Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International.
Theft
Chapter 8: Back in the day
Unaware of what was happening across the time stream, Star's father was busy. His lunch break/date with Solene ended, and he returned to his office. Though, he sported a lovesick look on his face.
"Aw, Solene. What a woman~..."Johnathan sighed lovingly, as he stepped back into the law office building.
His fellow lawyers and co-workers spotted him and couldn't help but tease him a bit.
"By the size of that smile, I'm guessing someone had a good lunch..."One fellow attorney, James, commented, smirking.
"Let me guess, Solene was there too..."Joseph, a paralegal commented with a smile.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I plead the fifth..."Johnathan said as he headed back to his office.
Once there, he was about to start work again. However, he spotted one of the pictures he proudly displayed on his desk. It was one of him and Solene, which had been taken during one of their previous dates, which was a picnic by a lake and Solene was smiling so beautifully in the camera.
The lovesick blonde man sighed lovingly, knowing he was utterly head over heels for the woman he hoped to marry one day.
"She really is too good for me, isn't she? Still, I hope she says yes..."Johnathan thought as he took something that was in his desk drawer.
It was a certain little box that held a certain special ring inside.
Yes, it was an engagement ring. One that he had special ordered and customized, also decorated with his darling's birthstone, making it one of a kind.
"I really hope that she loves it..."He thought, placing it back.
He never lied to Star. He really has entertained the possibility of marriage for the last few weeks and was worried about what his precious daughter would think about the idea of having a stepmother. But he was happy that his little princess approved and had no objections to his remarrying. Now, he can propose without any issues or problems.
The only thing left is to find the right time and occasion, plan it out to the last detail, and prepare for any and all possible outcomes in order to make sure it all turns out perfectly. Then, he really hoped that he would get to hear wedding bells soon.
Johnathan could already imagine himself dropping on one knee in front of Solene and asking her the big 4-worded question, "Will you marry me?".
"I really do hope that she says yes...and that things turn out better than the last time..."Johnathan thought, as his memories of the last time he proposed to a woman.
His ex-wife had eventually left him for another man, but at one point in time, he had loved her with all his heart and honestly had wanted to spend his life with her too.
FLASHBACK
Several years ago
Johnathan Strong, a recently graduated law student who had just got a job offer from one of the best law firms in town, was currently out on a date with his girlfriend of several months.
Her name is Stella Traville, a gorgeous socialite he met a little before graduation and since then they have been inseparable. From the moment he first saw her, Johnathan was utterly head over heels for her and he knew that he wanted to be with her forever.
It didn't take too long for him to find out that she felt the same way about him. Afterward, their relationship skyrocketed to the point that they both couldn't imagine being without the other for too long. Now he wanted her to always be around him and was ready for the next step.
Johnathan had brought his steady girlfriend to a fancy restaurant, gifted her a bouquet filled with dozens of lovely red roses, and opened the door for her into the restaurant. He even pulled up her chair for her and acted like the perfect gentleman. Now, they were having dinner together to celebrate his new job. Or at least that was what he told her.
And unknown to Stella, her boyfriend had certain special plans tonight, plans that would change their lives forever...if she agreed to it.
"My love, I'm happy that you got us dinner at my favorite restaurant. Even though tonight we are here for you and your new job as an attorney..."Stella said, showing off that perfect smile that made Johnathan's heart skip a beat.
"Only the best for you, Darling. Being with you always cheer me up after a full day of work, and I really want to be one who spoils you. Especially since tonight is really going to be...special..."Johnathan said in a lovesick way, wanting to make sure that this evening would be perfect for her.
Still, he was nervous and hoping he wouldn't mess this up.
"Come on Strong, steel your nerves. You can do this..."Johnathan thought, feeling a little queasy but tried to act normal and not too obviously nervous right now.
Gosh, he really hoped he didn't mess up.
The two were now seated and ordered their meals. Johnathan ordered a steak and Stella had a simple salad and cherry tomato pasta. Once done, they ordered some creme brulee for dessert and were feeding each other spoonfuls of their dessert.
Johnathan tried to control his emotions while Stella was fully enjoying herself until she noticed that her boyfriend was acting a bit nervous for some reason.
"Darling, are you okay? You look nervous?..."Stella asked, confused.
"I'm fine, Stella. I-i just want to ask you something really important..."Johnathan said, feeling that now is the time.
"What is it, Honey?..."Stella asked, wondering what was on his mind.
Johnathan then took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and slowly got up from his seat. He then gently walked up to her and reached for something he kept in his coat pocket.
"What are you-..."Stella gasped once she saw what he was doing now.
Johnathan soon got down on one of his knees and Stella gasped when he showed her a box with a diamond ring inside. One that he spent the last several months saving up in order to pay for it and now he was asking her the question he had wanted to say for over a month.
"Stella Traville...since the moment I first saw you, I fell in love with you and I've cherished every moment I've spent with you and I want nothing more than to be with you for... well... forever. I know right now, I am not making much and I can't afford to give you everything you deserve, but I promise that I will work very hard to become successful and give you the life you deserve. I promise that I'll do everything to make you happy and smile every day...so please...marry me and make me the happiest guy on the planet?..."Johnathan said, finally popping the question.
Stella felt tears fall from her eyes, her mascara running a bit but she tried to calm the overwhelming joy flooding throughout her and she finally gave him her answer.
"Oh...Y-Yes!..."Stella said as she hugged him, planting a kiss, and didn't plan on stopping anytime soon.
The entire restaurant applauded and cheered for the newly engaged couple, looking really happy for them.
Once done with the kissing, Stella fixed her makeup and then grabbed the ring, and quickly placed it on her finger, though she couldn't help but give it a completely analytical look.
"Hmm...emerald cut, white gold...and it even has my birthstone too. So subtle and understated but still beautiful. I love it..."Stella said happily.
"And I love you..."She said, looking like the happiest woman ever.
"I love you too..."Johnathan said sincerely, seemingly not noticing how she described the engagement ring almost like she was a geologist.
He didn't care about that. All that mattered to him was that the woman of his dreams just agreed to marry him and he was certain that they would have a bright and happy future together.
"I'm the luckiest man in the world!..."He thought, feeling so happy right now.
