Chapter 2: Danny's Date
After that stop at Greasy's, the Fentons, along with Dipper, Mabel, Stan and Wendy went to Northwest Manor. "Jack Fenton, I was expecting you and your family but I cannot say the same about the others who came with you." Preston Northwest commented.
"Wendy's Danny's date and I wouldn't say no to a chance to work with Stanford Pines." Jack replied. "Sure, Mr. Northwest, you may have a low opinion of him nowadays but he used to be a paranormal investigator."
"I recall him once asking me questions about my family's activities… back when I was a kid." Mr. Northwest stated while glaring at Stan. "Just so you know, the silverware is all counted so, no stupid ideas."
"Speaking of silver, we might need some silver mirrors in case the ghost comes out of some painting." Stan replied, remembering that part from a journal he previously confiscated from his grandnephew Dipper.
"Finally the Dr. Stanford Pines I expected to meet all those years!" Jack exclaimed in joy. "Maddie and I have developed ghost hunting technology to make them obsolete but it's good to know you researched the old time methods."
"And I'll also need silver platters that can be used as mirrors." Stan said.
"Not necessarily, Grunkle Stan." Dipper argued as opened some sort of book with the picture of a six-fingered hand with the number 3 on it. "From what the Northwests told Mr. Fenton, all the ghost did so far was to move objects. If that's all the ghost can do, it must be a category 1. Annoying but harmless."
'Does the book have a picture of the Box Ghost in it?' Danny wondered.
"Had it been from a ghost that suddenly showed up with no prior warning, I'd be reassured but we're talking about the ghost of a long-deceased individual who planned this back when he was still alive, Dipper." Maddie Fenton replied with a serious expression. "It's bound to be way more powerful than that once the time for revenge arrives."
"Dr. Pines, if you think your kids aren't ready for this, you'd better take them away from here right now." Jack advised Stan.
"And miss the chance to grab some silverware?" Stan asked but then realized what he said. "I mean, to grab some ghosts in silver?"
"That's the spirit!" Jack exclaimed. "Pun totally unintentional."
"Make sure Stanford Pines will be watched from now on until he leaves the property." Mr. Northwest whispered to his butler.
"Yes, Sir." The butler answered.
Preston Northwest then looked at the Pines twins and the Fenton parents. "You're not thinking about appearing like that in front of the guests, are you?" He asked.
"I'm thinking about dealing with the ghost with enough time to change clothes before they show up, Mr. Northwest." Jack explained.
"I'm only here to stop the ghost, even if I think you should honor your ancestor's promise." Dipper said.
"And to keep an eye on Wendy's boyfriend." Mabel teased her twin.
"No way, kids." Grunkle Stan replied. "We're keeping an eye on the silver. And on that fancy food. You're going with me. Each one grabs a silver tray."
To Danny and Jazz's surprise, their parents were grabbing silver platters as well. "Mom? Dad?" Jazz asked.
"Okay, the odds of the ghost haunting a painting aren't very high but better safe than sorry, Jazzypants." Jack explained.
Grunkle Stan led Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica and the butler to a basement. "Mr. Pines, did you bring us here because you think the ghost's hiding nearby?" Pacifica asked.
"Ghost, schmost." Stan scoffed. "I'm looking for some valuables your family doesn't remember owning… just in case one of your ancestors bought some anti-ghost trinket." He quickly added and then noticed Pacifica glaring at him. "What? Your ancestors knew about this ghost way before he was dead. For all I know, one of them might have taken some measure about it but the others didn't take it seriously."
Meanwhile, Danny, Wendy and Jazz were walking through one of the corridors. "Do you guys really believe that talk about ghosts in paintings?" Wendy asked the Fenton siblings. "I mean, I know ghosts exist but…"
"You know ghosts exist?" Jazz asked in shock.
"Did your boss tell you anything?" Danny asked. He wasn't curious to the point of interrupting Wendy but, since Jazz already did that…
"No, my friends and I figured it out when we went to Dusk 2 Dawn." Wendy explained.
