Chapter 20: Reunions: Humans and Monsters
Danny and Clawdeen Fenton were getting ready for the Casper High alumni reunion. "Dad, do we really need to go to this meeting with you and Mom?" A 6-year-old girl named Alice Howl Fenton asked. She was a werewolf who, like her father, could transform into a ghost.
"It's not that bad, sis." A 10-year-old boy named Clawson Jake Fenton responded. Danny came up with the name idea from one of Swat Kats protagonists but Clawdeen insisted that 'Clawson' came first.
"Easy for you to say, Clawson." Alice argued. "You're a normie like daddy's old classmates."
"Alice, I'm sure sooner or later he'll have fur and/or ectoplasm like you and your little brother."
"Did you call, mommy?" A 4 year old boy named Booregard Claw Fenton said as he entered the room. He was a full-time ghost werewolf.
"No, but I'm glad you came, little Boo." Clawdeen responded. "We're going to Amity Park for the Casper High alumni reunion."
"Hearing 'Amity Park,' Boo was terrified. "You're not going to take me to Grandpa and Grandma Fenton, are you?" He asked. "Anything but that!"
"They would never hurt you, Boo." Danny tried to reassure his son.
"Not on purpose, you mean." Clawdeen said, remembering very well what happened during the last time they visited Jack and Maddie.
"We never left the kids alone with them after that, Clawdeen." Danny said but deep down he understood how his wife and children felt.
"We bought a house in Amity Park and will stay there whenever we visit the city." Clawdeen said, reassuring the children.
"I'll still visit Grandpa and Grandma Fenton since they're my parents but your mom will keep you safe from them." Danny added.
"I bet Clawson would be safe with them." Alice teased.
It was moments like these that made Clawdeen worry about how to scold Alice about these teases without making Clawson fear that he needed to be a monster for her to love him. "The explosions in your grandparents' laboratory are a threat to everyone, monster or human." She said, knowing her husband understood.
With everything sorted, the Fentons settled into their new base of operations in Amity Park and Danny flew to Fentonworks to visit his parents. "Son, it's good to see you." Maddie commented.
Where are Clawdeen and the kids?" Jack asked.
"At our new location in Amity Park, still scared about what happened last time, Dad." Danny replied.
"Danny, that wasn't that bad." Jack said.
"The police think differently, Jack." Maddie reminded him, accepting that her grandchildren wouldn't come to visit her.
"Maybe a few extra therapy sessions will help them." A new voice suggested.
"Jazz!" Danny was surprised to see his older sister. "How are John and Eric?" John was Jazz's husband, whom the Fentons insisted on calling 'John' because 'Johnny' brought back bad memories. Eric was their son.
"They're fine, little brother." Jazz replied. "Thank you for asking."
"As for your offer, I can take it to them but I need to talk to Clawdeen first." Danny said.
"Okay, Danny." Jazz said.
After getting permission from Clawdeen, Danny took Jazz to their house. "Aunt Jazz!" Clawson, Alice and Boo exclaimed in joy.
"How about we do something while she distracts the kids?" Clawdeen suggested with a smile.
"We won't have much time before she bores them." Danny replied.
"How about a little checkers game?" Clawdeen suggested.
"I'm in!" Danny eagerly replied.
A game of checkers later, the Fenton children approached their parents. "Daddy, do something." Clawson desperately asked. "Aunt Jazz keeps annoying us by pretending to be our therapist."
"One to zero for me." Clawdeen said with a smile, knowing Danny won't have time for a rematch.
"What's up, Jazz?" Danny asked. "What's the diagnosis?"
"Little brother, Clawson feels out of place in the world of monsters because he looks nothing more than a normal human; and the three of them still have psychological damage from the last time they visited our parents." Jazz replied.
"That's what I feared." Danny commented.
"Little brother, I enjoyed seeing the children but I need to go back and take care of our parents." Jazz said.
"It's okay, Jazz." Danny said, secretly relieved that he didn't have to make up an excuse.
