Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.
Growing Pains
Chapter 2: Adults Only
Danny and his friends soon arrived to their destination.
The restaurant, Casa di Alta Classe, looked every bit as cool as the flyer implied it to be.
It was big, modern looking and very fancy. They would hear the lively music and the sounds of people having fun. Then there was the smell, one that made Danny and Tucker lick their lips in anticipation. The food smelled really good right now.
The place even had a bouncer at the entrance that was giving entrance to the patrons, one very big and burly.
"Here it is..."Danny said, smiling.
"Looks like some place my folks would go to, only a little less stuffy than usual..."Sam said.
Tucker took out his PDA, taking photos.
"It looks really in need of Tucker Foley..."He said, ready to go in.
Danny nodded and they headed to the entrance. They saw plenty of people in line and already going inside.
"Go on ahead..."The bouncer said as he lead a group inside.
Soon, it was Team Phantom's turn.
"Let's go..."Danny said as he and his friends went inside.
However, the bouncer blocked them.
"Whoa there! You three can't go inside!..."The burly guy said.
Danny and his friends stopped, looking upset by that.
"Hey, what gives?! We want in!..."He demanded, only for the bouncer gestured to a nearby sign that says "Adults only".
"This place is adults only, kid. If you three wanna get in, you either need to be 18 or have an adult chaperone you three..."He said.
"Chaperone?!..."Sam said, looking insulted.
"This wasn't mentioned in the flyer..."Tucker complained.
"Don't care. I don't make the rules, I just enforce them. Now come back when you three are old enough to vote..."The guy said rudely, shutting them out.
Danny and his friends walked away. The ghost boy is still miffed to say the least.
"Unbelievable! We came all this way and just got shot down!..."He complained, looking offended.
"Still, he did say we can go inside if we had an adult..."Tucker said, this made his friends frown at him.
"And who should we ask? Our PARENTS?! Please tell me you're joking, right?..."Sam asked rhetorically, knowing how things would just get worse if they involved their parents in this.
Tucker considered what she said and knew how embarrassing it would be to have any of their parents chaperone them here. He shook his head, rejecting the idea all together.
"I see your point..."He said, sighing.
"This stink!. I was looking forward to see what's inside..."Danny muttered, arms crossed.
"It could be worse..."Sam said.
"How?..."Danny asked, only to suddenly hear an obnoxious voice nearby.
"Well, looky here! It's Fen-Toenail and his loser crew!..."Was heard.
Danny sighed.
"I see how now..."He muttered as Dash approached, along with Paulina and Kwan.
"Shouldn't you three be on your way to Loserville?..."Paulina mockingly asked. "Oh wait, you're already there..."She joked in a mean way.
Sam and the others frowned at that.
"I see your still as "creative" as ever. What's next, gonna go through a list of other insults because you can't think of any more?..."Sam asked sarcastically.
Paulina frowned at that.
Danny spoke up next, not understanding why they are here.
"Why are you three here? This place is adults only..."He said.
Dash laughed as Paulina sent him a snobby look.
"My papa is one of the investors for this place. He practically owns this place..."The popular girl said in a braggy kind of way.
"And my mom is the real estate agent who helped set this place up. She's the one who let us in and she's waiting for us inside..."Dash said as he gestured to himself.
"I'm here because they invited me..."Kwan said as he gestured to his friends.
Both Dash and Paulina scowled at him.
"You didn't have to say that when we're talking down to them, y'know?..." Paulina pointed out, annoyed.
"Sorry..." Kwan went, while his blonde friend got impatient and as always, took it out on Danny.
"Out of the way, Loser..."Dash said as he rudely shoved the shorter boy.
"Hey!..."Danny complained.
His bully merely laughed.
"Go back to the kids' menu, shrimpy!..."Dash said, laughing while he and his friends went inside the restaurant/club and met up with Dash's mother.
Danny saw this and gritted his teeth.
"Jerk!..."He muttered, hating this.
Sam frowned but groaned in defeat.
"Chin up. In about 10 years, he'll be lucky enough if he can even afford takeout from the Nasty Burger and you know it..."She said, knowing what fate had in store for the bully.
"Yeah, but it's not soon enough..."Danny muttered, knowing the jock's eventually karma will take a while.
