Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or 6Teen. I do not own the original story this is based on.
"Merry Christmas, sir...No. there's nothing to report yet, but activity has been at an all time-...What?! Who reported that?!...Yes, I reported a ghost named Ember, but what's she doing in Canada?!...Understood...I'll stay in touch."
Ember brought her guitar crashing down onto to Danny's crossed arms. No chord were struck, but the shockwave alone pushed the crowd as the winds barreled flew overhead. Crowds cheered, many gave the signs of the horn and pumped their hands in beat. It was a metronome for the fight.
"So not how I wanted to spend my afternoon," Danny grumbled under his breath. His ghostly strength held out as he grabbed the guitar. Keeping the notes quiet would make the fight easier, but now the duel locked into a contest of brute force.
"Don't know why you're complaining. I'm really rocking off!" Ember teased with a wicked grin. A swift kick freed the instrument as she raised a hand.
Ghostly energy exploded from the struck chord. At point blank range, and no to dodge, floorboards beneath splintered as the soundwaves traveled through the ghost boy. The musical wave could not be fought, making the boy's body feel like a sac of marbles, possibly cracking bones.
"Seriously Ember! Don't you have better things to do?" Danny's body ached loudly as he pushed back with all his might. One step back, he aimed a finger beam, knocking the guitar loose from Ember's grip. Bones were in the verge of breaking, but an ectoplasmic body could heal quickly. To move for a few seconds mean excruciating pain, but to stand still was worse.
However, the diva chuckled. Hands flew to the air as boots walked backwards, flaming blue eyes locked onto the ghost boy. "Who says I'm here just for chaos?" Ember relaxed. Stomping the ground, her guitar flipped into her hand, now gently strumming. "Did you ever think I'm just here to rock?"
"What?!" Danny questioned the incredulous circumstances right now. The denizens of the Ghost Zone always had a truce during Christmas day, but that didn't mean they wouldn't cause as much trouble before the holiday. Glowing green eyes blinked rapidly, staring at the ghostly diva turned towards the mic.
"You know everyone has a Christmas tradition," Ember said, tuning her guitar. Plugged into the amplifiers, another chord was struck, the sound echoed in the mall. "And mine is to rock out till Christmas!"
"Seriously?" Danny still could not believe what he was hearing.
Ember turned to the crowd with a wicked smile, yet no malice was felt as she raised a hand high. Striking her guitar once more as the amps were rocked out. The crowd raved, echoing in the mall as music began to fill the mall again. To the amazement of the ghost boy, she followed up with a song. From what could be seen, there was no brainwashing or mind control, but actual beats and chords enticing the audience as everyone listened.
This continued for a few minutes as nothing was out of the ordinary besides the fact a ghost was entertaining humans. Yet nobody minded as the cheers grew louder.
"You gotta be kidding me. They like you?" Danny said as the number ended.
Ember took a bow. Everyone loved her as some chanted her name for an encore. The diva's ponytail flared, empowered from the crowd chanting her name. Standing tall, an over the shoulder glance turned towards Phantom.
"Awww, don't be jealous, Babypop. Here. A little Christmas gift from me," Ember teased, blowing a kiss directly at Danny. Her flaming hair began to snake up to wrap around her. "See you on the comeback tour," she said before disappearing with a wink.
Danny rolled his eyes. But he could not ignore the fact no one was hurt. For once, Ember's name was chanted and not by mind control.
"Ok, that was awesome!" Jen hollered with her arms in the air.
"Awesome!? Dude! It's outta of this world!" Jude screamed.
"Ok, I admit, the ghost rocker was scary, but if that's the opening, then we gotta stick around for the rest," Nikki commented. Her grip on the Spector Deflector loosened as she cheered.
The MC walked onto center stage. His attempts to calm the crowd could barely contain the excitement as the next band was announced.
Danny took this as the que to disappear, transforming back to Fenton at a nearby empty stall. Self-beration echoed in his mind as the last ten minutes were questioned. Sure, the ghostly diva was more likely to cause trouble, but a tinge of guilt built up from potentially ruining everyone's good mood. In his heart, a small part still disliked the holidays, but he had hoped to never ruined the holiday spirits for others.
All he could do was go back to the others. Fortunately, the group was still with the crowd, ushering in the next band with cheers and screams. However, none of the cries of joy would be directed towards the ghost boy.
