Chapter 8: Meeting the Rest of the Family
Danielle grumbled angrily as she continued to wash the dishes. She hated chores, though she never actually had to do them before, but something inside her told her that she hated them and that she should just ignore them. It was probably something she got from her dad, who was definitely not happy about the video game thing.
"I can't believe you would do something so stupid! So irresponsible! So dangerous!" Danny yelled as he paced back and forth in front of a guilty looking Danielle as she hung her head in shame. She had never been in trouble before, not even when she lived with Vlad. Other then when she had betrayed him, he never found the need to punish her even if she did something bad. Now that Danny, her father that actually cared about her, was angry and about to punish her, she just wanted to go intangible and sink into the floor, which she probably would have tried had it not been for the oh so ever watchful eye of her mother.
"I said I'm sorry…" she said in a low voice. "I don't get why this is that big of a deal."
"You wanna know why? Because 1.) You deliberately disobeyed me, Danielle. If I tell you not to do something, you are NOT to do it, and you're old enough to know the difference. 2.) You put your life in danger. I don't even want to imagine what we would do if something happened to you. And 3.) Because even something as small as cheating can completely destroy your life!"
"Now, hold on, Danny," Sam said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "She didn't know about that. Besides, we all know it wasn't the fact that you cheated that caused it to happen. It was the fact that everyone was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that Vlad's method of helping was beyond crazy."
"Vlad, helping? And what do you mean about being in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Danielle asked, though she kept her eyes down toward the floor in fear of her father's harsh gaze.
Danny sighed, running a hand threw his hair. "I know she didn't know, Sam, but…I just don't wanna take any chances. I don't want there to be a chance of her ending up like I had." Danny turned to Danielle and began telling her the story of Dan Phantom, his alternate future self that was the most powerful, destructive ghost in the world. He told her of how he laid waste to many places, including Amity Park. Of how he was the most hated ghost in the Ghost Zone. Of how he came back and tried to kill his friends and family. Danny told her of how he hated Dan and that he couldn't stand the thought of ever seeing him again. The look of shock, and the small bit of fear, that Danny saw in his daughter's eyes showed him he got this point across. But he knew that he still had work to do.
"Now, on to your punishment," he said, a scowl coming to his face.
In the back of her mind, Danielle knew she had no right to be angry at her parents because she did do something that was wrong. But in the front of her mind, she, like most kids, only saw the fact that what she was being forced to do was cruel and stupid.
"This is so stupid," she said, sleeves rolled up and gloves resting in the back pocket of her jean skirt as she was elbow deep in dish soap. "I mean, what's the point in making me do the dishes when you have a freaking dish washer that works perfectly fine?"
"Because you hacked into a video to help us beat to bosses, putting yourself in danger, and disobeying Danny," Tucker said with a cocky smirk as he walked into the kitchen and held out his plate to her while finishing his sandwich. "You should be glad you only got stuck with some chores and being grounded for the rest of the weekend. That's him going easy on you."
Danielle, who was not in the mood for his jokes, growled as she snatched the plate his hands and flashing green eyes, turned around, returning to her dish duty. Tucker flinched away from the girl as her anger seemed to radiate off of her in waves. He'd seen this many times before from another person in his group. Sam, to be exact, and he knew better then to piss her off, but he didn't seem to think the same about Danielle.
"Jeez. Well, you don't have to tell me twice. You really are Sam's daughter. Have fun with your chores," he said with a laugh.
Oh Tucker. Always pushing his luck. That was the final straw for Danielle because before her mind could even register what she was doing, her body reacted, tossing the soapy plate like a Frisbee at the annoying techno lover. Tucker shrieked and dove into the doorway just as the plate went flying by him, crashing into the kitchen wall and shattering into pieces. At the sound of the crash, he looked up from where his face was buried in the ground and looked at her in fear before running off.