As he walked, he ended up bumping into some guy in his 30's who was on his way to the restaurant/club. The man pushed Danny aside with a scowl.
"Watch it, kid! I'm walking here!..."The guy said rudely, before heading in to the restaurant.
Danny glared at that, as did his friends.
"Rude much!..."Sam muttered.
"So much for something different..."Danny said as he sat by a nearby bus bench, sulking.
His friends joined him. With Sam at his right and Tucker at his left, Danny frowned up at the sky.
"This stinks! I've faced ghosts practically every day, I save the day and go to school, and I still get treated like I'm just 14 years old!..."He muttered.
"You ARE fourteen years old, Dude..."Tucker said, not-so helpfully.
"You know what I mean!..."Danny said, frowning.
"It's just...it's frustrating that I'm still being treated as a child! Even my enemies call me "Ghost kid" or "Ghost child", forgetting that Youngblood, Poindexter and... Ember too, I guess... aren't exactly physically over 18. They don't even seem to realize how condescending they are being!..."He complained, voicing out his frustrations.
"It's just so frustrating...not being able to drive or go to places like that restaurant..."He said.
"Being too young to stay out late or see R rated movies..."Tucker grumbled.
"Not old enough to get a tattoo or even piercings without PARENT'S permission, which they will NEVER give!..."Sam grumbled, bitter about one of many things her parents restrict her of doing.
"My 18th birthday is looking like 20 years from now..."Danny said, sounding bitter right now.
Sam and Tucker heard this and both groaned in union.
"I feel you, Danny. Believe me, I do. But what can we do? Not like we can speed things up..."She said, knowing that this is just something they have to live with.
"I mean...we might be able if we ask Clockwork, but I highly doubt that he'd let us. So, we just gotta live with this..."She added, while her male friend just groaned.
"Cheer up, my mom always says that we grow too fast as it is. We'll be adults one day. Then we can be the ones who look down and deprive kids like they do..."Tucker said like that was something to look forward to.
"Yeah...well...it be nice that just for once, to be in their shoes for once..."Danny said, feeling annoyed.
Sam took in a breath and rolled her eyes. She decided to try and cheer him up, and she knew a way how.
"Come on, we can go hang at my house. Since the only movies available are either R-Rated or that Sayonara Pussycat garbage, we can have a little classic marathon at my place. My parents are at that stuffy country club that they keep trying to get me to join, so we'll be alone for at least a few hours..."Sam suggested.
Before Danny could agree, a familiar blue mist escaped his mouth. He took in a breath while his friends knew what this meant.
"Ghost time..."Tucker said.
"Need any help?..."Sam offered.
"Let me see who it is first..."Danny said, as he got up.
He ran to a nearby alley and changed into his iconic ghost form, Danny Phantom and flew out.
Just as he did, he heard screams and crashes coming from the nearby restaurant and people running outside.
"I guess that I'll be going inside, after all..."Danny said, as he phased into the adults only club/restaurant.
Inside
As Danny was changing forms, a ghost had appeared inside the restaurant and was scarring the patrons.
"We gotta get out of here!..."Dash shouted as he, his mother and friends all ran to safety outside.
"Over here, the emergency exists are this way!..."His mother shouted, as she lead her son and the rest outside.
However, the ghost was not causing trouble yet. Instead, she had a blissful smile on her face as she examined the area with an eerie looking smile.
"Now, let's see who's the lucky guy here..."She said as she saw a nearby man in a suit and grabbed him.
"AHH! Let me go!..."The guy pleaded.
The ghost examined him. She had been judging his appearance before she frowned, rejected him.
"Ugh! Too old and could use a haircut! Not to mention that cologne is stinks! Reject!..."She said as she pushed him away.
The guy ran as fast as he could, desperate to flee. The female ghost ignored him and went to "examine" the other men who were trying to escape.
She grabbed another man but frowned when she saw that he had a very bushy beard and somewhat portly too.
"Ugh! That looks like a bathroom rug and someone's been hitting the buffet too often! Reject!..."She said as she literally dropped him.
The bearded guy fled. The female ghost kept terrifying and examining all the man that she could get her hands on, not satisfied with any of them.
