Chapter 4: Mind Your Step
Alright guys, Chapter 4. Sorry for the delay of this latest chapter. This is the first time I will be posting chapters for two separate stories. I am happy to know that I am getting great reception for both of these. Without further delay, here we go. I do not own Danny Phantom. R&R and Enjoy.
***During the Events of Chapter 3***
Tucker and Danny were rushing down the path, hoping to reach the end before Skulker's deadline. Danny was keeping up a steady jog while Tucker was gasping for air, trying to keep up.
"Danny!" Tucker said, coming to a stop. "I can't keep this pace up."
"Just a little further Tuck." Danny encouraged, trying to get his friend to at least walk with him.
Giving in, Tucker began to walk again, thankful for the slower pace.
"I've been meaning to tell you something, Danny."
"What's on your mind?" Danny replied.
"It's about Sam."
Danny sighed, having an idea where this conversation would be going.
"She still has feelings for you. She does her best to hide it but occasionally she lets slip."
"Yeah, I've heard." Danny said. " She thinks I can't hear the insults but I do. 'Get a room.', How come he does that for Ember but never did that for me?', 'I'm surprised they're not fucking right now by how intensely they are making out.'"
"Believe me, they get worse when neither of you are around." Tucker said.
"How come she never told me? I thought we had moved past this?" Danny asked.
"From what she told me, she wanted to but she was never able to get a private moment with you because Ember was always by your side."
"I never thought her jealousy would run this deep." Danny sighed. "Has she tried meeting new people?"
"No, she still has some hope that you will leave Ember and return to her." Tucker replied.
"She really thinks that I will leave Ember after being with her for a year, having children with her, and marrying her?" Danny asked incredulously.
"I tried explaining that to her but she is still stubborn."
"You want me to talk to her about it?"
"If we get out of this, yes. Hopefully they won't kill each other while they go after the other twin." Tucker said.
Just then, the two came to a large clearing. Other than for a few tree stumps and a black pedestal in the middle, it was completely empty.
"Well, this has trap written all over it." Tucker said.
Stooping down, Danny stared intently at the ground before gingerly shifting aside some leaves. Underneath was a bear trap, the teeth sharpened to a fine point.
"He must really hate you guys to set up a field of these for you." Tucker said.
"Wouldn't you if you saw your ex having sex with your mortal enemy and then fail to kill her in a one on one fight?" Danny replied.
Slowly but surely, the two began to make their way towards the pedestal. Besides the bear traps, Skulker had laid several trip wires. Whether they were meant to make them fall into a bear trap or release another killer device, the two did not know or care to find out.
"What do you think the girls are dealing with?" Tucker asked.
"I have no idea. I could be anything from cannibals to undead animals. Lets just focus on the twin in front of us." Danny replied, stepping over a bear trap.
"You know what? I'm surprised we haven't seen any of those pit traps. You always see those in the AHHH!"
Tucker suddenly fell through the ground, out of Danny's sight.
"Tucker!" Danny screamed, Making his way towards the trap. Looking down, he saw his friend was still alive but his right leg had been impaled by the sharpened end of a bamboo stake.
"Hold on! I'll get you out." Danny called down.
"Forget about it. Go for your kid before it's too late!" Tucker replied.
Nodding, Danny began to quickly make his way through the clearing, avoiding the traps and testing the ground lest another pit was there.
Finally, Danny made it to the pedestal. On it lay a bundle of cloth with what looked like Danny's daughter, Victoria, sleeping soundly.
"Sweetheart," Danny called. "Daddy's here."
She slowly stirred. Once her eyes caught sight of Danny, she began to laugh and reach out to him.
Wanting to make sure she was his daughter and not another trick, Danny said, "Ok, sweetie. Go ghost for daddy."
A white ring formed around her middle, separating into two as they traveled up and down her body. Her hair turned snowy white and she began project tine blasts of snow from her hands.
"There we go." Danny said, gingerly picking her up and cradling her. "Daddy's got you."
Suddenly, a flat screen ejected from the pedestal. On it, Skulker was clapping in a condescending manner.
"Congratulations, whelp. You managed to save your precious brat. Any last words before I kill you both?"
"You never learned to play fair, did you. Even when we beat the odds, you have to pull some dirty trick just to come out on top." Danny said, staring daggers at the screen.
"All that matters is that I win. Who cares if I cheat to do it? Now I would love to stay and chat but I have much bigger game to catch. Don't leave too big a stain on the ground."
