Chapter 18: Bitter Reunions Part 2

A few minutes later, Danielle would find herself sitting next to her brother on the couch whilst Maddie talked to the ghost boy about being late yet again. Her father and older sister were also still in the room with Jazz still reading that book and Jack still working on the machine from earlier. Danielle felt bad for her brother but knew there was nothing she could do to help him out of this situation.

"Danny," Maddie said, "This is becoming a problem. You're constantly late coming home…

"You're shirking from your chores," Jack would add.

"Your grades are slipping," continued Maddie.

"You're shirking from your chores," Jack would say again.

"You already said chores," said Danny.

"I know, but when you don't do them," said Jack, "I get stuck with them."

"Look, I'm under a lot of pressure," said Danny, with a sigh, "You two have no idea what it's like to be a kid today."

"Come on, Danny," said Maddie, not looking amused by that excuse and failing to notice Danny's arm going intangible and sinking through the couch's arm, "That's the oldest excuse in the book. There's nothing you're going through that your father, and I didn't go through when we were your age."

"Yeah," asked Danny, "Well, I beg to differ."

Hearing her brother, Danielle would nod her head in agreement, and think, "Yeah. I don't think you had to worry about ghost powers as a kid, mom."

"The reason Danny doesn't think you can relate to him," Jazz would finally speak up from her spot, whilst closing her book, "Is that you never take the time to tell him about your childhood."

"Jazz," said Danny, as Jazz continued talking, "Have you ever told him how you met? About your first date?"

Stopping his work on the machine, Jack would take a step forward and both he and Maddie would bring hands to their chins.

"Jazz," Danny would say again, as Jazz continued, "Where you went to college?"

"You know, Jasmine," said Jack, "That's a great idea"

"It is," said Jazz and Danielle together.

"What is," asked Maddie as she looked at her husband.

"This is," said Jack, as he held up a paper talking about his and Maddie's college reunion, "You can come with your mother and I to our college reunion."

"I... Can," asked Danny, whilst Danielle said, "He can?"

"Wisconsin," asked Jazz.

"Sure, my old pal Vlad is throwing a huge shindig there," said Jack, as Jazz looked increasingly concerned, "We'll take the RV so the whole family can go together. You can learn more about me and your mother's college days, and while we drive, I can blather on about ghosts."

Suddenly the machine that Jack was working on would "ding" and the hose that was attached to it would spew out some green goop hitting Jazz in the face with it. Much to the ire of said Jazz. "Haha, it works," cheered Jack, "I can't wait to blather on about that too."

"What is that machine even supposed to do," thought Danielle, as the whole family looked at Jack with mixed expressions on their faces.

An hour later, Danielle and Danny would find themselves up in their room packing for their upcoming trip. "I still can't believe you being late is causing us to be allowed to go to our parent's college reunion," said Danielle, as she closed her suitcase.

"Me either," said Danny, as he placed some clothes in his own suitcase, "I… I just hope Dad doesn't embarrass us while we're there."

"I'm sure Dad won't…," Danielle began to say, before thinking it over some, "You know. I hope so too."

After a few moments of silence and helping her brother pack, Danielle would ask, whilst taking the fragment of picture from her pocket, "So why do you think those ghost birds were after Dad?":

"No clue," said Danny, "Maybe some ghosts heard he hunts ghosts, and thought, "Hey, easy prey.""

"Maybe," said Danielle, not sounding too sure about that idea from her brother.

"We'll probably never find out, Elle," said Danny, as he closed his suitcase, "Some ghosts are just weird like that. You know that."

"True," said Danielle, as she thought about the different ghosts the two had taken on so far, "The Box Ghost still perplexes me to this day."
Hearing that, Danny would let out a laugh which Danielle would soon follow up with her own.

"How does this happen," asked Jazz, as she and the twins sat in the passenger seats of the families RV the next day, "You goof up and I have to spend 4 days jammed in the Fenton Ghost RV?"

"That's the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle, folks," Jack would correct his oldest daughter, "Every button in this vehicle is a ghost's worst nightmare."

"Ugh," said Danny, as raised a hand to press a button, "I need some air."

"Don't press any buttons," warned Jazz, but Danny didn't listen as he pressed a few buttons trying to find the window opener which prompted several weapons to pop out of the vehicle and cause some havoc to the surrounding area, not excluding a bird, tree, and a man talking on the phone whilst driving.

"It's this one," said Danielle, sighing as she pressed the right button to open the window for her brother. As the window opened, Jazz and Danny would look outside in shock with the havoc that Danny just caused. Only for a second later a bunch of green goop to hit Jazz in the face.

"I'll get you for this," said Jazz, looking at Danny with an unamused expression.

Danielle would feel the hours both go slowly and quickly whilst in the Fenton RV. The ghost girl would spend most of her time playing on her Gameboy Advance SP whilst Jazz read a book and Danny listened to his father talk about ghosts. Occasionally, she would switch with her brother, and he would play on her game console whilst she listened to her father.

Eventually the day would come to a close, and after finding a rest stop on the road, Jack would park the RV and get ready for bed.

"Get some rest everybody," shouted Jack, as he tucked himself under some blankets while holding his teddy bear, "I want the entire Fenton clan bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when we meet Masters tomorrow."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Jazz, as she realized who this friend of her parents was, "Masters? As in Vlad Masters- who was named "Affluence" Magazine's billionaire of the year?"

"That's the guy," said Jack, "In college, he was my best friend. We were very popular guys. Roommates, lab partners, we did everything together… Until the thick fingers of fate stuck themselves right in Vlad's eyes."