"Ugh! Come on! There's gotta be at least ONE decent stud around here!..."She muttered in an impatient way.
Her eyes caught a glance of one man and she then shot at him and blocked his path.
"Hello there, Handsome..."She said as she closed in on him in a predatory manner, frightening the man and making him sweat.
Meanwhile
Danny was now inside and saw that there were still people in danger. He also saw who was causing trouble and frowned.
It looked to be a female ghost with glowing green skin.
Physically, she was tall and looked like she was in her early 20's, but she had blood red hair, red eyes, her face had a lot of make up and black lipstick, as well as heavy eyeliner, eye shadow and blush. The most distinct feature is that she was wearing what looked to be a wedding dress, but it was grey and very flashy looking, almost like something of an old fashioned dress of the early 20th century.
The bizarre ghost woman grabbed a nearby man who was trying to run away, lifting him off the ground.
"Hmm...nice suit and a clean cut look. I like the hair though. A little older than expected but not a total deal breaker, though that goatee has got to go..."She said as she eyed the man like she was checking out produce at a super market.
The guy, on the other hand, was struggling in her grasp and scared out of his wits too.
"AH! Let me go! Please, I have kids!..."The guy begged and pleaded.
The female ghost heard this and frowned in disapproval.
"Kids?! Ugh, as if! So not happening! Reject!..."She said as she discarded the man.
And by discard, she literally dropped him from 15 feet in the air.
"NOOOO!..."The man screamed in horror, as he fell.
Danny swooped in and caught him before he hit the ground.
"Got you!..."He said as he saved him and placed him on the ground.
"Thank you!..."The guy said before fleeing.
Danny then turned to the ghost woman, who looked annoyed.
"Who are you suppose to be?!..."The woman demanded, sounding shrill as she said this.
"That's my line!..."Danny said, glaring at her.
The overdressed ghost woman glared at him and pointed towards the door.
"Beat it, Kid! This place is "Adults Only" and I'm in the middle of mingling here!..."The ghostly woman said in a nasty way, making it clear that she doesn't tolerate his presence.
"Is that anyway to meet people?..."Danny snarked.
The ghoul growled and fired a blast at him. Danny managed to dodge and deflect her blasts, hitting her and making her fall.
"Who are you, anyway?..."Danny asked, while the ghoul sent him an impatient look before answering.
"If you MUST now, pipsqueak, my name is Helena and I am here to find the love of my life!..."She said, clasping her hands together and smiling wistfully.
Danny heard this and made a face.
"Uh, sorry but... come again?..."He asked.
Helena heard this and sighed in irritation.
"Men! Even at that age, they are all clueless..."She muttered, before elaborating.
"I am here to find he who will spend eternity with me in wedded bliss..."She said, acting like it was some grand mission.
Danny blinked in confusion, wondering if he heard all of that correctly. He only scoffed.
"So, your end game here is to find a date?..."Danny asked, looking at her incredulously.
He was met with a nasty frown.
"I'm looking for HUSBAND material, if you must know! Now get lost brat, you're too young for me!..."Helena said in a mean way, waving her hand dismissively.
Danny frowned at her as he processed the entire thing.
"So let me get this straight. You attacked this place and caused a lot of property damage and almost hospitalize some people, just to find a guy that might marry you?! Are you for real?!..."He asked in an incredulous tone.
Helena frowned.
"What? You don't think any guy would be lucky to have the perfect bride like me?! All I am missing is the perfect groom for my perfect wedding! I will not allow anyone to get in my way!..."She shouted, acting more like a spoiled brat than a ghostly menace.
Danny rolled his eyes, seeing her more like Paulina than a usual threat.
"Wouldn't it be easier to try a dating service? Or get a cat?..."He asked in a mocking tone.
To his surprise, Helena seemed to take his words seriously.
"Don't you think I tried when I was alive, but those dating services hardly have any good candidates and the few guys that met my standards never called me back! 30 days to find your special someone my foot!..."Helena said in a bitter, almost desperate way as she crossed her arms and looked away.
Danny blinked at that and found himself scratching the side of his head.
"I don't know what's worse. That my joke went over her head...or that she actually is that desperate..."He thought, deciding to try a new approach here.