Before either Danny or Jazz had a chance to ask what Dusk 2 Dawn was, the three of them heard a scream.
Back at the basement, (a.k.a. the source of the scream) the Northwest's butler was comforting Pacifica. "I'll protect you, Miss Pacifica." He said.
"Grunkle Stan was right!" Dipper shouted. "The ghost came out a painting!"
"I was?" Stan was just as surprised. "I mean, of course I was." He then pulled a silver mirror he got from a bathroom on the way to the basement.
As Danny, Jazz and Wendy were about to enter the basement, they heard a scream of pain. "Is everyone okay?" Wendy asked as they entered.
"Good news, everyone!" Dipper announced. "Grunkle Stan caught the ghost!"
"Archibald?" Wendy asked the ghost in the mirror. "Is that you?"
"I feel my blood in you, Wendy." The ghost said. "What're you doing here? Are the Northwests finally honoring their promise?"
"Not exactly." Wendy answered. "Preston Northwest asked for Danny's parents' help and I was hoping to reason with you."
"And to bond with this Danny as well, I presume." Archibald said. "A little skinny but still better boyfriend material than Robbie."
"Do you know Robbie?" Dipper asked the ghost.
"I used some of my free time to watch over my descendants." The ghost explained.
Later on, Preston Northwest was informed of the good news. "Not so brave now, are you, spook?" Jack taunted the ghost.
"I'll have my revenge!" The ghost shouted while banging on the mirror he's imprisoned in. "Revenge for all lumberjacks deceived by Northwest."
"I stand corrected." Jack mumbled.
"Let me out!" The ghost demanded. "Don't you know what the Northwests did to deserve my wrath?"
"What Nathaniel Northwest did, Archibald." Danny argued. "The currently alive Northwests weren't even born back then. What can you hope to accomplish by killing them?"
"Killing them?" The ghost asked. "KILLING THEM? I wouldn't kill the Northwests. I would have turned their guests into wood until a Northwest opened the gates."
"Ugh." Danny was disgusted. "That's still bad and still targeting innocents."
"Don't bother, son." Maddie told Danny. "Ghost or not, this individual is too focused on his revenge to be reasoned with."
"Yeah." Mabel agreed. "I might hate the Northwests and might like the idea of my friends attending this party but not the idea of turning people into wood."
"If you excuse me, I have an exorcism to perform." Dipper said.
"We're going with you!" Jack said.
"But then you won't have time to change into a proper suit, Mr. Fenton." Pacifica said in worry. "What will the guests say?"
"I don't care about that." Jack replied.
"One of the guests is your town's Mayor, Mr. Fenton." Preston Northwest said.
"That changes things!" Jack eagerly said. "Come on, Maddie!"
"Jack, I'd rather film the exorcism." Maddie firmly insisted.
"Okay, then." Jack replied and left alone.
"Preston, Mrs. Fenton seems to hate Mayor Masters for some reason." Priscilla Northwest told her husband.
"For as long as none of them disturbs the Northwest Fest over it, I don't care." Preston replied.
Minutes later, the Northwest's guests were arriving. "Is that a basketball player?" Sam asked in surprise, thinking the Northwests only invited old money families.
"For as long as someone's rich enough, Preston Northwest doesn't object to associating with this someone even if they're nouveau riche." Jeremy Manson scoffed while answering his daughter's question.
"Look, dear!" Pamela Manson squealed in joy. "That's Mayor Masters!"
"What?" Now Sam was shocked and worried. "As if the Lumberjack's Ghost wasn't enough of a problem."
"What was that, Samantha?" Pamela asked her daughter.
"Never mind that!" Jeremy said with even more excitement in his voice than his wife had when she noticed Vlad's presence. "That's Gordon Wellington III!"
"Who?" Sam asked, not really caring about the rich people her parents expected to meet at the Northwest Fest.