"Everyone alright?" Danny announced his arrival. His concern darted through his friends, checking for any tension.
"Dude! That was awesome!" Jude cheered with signs of the horn crossed against his chest. His pure enthusiasm infected Jonesy and Wyatt as they made similar gestures. The boys banged their heads in the air as they anticipated the next act.
Sam held a fist in the air, tempted to join the boys. She knew better due to the appearance of Ember, but contagious joy is difficult to fight off. Not even Jazz's teasing could stop her. Granted, the two would inquire the recent ectoplasmic light show that occurred.
However, none had more questions than Jen. The girl scrutinized the ghost boy with pent up impatience. The past minutes were more akin to years since she last saw him. "So. Where are the snacks?" she asked.
"Snacks?" Danny repeated, a dumb move as he recalled his alibi. A bead of sweat dropped under the glare of his girlfriend. "Oh! The snacks! Turns out everyone was closed because everyone skimped out on work to come here," Danny said quickly. His thumbs pointed behind him at the empty stalls.
Though it was the truth, the boy did not have the luxury to own it. Jen saw through this. A harsh hum expressed the girl's rising anger, ready to fire back at the ghost boy. The others took a step back, leaving the couple to their spat.
"So it took you a few minutes to realize that?" She huffed. Turning around with arms crossed, Jen would not look at Danny. "Where were you? Really?"
"Ok. You got me. I was calling the officer. I mean, Ember's haunts my town too, you know." Danny's tone was confident as he pointed to the downed officer. Once again, half truths littered his words.
"Seriously? You tried to ask a MALL COP to deal with a ghost?" Now Nikki did not buy the truth.
Danny frowned, his troubles growing. Luckily, the universe granted him help, namely Jazz and Sam, who came to his defense.
"Jen, I get your mad, but back in Amity Park, whenever ghosts appear, the first thing everyone does is run," Jazz said.
"And in Danny's case, he's usually the first to disappear," Sam added.
"Then why didn't Jazz leave with him? Or you?" Jen pointed at the Amity girls.
"Yeah..." Jazz hissed through her teeth. Mental gears reviewed thoughts at double time, quickly producing a solution. "When your parents either hurt the ghost or everyone around you, the bill tends to get stuck on Danny." She noted the small inquisition Nikki and Caitlin formed around her. "I get a pass because of my grade, but Danny...yeah. Last time the teachers gave him enough homework for a doctorate degree."
Nikki backed off. Caitlin followed. The girls nodded. They recalled how the enthusiastic the Fentons were at hunting ghosts. They remember the damage caused by the Fenton Assault vehicle when it rammed open a mall wall when Skulker attacked. Then there was the time it crashed into a movie theater to chase after a ghost.
However, Jen rolled her eyes. She had enough of Danny's excuses from days past. Her heart did soften, tempted to give the ghost boy the benefit of the doubt, but...
"MASTERSON!" came the cry of Coach Halder. "I need you at the front! We got crowd going overtime!"
"Forget it!" Jen snapped. Hands pushed back space between her and Danny. The thought of waiting on indecisive customers, trying to help them choose which brand of tennis balls to buy boiled her blood. "If you have something you want to say, then you can tell yourself! At the Penalty Box!"
Everyone was dead silent while they watched the girl storm away. The majority restrained the ghost boy within bars of arms. Optically they advised the latter to keep a distance. They were right. As much as it pained him, Danny knew Jen needs to blow off steam.
And this raging ventilation would most likely be directed at the customers. That thought alone added to the ghost boy's guilt.
The thought of telling Jen everything, from the lab accident to his life fighting ghosts, but Danny knew that would not do any good right now. Jen would have passed it off as an excuse or worse. Not to mention showing her proof required privacy and trust, the latter which dissolved like a slug in a salt shower.
In front of the Lemon, Danny banged his head, wondering what he could do. Sorrows were drowned in cups of hot chocolate for the next hour, courtesy of Sam. Phantom's appearance produced the problem and Fenton felt the effects. But only a human would bring a solution. That much is certain.
"There's gotta be something," Danny groaned into his third cup. His head caved into the tabletop, face first after downing the drink.
The teens "ooo'd" and hissed through their teeth in symphony. Caitlin placed piles upon piles of teen magazines onto the Lemon counter for research. Whatever the latest issue offered to help had been her go-to source of problem solving. The lemon girl was ignored, particularly by Nikki, who disapproved of the lemonhead's methods. Sam agreed, taking the articles away.