"Mommy, if we're not going to stay with Grandpa and Grandma during class reunion and Aunt Jazz is going, who's going to take care of us?" Alice asked.
"Your father and I will take you and your brothers with us to the class reunion." Clawdeen responded.
After Danny took his older sister to Fentonworks and returned to his own home, he, Clawdeen, Clawson, Alice, and Boo went to Casper High for the reunion. "Welcome back." Dash Baxter said. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fenton." The former bully said to Clawdeen.
"True, we've barely interacted in the past." Clawdeen agreed.
"Do you work here, Dash?" Danny asked.
"That's right, Fenton." Dash replied proudly. "Now I'm Mr. Coach B!"
"Mr. Coach B?" Danny asked, not understanding why Dash would make a point of including "Mr."
"Paulina coaches the cheerleaders and is called Mrs. Coach B." Dash explained.
"Like Ron Stoppable when it comes to Kim Possible's parents?" Danny asked.
"You got it right, Fenton!" Dash said.
"Moan." They suddenly heard and then an electronic voice translated it as "Excuse me."
To Danny's surprise, Ghoulia Yelps and Sloman Mortavich were there. Ghoulia approached Dash and said something that translated to "I'm Ghoulia Mortavich nee Yelps and this is my husband Sloman. We're here for the reunion."
"They didn't study here." Danny protested.
"The time Ghoulia spent here during the exchange program counts, Danny." Clawdeen explained. "I could use this to come here myself even if I came without you."
"So can Clawd and Draculaura come too?" Danny asked.
"They're already here." Dash informed them and saw the Fenton children. "Nice to meet you kids."
The Mortaviches and Fentons entered the school. "Clawd, Draculaura, where are Vlad and Bela?" Clawdeen asked. Danny reluctantly understood that this Vlad was named after a Vlad who had nothing to do with the fruitloop.
"The twins are with my parents in Transylvania." Draculaura explained. "Despite advances in relations between monsters and normies, Clawd and I don't think it's safe to bring them here."
"Uncle Clawd, Aunt Draculaura, it's good to see you again!" Clawson said and Alice and Boo nodded.
"It's good to see you too, kids." Draculaura Wolf replied.
"Do you want to see me slam dunking?" Clawd asked.
"There are no basketballs here, Uncle Clawd." Alice said. "Or casketballs for that matter."
"I can bring some balls." Dash said. "They're stored in the storeroom."
"Danny!" They heard someone call.
"Sam?" Danny was surprised to see her. "I thought the pizzeria would keep you too busy to come.
"Mort's taking care of everything, Danny." Sam explained.
"Mommy, is that really the ghost hero of Amity Park?" A girl next to Sam asked.
"Yes, Rachel." Sam said.
"P-H-A-N-T-O-M!" Rachel exclaimed. "Go, Phantom!"
"Yes, I am aware of the irony." Sam said with a neutral tone.
"And my brother Mike wants to play football in high school like Dad did." Rachel added.
"You'd be surprised how kind the jocks outside of Casper High can be." Sam said.
"Uh, you know Clawd, right?" Clawdeen asked.
Meanwhile, Clawd hit a slam dunk. "Yeah!" He exclaimed in triumph.
"The worst part is that I still think he's kinder than Dash." Sam muttered.
"So your daughter wants to be a cheerleader?" Someone asked Sam.
"Paulina Sanchez?" Sam asked with a frown.
"I'm Paulina Baxter now." Paulina corrected her former classmate.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Coach B." Rachel said.
"Even you call me that already?" Paulina was frustrated and then addressed Sam. "Anyway, Manson, how did you make your daughter want to be a cheerleader? My daughter Elena would rather be a goth like you."
"Mom, I'm not a goth." Elena protested. "I'm emo."
"They're basically the same thing, Elena." Paulina said. "Why don't you try being a cheerleader like every normal girl? Even monster girls try that."
"Were your parents like that to you, Miss Manson?" Elena asked.