The newly engaged couple soon left the restaurant together, both blissfully happy and in love, as well as unaware of what the future had in store for them several years from now.
End Of Flashback
Present Time
Johnathan shook his head as he recalled that memory, finding that memory bittersweet though less so than before.
"Here's hoping the second time is the charm..."Johnathan thought, apprehensive but also wanting to be optimistic for the future.
He glanced at the new ring and smiled as he thought about Solene, and how much he really wanted to marry her.
He was still trying to plan out his proposal, but he wanted to make sure that it was absolutely perfect. He still planned on doing so on his and Solene's six-month anniversary, but time was running.
"It has to be perfect. She deserves it. I'll make it perfect..."He thought, letting his professional side do the reasoning behind his action.
Still, the blonde man was nervous. He wanted to make sure that his proposal would be the most romantic thing that ever happened to his beloved girlfriend. He needed to make sure that it was no less than perfect.
"Maybe I should double-check our reservations and our backup reservations. Since you never know when a ghost might show up and ruin everyone's plans for the day with their unpredictable attics..."Johnathan mentally told himself, as he grabbed his cell phone.
He needed to make sure that everything would be perfect and that it would all go as he planned. He also hoped that there wouldn't be any ghost attacks either, but hopefully Danny Phantom was on duty since that would make Johnathan's plans go a lot smoother.
"Please let her say yes..."He thought as he placed the ring in a safe place again.
He needed to make sure that everything was perfect.
For Solene
Elsewhere
The ultra-posh and fancy lunch was over, and Stella was still hanging out at Fenton Works "helping" Jack and Maddie. Both felt that Stella had overstayed her welcome, but she didn't seem to get a hint. They even started to clean around the lab, hoping that Stella would get bored and leave.
It didn't work and she kept sticking around the lab, trying to "help them".
"Ah, maybe I could help out with testing the weapons and any prototypes you have been working on..."Stella said.
"Um...Stella. Maybe you shouldn't. Some of these prototypes are still in their testing phase..."Maddie said.
"Yeah, we kind of have to clean the shelves with our experimental ectoplasmic formulas and tidy up the closets..."Jack said, mostly as a hint for her to leave already.
The blonde woman still didn't seem to get it and still wanted to "help".
"Ah, I see. Maybe I can help test out some of the new weapons. My aim has improved quite a lot since the last time we fought ghosts together and saved the day..."Stella said as she suddenly grabbed something that was on a nearby table.
"Ah, what's this do? Is it some kind of anti-ghost stun dart shooter?..."Stella asked as she tried to aim it at a nearby fake ghost target.
"Stella, that's the Fenton Feather Duster..."Maddie said in a deadpan tone.
"What...does it do?..."Stella asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"It's a feather duster with the name Fenton on it. And it helps clean up dust..."Jack said, making it clear it's not a weapon.
Stella blinked before she looked at it.
"Huh? So, this is what one of these things looks like. First time actually seeing one of these up close..."Stella said as she placed it back on the table.
"She clearly doesn't recognize a feather duster. She really is pampered..."Maddie whispered to her husband.
"Remember, she was raised by that old bat. She probably never seen one either..."Jack said, and his wife saw her point.
Maddie nodded.
"Heck, she probably does know what a single dollar bill is..."Jack whispered, only to get a scolding look from his wife.
"Behave. Remember that she's Star's mother and she's trying to be a better mom. Be polite..."Maddie quietly berated.
"The Mansons are Sams' "parents", and I use the term in the loosest sense of the word, but we don't act polite to them..." Jack muttered.
"They're the exception to that rule..."Maddie said though she was whispering to make sure that their guest could hear her.
Suddenly a small crash was heard and a box had been knocked to the ground, courtesy of Stella.
"Oops! Sorry! I didn't see it!..."Stella apologized.
Jack and Maddie sighed.
"It's okay, Stella. At least this one didn't have any beakers or lab equipment inside..."Maddie said as the only thing inside the box was old photos. "Wait, why are the old family pictures here?..."She asked.
"Sorry, Baby Cakes. I was doing some cleaning a while back and forgot that I left them here..."Jack apologized.
Stella helped by picking up some of the scattered fell pictures and even found a few photos of Jazz and Danny when they were kids. The blonde woman couldn't help but find those particular photos adorable.
Stella couldn't help but see the pictures and saw so many photos of Jack and Maddie spending time with younger versions of Jazz and Danny from the past looking so happy.
"Aw, I wonder if Maddie and Jack would mind if I show one of these baby pictures of Danny to Star. I just know that she'd gush over it..."Stella thought, knowing that her Star would absolutely love seeing this.
However, she knew that she should ask Jack and Maddie for permission first. She also spotted one picture of what looked to be Jack and Maddie on their wedding day, cutting the cake to be more precise.
"Aw, is this one of your wedding pictures? Oh Maddie, you look so lovely and Jack's wedding suit looks quite dapper...though...are you wearing goggles with your dress, Maddie?..."Stella questioned.
"I like them. Those were the only goggles I owned at the time and I was lucky that they also managed to match my wedding dress..."Maddie said, defending her fashion choices.
"Oh, I like them too. Gives it a really retro vibe..."Stella said, trying to save face.
Maddie wondered what she meant by "retro", but Stella kept trying to "help".
"Oh, look. You even got those cute matching bracelets too. I used the same kind for my wedding, only they were solid gold..."Stella said in an overly cheery way.
As Maddie and Jack tried to put the old pictures in a safe place, Stella couldn't help but think of her own wedding day.
"Oh, I love weddings! I can never forget the day I finally settled down with my soulmate!..."Stella thought, referring to Jean Luc as she thought back to the happiest day of her life.
FLASHBACK
Several Years Ago
Stella Traville was the happiest she had ever been.
This was the wedding of her dreams, she was wearing the most beautiful dress she could get her hands on, Eleanor was her maid of honor, her sisters and old friends were her bridesmaids, and family, friends, and fellow socialites were all here to watch her as she was about to be married with the love of her life.
The only man she ever loved and the only man she wanted to spend her life with. The priest had just finished their vows and now asked the all-important question.