"Sam, Gordon Gillis Wheeler Wellington III is the heir to one of the biggest and oldest fortunes in California!" Jeremy said like it was obvious.
"And more important than that, his cousin owns the Country Club we're members of." Pamela added. "A good word from him can place us at the club's highest membership level so don't be yourself and, if the Fentons are really there, pretend you don't know them."
"If you ruin it, I'll enroll you at a finishing school so you won't see your loser friends again." Jeremy threatened his daughter.
"Good idea, Jeremy." Pamela said. "I wish I had thought about it before."
"Stupid parents." Sam muttered.
After all the rich guests entered Northwest Manor, Preston Northwest introduced them to one another. "Nice vultures, Mayor Befufftlefumpter." Vlad Masters commented.
"Thank you, Mayor Masters." Gravity Falls Mayor Eustace "Huckabone" Befufftlefumpter replied. "You know, I might the be one close enough to death but you somehow give a feeling of being even closer. Do you have vultures of your own?"
"We're politicians, Mr. Mayor." Vlad explained. "We'll always have vultures around us." He said, not wanting to get into details.
"V-man!" They heard someone exclaim. It was Jack Fenton. "Don't worry about the lumberjack's ghost, Vladdie. He's already been dealt with. And guess who's caught it?"
"Maddie?" Vlad guessed.
"Good try but no, it was… Dr. STANFORD PINES!" Jack said with excitement.
"Is he alive?" Vlad asked with feigned surprise. "I remember back when Maddie and the two of us read about the grant he received from Backupsmore University to research anomalies in this town but I haven't heard from him in ages."
While Jack was catching up with his old friend, the Mansons were brown-nosing Gordon Wellington III. "So you and your family are members of my cousin's country club in Amity Park?" Gordon asked.
"Yes, Mr. Wellington." Jeremy Manson proudly answered.
"How delightful." Gordon commented. Whatever he'd say afterwards was interrupted by a roar. "Did the Sultan bring a tiger to the party?" He asked.
"No." Mrs. Manson commented in disgust. "Some crazy character jumped into the chocolate fountain."
"Mr. Fenton!" Sam exclaimed and started running towards him only to be stopped by her mother.
"Are you acquainted to that individual?" Gordon asked with typical posh horror.
"The Fentons are our home town's village idiots, Mr. Wellington." Mr. Manson quickly said. "Everyone there heard of them."
"Dad, that chocolate is for everyone." Danny said as he and Wendy helped him out of the chocolate fountain.
Seeing Danny Fenton with a girl who wasn't her daughter made Pamela Manson so worried she pulled Sam away. "Excuse me, Mr. Wellington, Samantha and I have girl stuff to do." She said.
"Who's that girl with Danny?" Sam asked with a frown.
"None of our business unless we can score points with her parents for cautioning them against that boy and his freak parents, Samantha." Pamela sternly answered as she dragged her daughter to a nearby bathroom.
"I don't know what happened, son." Jack explained. "I'm usually calmer than this and… Is that Splat?" He asked in excitement. "I'm asking for his autograph!"
"So much for…" Danny's commented was interrupted by his ghost sense. "Uh-oh."
End chapter
Author's Note: While the Mansons' talk about the country club and the comparison between Jack and a tiger are allusions to NeoMark's side story "Bonding" to FlowerPrincess11's Danny Phantom Stranded fanfic series, Gordon Gillis Wheeler Wellington III isn't an OC. He's a character from a 90's cartoon I used to watch and his surname inspired me to connect him to the country club subplot.
Answer to Leonardo (Guest): É, eu provavelmente teria postado um capítulo de "Something's Rotten in Amity Park" se eu não tivesse uma fanfic esperando para ser mostrada. Obrigado pelo comentário mas por que achou a história inesperada?
Answer to Guest: If you would really hate Sam's reaction, you probably won't want to read Chapter 3.
