The next day, the ghostly trio spent most of the morning in their hotel room. As to why they decided to stay in for the moment…Ember found a new favorite show to binge watch.
"Go, KITT, go!" exclaimed the fiery girl, watching the TV in excitement.
Danny had an amused grin on his face. "So I take it that you like Knight Rider, huh?"
"Why wouldn't I? Hasselhoff is great!" replied Ember, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Although I'm surprised that we can even watch it here."
"I'm not. Hasselhoff is to Germany what Jerry Lewis is to France."
"I wonder what else he's been in," said Ember as she looked through the guide. "Baywatch?"
"We don't need to watch that!" stated Danny, a little too quickly as he tensed up.
Ember raised an eyebrow in confusion before changing the channel to an episode. Upon seeing what the series was about, she whipped around to glare at Danny.
"So how often do you watch this?" questioned Ember, a hint of jealousy in her tone.
"I've seen maybe one or two episodes since Tucker really likes it," explained Danny truthfully, knowing what was going through Ember's head. "Never really got into it. Besides, I've already seen you in a bikini, so if I ever need to daydream I have that image burned into my memory."
Her ponytail flickered as her face erupted into a blush. She had to turn away in embarrassment, still not used to someone finding her attractive and meaning it. She felt her Baby-Pop wrap his arms around her and pull her onto his lap.
"I only have eyes for you, Ember. That will never change," he whispered into her ear.
She blushed up a storm once more before she snuggled up to her Baby-Pop, feeling happiness and love fill her core.
Off to the side though, the little one pouted as she watched the scene. She wanted Danny's attention and she wanted it now!
"Danny! When are we going out?" she asked with a slight whine.
"In a bit, Danielle. I'm still trying to figure out where we could go today aside from the Memorial and the Victory Column," replied Danny, holding up his phone, which had various landmark listings.
"We're definitely going to the HKW," stated Ember. "That's where I'm holding my concert here."
"…HKW?" questioned Danny before looking it up. "Oh, the pregnant Oyster."
"The what?" was the confused reply from the rock diva as she turned to her man.
"It's what Berliners have nicknamed the Haus der Kulturen der Welt," explained the Halfa. He then showed a few pictures of the venue. "You can pretty much guess why."
"…German humor is weird."
"Where else are we going to?" asked Danielle, steering the conversation back on track.
It didn't take long for Danny to find something in his search. "How about an art show?"
Both of the girls glanced at each other in confusion.
-:-
The Berlin Wall, a structure that was built to separate Berlin from 1961 to 1989. A memorial for those who had died at the Wall was created in 1998. The ghostly trio had gone to said memorial to pay their respects before heading off to see the last remnants of the Wall.
"I thought you said they tore down the Wall, Baby-Pop."
"They did, but they're not stupid enough to get rid of all the artwork that East Berlin painted on it."
The three had arrived at the East Side Gallery to look at the various murals.
Ember let out a low whistle as she looked at the paintings. "I'm not an art expert, but these are actually really good."
"Yeah, there's a lot of great pieces here," replied Danny with a grin as Danielle looked on in curiosity.
They continued to look at the various murals, Danny and Ember commenting on them every now and then ("Hey, there's Scrooge McDuck," Ember had said when they came to one mural) when Danielle grew confused at a certain painting.
"Danny, why are those two guys kissing?" questioned the ghostling, pointing at the image in question.
The two teens turned to the graffiti where Ember gained a blank look and Danny rubbed the back of his head as he tried to explain this to the little one.
"That would be My God, Help Me to Survive this Deadly Love, also known as Fraternal Kiss. It's a painting based off a photograph of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German leader Erich Honecker performing the socialist fraternal kiss."
"And they really kiss on the lips like that?" asked Ember. "And why would anyone even paint something like this?"
"Socialist leaders would only kiss like that if they were particularly close to each other," explained Danny. "As to why it was painted, like much of the graffiti here it was a sign of rebellion."
Ember perked up at the mention of a rebellion. "Wait, really?"
"East Germany was not nice place to live in," said Danny with a frown. "If you tried to flee, you were killed."
A frown of her own appeared on Ember's face as she looked back at the mural. How can anyone be so willing to take a life so easily?
Not wanting to stay any longer, Ember asked Danny if they could leave, to which he agreed and the three left for the next landmark.
-:-
"Why does that statue look familiar?"
"That's because that is a statue of Victoria, Danielle. We saw her at the Brandenburg Gate, remember?"
Danielle stared up at the large column that they were walking towards. She wondered what was with this place's obsession with this Victoria lady if they would put her everywhere. She was about to ask Danny, but got distracted when she spotted a nearby souvenir stand. Tugging on Danny's shirt, she pointed at it once she had his attention.
Shaking his head in amusement, Danny figured a little detour before going to the Berlin Victory Column couldn't hurt. When they made their way over to the stand, Danielle immediately pointed to the plushy she wanted.
"That one!"
Looking at it, Danny had to raise an eyebrow in question at what it was; a pig wearing lederhosen.
