Thank you, SailorSea Oak Leaf Ninja and supaherolena02

This one's for you three! Thanks for your encouraging words. :)

I don't own DP, or Whinny-the-pooh. Now that you're confused, lets read.

Chapter 11: A Helping Hand.

(POV of Danny Fenton.)

No one helped me out of the bushes and I forgot about intangibility. So naturally, I was still completely filthy. I mumbled to myself about my clothes, which were completely destroyed. My waterproof, abuse-resistant wallet (A 15th birthday present from Jazz) was thankfully still intact. If the fifty bucks Mom gave me for school clothes went down in mud because of my ego, I'd never hear the end of it.

I continued on my way and tried to ignore the strange looks from everyone around me. As I did this, I heard a beeping noise and paused.

As you know, I dodged just as the tracking missile whizzed past me and obliterated the mall's glass doors. People began screaming and running around frantically. When the shards of glass settled down, I jumped up and thus, made my first mistake. I tried to see if anyone was hurt.

Confused and distracted. I didn't hear the sound of jets until Skulker landed a fist in my back. I cried out in surprise and crashed into the ground, rolled over reflexively a few times, before I bounced back onto my feet-

Just in time for Skulker to land another punch in my gut. This time, I corkscrewed mid-air and landed on my feet and inside the mall. I shook out the glass shards in my hair.

Skulker charged at me again, "I've got you now whelp!"

I rolled my eyes and side-flipped away from his attack, "Not last million times, and not this time either Skulker!" I ran further into the mall and tried to find a place to go ghost. Skulker was on my tail the entire time punching, shooting, and hitting everything but me along the way.

The chase continued where people were doing their shopping. Obviously everyone knew the fight was dangerous, so they scrambled to run and hide, or stare at the situation in horror. This made it more difficult, but I finally managed to dart into a store and dive into rack of cloths to transform.

Phantom-me dove out an instant before Skulker turned my shelter into ash. Invisibly, I returned a well-deserved punch hard enough to send him packing. Call me a brute, but it helped me on the inside.

I flew after him and restrained myself only to direct contact hits. We dog-fought up and down the mall way, which left bystanders nowhere to go but inside the various stores.

I easily out-maneuvered Skulker's bulky frame. Grabbing his left-arm with my right hand, I flew underneath him and twisted his arm across his chest. I continued the movement, and flipped completely over him, which spun him over in a half circle. I planted my feet firmly on the ground before Skulker could react. I rotated and using my arm as a slingshot, I sent him flying out of the mall at a ninety-degree angle.

I stood tall and readied my thermos when…

(POV change: Narrator.)

The mall came within sight of the three G.I.W. agents.

"Sir, news," Agent K stated.

"Out with it K," Replied Agent C.

"Yes sir. Word from base, Phantom has just entered combat mode and has made contact with the ghost called Skulker."

Agent O, gathered the bravery to speak, "Shall we speed up sir? Phantom fights don't last very long."

"No, Agents. Don't you know anything about Phantom? He's all too accustomed to G.I.W. intervention. He'll scatter at the slightest sign of an agent. We must have the element of surprise."

The two lesser agents looked at each other, "That's a pretty good idea," agent O said, "Why didn't we think of that?"

(POV change: Danny Phantom.)

So far, I'd been a pretty good fight. I hardly had a scratch on me, and the mall wasn't too bad all things considered. I checked my Fenton-Thermos and crouched to take off after Skulker. Not the best time to get shot in the back.

I shouted in pain. My first impulse was to fly off and turn human as soon as possible. I thought it was Val, I hoped it was Val. Oh, when was the last time Lady Luck ever paid me a visit?

"Freeze Ghost Punk!" Two nimrods shouted at me.

I flipped around and eyed their readied guns wearily. "Okay, I highly doubt that one of you guys just shot me."

"Your doubts are correct," a new voice said.

Well new to me in battle. "Oh, the new guy," I said, ad tried to figure out how an ecto-gun the size of a pistol could hurt so much. My thoughts flashed back to Val and how much she could make a small (and otherwise not powerful weapon) hurt badly.

