were all fed and relaxed, Tucker handed her another small package.
"Another gift?" She asked, looking at them all. "Seriously you guys, you've done enough."
"Actually, that one's from Tucker," Danny said. Danielle sighed before opening the box to find a brand new cell phone.
"You got me a cell phone?" she asked in shock.
"Yep. The latest and greatest model. Sam and Danny, being the overprotective parents that they are, are going to want to keep in contact with you as often as possible. Plus, I added all my numbers, Jazz's number and you're grandparents' numbers."
"Wow…but, I can't. It's so…expensive."
"Nonsense. As the mayor, and a valued regular customer, I got a great discount, and all expenses were paid for, so, go nuts. Besides, nothing is too good for my goddaughter," he said with a smile.
Danielle got out of her seat and walked around the table to hug him, thanking him repeatedly before walking over to Danny.
"And thanks again for the earrings, Daddy," she said with a blush planting a small kiss on his cheek. Danny's heart soared as her words sank in. Although he already felt as if he was her father, hearing her say it made it seem so much more real to him. He quickly scooped her into a hug before both of their ghost sense went off.
Before any of them could react, a loud screech of feedback came blaring over the P.A system followed by the loud echo of a guitar.
"Oh great. Just what I wanted, dinner and a show," Danny said. He and Danielle quickly broke apart, and, giving him a simple nod, signaled she was ready and game. "You guy's clear the area. We'll handle the one hit wonder."
"No need, dipstick." Danny turned to see none other than Ember McClain as she floated up to them, guitar in hand as she lightly strummed it. "I'm bringing the party to you, whether you like it or not," she said with a smirk as she looked down upon Danny, Sam and Tucker. Her eyes widened in surprise as they fell upon Danielle. "Well well. And who's the little dipstick with the scowl on her face?" she taunted with a smile as she got closer into Danielle's face which only made her angrier.
"Back off, Ember," Danny growled.
"You know, if I didn't know any better," she said with a grin, "I'd say she was your kid." An evil smile crept to her face as she backed away from them, eyeing Danny and Sam for their reactions. "So, you and the dipstick finally went and got busy, aye, babypop?" she laughed.
Sam could only blush in embarrassment as she averted her eyes slightly away from the undead rocker, while Danielle only seemed to grow angrier.
"Why don't you mind your own business, you over glorified opera singer!" she yelled, calling upon her inner power and transforming. Tucker took quick note of the fact her new emerald earrings were still in her ears, and seemed to bring out the green in her eyes.
"Huh. Looks like you were right, Danny. The earrings stayed in her ears even after she transformed. I owe you five bucks," Tucker said.
Ember's face fell at the insult thrown at her by the young phantom.
"Looks like you need a lesson in star management, aye, baby-dip" she said, combing her nicknames for Danny and Sam into a new one for Danielle.
Danielle had had it with the pop diva, charging at her with full force as her hands glowed with ecto-energy. Ember smiled, turning the dial on her guitar and strummed it, sending numerous waves of pink energy that slammed into the Danielle, pushing her back enough to cause her to lose her bearings for a moment. Before the young girl got the chance to recover, Ember used the opening, swinging her guitar like a bat and using Danielle for the ball. If her head wasn't spinning before, it sure was now as that blow to the head disoriented her even more while she spiraled into a nearby wall.
"Danielle!" Danny shouted before glaring back at Ember. "You're gonna pay for that! I'm going ghost!" he shouted as he ran and jumped off a close by table, giving himself more momentum as his body lit up, two familiar white rings appearing as he transformed from Fenton to Phantom. Without a to moment figure out what to do, Ember felt the force of Danny's ecto-blast as it hit her from the right, sending her flying back and away from the hole.
Having distracted her for the moment, Danny flew over to the hole just as Danielle groaned and stood, a hand holding her head as she steadied herself around the debris.
"Oh…ow…Did someone get the license plate of that tour bus?" she said as Danny hovered in front of her, making himself a wall between the two female ghosts.
"You ok?" he asked as he briefly turned to look over his shoulder so as to keep Ember in his line of sight.
"Yeah. She just got a lucky swing is all," she grimaced, floating up to take her spot next to him and staring down the musical ghost who was currently glaring at the two. "So, what's the plan?"
"We need to get her guitar away from her. She's a lot less dangerous without it. If one of us can distract her, the other can get it and destroy it."
"Got it. One distraction, coming up," she smirked before turning and charging full speed. Danny sighed and shook his head at her recklessness. Ember took quick note of the fact that Danielle was heading her way, turning the dial on her guitar once again, strumming it hard and launching a barrage of flaming fist at Danielle, who dodged a few and threw ecto-blast to counter the rest. "Sorry, but if I wanted to hear bad music, I'd listen to Tucker sing," she yelled.