"Well that's surprising," stated the older Halfa, before turning to the seller. "Aren't lederhosen more of a Bavaria thing?"
The man merely smiled. "Ja, but most tourists don't know that, so I might as well use that to my advantage."
"…Sounds like a win-win to me," replied Danny with a shrug.
"How is that a win-win, Baby-Pop?" questioned Ember with a deadpan tone.
"Danielle gets her plushy and the seller was at least honest with his product," explained Danny as he handed the man some money for the pig plushy.
Ember just rolled her eyes as Danny gave the little one her new plushy.
With plushy in hand, they finally made their way to the Victory Column. Once there they purchased tickets that would allow them to climb the column and step onto the viewing platform.
"You know, Baby-Pop, I'm really starting to get why you prefer this over just flying," stated Ember as they looked over the Berlin skyline. She then leaned into her Baby-Pop, who in turn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close.
The sight of the teens being so close made Danielle all pouty once more. Before she could squeeze her way between and separate them, a peculiar sound caught their attention.
"Huh?" wondered Danny as he looked towards the horizon, as the sound was getting louder. His eyes widened in shock when he saw what the sound was coming from. "Are you kidding me?!"
Ember and Danielle also stared with wide eyes, trying to comprehend if what they were seeing was real. Flying towards them was a World War I fighter plane, manned by a certain ghost.
"I vill show you ze might of ze German military!" exclaimed Baron von Otto, ready to shoot down his enemies.
Not even hesitating, Danny jumped off the railing and transformed. He was not going to let this maniac hurt innocent people!
"You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" yelled out Danny, getting the Baron's attention.
"Bah! You know nothing, child!"
Danny started to maneuver through the air, flying circle around the Baron while also firing off ecto blasts. While he dealt with out of place spook, Ember grabbed hold of Danielle and headed down towards the ground.
"Ember! Let go of me! I want to help Danny!" exclaimed the ghostling as she squirmed in Ember's grasp.
"Danny can handle the geezer. Right now, we need to get everyone out of the area so they don't get hurt," replied the rock diva, knowing full well that Danny needed to keep his focus on the Baron.
A growl escaped Danielle as she continued to squirm. Using as much strength as she could muster, she broke free, much to Ember's surprise.
"Don't tell me what to do!" yelled out Danielle as she glared at Ember. She then took off towards where Danny was fighting.
"M-Mini-Pop! Get back here!" called out Ember as she gave chase. The ghostling was going to be in so much trouble when this was all over.
Back with Danny, he was amused at how rattled the Baron was getting.
"Hold still, you little pest!" shouted the Baron as he fired his plane's guns.
"I told you that you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" called back Danny, dodging or deflecting the bullets. "You're not as great as a fighter pilot as you think you are!"
"Bah! I am ze greatest zere iz! I was ze one who shot down Manfred von Richthofen!"
That made Danny stop in shock. "Wait, YOU were the one to end the Red Baron's life? But you were on the same side!"
"Zere are no sides in war, child! Besides, he was getting in my way," replied the Baron with a growl.
Danny clenched his fists in anger. It was always a mystery as to who gunned down the Red Baron, but to find out that it was one of his teammates…that didn't sit well with Danny, regardless of what side of history the Red Baron was on.
"You're going down," growled out Danny as he glared at Baron von Otto.
"I rule ze skies, child! You have no power here!"
"Hey geezer! Why don't you shut up!" called out a young voice that caught Danny's attention.
"D-Danielle?! What are you doing here?! You should be with Ember!" demanded Danny.
"I can handle this!" replied the little one as she started to fire off ecto blasts at the plane.
"Little pest!" yelled the Baron as he turned his plane towards Danielle.
Or at least he would have if he didn't get knocked off course when a guitar slammed into one the wings.
"Don't even think about it, dipstick!" shouted Ember with a glare. She then turned the glare towards Danielle, who glared right back. "We're going to have a LONG talk when we get back to the hotel, Mini-Pop."
"I second that," added Danny as he floated next to Ember, with a slight glare of his own as he looked at his little clone. "Right now though, I need to finish this before that egomaniac hurts anyone. That means, STAY HERE, Danielle."
Flying back to intercept the Baron, Danny missed the look of hurt in Danielle's eyes, although Ember did catch it.
"Shtop getting in my vay!" shouted the Baron as he righted his plane. "I am ze greatest fighter pilot of all time!"
"No! That was the Red Baron! Even his enemies respected him and his skills, something you will never have!" exclaimed Danny, ready to end this.
Charging up as much ecto energy as he could, Danny fired the blast towards the Baron and his plane. Because of how antiquated his plane was the Baron was unable to avoid the large attack.
"Ach nein," said the Baron with a whimper.
The blast exploded on contact with the plane and from the smoke, debris fell towards the ground. As for the Baron, he too fell from the smoke, parachute open, allowing him to float down to safety. Danny floated up next to him, a blank look on his face.
"You do know that as a ghost you don't need a parachute, right?" questioned Danny, making the Baron jump in surprise. He didn't wait for an answer as he pulled out the Fenton Thermos and sucked up the Baron.