"Don't judge me Phantom, I have many more of years experience at this then you do."

"Ha!" I mocked. "You remind me of a ghost I've fought and beaten a hundred times over." On the outside, I was strong. On the inside I was thinking, Vlad is going to kill me for that.

I crouched, "Here's some wisdom you won't find in your rules or regulations, oh great pencil-pusher." I paused, but he didn't make a move to attack me. "You're in Amity Park, hunting ghosts straight out of the lawless realms; experience won't save your hide." I kept a strong jaw, and hoped that all those western movies I'd watched at Sam's would pay off...

He seemed unaffected, "Phantom. I'm giving you one chance, and one chance only. Surrender yourself immediately to the G.I.W. and face up to the crimes you've committed against humanity."

I arched an eyebrow, "Wait, "against humanity?" I haven't even set foot out of Amity Park." Not as Phantom and not in this timeline, at least.

"Phantom," Agent C was losing is patience. Agent O steadily hovered to his right, still pointing his Ecto-Stopo-Power-of-Fire thingy at me.

I focused on listening when I noticed A.O. whispering to A.C.

"-You doing? He's a mindless ghost."

A.C. didn't look pleased at the distraction, "I know, so we must fool him. We can't handle him alone, he's too strong."

I stifled a giggle at their major blunder, Agent K looked at me like I was insane.

Finally, I calmed down. As a smile played on my face I said, "You know." I changed to a blatant tone, "I have ears like a hawk."

A.O. gasped, and A.C. reacted instantly by shooting at me. Thankfully, he rushed his aim too much and gave off enough signals to warn me.

Agents K, and O still hovered in the air. I stayed on the ground, dodging expertly and attacking lazily.

"O, K, give it all you've got! He's not going down without a fight anymore!" A.C. urged.

"Anymore?" I said between dodges, "Wait, this is a fight? Hadn't noticed."

I could feel his temper boil over. "Watch what you say punk!" He shot me with the pistol again and sent me flying ten feet back into a wall.

Upon impact, I bounced off and landed in a perfect stance. This guy was nothing, and neither was any G.I.W. agent for that matter. They're like Pariah Dark's thralls. The power is not what gets you, it's the numbers…

A.K. blasted the spot where I'd just been standing.

"Don't loose sight of him! He'll be impossible to detect when he stops fighting!"

A.C. fired a few shots with decent accuracy; I stumbled a bit but never lost balance.

"POPP's away!"

I looked up incredulously, "Huh?"

All three agents assembled a line in half a second.

"FIRE!" Agent C shouted. They all shot and hit my chest dead on. Using my DP logo as a bulls-eye.

I didn't take it well… I would've screamed if my chest didn't sting so much. My eyes shut tight as the impact knocked me off my feet. After I remained airborne for a few seconds, I crashed into something that gave way. I heard screams all around me and only barely managed to open my eyes.

People were scattered everywhere as they tried to pick themselves up from underneath the racks of clothing that I'd toppled over. The bright lights in the store lit the area in a lifeless way, and made the damage seem worse…

Footsteps came my way, the three agents rushed into the store scanning the place with angry expressions.

A.O. yanked out his communicator, "This is Agent O. We've encountered the ghost kid down at the mall but we've lost visual." He paused, "What do you mean his signal's gone?"

A.C. holstered his gun, "Don't bother, O. Phantom always disappears like this. He's probably just too coward to show his face."

Coward, I thought, I'd like to see you take on a ghost who actually wants to hurt you.

A.C. started walking towards me, "In the meantime, let's help these people and call in some medical help."

The two lesser Agents looked at each other.

"That's a good idea," A.O. said.

"Yeah," A.K. said, "Why haven't we ever thought of that?"

A.C. walked calmly towards me and put out his hand.

"You okay kid?" A.C. asked. "You don't look so good."

I didn't recall turning human. I glanced around nervously at the security cameras in the store. "I feel good enough," I lied through my teeth, my chest was killing me. I shut my eyes and cringed hard.