"Damn it," Danielle grumbled as she tried not to scream in annoyance. With a quick face palm, she walked over to the broken remains of the plate, and gathered the pieces so she could deposit them in the trash. A foul smell flew into the air as she opened the lid, and Danielle had to hold down her gag reflex as she put the pieces in and tied the bag before lifting it out of the canister. "This. Is. Bogus! They only gave me these stupid chores so that they wouldn't have to do them. This would so much easier with my powers, but NO! Dad had to ban me from using those too. I mean seriously!? That's like telling a dog not to bark! Stupid and unnatural!"
Danielle continued to rant as she picked up the bag of disposed contents and she made her way toward the door that led to the backyard where the garbage can was, completely oblivious to the sound on the other side of said door. Just as she reached out to grab the knob, the door flung open, hitting her and knocking her backwards where she landed on her butt with a loud thud.
Danielle groaned before letting out a scream of annoyance and irritation from all the events that had built up in the short day.
"WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!? BETTER YET, HOW ABOUT KNOCKING BEFORE YOU JUST ENTER SOMEONE'S HOME!?" she yelled at the person as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead where she had been hit.
"Excuse me!?" the woman in front of her scoffed in surprise as she placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know who you think you are talking to, young lady, but you will most certainly NOT talk to me like that in my home."
"You're home?" Danielle asked in surprise as she looked up at the couple looming over her for the first time. The man had light blonde hair that seemed to have a natural curl to it and was dressed in a blue sweater vest with long khaki pants and dress shoes. The women wore a pink dress with a white collar and matching white gloves, as well as a fair amount of jewelry. Her hair was bright red as it sat delicately on her head, but reminded Danielle of the fire that was iconic on the Olympic torch, and could rival her aunt's.
"That's right, my home," Pamela said as her light blue eyes bore into Danielle as she rested on the ground where she had fallen. "Now, who are you and what exactly are you doing in our home?"
"Um…" Danielle could feel fear as the situation was starting to get bad. She couldn't out right say she was Sam and Danny's daughter, but if she didn't think of something quick, this was going to get a lot worse a lot quicker. "I'm…the cleaning girl. You're normal cleaning lady is my…aunt…and…she asked me to work in her place for the day because she's sick," she said, but could tell by the look on Pamela's face that she wasn't buying any of it.
"Well, as much as I'd like to believe you, I don't," she said in a dark tone. "Now, you can tell us who you really are, or, we can let the police decide when they get here." She quickly pulled out her cell phone and started dialing the police.
Danielle's eyes widened in fear as she jerked up from her seat on the ground and onto her hands and knees, waving her right one out to Pamela.
"No! Wait!" she said in desperation to the woman. Danielle's mind was firing a mile a minute as it tried to come up with a solution to her current situation, but the stress of everything was taking its toll on her, causing her mind to come up blank.
"Danielle!" she heard someone yell. Turning around in surprise, she saw her only actual hope of getting out of this heading into the kitchen: her parents. "Why are you yelling and throwing plates at Tucker? I know you're mad but-" Sam stopped short as she froze in surprise at the site of her parents in the kitchen and Danielle sitting there, eyes wide with fear and pleading for help. Danny and Tucker, who were walking behind Sam, tensed up when they saw the look on Pamela's face. "Mom. Dad. You guys are back already? I thought you were gonna be on vacation for a few more weeks?"
"We were, but had to come back a bit early because of an emergency meeting that came up at my company," Jeremy said eyeing her suspiciously. Of the two parents, Jeremy was much more lenient when it came to Sam and her odd behaviors. He didn't encourage her to rise against them or anything like that, but he gave her much more freedom then Pamela did because he knew that pushing her would only result in her fighting against them on everything.
"Oh, well, that's great! We were just leaving. So, if you'll excuse us," she said, grabbing Danielle by her arm and hoisting her up in one quick jerk, "we'll just get out of your way while you guys unpack."
"Samantha," He mother said in a commanding tone that made Sam's blood run cold in her veins, a feeling that she hated with a passion. "Who is that girl and what are you hiding?"
"Nothing, Mother," Sam said with a hint of venom in her voice as she gave her mother an annoyed look. "And she's a friend of mine, ok?"
"No, it is not ok, Sam!" she yelled. "I am sick and tired of you and your friends being disrespectful and thinking you can be all secretive with everything!"