With the Baron dealt with Danny went back to meet up with Ember and Danielle. Upon seeing him, Ember looked relieved, while Danielle refused to look at Danny.
Once Danny touched the ground, the telltale flash of light appeared, signifying Walker's arrival for his new prisoner. Danny looked up at the warden with a glare, causing the man to narrow his gaze onto the Halfa.
Holding up the Thermos and giving it a shake, Danny explained. "Baron von Otto, a World War I German fighter pilot. Admitted to being the one to shoot down his teammate the Red Baron just because he couldn't stand the Red Baron getting all of the attention. Give him hell once he's in your custody."
Walker's glare was focused on the Thermos. The warden had many rules that he upheld and would punish any and all rule breakers, but one thing he did NOT tolerate were backstabbers and traitors. Stepping away from the portal, he allowed Phantom to release the Baron into his new prison.
"Keep this up, punk, and I might just have to expand my prison," stated Walker with a smirk as he took his leave.
Danny just rolled his eyes before making his way over to the girls. With a sigh, he spoke. "Let's head back to the hotel."
-:-
The moment they arrived back at their hotel room, Danielle immediately tried to avoid Danny and Ember, but she wasn't that lucky.
"Danielle, we're going to have that talk," said Danny in a stern tone.
"Why do you care?! You're just going to yell at me and then ignore me!" yelled the ghostling as she glared at the wide-eyed teens. "So why don't you and Ember just go and enjoy your stupid vacation and I can go back to doing what I was doing before all this?!"
With that, Danielle crawled into her bed and covered herself with blankets. Danny was confused by that outburst, while Ember was able to figure out what was REALLY bothering the child.
'So that's what this is about,' thought the rock diva as she walked over to Danielle's bed and sat on the edge. "Mini-Pop, you do know that I'm not trying to take Danny away from you, right?"
Danny turned to Ember, wondering what she was talking about, while the little one popped out from her hiding place and gave Ember a pouty glare.
"Yes you are! You two act all lovey-dovey and Danny has no time for me! Why can't you just leave us alone?!"
Ember remained calm. While she never went through something like this herself, she knew what Danielle was feeling. It was the same as any child dealing with a stepparent they thought was taking their real parent away from them.
'Now that I think about it, what is the actual relationship between Baby-Pop and Mini-Pop? Actually, never mind that. Right now there's something more important to deal with,' thought the fiery girl as she looked at Danielle.
Seeing that he needed to get involved, Danny made his way over and sat down on the bed. He then pulled his little clone onto his lap and held her close. "Danielle, if you felt that I was ignoring you, that wasn't my intention. I also have no intention of replacing you either."
"Then why does it feel that way?" she asked with a whimper.
"I can assure you that, that will never happen. I love Ember with all of my heart, she very important to me, but there's something you have over her that's even more important."
"What's that?"
"You're a Fenton. You're family. As the family motto goes, "No Fenton ever gets left behind", so no matter what I will always be there for you and will never forget or replace you," explained Danny.
"Listen to him, Mini-Pop," said Ember as she scooted closer to the Phantom Duo. "Family should always be the most important thing to a person and if Baby-Pop DID pick me over you, I would break his legs."
Danny glanced at Ember and saw the look in her eyes. She meant what she said. Somehow that felt relieving, knowing that Danielle had someone else who would look out for her.
"So you don't regret me being here?" asked Danielle, afraid of what the answer could be.
It broke the teens' cores that she felt this way.
"The only thing I regret, Danielle, was letting you be on your own for so long," replied Danny, giving her a hug. "From now on, you're going to stay with me so you'll never have to be alone again."
That did it. Tears welled up in Danielle's eyes as she clung to Danny like a lifeline and cried into his shoulder. Danny held her tight, rubbing her back to try and sooth her. All the while, Ember watched on in silence with one thought going through her head.
'He really would be a great dad.'
-:-
The next day was Ember's concert at the House of the World's Cultures. It was definitely needed after the emotional event that happened yesterday.
Right now, the concert was coming to a close, with the Berliners cheering after a spectacular show. This also meant it was time to head off. As the ghostly trio were making there way onto the tour bus, Danielle spoke.
"Ember?"
The rock diva turned to the little one. "What's up, Mini-Pop?"
Danielle fidgeted a bit before she continued. "I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday."
Ember could only smile as she lifted the ghostling up into a hug. "It's okay, Mini-Pop."
Danny watched as Danielle snuggled into Ember's embrace and only had a single thought.
'Ember would make for a great mom.'
BERLIN END
-:-
Our time in Berlin has come to a close and the Phantom Family has grown even closer, now that Danielle knows she's not going to lose Danny.
Fun Fact: It is unknown who really shot down Manfred von Richthofen AKA the Red Baron in real life.
Once again there is no MHA recap. As I mentioned previously, German culture is one I have little knowledge on compared to other cultures, so Berlin and Germany were never planned to be part of the original MHA version.