"Hold on kid, don't push yourself. We'll have an ambulance here in a minute." A.C. crouched at my right side and wrapped my arm over his shoulders. He stood up and pulled me to my feet with him.

Leaning off of him hastily, I glanced at the massive spider web of hangers and clothes still attached to me, "I can handle myself now, thanks. You should help everyone else, I can manage this." I tugged the hood of a sweatshirt blocking my view of him, so I could see his face. I was covered in tangled garments from pretty much head to toe.

He huffed, "You're a tuff kid. I'd rather work with a kid like you then those two nimrods." He said, and inclined his head to A.O. and A.K. who were trying (and failing) to help in the situation.

"Thank you, sir." Just because Phantom could get away with mouthing off to A.C. didn't mean Fenton could, too.

A.C. didn't say anything further, he just nodded slightly and walked away to help someone else.

Turning my back to him, I pulled myself away from the hangers as the hooded-jacket still stayed stubbornly to me. No one paid attention, so I took the time to enjoy the pain of a massive ecto gunshot.

Adrenaline had stopped running rampant in my body, taking with it my tolerance for pain. I tried to peel the jacket off, with my eyes shut tight underneath the hood. I heard A.C. say something from far behind me…

I fumbled and closed the jacket immediately. His voice reminded me that Fenton wasn't shot. Fenton was a victim of circumstance, not a wounded warrior. I remembered the state of my clothes before I fought Skulker. They were torn quite a bit and beyond repair. If anyone got a look at my injury, I'd be hospitalized. Or worse, the Agents might just put half and half together.

I put the jacked on and zipped it up, I'd pay for it with the money Mom gave me after I helped out as much as I could…

…

The ambulance drove off with the only person who needed serious treatment. I was still behind, helping the last few stragglers get the help they needed. I moved in on a group of firefighters and paramedics. I'd found a little boy, no older then four, who'd lost his Mommy and skinned his leg a little. He was still sobbing on my shoulder.

"Don't cry," I set him down on a bench. "It's okay, we're going to find your Mommy, alright?"

He jerked his head up and down in a 'okay' motion, but he refused to look at me. Still sobbing, he said, "O-otay."

I smiled, "Can you tell me your name?" I squatted to his level.

"Um, my Mommy told me not to speak to strangers." He looked at me with large brown eyes, which got very wide with surprise.

"Then can you tell me, what's your Mommy's name?" I asked.

He gave me a confused look, "Mommy's name is Mommy."

I laughed, "Alright then…" I went over to a table and grabbed bandages and disinfectant.

Agent C came by, "Who's the kiddo, kid?"

I deciphered just what it was he was trying to ask me. "Haven't figured it out yet," I said calmly. "He's still scare, and he can't give me any names." I knelled down, A.C. looked away.

"I heard some ruckus a few minutes ago. Some woman. Did he come here with his Mother?"

I nodded, "He's been asking for her."

"I'll see what I can do." With that, he walked away.

I turned back to the boy. "Okay, now I'm going to have to put a band-aid on. This might sting a little…" I wiped his knee off with the disinfectant I borrowed. I watched his face carefully, he seemed to be toughening it out pretty well.

Without looking, I reached for the band-aid.

"Hey kid," a firefighter said.

I put the band-aid down, "Me or him?"

"You," he said and took the first-aid kit from me. "Leave this to the pros, kid. I'll take care of him."

"Alright, alright." I got out of his way. Apparently there was no fire for him to put out so he was set to do first-aid.

The fireman kneeled down, "I'm going to put a band-aid on your boo-boo now, okay?"

The kid gave the band-aids a sharp, disgusted look, "I want Whinny-the-Pooh!"

Man, you should've seen the baffled look on the firefighters' face!

"I want Whinny-the-Pooh!" The kid repeated.

"Um," the firefighter stuttered, "A Whinny-the-Pooh? I'm sorry kid but I don't know where to find your toy-"

"No toy," he said defiantly, "I want Whinny-the-Pooh!" He pointed to the band-aid, "There's no Whinny-the-Pooh!"