"Sounds like an interesting dude," said Danielle, before a frown would appear on her face. She didn't know why but hearing that name made a wave of anger go through her body.

"He was hospitalized with a horrible case of ecto-acne," Jack would continue his explanation, "It devastated him… And killed his social life. We haven't spoken since that day. But the good news is, I think after all these years, he's finally forgiven me.

"You don't think," whispered Danielle to her brother, as an idea popped in her head, "Those birds could have been sent by…"

"Nah," Danny whispered back, "What ghost would listen to a human. Let's get to bed."

The next day, the Fenton RV would drive up to a large castle mansion of gold and green. Getting out of the RV, Danielle would immediately notice the man standing at the door of the mansion. The man had white hair in a ponytail and wore a fancy suit and for some reason just seeing the man sent a wave of anger through her. But she would attempt to swallow those feelings, she didn't know why she was having such thoughts when she never had met the guy before, but she wasn't going to let it ruin things between him and her dad. Any more than Jack already did that is.

As the Fenton clan walked up to the front doors of the mansion together, Vlad would walk up and welcome them. "Jack… and Maddie," said Vlad, "You've never looked lovelier, my dear. Please, please come in."

Vlad would step aside to allow Maddie, Jazz, Danny, and Danielle into his house which the four would gladly do. "Vladdie, my man," said Jack, as he attempted to walk in as well, "It's good to-" Only to receive a door to the face.

"Hello," asked Jack, confused, "Hello?"

Meanwhile as the four Fenton's walked into the mansion, they would be greeted by a plethora of football items lining the walls.

"What's with the green and gold," asked Jazz, as she looked all over the entrance area, "You're a billionaire. Surely you could afford an interior designer."

"Jazz, hello," said Danny, realizing the reason way before Jazz, or Danielle for that matter, "Football helmets, Jerseys… Cheeseheads. He's a Packers fanatic."

"Hello," shouted Jack again, as Vlad placed a hand on Danny's hand.

"Oh, fanatic is such a negative word," said Vlad, "But, yes."

"I don't understand," said Jazz, "You have billions of dollars. Instead of buying this stuff, why don't you just buy the team?"

"Because the Packers are owned by the City of Green Bay, and they won't sell them to me," shouted Vlad, as he got increasingly angry about the topic before calming down and adding, "One of two things my wealth has not as of yet… Been able to acquire."

"Is he hitting on mom," whispered Danny to Danielle and Jazz.

"That's… Ew," Danielle whispered back, as a shudder went through her spine at the thought.

"As long as he's got working toilets," Jazz would reply, "And mom says no, who cares?"

Turning her attention back to Vlad and her mother, Danielle would notice the look in Vlads eyes. She didn't like the look she saw but fortunately her mother had it handled. "I'd uh...," said Maddie. "Better let Jack in." And with that being said, she would go open the door for the twins' father.

Another moment later, Danny would speak up as he approached a football that was on a pedestal. "Whoa cool," said Danny, as Danielle looked over and saw some names written on the ball.

"Indeed," said Vlad, as he picked up the ball, "This ball was autographed by the legendary Ray Nitschike himself. It's my prized possession."

"Heads up, V-man," Jack's voice would suddenly be heard before Jack tackled Vlad to the ground, grabbing the ball as he did, "Ha! I see you've still got the old moves."

As both men stood back up, Vlad would grab the ball back from Jack, and say, "Give me that! I never had any old moves! All those years in the hospital robbed me of that!"

After a moment of seeing the Fentons just stare at him, Vlad would add, much calmer, " 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 have happened without you, Jack."

Hearing this, Danielle would look over to her parents and see her dad looking proud of himself and her mom looking a little worried. "Uh yeah," said Maddie, after a moment, "Maybe we should go."

"No, no," said Vlad, as he walked up to Jack, "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."

"Well, I don't know," said Jack, "We do have a really cool RV."

"Let's stay here," coughed Jazz.

"Smooth," said Danny, as Danielle merely rolled her eyes.

"You know Jack," said Vlad, "The Dairy King's Ghost could haunt these very halls."

"I'll get the bags," shouted Jack, as soon as he heard this and stormed back outside to get said bags.

"Played like a fiddle," thought Danielle, as she watched her dad walk by her.

The rest of the day would go by fairly fast for the Fenton clan, and the whole time Danielle couldn't get this intense feeling of hatred for Vlad to leave her system. She did her best to squash any of those feelings instead of voicing them though. She didn't want to sour anything else between her father and his old friend since the two seemed to be getting along well now.

Soon it would be evening, and Danielle would find herself in her own room getting ready for bed. "Man, what a day," said Danielle, "I learned more about my parents and Vlad than I thought I would. Still… Why… Why can't I get this feeling of hatred for the guy out of my system? I've never met the guy before, so… Why do I feel this way?"

Getting into the very plush bed that was provided for her, Danielle would stretch a little before laying her head down on the pillow. "I just can't seem to forget this feeling though," said Dani, with a frown, "It feels like my body is trying to tell me something that I've forgotten… Argh. I'm so confused. Vlad seems nice. If not a little creepy towards Mom."

Deciding to place a pin in it for now, Danielle would turn over to her side and close her eyes. Maybe a good night's rest would clear things up?

Author's Note: And there we go; Vlad has been introduced. No fight for his ghost-self versus Danielle yet though. Didn't think it fit in with the scene. But she will get her chance to fight Vlad alongside Danny don't you worry about that. Also seems her body remembers Vlad and she doesn't... Wonder why? till next chapter. See ya!