Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. Enjoy the chapter anyway!
.
Friday. December 23rd, 2004. Vlad's Castle. 8:00p.m.
.
"VLADDY MY MAN! WE'RE HERE!"
"Jack stop shouting! He can't possibly hear you from out here!"
Dani signed. She and her family had been traveling for nearly half a day, passed God knows how many farms and lakes, and finally had arrived at Vlad's castle at well past sunset.
Well almost.
"Who the heck is guarding these gates anyway?" Dani asked while eying the huge, sinister looking barriers that blocked their entrance. She and her family were currently outside, looking for someone to get them inside, but the problem was there wasn't anybody there.
No one.
"Well maybe there's a intercom somewhere here that could help us get inside." Her mother suggested. Her family looked around for something, anything, that could help them get inside. But the problem was there wasn't anything there.
Nothing at all.
As Dani checked the gates that looked like they guarded hell itself, she started to get a little creeped out by their surroundings. It was cold and dark, they were hundreds of miles from any form of civilization at all, surrounded by a lot of dead looking trees, and there was an ominous fog in the air. Not to mention the wind was blowing so fierce it made an eerie howl that chilled Dani to her bones.
This had all the makings of a horror movie.
Suddenly her brother voiced the very thing that was on everyone's mind.
"This place is creepy."
"Yes!" Dani said and turned to face her family in a desperate attempt to get the hell out of there. "We should leave! He's probably not even-" Suddenly Dani heard a very loud creaking noise behind her. She didn't have to turn back around to know what just happened, but she did anyway.
The gates were wide open.
"Here." She finished, still staring in complete horror at the open Gothic gates in front of them. This was definitely how horror movies began! Unsuspecting people, dark, foggy woods, magical opening and closing gates, staying at place they've never stayed before that turns out to be a big mistake. Wasn't this exactly how The Haunting started!?
"HAHA! I told you my pal Vladdy didn't forget about us!" Her dad ecstatically said, while racing back to the RV. Her brother quickly followed, leaving Dani and her mother standing in front of the open gates. She felt her mother's hand clench her shoulder.
"Dani are you O.K.? You seemed pretty distant today, especially during breakfast."
Of course she was quiet at breakfast, she just found out that her father's old college friend had ordered a hit on him! Not even IHOP could cheer her up (Even though it was Christmas karaoke month). She ate and sang a duet with her father (Because he insisted) mechanically, ignoring all the lustful stares around her from other patrons.
Dani turned to face her mother, thinking of a reply to say to her. But what could she say? Her old college friend had it out for her husband and hired three idiot ghost vultures to kill him? No it was best to continue to lie to her, lie like she's been doing for three years now, and just deal with this thing herself like she always did.
"Yeah mom." She responded as genuinely as she could. "Just a little worn out from the long drive."
Her mom bought it. All the tension and worry left her face and she gave Dani a huge smile.
Honk! Honk!
"Come on you two Vladdy's waiting for us!"
Dani rolled her eyes at her father's enthusiasm and turned with her mother to leave, never noticing the pair of glowing red eyes staring at her from beyond the treetops.
.
If Dani thought the castle looked big just by seeing part of it through the gate, it was nothing compared to it up close. As soon as Dani got out the RV she came face to face with a gigantic ivory castle so huge she had to crane her neck just to see the rest of it and she was well over a hundred feet away! It was beautiful. It had round glass windows and beautiful balconies overlooking the grounds. It was also decorated with gorgeous lights for Christmas. And the castle wasn't the only thing that was decorated! There were beautiful pine trees lined up with very beautiful lights and pretty silver bells, there was a very large fountain that had angel blowing her trumpet which water came out of, large candy canes lined up along the pavement. So many pretty decorations, all looked so elegant and so very expensive, way too many to name them all, although her mother tried.
"See there Dani," Her mother excitedly said while pulling her arm to grab her attention. "The Nativity Scene! Oh and look over there it's The Nutcracker! Oh and look it's Santa Claus and his reindeer! Oh and Mrs. Claus too!"
"I see them mom." Dani tried to say as enthusiastically as she could. All she could think about was what Paulina and the Vulture said. Vlad was not to be trusted. Ever. No matter how many pretty things he had.
"Vladdy must really be doing good for himself." Her father said in awe. He, too, was transfixed by the beautiful scenery.
"'Good for himself?,'" Her brother scoffed. "He's the richest man on the planet! He makes the Baxters look like welfare cases!"
"Jake!" Her mother scolded. Dani started to laugh but stopped when she saw her mother's eyes narrow on hers.