"Me? You're the ones who hid a camera in my room to spy on me and Danny! And maybe I wouldn't be disrespectful if you didn't treat my friends so bad!"
"Whoa, easy there, Sam," Danny said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We need to calm down and talk about this-"
"You stay out of this!" Pamela said, pointing an accusing finger in his face. "This is all your fault, I know it. Ever since you and your crazy ghost chasing parents came into our lives-"
"Hey! Back up off him!" Danielle said as she smacked Pamela's hand out of Danny's face. "I don't care who you are, you have no right to treat him that way, especially when he's saved your butts so many times and-"
"How dare you!" Pamela screamed at her. "I don't know who you think you are or who your parents are, but I do know that a child like you needs to learn some respect for your elders! You are disrespectful, unpleasant, and an eye sore!"
As Pamela continued to insult and belittle her, Danielle suddenly started to feel her resolve and courage evaporate faster than water on the sun. With each word, she flinched while clenching her hands a little to keep from breaking so easily, especially since she had taken on creatures far worse than a suburban housewife.
"-God awful, and I can only imagine what the rest of your family must be like!"
"SHUT UP!" Danielle screamed as she body shook with anger and hurt. "My family is great! The best! They love me and everything about me!"
"Well, if you're any example of who they are and how they act, I highly doubt that they are as great as you claim them to be," Pamela said as she crossed her arms.
That was it. The final straw that put Danielle over the edge. Her anger had boiled over and in a flash of light, she transformed into her ghost form, shocking everyone, though for different reasons. Pamela and Jeremy were not expecting that, while Danny, Sam and Tucker were more shocked because of her loss of control. Tears ran from her eyes as she glared at the two parents before her.
"Shut up! You shut about my family!" she screamed as she stomped her feet like a child being made fun of on the playground.
Pamela, although stunned at first, quickly grew to anger as she turned her gaze on Danny. Without any warning, and to the surprise of everyone, she raised her hand before pulling it back and slapping him across the face.
"I knew it! I knew this was all your fault! We let you into our home, and you bring more of those vile creatures in here like some hotel for the undead!" she screeched at him while only seeing red. Danny was stunned, not because it hurt, but because he NEVER expected her to hit him. Sure, he knew that she didn't like him and he wasn't too fond of her either. To be honest, he never thought she ever liked him, but was more than willing to take her insults for the sake of his friend. But never, in this life or his next, would he have been prepared for her to hit him.
"Mom! What the hell is wrong with you!" Sam yelled.
"Samantha, you will respect me and you will watch you language!"
"Watch my language? WATCH MY LANGUAGE!? Are you fucking kidding me right now!? You just slapped Danny and insulted Danielle, both of who have saved your life countless times and who put up with all your shit, and you're worried about my language!?"
"Honey, maybe Sam's right. Although I will agree that Daniel may have caused some problems, I think you should calm down so we can all talk about this rationally," Jeremy said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down? Look at this, Jeremy! Ever since he started, "protecting" the town, Sam rebels more than ever, she sneaks out and puts her life in danger, and now," she turned her glare on Danielle who instinctively flinched and took a step back, "now, she's bringing more of those things into our home!"
"Don't you dare speak badly of Danielle," Sam yelled as she stepped between her mother and daughter.
"Oh please, Samantha! Why are you trying to defend that-that-thing! She's nothing but a disgusting, filthy little reprobate!"
All four of the teens gasped his surprise and horror at Pamela. Sam knew her mother could be a horrible, awful person, but never once did she think that she would sink so low as to tell someone that they were nothing but a reject of life. Her anger grew as she could not comprehend that she was actually born from a woman as cruel as this. Danny's eye's glowed a bright green as he had to restrain himself from attacking the woman for the insult she had just dealt out to his daughter. Tucker had seen many things in his life, cruel things that no teenager should ever see. But never would he expect one of his best friend's own mother to be the worst he's ever seen. Danielle didn't know how to feel other then broke. This woman, her mother's mother had just told her, plain and simple to her face that she not only hated ghost, but that she hated her for no reason. She was almost as bad as Vlad.