"Stella Veronique Patricia Marie Traville, do you promise to love Johnathan Strong to be your lawful wedding husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, to love and to cherish, forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live, till death do you part?..."The priest asked.
Stella could feel the glare her mother was sending her from her seat, but Stella tried hard to ignore it.
"She's probably wishing I was marrying that Reginald guy she tried to set me up with. As if. Even if I didn't meet my John here, he wasn't even my type and everyone knows he's in love with that Darla girl. I don't know what Mother expected to happen..."Stella thought in annoyance but tried to focus on her wedding and on the man she whom loved and was marrying today.
Johathan, who had already said his vows was smiling lovingly at her.
"I do~..."Stella said, full of love and ignoring her mother for once.
"I pronounce these two husband and wife. You may kiss the bride..."The priest declared.
Johnathan and Stella shared their first kiss together as a married couple, while their guests applauded and cheered for them, all but Beatrice who continued to glare at her daughter as if to nonverbally say she was a disappointment.
For once, Stella didn't care as she continued to kiss her new husband with all the love she had for him.
"This is the happiest day of my life! I love you, Stella!..."Johnathan declared once the kiss ended.
"I love you too, John! Now and forever!..."Stella said before she pulled him in for another kiss, one that Johnathan was more than willing to return while going as far as to sweep her off her feet with a loving embrace.
Too bad "forever" didn't last as long as expected.
End of Flashback
Present time
The memory ended and Stella gasped and ended up dropping the feather duster in shock and pictures that she helped pick up.
"Stella, is something wrong?..."Maddie asked, wondering what was wrong.
"N-No. I...um...I thought I saw a bug! I was wrong!..."Stella lied, trying to hide how shaken she was right now as she hurriedly tried to pick up the photos she had dropped.
"Why did I remember THAT wedding?! I was supposed to think of when I married Jean-Luc, my current husband! Not Johnathan! What is wrong with me?!..."Stella thought in distress but tried to hide it.
Stella stopped while picking up half the pictures she had recently dropped and began wondering if there was some hidden meaning in her remembering her first wedding and not her second.
"What's wrong with me?!..."Stella's mind kept echoing that thought over and over again as she stared at the photos in her hands of the loving Fenton family from the past looking ever so happy.
A part of her couldn't help but feel some envy right now, though she wasn't sure why.
"When was the last time the whole family took a picture smiling like this? As in...smiling like they are actually happy like this?..."Star's mother thought, not understanding why she was feeling empty right now.
Unaware of Stella's turmoil now, Jack and Maddie put more pictures back in the box. However, Jack came across one and smiled.
"Hey Mads, look. It's one of your old high school pictures..."Jack said and his wife flinched.
"What? Oh no, not the one from freshman year. My hair was so wild back then..."Maddie said, looking embarrassed and even trying to make sure Stella didn't see it.
Her husband couldn't help but smile when he saw Maddie's high school photo, as he tried to cheer his wife up.
"I don't know why you hate this picture, Honey. You look so cute here..."Jack said in a caring way.
"Besides Ma and Pa, you're probably the only one who thinks that..."Maddie said in a sardonic way but saw the loving look her husband sent her.
Maddie returned it and planted a loving kiss on his cheek, getting a smile on his face. Stella saw the tender moment between Jack and Maddie and couldn't help but feel hollow inside right now.
"They truly look happy, don't they?..."Stella thought as she began to feel a tiny void inside her beginning to form.
Stella shook her head in denial of that empty feeling and reassured herself that it was her stomach aching from having such a light breakfast this morning.
"I really should double-check the freshness of that milk from this morning..."Stella thought, trying to rationalize the strange emptiness she suddenly felt and tried to think of something else.
"I wonder what Maddie is so embarrassed about? How bad can her high school freshman photo really be?..."Stella thought, still trying to distract herself with another thing to occupy herself.
"Maybe she's just camera shy..."Stella thought, recalling how back in high school Beatrice hired a pro photographer and forced the principal to put those in the yearbook from kindergarten all the way to university since she didn't trust some "second-rate" photographer for her children's school pictures.
"At least all my yearbook photos looked great... except all my peers hated me for that, especially the ones who had taken bad pictures..."Stella thought, realizing that even when her mother did something remotely nice for her it still ended up making her life more difficult.
She tried hard not to think about those unpleasant memories and just continued to "help" Danny's parents, trying hard not to think about whatever was happening to her right now.
Meanwhile
With Team Phantom
Team Phantom had jumped through the portal to chase after Plasmius. The portal then sent them to another point in time.
"GAH!..."They all yelled as they crashed to the ground.
"Is everyone okay?..."Danny asked, concerned.
"If by that, you mean, dizzy and covered in what I hope is all just dirt...we're stellar..."Sam said sarcastically.
"Little help over here, Danny-boo..."Star said as Danny helped her up.
"I haven't felt that nauseous, since we tried the Vomit Vortex at Floody Waters..."Tucker said.
"Same..."Danny groaned as he looked around and soon found themselves in some kind of rural area.
"Where and/or when are we now?..." Star asked, getting a bad feeling about this.
Danny saw the country town but could hear music in the distance that seemed to belong to a certain decade and a somewhat familiar atmosphere to him.
"We're in Spittoon, Arkansas. My mom's hometown..."Danny said as he spotted a nearby newspaper.
It was a new story with the headline about some man with the Loadman surname opening some new real estate office in Arkansas, whom Danny assumed had to be related to Toadman but he wasn't focusing on that. His eyes were on the DATE of the newspaper right now.
"And according to this paper, we're in the late seventies. When my folks were still in high school..."Danny added.
"Why am I not surprised that Vlad would use time travel to visit another younger version of my mom?..."Sam muttered.
Danny could hear what his goth friend said and was also creeped out by this outcome.
"What do you think he's up to this time?..." Star asked her boyfriend.
"Knowing Vlad, it's something insane and pathetic..."Danny said as he could only guess what was going on in that twisted mind of Plasmius.
"Wait, what time is it? And I mean what time period?..."Danny asked.
"No clue. Time travel really messes up my PDA..."Tucker said as he shook his device.
Danny rolled his eyes but soon spotted a nearby clock on the town building with a street newspaper box next to it.