He figured he could kill two birds with one stone if he could get it right.
"So...your whole plan is to find a guy, make him marry you in your idea of the perfect wedding and what? Live here or in the ghost zone?..."Danny asked.
"The ghost zone, obviously. I'd live in the human world, but I don't want to deal with those pesky hunters who'd disturb my soon-to-be wedded bliss..."Helena said, swooning with anticipation.
The ghost boy knew that this ghostly woman is unstable, yet at the same time, he got an idea on who she can take.
"Well, I might have a candidate in mind..."Danny said, trying hard not to grin.
Helena suddenly shot forward, surprising the ghost boy by the speed of her reaction.
"You do?! Who is he?! Just know that I won't accept just any guy..."Helena said, looking eager for the ghost boy to give her a name.
Knowing that he had her attention, the ghost boy proceeded to offer the "lucky bachelor", trying hard not to snicker as he did so.
"His name is Vlad Masters, he's the mayor of this town and he's super rich. I can also say for certain that he's TOTALLY available..."Danny said with a mischievous look on his face.
Helena seemed intrigued.
"A rich mayor, huh? Got a picture of him?..."She asked, looking excited right now.
Danny pulled out his smart phone, went online and soon showed a pic of a news paper that had Vlad's face on it.
Helena checked the picture and frowned.
"Ugh! He's old and he has grandpa hair too! So, not hot!..."She said, outright rejecting this candidate.
"He's only in his forties..."Danny said, while Helena sent him an angry and disgusted look in response.
"That's too old for me. I deserve a young and handsome man, my prince charming. Not some guy who looks like he hasn't been on a date since the 80's! And isn't this Vlad Plasmius's human form?!..."She asked in an accusing manner.
"So, you know? How?..."Danny asked, while the would-be bride just scoffed.
"Word travels fast in the ghost zone, since there is nothing better to do than gossip about what happens in the human world..."Helena said, arms crossed.
"I also know that Plasmius is a total creep and I deserve so much better than a guy who thinks dressing up as a low rent vampire is a decent fashion statement. Besides, even his human form looks creepy too!..."Helena complained, her nose crinkling a bit in disgust.
Danny considered her words and sighed.
"True..."He admitted, while Helena got mad.
"Now this is for wasting my time!..."She said as she sent a blast at him, angry.
"Hey, watch it! I was trying to help!..."He complained, as he kept dodging her blasts.
"And you failed, not get out of the way! I'm not getting any younger!..."She shouted as she kept firing at him, which the ghost kid barely managed to dodged.
"Exactly what are you looking for in a guy, anyway?..."Danny asked, as he kept firing ecto and ice blasts at her.
Helena kept dodging and firing back, but it didn't stop her from answering his question.
"I'm looking for Mr. Right. Someone young, handsome, healthy and my perfect match!..."Helena said, sounding very demanding and whiny.
"And that means?..."Danny asked, already annoyed with her.
"He has to be tall, at least 6 feet, I don't want any shorties. He has to be within his early to late 20's, I don't want an old man. He also has to have a good job and dress nicely, he also has to be very handsome and manly, tattoos are optional as long as they are tasteful and don't cover his face. I wouldn't mind if he drove a nice car too and a nice place of his own. I'd love it if he was a great cook too, he can handle making his own taxes, and he has to know how to clean up after himself, because I am NOT a maid and I won't live with a man who acts, smells and lives like a pig! Oh, and he also has to have a full head of great hair too..."Helena said, sounding very entitled and super demanding as she list of what she desired in a partner.
Danny heard all of this and couldn't believe how picky she was being. She was being even more high-maintenance than Paulina is with her clothes and parties, and that's saying something.
"Are you serious? Don't you think you should...I dunno...be a little less picky and compromise some things..."He said, while Helena frowned.
"I've already compromised a lot from my original list, and I still think I'm being too broad as it is!..."She said, deluded enough to believe that she's being reasonable.
Danny heard this and rolled his eyes.
"You're nuts!..."He muttered, angering her more.
"How dare you?!..."She shouted as she fired more blasts at him.
Danny created a mini-ghost shield to deflect them, which unintentionally caused a nearby window to break.
"I sure hope that this place is insured..."He thought, as he deflected more blasts from his latest enemy.