The pressure and the stress of the situation became too much for Danielle as her knees grew weak and tears fell even faster down her face in a zigzag pattern, mirroring her heart as it broke a little. Danielle's resolve had finally hit it's breaking point as she cried loudly and her child like instincts kicked into high gear, her knees buckling under her and bringing her to the ground.
"Mommy! Daddy!" she cried out loudly as she transformed back to normal and curled up into a ball on the floor.
"Well, if you want them so much, why don't you all just go, because you are all banned from here from now on and are not allowed to interact with our daughter ever again!" Pamela yelled at them.
"Wow. I knew you were cruel, but I never thought you were a heartless monster," Tucker said as he glared at her.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Danny yelled. The force of his glare shook Pamela as she took a step backwards in surprise at the anger in his voice. "You can insult me, you can hit me, you can even try to restrain and detain me. But what the hell do you think gives you the right to insult and hurt my daughter!?"
"Your what!?" Both parents yelled in unison.
"You know what your problem is, Pamela? You're a fucking hypocrite! You go around, acting all perfect and pretending everything is all good. But the second something comes in that steps over and out of your control, you have to try and bring it beneath you because you think you're so superior. Well let me tell you something," he said, stepping forward and transforming before lowering his voice to a dangerously serious tone. "if you ever insult my daughter again, so help me God, you will not like the consequences, understand!?" he said as his eyes glowed even brighter. Without waiting for an answer, Danny turned around and picked up Danielle, who was still crying, and headed toward the hallway.
"Come on Tuck, Sam. We're getting Ellie's stuff and leaving." Tucker nodded his head as he glared at the Mansons one last time and following his friend. Danny turned to see Sam still facing her parents. "Sam?"
"You guys go on. I'll catch up," she said with an apologetic smile. Danny paused for a moment before turning himself and Danielle, who softly cried on his shoulder and only looked at Sam briefly, intangible as he flew through the ceiling.
Pamela and Jeremy stood in silence as the connection between the two children had finally started to connect as well as the threat and anger in Danny's voice.
"I knew there was something about her I didn't like," Pamela said in disgust. "I knew he was a freak, but I didn't ever expect him to bring some sort of wretched abomination of offspring into my home!"
Sam, having finally been left alone with her parents, let all of her anger and fury flare up in an instant. In a swift motion, she slapped her mother, all of her anger, frustration and hurt backing her up. The force and surprise of the hit caught Pamela off guard, causing her to fall into Jeremy's arms as she placed a hand on the now sore red mark on her face.
"You heartless bitch!" Sam screeched as she shook with anger. "I cannot believe anyone could be this horrible, and never, no matter what you've ever said or done, would I have thought you could be the absolute worst human being in the world. But I should have known. You always find a way to make yourself so much worse in people's eyes! Even your associates take bad about you, Mom! I defended you so many times against what others say, even to Danny and Tucker who have known you for years, but you've just proven everyone right."
"Samantha!" her mother screeched in surprise. "What has gotten into you!? You will go to your room and-"
"Come off it! I'm sick of all this distrust and the bad mouthing and the consent fighting with you! And you're right. I am going to my room. And when I do, I'm going to pack my stuff, and I'm leaving with my boyfriend and my daughter because I will never live under the same roof with someone like you ever again. I could never live with someone who would sink so low as to degrade a little girl like you have done to Danielle."
"Your…daughter?" Jeremy whispered.
"That's right. My daughter. Your granddaughter. She was created from a combination of mine and Danny's DNA, and now, we're going to raise her obviously without your support," Sam said, turning toward the hall. "It didn't have to be like this. I never wanted it to be. I knew one day I would leave, but I never thought it would be like this. I hope you're happy, Mom. Not only have you lost any chance of getting to know you're granddaughter, you've lost all love and respect of you're only daughter. Maybe now, you can have life the way you want it without your little black sheep ruining it."
Sam said nothing else as the tears ran down her face and she walked into the hall before ascending the stairs, her heart breaking all the way up.