"Hey! My singing isn't that bad!" Tucker yelled.
"Yes, it is," Everyone, including Ember, said.
Ember dodged an ecto-ray only to be blindsided by Danielle's multiple ect-disk. The blast hit her in various waves as Danielle started to fly circles around her, confusing Ember and taking on the role of an annoying swarm of bees.
"AHHHHH!" Ember screeched as her eyes turned bright red and the flame of her ponytail enlarged, spreading over her body in a burst of anger. Slinging her guitar on her shoulder, she flew straight for Danielle, streaking like a comet in the stary night sky.
"Uh oh," Danielle said as she braced herself. The fireball formally known as Ember crashed into her at full force, but didn't move as the young halfa tried to hold her position, but was losing ground as the fire seemed to grow more intense. Biting her lower lip, Danielle tried not to let the pain get to her, but couldn't help the scream of pain as the flames ripped through her gloves, scorching her palms instantly. Ember smiled as she used Danielle's moment of pain to her advantage and started pushing the young girl toward the ground as fast and as hard as she could, making the two look like a meteor that was burning brightly before coming to a crash on the Earth's surface, a crater left in its wake. Many of the remaining patrons stared at the hole, waiting to see if the fight was indeed over, and if it was who the victor would be. As the smoke rose from it, a bright light rose from it as Ember floated out with her eyes still glowing bright red.
"You're out of you league here, baby-dip," Ember said with an evil smirk on her face. "Nobody takes my spotlight and gets away with it. You might as well give up now." She gloated but soon the smile fell from her face as she watched Danielle float out of the crater and wince at the burns that had formed on various parts of her body, a smile plastered on her face.
"Sorry, Ember, but your show's been cancelled. Now!" she yelled, looking behind Ember.
Ember soon felt herself being dragged into the air by the strap of her guitar before being spun around. At that moment, she realized as Danny had reappeared, that he had been missing from the fight for the last few minutes and that she had only been focusing on Danielle. After finally getting her built up to a good force of momentum, Danny yanked off instrument off of her, sending her falling into a wall.
"Dani, heads up!" he yelled as he threw the guitar toward her as her hands glowed with ecto-energy.
"No!" Ember yelled in horror as she watched the young phantom blast her precious guitar into pieces. "You two are gonna pay for that!" she yelled as she turned her attention to Danny.
"You know," Danny said, "I think you need to chill out and-"
"Don't even think about a comeback tour!" Danielle finished as she swooped in and kicked Ember up toward Danny with an ecto-powered kick. Danny's eye's glowed a bright blue, the same blue as his human form, as he shot a ray of energy at her, freezing the screaming ghost in a thick wall of ice.
Danny smirked at Danielle as she came over to him. "You wanna do the honors?"
"Gladly," she said as he handed her the Fenton Thermos. "You should consider early retirement, Ember, cause this shows over," she said as she activated the ghost catcher and sucked Ember in before clamping the cap on and twisting it tight.
The two Phantoms smiled at each other as the crowds of remaining people cheered and praised them. Both turned back to normal as their two friends made their way over to them.
"Are you two ok?" Sam asked as she gave Danny a quick hug before looking him over, though he hadn't even done much of the fighting. After she was sure he was ok, she did the same to Danielle, but pulled back when she heard the quick intake of breath, remembering the burns she had sustained only minutes before. Sam quickly grabbed Danielle's wrist, twisting them and feeling a cold bubbling of dread run threw her veins at the site of the many burns that covered the girl's palms in red. "Oh my god, Danielle! You're hands!"
"It's fine, really," she said as she rolled her eyes. "It's not even that bad, and I've dealt with way worse."
"Boy, does that sound familiar," Danny mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck and cringed as he prepared himself for what was to come. Sam's face feel free of all emotion as she stared at Danielle who raised an eyebrow, daring Sam to make a move, though what move, she didn't exactly know. Without any type of warning, Sam slapped the palm of Danielle's right hand, causing her face to light up and contort with pain.
"OOOOWWWW!" she screamed as she yanked her hand free and clutched it tight to her chest.
"Yeah, that's why it's wise to never say that after she's already seen the injuries," Danny said, mentally recounting all the times he'd gone through the same thing with Sam.
Sam smirked before turning to Danny. "Grab the rest of the bags. We'll head to my place and bandage her hands. Bet you won't be stubborn about your injuries again, will you?" she said to Danielle whose on response was a low grumble.