Once done, he fired more blasted at the wanna-be ghost bride, who kept dodging and breaking things in an attempt to defeat the ghost boy.
"Chill out, Lady!..."Danny said, as he fired more ice-blasts at her.
What he said seemed to have gotten on the ghoul's nerves.
"Don't say "Lady"! It makes me sound old! Now leave me to find the man of my dreams, you little third wheel!..."Helena shouted, as she kept sending blasts and throwing stuff at the ghost boy.
She even grabbed a nearby decorative vase in a fit of anger and threw it at her new foe.
The ghost boy rolled his eyes, as he predictably became intangible and let the vase go through him. He shook his head.
"I'd rather be a third wheel than a bitter spinster, you crazy old bat!..."Danny said, not realizing yet that he struck a nerve with her.
Helena hear this and gasped in an indignant way.
"How dare you call me an old bat or a spinster! Do you even realize how old I am, you little punk?! I'm only 29!..."She shouted, insisting.
Danny heard this and frowned as he eyed her.
"You sure? Exactly how long have you been "29"?..."Danny sassed, using air quotes to further taunt her.
Helena screamed as her eyes glowed bright red in anger.
"That's it, I have had enough, you snot nosed brat!..."Helena shouted as she pulled something from her bouquet.
It was a strange pocket watch with an unknown insignia that looked like a V.
"What is that?..."Danny thought, getting a bad feeling about this.
"Just a little something I got on sale at the Ghost Zone's market place. It was 50% off for bridesmaids. Not exactly happy I got it for that reason but at least I got it..."She muttered before glaring at the ghost kid.
"Well see who's old when I'm through with you!..."Helena said in a dark way as her eyes, hands and the pocket watch all glowed red.
"Whatever it is you're up, it stops now..."Danny said as he fired at her again and decided to try a little harder to get rid of her.
Helena fired the raged filled crimson blast through the now opened pocket watch, but due to the accidental pushback due to recoil, the blast only missed Danny by a few inches, but the aftershock of the blast did hit him and sent him back a bit.
"AH!..."Danny said, after being hit with the shock wave of the attack.
Danny checked himself and saw that he was no worse for wear. He sighed in relief and only noticed a few rips on his superhero suit but nothing serious.
"That was close..."He said, before getting back to the battle.
"Alright lady, let's..."Danny paused, when he saw that she was no longer here.
He blinked and frowned.
He checked the surrounding area but didn't find her. He frowned.
"Ugh, darn it! She got away!..."He said, frustrated and annoyed as he had a feeling he knew where this is going.
"Looks like this is gonna be one of those days..."He grumbled, hating this.
Unknown to him, Helena still saw him and frowned.
"Darn it. I missed. He's suppose to be super old now..."She grumbled before rolling her eyes in irritation.
"Whatever, I have better things to do. Like find a real man to make all my dreams come true..."She said before vanishing into a red mist, making it clear that her quest was not over yet.
However, even she was unaware of what she has done to the ghost boy and how it will affect them both later on.
Outside
Danny flew own to the alley and quickly changed back to his human form.
"Crazy ghost lady! All that anger and trying to waste me just because I called her out on her super high standards!..."He muttered.
"Danny!..."His friends shouted as they ran to him.
"Are you okay, Dude?..."Tucker asked.
"I'm fine..."Danny said, rubbing the back of his head in a small fit of frustration.
"So, who was it this time?..."Sam asked, wanting to know who was causing trouble now.
"You guys are never gonna believe this one..."Danny said with a dry chuckle.
He quickly gave the run down on the new ghost villain, and once he was done, his friends were flabbergasted.
"You're serious? The ghost is just trying to find a husband and somehow thought trashing a new restaurant would work?..."Tucker asked, incredulous and fighting the urge to laugh.
"That's just being desperate on a whole new level..."Sam said, not impressed at all with this new villain.
"You're telling me. Not only that, apparently she seems to think she's too good for anyone even remotely average and won't settle less for anything less than a rich hunk who is nuts enough to tie the knot with her..."Danny added while his friends looked at him incredulously.
"And I thought Paulina was shallow..."Sam said, not impressed at all.