"It's 3:30...and if the date on the newspaper is right...I think I know where Plasmius is headed..." Danny said.
Thankful the young heroes had at least one lead to follow and immediately took it, as they all started heading towards a nearby town called Spittoon.
Danny had an idea where his Plasmius was heading now...wherever the younger version of Maddie Fenton would be right now.
"At least I don't have to worry about meeting people who knew my parents..."Sam muttered.
"Or my Mom. And I'm pretty sure that my Dad never visited this town before in his life, at least as far as I know..." Star said, having had enough when she met her grandfather's younger self.
"Let's just hope that he's not trying to get rid of our parents before we are born..."Tucker said.
"Not yet that is. But let's just be thankful that he probably doesn't know where our own parents are right now..." Star said cynically, knowing it wouldn't take much for Vlad to consider that option.
"True..." Danny said as they went to search for that fruitloop before he messed up with time anymore.
With Stella
Stella was trying hard not to show her real turmoil and kept a fake smile as she kept "helping" the Fentons.
While Jack kept thinking of the past, Maddie noticed how quiet Stella had been and hadn't even asked anything about what her photo looked like. Which was strange for the blonde woman to not be curious about, so the Fenton matriarch walked up to her and checked if she was all alright.
"Johnathan? Why?..."Stella thought, feeling a little gloomy now.
"Stella, are you okay?..."Maddie asked, raising a brow.
"Oh, never better..."Stella lied with a forced smile.
Maddie didn't quite believe that Stella was being fully honest with her when she responded with a raised eyebrow. Stella could instantly tell that Maddie wasn't buying anything she was selling, so she tried a different tactic to avoid certain topics. Conversational gossip talk.
"Quick Stella, think of a different topic to steer this conversation somewhere else!..."The blonde woman thought as she tried to remember something interesting that she heard from the gossip grapevine to suddenly mention.
"Ugh! This thing weighs a ton!..."Jack said, trying to move the ecto-converter that needed repairs before they reattached it to the RV.
"Careful dear, remember what happened the last time..."Maddie said and Jack rolled his eyes.
"Not my fault that those Mansons wouldn't stop whining just because the RV's ecto-converter exploded and the goop landed on their car..."Jack complained, still not seeing that incident as his fault.
Hearing those names, Stella suddenly recalled an embarrassing piece of juicy gossip that just might be able to help her out of a difficult conversation.
"Speaking of the Mansons...Wanna hear something juicy...When she and her husband were trying to start their own country club they snuck in to copy the golden guild room's decorations and tried to hire the same caterers because they were still bitter that Eleanor banned them from the club and refused to let them into the Golden Guild. They even tried to hire decorators and have them blatantly copy the exact same appearance of the lobby. So pathetic..."Stella said in a gossipy way, mostly to change the subject.
"Wait, really?! I didn't know that!..."Jack immediately responded after hearing that and was now focused on the conversation gossiping about the Manson's.
"Tell me more..."He added as the Mansons looking like fools is always entertaining to him.
"They hadn't even decided on where to build their club and were planning that part and mentioning something about making the entrance gate was going to be made out of solid gold. So unprofessional. My older brother says that any businessman worth his salt at the very least tries to listen to their contractor and construction planner before they blow their money on any major projects..."Stella said.
"I can see that happening..."Maddie said.
"Me too. They act like they are some fancy pants big shots, even though they just mooch off all of Ida's money..."Jack said in disgust.
"Tell me about it..."Stella said, hoping to continue this topic of conversation.
"Yeah, Jeremy and Pamela simply lived off the Manson fortune until Jeremy decided to invest in a supermarket and even then they seem to leave it to some manager to run it..."Maddie commented.
"Yeah, I know a few other rich elites that do similar investments to boost their wealth, though my father and older brother both at the very least have real business skills and people skills to actually make it successful. While those two just bark orders to whoever they hire and expect them to do everything. So unprofessional, I give it three years before that little business venture of theirs flops..."Stella said.
"You're giving them THAT long?..."Maddie snarked, thinking it would take less time for that hypothetical outcome to come true.
"I say that business venture of theirs won't last a whole year..."Jack said, being generous with his estimate.
"Thank gossiping topics..."Stella thought, thankful that she remembered such trivial information to help her escape certain conversational discussions.
Mostly to avoid talking about her own problems and feelings.
And it worked...for now.
Back to the past
Team Phantom manages to locate Maddie's old high School, which had just been closed for summer break.
They saw several dozen teens leave and head for their respective homes. However, Team Phantom was currently looking for someone specific right now.
"Do any of you guys see the eventual future Mrs. F?..."Tucker asked.
"I don't see her, but she should be nearby...and knowing Plasmius, he can't be that far behind..."Danny said, hoping that his hunch was right.
While most of Team Phantom looked for the younger version of Maddie Fenton, Star then spoke up on a thought that crossed her mind.
"So, what do you think his bright idea is this time? I mean, I can kind of understand the whole him trying to get his younger self with your mom in college, but how is he supposed to make it work if he didn't even know her during high school?..." Star asked, still lost about this.
"We'll find out soon enough..." Danny said.
"Come on, where are you past mom?..." Danny thought as he continued searching for her.
"I'm kind of hoping she wasn't lying when she told me she never skipped school as a kid..."Danny muttered.
"Not really anything to do here. We should keep looking..." Sam said, having seen most of the town on the walk here.
"So, what do you think his bright idea is this time? I mean, I can kind of get him trying to get his younger self with your mom in college but how is he supposed to make it work if he didn't even know her during high school?..."Star asked, still lost about this.
"We'll find out soon enough. Knowing Vlad whatever plan he has is crazy..."Danny said, stating the obvious.
"No duh..."Sam, Tucker, and Star all said at the same time, as they kept searching.
"What is it this time? Kidnap his teen self and smuggle him from Wisconsin to Arkansas?..." Star asked.
"Knowing Vlad he'd do that..."Tucker, Sam, and Danny say at the same time since they could see him doing that.
"Yeah it does and it still sounds creepy and overly dramatic for him to do instead of seeking out therapy..." Star replied.
"Tell me something I don't know..."Danny muttered as they kept searching, hoping to stop him before he did anything else to mess up the timeline.