I held back a laugh, the fireman glared at me.

"I'm sorry buddy," he started, "but I don't have any Whinny-the-Pooh bandages."

The kid crossed his arms. "I want Whinny-the-Pooh!"

The one-sided argument continued. A.C. walked up behind me, a woman was with him.

"Andy!"

Andy turned to his Mother. "Mommy!"

Mother and Son hugged, Andy's Mother showered him with kisses.

"Oh baby, I was so worried about you! Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"No, no, no Mommy! I'm fine now."

Andy's Mother turned to A.C. "Thank you, so much, for taking care of my baby."

A.C. inclined his head, "Your welcome, but this young man is the one who found him."

I blushed, "It was no problem, really."

Andy and his Mother, Jessica, were looked over and allowed to leave. Rest assured that Andy would get his Whinny-the-Pooh bandages when they got home. Before thy left, they gave a final goodbye.

"Thank you again." Jessica said.

"No problem ma'am," A.C. said.

Jessica thanked me again, and cradled Andy preciously. She carried him to the exit.

Andy looked up and waved, "Bye-bye, Danny!"

I waved back, not quite sure how he knew my name, "Bye-bye Andy! You take care!"

A.C. chuckled, "Danny, is it?"

I gulped, "Yeah?"

He shrugged, "This city is just filled to the brim with "Danny's" isn't it?"

I laughed awkwardly, not to keen with being near a G.I.W. agent. "Say, weren't you with two other guys?"

He huffed, "I had to put those idiots on a time out." He gestured to a row of chairs, two of which held the two agents in question.

"Off all people to send to Amity. Those fools were the best we could do. Unfortunately, very few agents in the G.I.W. have much regard for public safety."

A.C. glanced at me, "It wasn't many years ago that more people were heroes like firemen, and policemen. Nowadays it seems to be a select few." He turned to me, "Kid, you've got the potential to help a lot of people. Just look at what you did today. You don't know these people and yet you helped them." He pointed out the door, "kid, if you don't have a ride, I'd like to get you to a hospital."

"But, I really am Okay." I tried to persuade.

"Kid, I know you're not okay, and I know you're the type that thinks very little of himself when others are in danger." He looked at me harshly, "Don't follow the rest of this world kid. Make something of yourself, because you've got it in you to do so. Remember, you can't help anyone if you loose track of your own sake."

I was nervous and shocked to hear that from a G.I.W. agent, "Yes sir."

He nodded, "Good." Then he walked away to join the other agents.

(POV change: Narrator)

Agent C walked up to his fellow agents.

"Sir?" Agent K asked.

"Out with it." Agent C snapped.

"Yes, Sir," Agent K said, standing erect with Agent O. "The news station crews have arrived, Sir. They're demanding to see you. Local law enforcements can hardly manage to keep them out of the crime scene."

"Good," Agent C replied.

"Sir?" Agent O questioned.

"Boys," Agent C began. "You've got an awful lot to learn. I'll start by teaching you how to take advantage of a situation like this…"

Dun-Dun-DUH! Suspence…

I needed a cute little kid to show up and make me laugh. I want to bring Amity Park to life and show the people outside of the main cast.

-Danny doesn't need to rely on his eyes too much while in Phantom form. (It's one of the ghost sense benefits; I've mentioned only one a few times in previous chapters.) He feels his environment as much as he sees it. Now try and figure out what I mean by telling you that.

-"POPP's away!" = Phantom Over Powering Plan…POPP's…Gosh I am so crazy! All right everyone! Review, and cast your vote!

Out of my CRAZY acronyms: which is the most embarrassing?

-The F.A.P.S. (Fenton Amity Park Scanner?)

-POPP's (Phantom Over Powering Plan?)

…

-The A = Agent etc, might seem a little excessive sometimes. The way I see it (since they can't use their real names) amongst friends, the G.I.W. just use the one letter. Obviously, Danny isn't one of their friends, so he adds the "A" to show distaste and for obscurity (so he can talk around those who don't know any better.)

As always! See you Sunday!