A blood curdling shriek echoed in the mall, alerting everyone to Jen's wrath. Anyone near the Penalty Box accompanied the whimpering man running out, almost turning the entrance into a dead man zone.
"That sounds like Jen," Jonesy said. He recognized that anguish anywhere. Cringing, he took one step back.
"Oomph. Sounds like a rush," Caitlin recognized that agony all to well.
"And you can tell this by...?" Sam hung her final words.
"Never underestimate the power of last minute Christmas shoppers—especially when its down to the last sales item."
"Maybe that's why she's so strong at a size zero," Jazz whispered next to Sam, who nodded.
Danny banged his head on the table. His heart sank, knowing how worse the season can be for retail employees. The past Christmases were never jolly, but for once his misery for the holiday is contested. Maybe. But to judge that seemed beyond cruel or petty.
Either way, the ghost boy had to do something to make it up to Jen. They can not end the first day on the holidays on thin, crackling ice. And judging from the roars echoing through the mall, overpowering the holiday music repeated on the speakers, a grand gesture was in order. But no money filled his wallet or pockets and his parents never approved a credit card for him.
Jazz and Sam were in no financial trouble. The former had permission to use a credit card, but only for emergencies. Obviously, buying a gift for your rage induced girlfriend would not count as an emergency in the Fenton books. Not unless life and death were part of the matter or it was about ghosts.
Standing up, the abrupt moment caught everyone's attention.
"There's got to be something I can get for Jen," Danny said. "But what?"
"Hey, there mall goers!" The speakers buzzed. Ambience music halted. Now a lively voice rang into the mall. "Be sure to join us at CR-67332 for our annual Christmas challenge! First place gets a huge shopping spree for whatever they want in the mall! So come on down and sigh up! We'll be waiting at the stage."
"Huh? That's nice. I wonder what I would get if I won the contest," Jude said to himself. "Dudes? Any ideas?"
Jude paused at the empty table, all the chairs were pushed back or knocked over. The boy glanced to the left, seeing his friends chasing after Danny, who made a bee-line to the stage. With a nonchalant shrug, Jude dropped his skateboard and strolled behind his friends.
To the surprise of the teens, the event stage had been redecorated with more Christmas trees and ornaments. Today was a busy day at the Galleria Mall, but nobody cared as the ghost boy joined the crowd, listening to the host.
"Alright! Alight! Alright! Looks like we got a real crowd here tonight! Now! let me explain the rules! At the front of the stage you'll find a list for our big event: a scavenger hunt! Each item listed is hidden in the mall stores, described with a Christmas riddle! Whoever brings back al the right items, gets a shopping spree of up to 2000 dollars!" The MC brought one hand to his ear. "Now, tell me that's not Christmas Spirit if you know it!"
Danny joined in on the cheering, excited at winning the shopping spree. If holiday shoppers annoyed Jen, then being one of them was a definite win. Probably, but the ghost boy did not care on double checking his logic.
All that mattered was picking up a list and winning, logic followed latter.
Caitlin had already retrieved a list. Her elbows were lethal weapons as she cut through the crowd, gone the next instant.
Danny blinked, not questioning what he would call a defiance of physics. If anything, he figured he would take a cue from Caitlin later. While not the first or last to get a checklist, he needed to beat the competition fast. Canadian shoppers gave their American counterparts a lose with more aggressive tactics
Not only elbows, hordes of mothers and fathers stampeded through the floors. Anyone in their way were trampled before notice. Danny being the first upon many victims.
"Okay seriously. I'm a superhero. I have ghost powers. I fight ghosts. I'VE BEEN ON A DATE WITH KATIE KABOOM! How is it Canadian holiday shoppers are more terrifying than anything else I have ever seen?!"
No bones broken, Danny picked himself up, resumed the scavenger run.
Come on Danny be a good boyfriend. Do it for Jen. Do it for Jen. Do it for Jen. This mantra kept spirits up while the body ached.
How the supposedly polite Canadians were this ferocious terrified onlookers. Particularly the ghost boy's friends as they caught up.
"Dude! How are you still alive?!" Jonesy said.
"That mob almost turned you into a pancake!" Nikki added as she and Sam walked up to Danny's sides.