Meanwhile
With Vlad
"Where is she? I have yet to see my future queen. I know that this is her hometown, so where on earth could she be?..."The villain thought impatiently.
He had already found one pawn for his plot, and he needed to find the other one to make his ultimate backup plan successful.
The first pawn was his teenage self, and the missing pawn was Maddie's teen self, in order to change when and where they first met and make sure that they fall in love.
As he said, he already managed to locate and bring his younger self here, though it wasn't easy since despite this being a small, rural town, there were too many youngsters around and he was having trouble locating Maddie's younger self.
"How many children can be possibly enrolled here? This town is so small that it's not even on the map..."Vlad thought while frowning, upset this was taking too long.
Even so, he also was watching over this other pawn for his greatest plan, wanting to make sure that things all go according to his plot. Plasmius watches his younger self walking through the town, a disgusted look on his face.
"Ugh, this is totally bogus. I can't believe Father dragged us here for Summer Break. What was he thinking? I could be having a totally righteous time at the beach right now, instead of here in this totally lame country town..."Young Vlad said, hating this place, and even rudely ignored the people around him and glanced at his camera in his hands.
He recently taken photography as a hobby, but so far, couldn't find anything he deemed worthy to take a picture of. His older self, still invisible, saw the camera and raised a brow.
"Oh right, I forgot that I went through that artistic phase in high school and wanted to be a photographer. What a waste of time that little hobby was..."Vlad thought, as he didn't really think much of his youth before the accident.
"Seriously? Nothing here is even worth taking a picture of. So bogus..."He grumbled in frustration as he put the camera back in his backpack.
That wasn't the only reason he was bored and upset with this so-called vacation.
"Why did we have to go here for this "vacation"? There aren't even any cute girls around here either. School ended last week and this is already the worst summer ever!..."Teen Vlad grumbled as he kept trying to find a signal.
Older Vlad rolled his eyes.
"Honestly, I can't believe my younger self was such a disrespectful little punk. I don't remember acting that way at all. Perhaps it's because he hasn't been through my accident yet. No matter, things will get better once we meet Maddie and set things right..."Vlad thought as he kept an eye on his younger self.
He knew that he needed him.
His plan involved overshadowing his parents into forcing them to take a "vacation" to Spittoon, Arkansas, knowing that Maddie was there, all for the chance of having his younger self meet Maddie, long before Jack could corrupt her.
"This will all be worth it once we meet our soulmate and become a happy couple and live out the romance with Maddie I always dreamed of and finally live a happily ever after that should have been yours..."Vlad told himself, oblivious to a certain flaw in his plan.
Namely, he didn't know where his "soulmate" was right now or what she looked like at this time. Still, he still felt arrogant about his plan's success.
"Now where could my perfect angel be?..."Vlad thought as he searched for his bride to be in this time. "Knowing my beautiful Maddie, she must be the queen among these peasants of this backwater town..."He thought.
However, the evil one's plot was soon put on hold when his archenemies finally spotted him.
"PLASMIUS!..."Danny shouted as he and his team showed up, having found his archenemy pretty quickly.
Vlad saw them and glared.
"Seriously? You all again? It's like a fly that I can't swat away no matter how hard I try..."Vlad complained.
"Funny, I thought the same about you since I met you..."Danny said, annoyed.
"Witty..."Vlad said sarcastically.
"What's the evil plan this time? Trying to overshadow your old high school to elect you prom king or something like you did with the town election?..."Tucker said sarcastically.
"As if I'd tell you little nuisances. Just know that you are already too late and the wheels are set in motion..."Vlad said, looking smug.
Team Phantom saw a teenager who eerily looked a lot like Vlad did who was currently bored out of his mind as he walked around town, and they instantly knew what it meant.
"Seriously? You actually kidnapped your younger self in order to use him to get closer to my mom as a teenager?!..."Danny said in disbelief, as he had half hoped he was wrong.
"I didn't kidnap him. I merely overshadowed my father into taking a vacation near here and then...well, play cupid as you'd say..."Vlad said, and Danny rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, that's totally LESS insane and desperate sounding..."Danny said sarcastically.
He wasn't the only one who honestly thought Vlad was losing more of his sanity than before now.
"I don't know which is grosser, you making your younger self chase after your college crush or the fact that you think it'll actually work!..." Star said, arms crossed.
"I'd say the fact he thinks it'll work is the grosser option..."Sam answered, looking visibly disgusted.
Vlad glared at them.
"No matter what you think, it's already too late. My younger self is already here and it's only a matter of time before he crosses paths with our precious Maddie and starts our love story..."Vlad said, still confident this would work.
"And I thought Colette was delusional when it came to love..."Star muttered.
"They both are, but unlike her, Vlad actually has powers to make him even more unhinged and dangerous..."Danny said.
"Stop talking like I'm not here! It's very rude!..."Vlad said, irritated.
"That's rich coming from a guy who sees everyone, besides himself, as pieces on a chess board and doesn't care about what happens to them!..."Sam snapped at him, while Vlad ignored her and focused on his younger self in order to guide him to his "destiny".
Unfortunately for him, his younger self apparently ended up bumping into someone as he turned the corner, knocking them to the ground.
"Ow!..."
"Watch it!..."Young Vlad said.
Everyone briefly stopped their fight to see this and saw that Vlad had bumped into some girl, but rudely got up and didn't even bother to help her. Present Vlad hoped that his younger self had found Maddie, but to his disappointment, it seemed to be just some random local.
He saw a young girl with curly, wild untamable brown hair and wearing overalls, she was slightly overweight and had braces, glasses, and freckles on her face. He also saw how his younger self had run into her and was now in some silly argument.
"Who is that?..."Vlad said, as his younger self started to be rude to her.
Danny saw this and sighed.
"I could tell him, but he won't believe me..."He thought before he realized something important and smiled.
While the young half-ghost boy smiled a confident grin on his face, knowing what this meant.
"Your plan already failed before it even started, Plasmius..."Danny said, knowing what was happening.
"What are you blabbing about, Daniel?..."Vlad demanded.
"You claim you love my mom, but you just love how pretty she is. You don't actually care about her as a person. She's nothing but some decoration you want to gloat about and snow off..."Danny said, while his enemy denied it.