"What?" Jake unapologetically said. "It's true!"
"Just because it's true doesn't mean it's right to say." Her mother replied with her arms crossed. "I thought I had raised you better than that young man."
They were almost to the castle. Dani decided to take this opportunity to clear up a few questions of her own.
"How many people are staying over for this reunion anyway?" She asked, trying to appear innocent enough.
"Just us princess!" Her dad eagerly responded, still drumming with excitement at the thought of meeting his old college friend. Dani signed.
This was not good.
They were completely alone here, nearly a half day away from any police precinct, with a guy who had more money than God, might have killed three people (Well that she knew about so far), and wanted very much to kill her father. Possibly her entire family. Not to mention that the black high heels her mother forced her to change into just before she left the RV were killing her. But she'd rather that'd be the only thing that was killing her instead of the billionaire psycho they were about to meet.
"But maybe," Dani thought as her family came to the Castle's entrance. "He can be reasoned with. I mean, after all, the thing with Dad happened over twenty years ago and they used to be best friends! Perhaps if they all sat down and talked together they could sort this whole thing out. Like in 'The Godfather'!"
Suddenly images from the movies came to her. Terrible images. She saw Vito's family get assassinated and him returning from America after twenty two years for payback for his family's murder.
'My father's name was Antonio Andolini and this is for you!'
She saw Michael Corleone standing at a baptism (A freakin' baptism!) while assassinations, ordered by him, were going on and killing his own godchild's father afterword for vengeance for his brother, who was killed years ago!
'You have to answer for Santino Carlos.'
As they walked up the steps and came upon the vast doors, Dani had to stop herself from hyperventilating. She calmly breathed in and out, hoping and praying her family didn't see her distress. Were they about to walk to their deaths? Was Vlad going to go all Tony Montana on them!?
'Say hello to my little friend!'
Dani really had to cut down on her gangster movies. It wasn't good for her nerves. She gripped her father and mother's arms tight. Her mother smiled down on her, not noticing her fear at all. But when had she ever? Though in her defense, she was wearing her hood on. With her hood on, no one could see her face but she could see them. The coat was one of the few things she loved that Dash had given to her. With it on, she could see and hear people's true thoughts and intentions, without them being distracted by her unnatural beauty.
"Vladdy my man!" Her dad excitedly shouted while knocking on the huge double doors. "We're here!"
Almost immediately afterword the doors swung open. Dani looked up to see a tall, middle aged man with midnight blue eyes and grey hair pulled into a ponytail. He had a black suit on that looked very, very expensive with a pair of black most likely equally expensive shoes.
Dani quickly stared at the ground, her hood completely shielding her face from him. She didn't want to risk even the slightest chance of him seeing her. But that was alright, she didn't need to look at him any longer. She already saw the cold, calculating look in his eyes and she knew already Vlad Masters was up to no good. What she didn't know though was if he had it in for anyone else other than her father. And that was what she wanted to find out.
"Jack." He heard him drawl out. "And Maddie!" His tone brightened. "You've never looked lovelier my dear. Please, please come in."
Dani felt an arm around her and she was quickly ushered inside.
"Vladdy my man! It's good to see-"
SLAM!
"Hello? Hellooo?"
'Oh no he didn't…!' Dani furiously thought as she heard her father's muffled voice through the shut door. Vlad Masters had slammed the door on her father's face! The audacity of that man! She knew he hated her father but really he could at least be more tactful about it! Though she supposed when you hire three idiot ghost vultures to take down a ghost hunter and then tell them you're real name and address, you don't give a damn about tact.
Dani turned and went to open the door to let her father in. As she walked over there, she listened in on the conversation her mother and brother were having with Vlad.
"Still a Packers fanatic I see?" Her mother's amused voice.
Oh God, another psychotic rich football fan. Wasn't one enough?
"Oh Maddie fanatic is such a negative term! But yes." Vlad's smooth reply.
"I don't understand, you have billions of dollars! Instead of buying this stuff, why don't you just buy the team?" Her brother's confused tone.
Dani scoffed. Probably because the City of Green Bay would never sell the Packers to anybody (Except the Baxters, of course, but Dash didn't really like the Packers) and Vlad would have a hard time wiping an entire city off the map!
"Because the Packers are owned by the city of Green Bay and they won't sell them to me!" Vlad's irritated answer.
You see. Dani noted it was good to know that even the richest man alive (At least on paper) didn't dare take out entire cities without fear of repercussions.
"One of two things my wealth has not as of yet," His tone turned sensual. "Been able to acquire."