"Guess I'm lucky I'm used to this." Though the ghost boy played off the injuries, bones were heard snapping. The awkward walk verified the pain as an arm popped back into place.
"Lucky?! LUCKY?! Dude! You'd have a better shot at surviving a mauling! By a dog!" Jude emphasized, clenching his hat.
"I'm good," Danny replied. His voice conveyed stubbornness as he went back to the scavenger hunt. For what it was worth, those years of being a bully target had some benefit. Not that he ever wanted to experience almost becoming a pancake again.
"Wow... he really wants to make it up to Jen. Gutsy." Nikki smiled.
"More like stubborn," Sam said. The jab of an elbow and the goth could now feel a smirk coming from her friend.
Ignoring everyone, Danny went over the first clue. It read: Your hunt starts with something sweet, go to the tree to find this Christmas treat.
Smiling, the ghost boy ventured to the first floor, where the Christmas tree had been set up. Gigantic and plausibly stable, the obvious answer laid at a stand giving away candy canes.
"This is too easy," Danny said, heartily. Bagging the candy cane, the next item awaited. The clue read: holding them high to let them air, they are filled to the top with love and care. Green and red mixed together, you will find at head letters.
Like he said, too easy. Stockings, which meant he had to go to the sock store. There in plain sight a Boots n' Bags store front laid adjacent to the food court. Mocking the challenge, Danny tempted himself to hop, skip, jump his way to the store, stopping only because of the consequential teasing that would follow.
But none of that mattered as the doors to Boots n' Bags opened. Searching the entry aisles, bag dragged behind, open like a parachute, for the socks.
However, in the passing few minutes, nothing remotely matched the description. Socks appeared in green and white, red and gold, white and gold, red and white, but none in green and red.
"Seriously? How hard is it to find socks?" Danny questioned out loud after a long five minutes of searching. "In a shoe store?"
"Maybe because you're looking in the wrong store." Came a voice. It was some bratty-looking kid, the spoiled kind that you saw on TV where there's some underlying issue. Next to the boy his mother stood, a provacatively dressed lady with predatory eyes glued into her head.
There were questions about this, but no one cared. The only detail that mattered was the red and green stocking the boy had.
"Hey. Where'd you get that?" Danny pointed at the bag.
"At Socks & Stocking on the seventh floor. The clue said they were hung up with care," the mother replied with a breathy tone.
"Huh?" Danny racked his mind over the riddle. The answer was obviously stocking, but it how was it this kid got the right item but he didn't?
"Like I said. You went to the wrong store. Duh!" The brat rolled his eyes.
Dumbfounded, Danny did not realize he was talking out loud. His face blushed in embarrassment and shame. The shade grew more scarlet as he looked around the probably hundreds of stores in the mall. What first seemed like a simple run turned into a marathon as the hundreds of stores, each diverse yet some were parallel in products.
If this was Amity Mall, then it ever brand name and shop would come to mind easily. But he was no longer in the Christmas hustle of his hometown. Now, he had to handle the warfield of the Galleria Mall in Toronto, where a simple hustle could turn into a brawl.
As if the universe was reminding Danny of his predicament, the hurrying first responders raced past his front to pull a lady with two broken arms. She did not seem to care, only waving a designer shirt despite her injuries.
"I really wish I could say there's no place like home," Danny muttered. He was such a hurry, he did not realize he had left the Boots n' Bags store till he got to the Socks & Stocking, where a small mob swarmed the front.
Almost at wits end, he wanted to quit. The shoppers were crazy. It was a mad house to get anywhere. Worse yet, the mothers scared him.
It seemed the universe was sucker punching him with everything at his disposal. He almost wanted to turn invisible and hide.
Danny blinked. Stupefied, the ectoplasm in his body reminded him of his ghostly powers. Searching for someplace to hide, a quick use of his invisibility and intangibility allowed him easy access to the green and red stocking.
However, this did nothing to quell building doubt accompanying the scavenger hunt. two items found and thirteen to go with half the stores stormed by Canadian shopping mobs did not instill confidence.
In the past, using ghost powers to cheat never ended well. From tests to pay back, somehow events lead to comeuppance for the boy. However, the screams of Jen from the Penalty Box motivated all potential consequences into nothing.
For all his life, Danny never had a wonderful Christmas. But here, he'd at least give someone special one.