"Lies! My love for Maddie is true, pure and sincere! No matter what, I would always love her no matter what she looks like or how she dresses!..."Vlad insisted, while Team Phantom rolled their eyes.
"Really, then look around. You really can't recognize her now, Fruitloop..." Danny said as the younger version of Vlad and the girl were arguing now.
"What are you saying? I don't see Maddie anywhere..."Vlad said, but he would soon see what Danny meant.
His younger self and the annoying girl were still arguing.
"Watch it, you ugly little piglet..."The young Vlad said in a rude tone.
"You watch it, city boy! I got a black belt and I ain't afraid to use my moves!..."The girl said, already hating this guy.
"I guess that they never taught you manners in the big city, huh? And the name isn't Piglet, It's Maddie McDonaldson!..."The young girl declared, hating this arrogant young man.
Hearing that made the evil half-ghost freeze for a moment before his jaw dropped and his eyes widened in horror.
"THAT'S MADDIE?! HOW?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BEAUTIFUL ANGEL?!..."Vlad shouted, unable to believe such a plain girl ever once was Maddie.
Danny, having instantly recognized his mother from old photos he'd found when he was younger, smirked as he perfectly predicted how Vlad's seemingly perfect plan crumbled before him.
He also knew that one of his theories about Vlad was true and that incident had just proven that all he cared about was how she looked.
"Yep. That's my mom. Back when she was in high school during her freshman year..." Danny said, while Vlad still looked lost.
"You met my mom in college, after she lost some weight and started to dress more fashionably, but according to my grandma, she went through an awkward phase during her first year of high school. Sort of like being an ugly duckling or something like that until she got more confidence by the end of sophomore year. Funny how people can change when they're not letting one lousy bad day rule your whole life..." Danny said, looking smug when he saw the younger version of his mom slap the younger version of Vlad.
The hit itself was hard enough to not only leave a hand-printed mark on the younger Vlad's face but also cause him to fall over his feet and onto the ground.
"NEVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN, YOU JERK!..."Young Maddie shouted at him, furious.
"If I wasn't such a gentleman, I'd totally sue you, you witch!..."Young Vlad shouted back, unaware that would be the same woman he'd soon fall in love with during college.
And that he just made himself look like an even bigger jerk now, which he would later regret. Not that he noticed or cared now.
His older self, however, really regretted what just happened.
"You little idiot! Do you even realize what you just cost us?!..."Vlad said in dismay, while Team Phantom sent him a disgusted look.
"I see you're just as "charming" back then as you are now..."Sam said sarcastically with an eye roll.
"If that's how you talk to girls as soon as you meet then... Let me guess, you never even got a date for the prom, did you?..."Tucker said, striking a nerve within Vlad.
"AS IF YOU HAVE ANY RIGHT TO TALK?! I know for a fact that you aren't exactly the ladies man you like to think you are!..."Vlad snapped.
"At least I can handle rejection, and I at least have a better chance of going to the prom with someone special to me, than you do with getting Mrs. F to see you as more than just the walking pile of trash you are..."Tucker said, referring to Valerie and making the half-ghost furious.
"He's not lying. Especially about the trash part..."Star said as she thought about Valerie.
However, Vlad refused to admit defeat just yet.
"Whatever! This is all just a small mishap. Besides, your father only loved your mother for her looks, it was so obvious. We both met her at the same time and place, all your accusations about me also apply to your father as well..."Vlad accused, but Danny shook his head.
"My dad isn't like you, Plasmius. He actually treats my mom like she's a human being and he's seen her at her worst and still loves her for who she is. While you just love how she looks..." Danny rebutted, while the bitter half-ghost refused to accept this.
"You're so naive, Daniel. Where's your proof that Jack truly does love Maddie beyond her looks?..."Vlad demanded, not believing a word of this.
The ghost boy rolled his eyes. However, he spotted someone familiar nearby and suddenly could predict what would soon happen. And it would not turn out well for the fruitloop, both versions of him.
"If you don't believe me, then just wait and watch..." Danny answered while waiting for history to correct itself.
He watched the younger version of his mother reject the teenage version of his arch-enemy and then herself back home after dealing with being so rude to her.
"What a waste of time dealing with that creep, this is so not how I wanted to start my summer vacation..."Young Maddie grumbled. "And here I was all happy that I got a letter from my pen pal from the city, Jackie. He's the only one I can talk about science and ghosts and he doesn't treat me like some oddball like everyone else..."She mumbled as she walked off in a bad mood.
Still, she started thinking of what to write back to Jack. All the while, unaware that she was being watched by a very friendly half-ghost and his friends, as well as his archenemy.
"Huh, I didn't know that part..." Danny thought, before shrugging and assuming that this was still part of his parents' romantic history with each other.
Maddie was still in the process of writing her letter to her pen pal Jackie when someone gently tapped her on her shoulder.
Once Maddie turned around, she saw a boy around her age, only he was a fair bit taller than her by a foot and a half and he was a little chubby and wearing some baggy clothes.
"C-can I help you with something?..." Young Maddie asked the tall boy in front of her, but she wasn't going to back down if this one ended up as another jerk like the last.
"Ah...hello, my name is Jackie Fenton. Can you tell me where the closest mechanic is? My folks and I are on our summer road trip and our engine stopped working. It's totally bogus..."The young man named Jack said, causing Maddie's hostility to calm down.
"Oh, sure. I can show you where the shop is..."Young Maddie said as she led him and his parents in that direction.
Danny saw the younger version of his parents meet and smiled, knowing Vlad's claim would soon be proven wrong.
"I wasn't expecting him to be here. Maybe Clockwork is intervening because Vlad was messing with time..." Danny wondered.
Or maybe it was a coincidence. Either way, it's a win-win.
Anyway, after young Maddie helped Jack and his family find the nearest mechanic shop, Jack's parents talked with the mechanic, while the two teens began to talk. But before either teen could begin to make some small chat, young Jack noticed that the nice brunette girl, who helped him and his family, looked a bit upset about something.
"Are you okay? You look like someone who just drank spoiled milk..."Jackie asked.