Oh God was he hitting on her mother or Jake? Dani didn't know and frankly was a little scared to find out. She finally reached the door and opened it. The sound of the door hinges creaking (He should really get that fixed) drowned out any other part of the conversation they were having.
"Thanks princess!" Her father said as he made his way inside. But before she could say 'You're welcome' he shouted
"HEADS UP, V-MAN!"
And ran and tackled Vlad Masters, who was holding a football, to the ground. Dani looked back down when she saw his angry eyes flash near hers. She stared down at the green and gold carpet but listened closely to rest of the conversation.
"Ha I still see you've got the old moves!" He dad happily said.
"Give me that!" She heard him furiously demand.
"I never had any 'old moves'!" And Dani could hear the loathing, the absolute rage in his voice. "All those years in the hospital robbed me of that!"
Silence followed that statement and Dani could just imagine her mother and brother looking on in shock. But she wasn't shocked. The only thing she was shocked about was that Vlad Masters wasn't being more subtle of his hatred for her father. He was nothing at all like Susan or Dash. But maybe now her family would believe her when she said Vlad Masters was a crazy, evil, bitter old man who wanted her father dead. She knew now more than ever that Vlad Masters could not be reasoned with.
"Yes...Well, it gave me time to chart out a course for my life, didn't it? Make some decisions that helped to make me very wealthy, very quickly. And it never would've happened without you, Jack."
Vlad spoke so sinisterly that Dani had chills running up and down her spine. And apparently, her mother felt the same way.
"Uh yeah…maybe we should go."
Before Dani could blurt out 'Yes!', Vlad immediately intervened.
"No-no, you should stay with me! That's the whole reason I'm throwing the reunion here in my castle. Previously home to the legendary Wisconsin Dairy King. Just so I could, reconnect, with you, Jack. I insist you stay."
His smooth voice still had a deathly tone to it, and Dani couldn't have been the only one to recognize it. But knowing her family, it was probably so.
"Well, I dunno. We do have a really cool RV." Her father voiced.
Cramped RV or psycho middle aged man's castle? Decisions, Decisions. Dani was about to say they should leave far, far away but Jake decided to interrupt with a fake sneeze.
"Let'sstayhere!" He said.
'Smooth.' Dani sarcastically thought. Just then Vlad said the one thing that would persuade her father to choose the castle over the RV.
He brought up ghosts.
"You know, Jack, the Dairy King's ghost could haunt these very halls…"
"I'll get the bags!" Her father shouted ecstatically.
'NO! NO!' Dani wanted to say. 'He's crazy and he wants to kill you!' But she knew no one would believe her. She felt her dad run past her and the door slam in his wake. For such a large man, her dad could be pretty fast when he wanted to be.
"Dani what are you still doing with that coat on?"
Dani's mother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned and saw her mother standing right next to her when she thought she was suppose to be standing with Vlad.
'When…?' Was all she managed to think of before her mother quickly unzipped it and snatched the coat off of her. She heard Vladimir protest from inside her pocket and quickly got him out. He snuggled closer to her arms.
Dani took a deep breath. She could do this. It was the one thing, the one plan she came up with that didn't involve her ghost half, that would definitely make her father leave although she would break his heart in doing it.
But better a broken heart than a dead one.
"Hello Mr. Masters. I don't believe we've met." Dani seductively said, turning toward him and sashaying her way over. As Dani made her way towards Vlad, she flipped her hair back so it wasn't covering her ample bust. She saw his shocked, awestruck face and smiled to herself. She still had it. She was suddenly glad her mother made her change into that black halter dress back at the RV (Her mother believed very firmly in first impressions), it made so much more of an impact! Not to mention the beautiful diamond drop earrings her mother also forced her to wear shone brilliantly in each and every direction. (Although they weighed a ton and felt like they were going to rip her earlobes off!) She could see Vlad's eyes roam all over her body (Most noticeably her bust) and she had to stop herself from laughing out loud. He looked like a child on Christmas day, staring in wonder at all the presents he had received from Santa Claus.
'This is going to be too easy.' Dani thought as she stared at Vlad's awestruck expression. 'I'll have us gone before the hour's out.'
She stopped a foot away from him, and raised her beautiful, bright black eyes and caught eye contact with him. He never looked away, disbelief, lust, and desire clouding his stare.
She held out her hand to greet him and spoke as seductive as she could.
"My name is Danielle. Danielle Fenton."
Author's Note: To the people who haven't reviewed whatthef*ckiswrongwithyou!? Leave a review!