However, the swarming shoppers scrimmaging, scouring the stores served to make the search difficult. Using ghost powers made the endeavor easy, but that was not enough. There had to be a way to figure out the clues and find the stores fast. If only there was a cheat sheet or answer.
"Yo! Officer Ron! Can you hold these papers for me? I need to use the john!" The MC's vigorous voice echoed. The Ghost boy brought his attention back to the stage, where he saw a folder exchanged. The rent-a-cop nodded with silent, almost-too-serious authority as he took the folder to his office via Segway.
As if the universe was giving him a hand, Danny followed in ghost form.
Silent and invisible, phasing into the security office and snapping a photo of the documents, the answer to the ghost boy's prayers loaded into his phone as a list of the scavenger items and stores appeared.
Ron seemed preoccupied with the security monitors to notice, humming a drone tune.
With the laws of physics unable to hold him back, grabbing the goodies and filling his bag proved easier than shoving the Box Ghost into the Fenton Thermos. Invisible hands phased toys and decorations from the bottom, away from unsuspecting shoppers and the array of security cameras.
This is too easy. Danny thought triumphantly. Bag full of everything on the scavenger list, he ran back to the stage at full force.
Nothing could seize this victory away as the stage zoomed closer.
"Danny what are you doing?"
Except for Jen, who stepped in front of the ghsot boy's path. Her eyes drooped with ragged stress in thanks to the swarm of customers in the Penalty Box. But even in distress, all affections for her never falter as the bag was dropped at her feet.
Next to her, Nikki, Sam, Jazz stood at the side. Worry and concern painted on their faces clued in that they brought Jen over. The boys, however, were absent.
"I'm winning this contest," Danny replied with a smile. Opening the bag, the list was held at eye level, showing off completion. "And...getting you a $2000 shopping spree."
Jen jumped. The bags on her eyes shrank into nonexistence as a surprised smile spread. "What'd you say?" Her shrill shriek forced everyone nearby to cover their ears as an excited squee began. After rounds upon rounds of shoppers coming in at the last minute, with no clear idea what to buy, it sounded to good to be true in joining the idiotic, Christmas tradition.
"Hold on there, Romeo." Nikki pointed at the bag. Her tone conveyed dull curiosity. "How did you get this stuff so fast? Last I saw, you almost turned into a pancake from a shopper stampede."
"What?!" Jen hoisted her boyfriend by the armpit, checking for bruises. "When did this happen?!"
"I'm fine." All concerns were waved off as the ghost boy freed himself. "It'll take more than that to keep me down." His free hand grabbed the red head's, leading them to the stage. "Now, I think we have a special date coming up."
A mad blush appeared on the girlfriend as they neared the host, edging the wide smile.
"Looks like we have a winner!" The wild voice of the MC could shake glass as he looked over the contents of the prizes collected. Everything was in order as he grabbed his mike to announce Danny as the winner.
"this is Awesome!" Danny cried. Pumping his fist, a victory dance followed from the excitement.
"Hold it right there punk." Ron's voice broke the celebration. Mall security broke through on segway. One stony glare froze the host in spot.
"Hi Mr. Ron. Can I help you?" A nervous smile and waving fingers were all the ghost boy showed. He knew the officer well enough to know how intense he could get.
"That's officer to you. You think you're clever, but I know, punk." Ron leaned into Danny's gulping face. He could see the sweat breaking out on the latter.
"Know what?"
"I don't know how you did it, but you clearly didn't notice key details when you cheated." Ron's slow speech agonized Danny's building sweat, making salty streams.
The host put down his mike. There would be no announcement or shopping spree until everything was cleared. Obviously there was no cheating allowed, but the ghost boy didn't think anyone noticed.
Danny's perspiration grew, wondering how the mall cop knew he cheated, more importantly if he was seen using his ghost powers.
"After a bunny theft from the manger display, I decided to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. And that's when I noticed something while observing the contest." The officer's shadow loomed over the ghost boy. He knew. "I never saw you show up on the cameras, picking up the items! You know what that means, punk? You cheated."
A sigh of relief flew out. The ghostly secret is safe, for now. However, this did nothing to soothe the situation since Ron was ready to bring out the cuffs. Yet these accusations were only speculation as not showing up on camera did not hold as evidence.
"Hey! That can't prove anything!" Jen got between the cop and boy. Repurposed misplaced aggression growled through a mean face to hold back the rent-a-cop, shepherding the blushing ghost boy.