"It's nothing. Before I talked to you, some jerk was being really rude and getting on my nerves. He didn't even apologize for bumping into me acted like it was my fault and didn't even try and ask if I was okay. Do you believe it?..."Young Maddie said.
Jackie frowned.
"That's no way to treat a lady. That guy seriously sounds like he has some attitude problem that he'd better fix and soon..."He said, not realize how much of an understatement that is.
"You okay?..."Jackie asked again.
"I'm fine. I'm a lot tougher than I look. That creep just got on my nerves, that's all..."Young Maddie said.
"So, you think maybe it's possible that guy might have been under the influence of some supernatural forces like ghosts, or that he was some stick in the mud with an oversized ego?..."Jack asked as he tried to cheer her up.
"I guess Mr. Fenton's always been obsessed with ghosts, even now..."Star thought as they continued to watch this.
"You know, I almost wish it was a ghost, just so I don't have to feel bad for decking him if he shows his sorry face around me again..."Young Maddie said, unaware that older Vlad was cringing now as this continued.
"You know how to fight?..."Jackie asked, not as an accusation but as a curious question.
"I got my first-degree black belt and I plan to go all the way to ninth. Even if it takes till I'm as old as my meemaw..."Young Maddie said, sounding proud.
"It doesn't take that long, Mom..." Danny thought as they continued to watch the past versions of his parents meeting.
"A black belt?..."Young Jack asked out loud, sounding fascinated.
The girl nodded and even did an ax kick and a karate chop to prove it, one that broke the block of wood in half.
This was his reaction.
"Wow!..."He said, looking stunned in awe.
"Thanks..."Young Maddie said, smiling.
"I see loving strong women is genetic in your family..."Star said with an amused look as she glanced at her boyfriend.
"Maybe..."Danny said, blushing a bit.
"Bah! So sickening!..."Vlad said in bitterness and disgust as he was still sure that Maddie would find this version of Jack to be idiotic and reject him.
Or rather he had hoped that would happen.
Nope, she still didn't mind his company as he kept talking to her.
"Still...If it helps, I can make something for you to take your anger out on, so you don't get arrested..."Jackie said as he got an idea.
He even went the extra mile by pulling out a balloon and some tread from his back pocket. Then started blowing up a balloon and drew a crudely drawn face on it, tied it to a stick with some tread, and stuck it in the mud, causing the brunette girl to laugh.
"I see even back then he was an idiot..."Older Vlad said in annoyance, believing he was making a fool of himself in front of Maddie right now.
"That's not what my mom thinks..."Danny said as he saw the way she was laughing now.
It was the same way she laughed whenever she was with his father when he was being funny or did one of his usual good-natured blunders. The kind that showed she still loved him no matter what.
"He's kind of funny..."Young Maddie thought, her sour mood was certainly lifted after this newcomer went to such lengths just to make her laugh.
Unfortunately, Young Maddie accidentally stepped on a loose section of the sidewalk and started to lose her balance.
"Whoa!..."She said as she was about to fall.
"I got you!..."Jackie said as he caught her and helped her regain their balance.
The two were silent for a moment until they realized how close they were and stepped back, blushing and looking flustered right now.
"You okay?..."Jackie asked, trying to hide his blush.
"I'm fine. Thanks..."Young Maddie said, appreciating his help.
"Happy to help..."Jackie said, avoiding eye contact with her for a moment.
After a few minutes of awkwardness, Young Jack then remembered something that he nearly forgot to do. He pulled out a notebook he had and started writing something down as he waited for his parents to be done.
But while he was in the middle of writing, he needed to ask Maddie a question that was important to him.
"Say, do you happen you know where the post office is?..."Young Jack asked Young Maddie, causing a bit of confusion in the young brunette girl.
"Yeah, I do know where it is..."Young Maddie replied.
"That's totally perfect, just me like one or two minutes to finish this letter and you can escort me there..."Young Jack said as he went back to what he was doing before.
"What are you doing?..."Young Maddie asked as she noticed this guy was writing something on a piece of paper.
"Oh, nothing much. I've been writing to my pen pal. Miss McDonaldson, her first name is Madeline, but she prefers to be called Maddie by people close to her. Not that I'm close to her or anything, I haven't even met her yet but I always wanted to meet her and talk to her about ghosts, like how work and how their existence affects our world because of it..." Young Jack excitedly said, really wanting to meet his pen pal who shares his fascination with the supernatural.
All the while, he surprised the girl in the process. Once Young Jack finished his letter to his pen-pal he looked towards the young brunette, but he was a bit confused by the way she was staring at him.
"Do I have something on my face?..."Jackie asked, sounding clueless.
"No...it...it's just...Actually...I'm Madeline McDonaldson...or just Maddie..." Young Maddie answered, causing young Jack to go silent out of pure surprise.
"Wait?! Are you serious?!..."Young Jack asked, surprised.
The girl nodded.
"Well, unless there is another Maddie McDonaldson who lives in Spitton who loves talking about ghosts and has a guy named Jackie as her pen pal, then I'm your gal..."Maddie said, a little flustered as she finally met her pen pal, face to face.
Young Jack was surprised as well but soon smiled.
"Wait...for real? I...wow...I always knew my pen pal was from Arkansas but I didn't expect to actually meet you her! Awesome! I mean...what are the odds of that? I noticed that you both have the same first name but I thought it was just a coincidence!..."Jack said, before realizing he was in front of said pen pal.
"Y-Yeah...what are the odds?..."Maddie said, suddenly shy right now as she talked to him.
"What the heck is all of this?!..."Older Vlad asked, not understanding what was happening.
"Something you don't understand. It's called real love..." Danny said as they watched his parents' new first meeting with each other.
Something Vlad spent twenty years obsessing over a woman who wanted nothing to do with him. It was a sad sad life that Vlad made for himself, as if he never got over his crush and spent the rest of his life thinking she was the only girl for him.
That was such a scary thought.
"Most people would consider calling this kind of romantic encounter a meet-cute. I also think that this setup is so adorable..." Star said, finding Danny's parents' new first meet-up really sweet.
They all continued to watch the encounter, remaining invisible the entire time.
Young Jack and Young Maddie were quiet for a moment, blushing a bit, and both teenage versions of Maddie and Jack acted like shy kids it until one of them spoke up.