"Yeah, and apparently even she thinks Vlad too creepy for her too..."Danny said
The goth girl raised a brow at that.
"Okay, well, at least she has some reasonable standards..."She admitted, showing the briefest amount of respect for the female ghost.
"Yeah..."Tucker agreed before he got curious about something.
"So...is she cute?..."He asked, only to be smacked by Sam.
"Ow!..."He complained, as he rubbed the back of his head.
"So, not the time!..."She said, annoyed while the ghost boy continued.
"She's so not your type, Dude. She CLAIMS that she is 29 and she looked like one of those women who try TOO hard to get attention from men and she even dresses like a bride from a horror film. She also seems like the type to plan out every part of her relationships and try to push a guy to marriage as soon as she finds a "suitable" groom..."Danny said, being brutally honest.
"I see..."Tucker said, not interested anymore.
"So, I'm guessing we're gonna be spending this afternoon tracking her down..."Sam said, already knowing the answer.
"Looks like it..."Danny said before letting out a yawn.
"Well then, I guess we should try and find her before she scares all the men in town into endless case of going single for life..."Tucker said, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.
Danny was about to say something, only to feel a little dizzy and loose his balance. That's when Tucker and Sam caught him.
"Woah. Danny, what's up?..." Tucker asked his friend, who looked a little out of it right now.
"I'm fine...I..."Danny then tried to say something but nearly went to the ground.
"DANNY?! DUDE?!..."Tucker and Sam both said as they grabbed him to steady him.
They were really worried now.
"Seriously, Danny? Are you okay?..."Sam asked, concerned for his sudden exhaustion.
"I... I don't know...it's like I suddenly got a little...tired all of a sudden..."Danny said before yawning again.
"Did you stay up late fighting ghosts again?..."Sam asked.
"Just the Box Ghost and Klemper for the millionth time. Nothing I couldn't handle..."Danny said as once again he yawned and looked pretty beat now.
"Maybe you should go home and lie down..."Sam said, not wanting to see him hurt himself.
"But what about the ghost?..."Danny asked.
He was about to speak again, but his friend cut him off.
"Danny, it's a ghost who's main goal is to get married. I doubt that the city is in any immediate danger. Unless we're talking guys who are already married or just not interested..."Sam said.
Her tone made it clear she was not seeing the ghoul as a threat, just a nuisance.
Danny wanted to say something, but felt dizzier and more tired. He couldn't explain it well, but it felt like his entire body felt exhausted and heavy at the same time
Sam sent him a stern look, refusing to budge in this.
"You can't fight her like this. Just go lie down and recover. We'll figure out what to do after that..."Sam said, practically ordering him.
Danny knew that he didn't have the energy to argue against her, and nodded.
He then headed home to rest up, with his friends helping to make sure that he got there in one piece.
However, Danny was unaware of what will befall him later today, all thanks to one spurned woman's outrageous temperament and inability to lower her unrealistic standards.
Oh man.
-To be continued-
Next time on Growing Pains
Boys grow up so fast these days
A/N: Special thanks to NeoMark and Jay The Average Fanboy for helping with this chapter. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Boris Yeltsin, CZS4, NiteOwl18, TS24, Jebest4781 and Pzombie: Thank you :)
RonaldM40196867:
1) I prefer using fictional restaurants though.
2) NeoMark suggested it.
3) Helena is suppose to be a negative parody of the Corpse Bride. However, the only things she has in common with her inspiration is that they are both un-alive and want to get married. That's it.
Invader Johnny: Well, he got inside the place but it was to fight a ghost.
Leonardo: This is a new fic, I haven't decided if it will be a series or not. It does take place after D-Stabalize but before Phantom Planet.
Luiz4200: Yeah, it was inspired by it.
Guest: I see.
Danifan3000: It is, but teens can enter if they are accompanied by an adult chaperone.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) I liked how he and Danny made a truce and how he regained his abilities and randomly changed into a bunch of stuff at the end of his debut episode.
2) I always figured that it was either old age or died due to health related reasons.
3) I assumed that it was either due to the plague or some revolt since he and Dora are from the Dark Ages.
4) Her sadism, as well as her vanity.
5) I think his astronaut costume was pretty cool, especially since he wasn't actively hurting anyone in his stunt.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)