But mall officers were never one to back down from teenage bravado, particularly Officer Ron. A rugged hand extended with orders for a phone. Danny's phone.
Reluctantly, these orders were followed and the only tangent evidence, the photo of the answer sheet, was shown on the screen. Four shocked faces stared at the undeniable proof as Danny was dragged away to mall jail.
Jen stood in disbelief. The excitement was too much, soaring her emotions before crashing like a meteor. Time flew as the host waited for a another contestant. Only when a bruised and battered Caitlin knocked over the red head did the latter come back to earth.
The sound of victory from the squealing blonde blurred into the background. The stores were rushed past as the girl made a be line for the prison.
The glass door to security burst open from Jen's kick. Before Ron could cite the one of many violated mall rules, she had gripped the bars to Danny's cell. Both rent-a-cop and prisoner stood silently stunned.
"Danny! What the heck?!" Jen could almost force herself through the bar gaps. "Why the heck are you in the mall jail!? Why did you cheat!?"
Ron lifted a finger, opened his, but his words were stopped by angry demands of his silence. Complying, he sat quietly. From the ghost boy's perspective, his troubles became increasingly deep. And he could not blame anyone but himself.
At the sides of the office, Jazz, Sam, and Nikki stood. Obviously they had already reprimanded the ghost boy. Though only one did not know how he truly cheated, all knew nothing they could do was nearly as bad as the girlfriend. Walking out, only Ron would bare witness to what happened next.
The next full ten minutes echoed with how's and why's lecturing the ghost boy about his wrong doings. All this fell on deaf ears. Fighting off ghosts in Amity Park was surprisingly full of Aesop about responsibility and friendship and doing the right thing, beaten into the boy to the point it was practically written into his bones.
"Just what were thinking?" Jen ended her rant, huffing mad.
Icy blue eyes gazed up towards the darker blue. There wasn't much to say, but the truth. Ghosts powers have been straining things, so being honest seemed to be the best option. What could go wrong?
"Look. The thing is...I never had any happy memories at Christmas. In fact, I've never had so much as a reason to say Merry Christmas." Danny's grip on the bars tightened. Tears condensed on the edge of his eyes. "Every year, my parents would argue and argue and argue about Santa Claus. With them, there is never peace on Earth or goodwill because my dad believed in Santa and the mom didn't."
Jen's angry dispersed as she listened. The same emotions swirled inside as the ghost boy continued.
"After the thing with Ember, I wanted to make things up to you. When I heard you screaming, it felt like the past fourteen Christmases rolled into one. When I heard about the contest, I knew it would be just what you needed, but apparently I underestimated Canadian shoppers. They make everyone back home look like kittens. Who can handle that crowd?"
"Caitlin," Jen said. "Before I came over, she ran over me at the stage. She won, looking like she went through everything horror movies would throw at their victims."
Three loud gulps later and the answer went on.
"Look, you have every right to be angry, but I couldn't stand by and let you have a horrible Christmas. I already know that by heart. So, I decided to cheat. For you." Icy blue eyes looked away from the shame bubbling. "I know. I know. It was wrong but-"
Danny never finished as two hands cupped his face. Between the bar gaps, Jen's lips silenced and confused him. The contest was lost, the ghost boy was in mall jail, Jen kissed him through the bars. It was all highly disorientating.
"Danny." Jen's voice held no anger. "It's really sweet what you did. It's the most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me."
"Well, I didn't win and now I'm in jail. So..."
The loud cough of Ron interrupted the moment. The jingling of keys played whilst he walked over, going through them. "So. You never had a real Christmas?" he said. The middle-most key was held up, entering the cell lock. "I admit, teenagers are trouble, but NO ONE should ever have to go through the holidays like that."
Danny and Jen stared at the man as the cell door swung open. Last they knew, an attorney had to be present for this kind of freedom. At least, that's what was lawyer shows always presented it as.
"Listen up," Ron commanded. "I'll let you off with a warning, but I want no more trouble from you. Capish?"
"Ok?" A thumb up was given. The teens knew this incident would be swept under the rug, but no one ever thought the officer to be capable of sympathy. For a moment, it almost seemed tears might fall from everyone's eyes.
However, Danny and Jen did not push their luck, leaving immediately, journeying to the Lemon.
Caitlin was being bandaged by Sam and Jazz. The injuries and pain were non-existent compared to the adrenaline-fueled shopping spree. Stacks of bags and boxes overflowed behind the lemonade stand.