With that, the screen turned black and disappeared back into the pedestal. All of a sudden, Danny heard a loud creaking above him. Looking up, he saw a large boulder hanging above him, held up by dozens of vines. Quicker then he could react, he heard the snap of the main vine holding the huge rock above him and it rapidly descended towards him and his daughter. All Danny could do was wish he could go intangible before he closed his eyes, preparing for the impact. He heard a loud thud as the boulder struck the ground. He opened his eyes but saw only black. Was this what it was like to die? To feel no pain? But if that was true then how could he possibly open his eyes if he was really dead. Slowly, he realized he could still breath and could still feel the weight of his daughter in his arms.
He slowly backed up, realizing that his feet still worked until the jungle clearing suddenly came back into view. He gazed at the boulder before he slowly looked down at his body. He was surprised to see that he had no body and could not see his daughter that he held in his arms. Concentrating on becoming visible and tangible again, he was happy to see that he did.
"Thank God the powers came back in the nick of time." Danny sighed.
"Danny! Danny, are you ok?" Tucker was yelling.
Flying towards the pit were his friend was trapped, he called, "Everything's ok! I got my powers back before Skulker's last booby trap killed us."
"Alright!" Tucker sighed with relief. "You think you can get me out of here now?"
Grinning, Danny grabbed Tucker's arm before making them both intangible, freeing him from the stake, and lifting him out of the pit.
"Let's get back to the fork and wait for the girls." Danny said before flying back the way they came.
Shortly after reaching the fork, a whirlwind of flames appeared next to Danny, revealing Ember, Sam, and his son, Lucas. Danny gently set Tucker on the ground and put an arm around his wife, resting his forehead on hers.
"I was worried about you." Danny said, tears beginning to flow down his cheeks.
"Same here." Ember replied, not trying to hold back her own. "My powers came back just before some undead raptors were about to attack us."
"We would have been crushed had my powers not kicked in." Danny chuckled.
"What happened to Tucker?" Sam interjected, bringing the two out of their moment.
"Pit trap, courtesy of Skulker." Danny replied.
"I'll live, but I don't know how I'm going to explain this to my parents." Tucker said.
"I think they'll understand once we explain what happened." Ember said, giving him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.
"So besides almost getting eaten, what else happened to you two?" Danny asked Ember and Sam.
The two girls grinned before Sam spoke up. "I think we've come to an understanding."
"Oh? What kind of understanding?" Danny asked, curious as to what they two discussed.
Taking a deep breath, Sam said, "I've come to realize that I've been stuck in he past for too long. I've been so keen on wondering what we could have been if we stayed together that I never tried to actively look for new people to go out with. I think I've finally accepted that you two are going to be together indefinitely and I hope that the both of you can accept my apology for all the back talk and grief I have given you."
The couple smiled and brought her into a three way embrace.
"You know I can't stay mad at one of my best friends." Danny said.
"Glad we were able to work this out." Ember added.
"So whats the plan now that the twins are rescued and your powers are back?" Sam asked
"I've got a couple ideas." Danny said, a mischievous grin growing on his face. "But first we need to drop you guys off at home.
Getting in a circle, Ember first teleported Sam and Tucker to their homes. Tucker's parents interrogated the couple about what happened last night and why their son's leg had been pierced. After explaining what had happened, they were not pleased with the situation but understood that their son wished to assist his friends. Sam's parents, on the other hand, were furious. From the moment that they teleported into the Manson Mansion, Sam's parents immediately accused Danny and Ember of kidnapping their daughter and ruining her clothes. Even after they had explained the situation, they still threatened to call the authorities.
"Don't worry about them." Sam assured them. "They'll calm down as soon as you leave. See you both later."
Next, Danny and Ember stopped in at Fenton Works. As soon as they appeared, Danny was caught in a tight embrace by his mother.
"Where have you been? Dani and Youngblood came by yesterday saying that Skulker had kidnapped the twins."
"I'm fine mom. They're fine. Everything worked out." Danny reassured his mother.
"That's good to hear." Jack said. "Because when I get my hands on that ghost, I'm going to rip him apart molecule by molecule!"
"No need to worry about that, Jack." Ember said. "Danny and I have talked about it and we've come up with the perfect way to deal with him."
"How?" Maddie asked. "Nobody kidnaps my grand babies and tries to kill my son and daughter in law and gets away with it."
"Oh, don't worry." Danny said. "He's going to suffer a painful and humiliating death."