Sam didn't see the need to correct her about her last name. "Basically, Elena." Sam replied.
"How did you handle it?" Elena asked.
"It wasn't easy at all." Sam replied. "Just remember to be yourself instead of accepting roles imposed by other people."
"You haven't changed at all, Sam." Someone commented.
"Tucker?" Sam was surprised.
"How have you been?" Danny asked.
"As well as a tech billionaire can be." Tucker boasted. "This is my wife Sally and my son Tucker Junior."
"Dad, isn't that the man who cleaned our rain gutter the day before yesterday?" Junior asked as he pointed at Dash.
"There's nothing wrong with a teacher having a second income." Dash protested.
"Speaking of your second income, I need you to come over and fix my sink, Dash." Tucker said. "I pay the same as I paid last time."
"Add ten percent and I'll be there as soon as this meeting is over, Mr. Foley." Dash replied.
"It's a deal!" Tucker responded.
"You only hire him because you like seeing him suffer, don't you?" Danny asked.
"Do you want to come over and watch him work?" Tucker invited his friend. "But seriously, he does a good job. Seeing a bully suffer isn't motivation enough."
"Hey guys." Star said.
"Hi, Star." Dash replied. "How have you been?"
"I now work in the legal department at Foley Technologies." Star replied. "By the way, Mr. Foley, the new patent should be confirmed tomorrow."
"Awesome!" Tucker exclaimed but then composed himself. "I mean, excellent."
"Dash, I need you to wash my car tomorrow." Star said.
"Not only does Dash need to work for one of his victims but also one of his fellow A-Listers?" Danny asked with a smile. "Best reunion ever!"
Two weeks later, Danny's opinion was challenged while he and Clawdeen attended the Monster High class reunion. "Look! It's Clawdeen Wolf!" A monster girl exclaimed. "Her winter collection was amazing!"
"Oh, thank you." Clawdeen appreciated the compliment.
"Honestly, I expected this kind of adoration for Catty Noir, not for me." She whispered to her husband.
Another Clawdeen fan approached her. "Don't look now, Miss Wolf, but there's a normie following your family."
"Oh, this is my son Clawson." Clawdeen explained.
"Is he half-ghost like his father?" The fan asked.
"No, he is completely human." Alice said.
"Maybe someday he'll show some fur or ectoplasm." Clawdeen commented.
"Did I need to come here?" Clawson asked, frustrated with the pressure from the monsters.
"Don't worry, Clawson." Danny said.
"It's okay, Dad." Clawson said. "Better that than putting up with another therapy from Aunt Jazz about Monster Envy."
"It was already annoying when she called it Ghost Envy." Danny commented.
"Clawdeen, Danny, it's good to see you again." Clawd said as he approached his sister and brother-in-law.
"Aunt Clawdeen! Uncle Danny!" Two werewolf children in vampire capes exclaimed.
"Good to see you kids." Clawdeen commented. "Clawson, Alice, Boo, come say hello to your cousins!"
"Make way for royalty." Cleo De Nile commanded.
"Some monsters never change." Clawd commented.
"Don't say that, Clawd." Deuce Gorgon asked. "She and I now have a daughter. Patra Medusa De Nile."
"Can we meet her?" Danny asked, disguising the fact that he forgot that Cleo wasn't a mummified corpse like the Egyptian mummies he had heard about before meeting the monsters.
"She's still too little for these meetings, Danny." Cleo replied. "She's in the pyramid being looked after by servants. There's only one reason I came here."
"Seeing friends you haven't seen since high school." Danny guessed.
"Two reasons." Cleo admitted. "I want to check out a rumor about Toralei."
"She's right here." Lagoona said as she pointed to a werecat wearing a cleaning lady's uniform."
"Yes!" Cleo said in triumph.
"Shall we dance, my love?" Gil asked.
"I'll be a pleasure!" lagoona replied.
THE END
Author's Note: I would have posted this chapter two days before I actually did but I had Internet problems.