"Jeez, Caitlin! What happened to you? You look worse than before!" Jen said, ready to pull hair.
"She went shopping after winning the prize money. And then she went to Albatross & Finch, where somebody grabbed something she wanted on sale. And that's when the first fight came," Sam explained while wrapping the last roll of gauze. Wyatt handed another box of bandages, certain the blonde girl would need mummification to prevent another fight. "Don't ask about the next ones," the goth added.
Shock and awe choked in the throats of the ghost boy and his girlfriend. Neither one had witness, much less heard, of an injured shopper continuously fighting for sales.
"Eeehh. Caitlin will pull through." Nikki smiled at the sight. "Can't say the same for those other guys, but considering she got us all Christmas presents, I don't think I'll care." But enough about that, how'd things go with Ron?"
Danny and Jen took a seat at the table. Between a shared gaze and smile, hands touched, held each other tight. A chaste kiss told everyone of a happy ending, if not for a chapter.
Caitlin squeed, irking Sam and Nikki. Immediately conveying the holiday spirits, the girl babbled on about it the sales she saw and how she found the perfect gifts. Skepticism found its way through a few faces, but none would complain about getting a gift from a friend.
Jonesy and Jude began congratulating Danny on his almost win. The former kept asking how he got everything in record time but to no avail. Either way, for the now freed rookie member, returning from mall jail was a rite of passage that needed attention.
"Can I have your attention?" Jonesy stood up. " First off, a round of drinks is in order for Danny, who somehow managed to beat Caitlin—"
"By cheating—" Nikki interjected as Caitlin brought out a tray of lemonade.
"Managed to beat Caitlin in a shopping mall, got run over for it, cheated, and then got caught and sent to mall jail, this call for a celebration!"
"But I lost," Danny said.
"Doesn't matter. When you're a guy, the stupider you do something, the funnier it is when you fail." Jonesy burst into laughter. While the girls gave glares, the guys were silent. Wyatt only wanted to know what the Hispanic boy was talking about, but Jude nodded along, knowing where this was going.
"Now then." Jonesy held his lemonade up. "A toast for the weirdest Christmas ever and for Danny taking his first step into becoming a man, by sticking it to the Man."
"It was a contest. How is that the man?" Jen asked.
"When you stick it to something bigger than you, it can count," Jude said. He put an arm around Danny. "Now, drink up, dude! Merry Christmas!"
Whether out of some sense of Christmas spirit, teenage rebellion, or comradery, everyone decided to down the drinks. While Christmas was only days away, it seemed this year would be extra weird for the ghost boy and his friends. The only question left: What was next?
"Hey, Tucker!" Danny answered his phone. "How are things down South?"
This fic: IT LIVES! IT'S ALIVE! I know it's late, but things were holding me back. If it wasn't for the help of everyone, I'd have updated this probably months later. So give a big thank you to the authors that helped! :)
A Very, VERY Special Thanks to Flower Princess11, Jay The Average Fan Boy, NeoMark, and 61394 for everything! I wouldn't have been able to finally update without you guys! :)
This will be the first of many updates this year so stay tuned. If you wish to support: fav, follow, leave a review, and/or check out my new LinkTree. The link is on my profile page.
Reviews:
pokemon fan 1991: At first Ember would have, but I went against it. Seemed too cliché.
Invader Johnny: Oh yeah. Jen and her friends will soon have to get used to ghosts.
RonaldM40196867: They are fans, yes. Not really. Perhaps... Danny saw her run in a bikini. Yes, I've read it. It's alright... Not really. Nope, just a different shade of black.
danifan3000: He will ;)
Jebest4781: I have that down and she'll be finding out in the next few chapters. Less than ten chapter away, right now.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Hope you enjoyed :)
gdkime: Spaceballs will make an appearance. In the fic, it's a neutral ground where both Star Wars and Space Wars fan can come together for a laugh.
Guest: Thanks!
Jake(Guest): EH? I think you have the wrong fic.
shriramasoken: Thanks!
cg037: Thanks!
ZoomedIn: Thanks!
Guest 2: How's this?
monroekeishan84: Here's an update.
jh831: That's fair. I don't blame anyone for that :( I hope you return to check later chapters.
dan the blue wolf 2: Thank you for pointing that out. I believe I fixed that before updating this fic.