"Do you...wanna...you know...grab a soda with me?..."Young Jack asked, being a little shy.
Young Maddie smiled brightly.
"I thought you'd never ask..."She said, smiling at the nice guy who was really nice to her.
The two left together, hand in hand and smiling, greatly enjoyed each other's company.
Vlad's jaw dropped but Danny smiled.
"Never doubted it for a moment..." The ghost boy said, before looking at Vlad. "Look at that. Dad doesn't care about my mom's looks at all. He loves her for who she is...so... IN YOUR FACE, FRUITLOOP!..." Danny gloated, laughing at his face.
"Aw, that was so romantic! I guess no matter what, your mom and dad would always fall in love with each other, regardless of circumstances and things. Even meeting each other slightly sooner than what we were told..."Star said, finding this wonderful.
"Yeah, normally I hate mushy stuff but I'm glad to see Mr. and Mrs. Fenton get together kind of like this..." Sam said, enjoying Vlad's misery right now.
"Were they supposed to meet today or is this some side effect from the fruitloop messing with time?..." Tucker couldn't help but wonder and this made the other girls think the same thing.
"Let's just see this as a glass-half-full moment for now..." Star said, deciding they would fix whatever issues later.
Vlad silently grumbles around a corner after seeing the younger versions of both Maddie and Jack walk away together, but wonders where his younger self went off too.
"Wait...where is my past self?..."Vlad demanded, wondering where that idiot was right now.
Plasmius then spotted his younger self from a few blocks away and could be seen talking to an admittedly pretty young woman, who didn't seem to enjoy his attention.
"So...uh...miss...could I buy you a soda?..."Young Vlad asked, smitten by the pretty country girl.
The same girl who did NOT seem flattered in the least.
"Get lost, Nerd! I don't date jerks who are mean to my baby sister!..."The girl said in an angry tone that Danny recognized before walking off.
"So, Aunt Alicia has always been the same..."Danny thought.
Suddenly Vlad's whole sense of reality came crashing down on him again.
"THAT WAS ALICIA?! HOW?! How could there have ever been a time that my beautiful Maddie looked like a troll and that troll woman actually looked human?!..."Vlad said, looking like he was about to lose his mind.
"Hey, take that back about my mom and my aunt! They're awesome! Mom might have needed some braces in high school, but she's still the same person. And Aunt Alicia was prom queen and captain of the wrestling team, but they are still the same person..." Danny said defensively while enjoying Vlad's misery at the same time.
"YOU KNEW ALL ABOUT THIS, DIDN'T YOU?!..."Vlad accused.
"Uh...about basic facts of my mom and her family when she was a kid? No duh. My parents told us about how they became a couple. While they met officially in college, apparently they had been pen pals and talked all about ghosts since high school. Why do you think they instantly become a couple after you meet them in college?..." Danny said like Vlad said something stupid.
Of course, he didn't actually know every detail of his parents' romance and he didn't want to but he wasn't going to admit that to Vlad. After all the grief he's put his family and friends through, it was funny making the fruitloop look like a fool.
"Aw, isn't that romantic? I guess Mr. and Mrs. Fenton really are made for each other. Those two are living proof that true love like that does exist in this world..." Star said, looking smug while Vlad seemed to snap.
The villain yelled now.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! You can't be serious! I don't know how you're doing this, but I won't let you ruin my destiny!..."Vlad shouted in fury, looking more deranged than ever now.
"Get over yourself, Plasmius! The only one who ruined your life is you spending twenty years obsessing over one bad day!..." Danny shouted.
"A single bad day that extended for years afterward, but I don't expect any of you children to understand the pain that I want and lived through that time!..."Vlad argued back.
"Most people who get in a lab accident don't rob banks, steal other people's businesses, and obsess over a girl who loves someone else..." Danny snarked.
"You have no idea what you're talking about!..."Vlad yelled, firing a wide blast.
Danny dodges the blast that cuts through some distant trees and a water tower.
"I know enough that you're just some bitter, miserable, lonely, putrid, single maniac who just can't accept that he has been rejected and move on with his life. You even named your house cat after my mom, that's just weird for a number of reasons..." Danny said while Vlad continued to lose it.
"SILENCE! I am going to get my true love and wipe you and your sister off the face of the earth, so that my and Maddie's children can take their rightful place in the world! And I'll do that by making sure your oaf of a father never exists by making sure your grandparents never even meet!..."Vlad shouted in a deranged way, shocking the rest of Team Phantom with how unhinged he was being right now.
"NEVER GONNA HAPPEN! YOU PSYCHOPATH!..." Danny shouted, grabbing the infimap and trying to take it.
"Darn it, Daniel! Let go of my map!..."Vlad yelled as he tried hard to hold on tightly around his part of the Infi-map.
"You let it go, you maniac!..." Danny shouted as he tried to stop his arch-enemy.
The two ghost-powered men began to grapple, both holding the map and trying to take it from the other. Suddenly the sound of ripping could be heard by everyone, the two separated with a rip the infimap split in two, much to their shock.
"Oh no!..."Danny said in dread.
"Oh, butter biscuits!..."Vlad said, also in dread now.
The pieces of the map started to glow and sparks appeared, an ominous white light began to shine amongst all the pieces.
"Look what you've done!..." Vlad accused.
"What I did?! You did it, you Fruitloop!..."Danny shouted as he tried to protect Star and his friends.
However, the shining lights of the pieces of the Infi-map continued to shine brighter than before. Each piece starts floating in mid-air. The shards of the Infi-map began to glow brighter, hitting every member of Team Phantom and Vlad sending them flying through portals.
Each and every single one of them is heading towards places that would be who knows where or when.
Next time on Theft
Scattered In Time
A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
A/N(2): Special thanks for Luiz4200, 61394, Jay The Average Fanboy and NeoMark for their help. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
RonaldM40196867:
1) Stella has noticed that Johanthan and Danny have some things in common.
2) I thought it would be interesting.
3) I see your point.
4) Danny is aware how bizarre Paulina's obsession is.
5) I guess they never considered it.
6) I'll consider it. Thanks.
7) Yolanda is very greedy.
8) Right.
9) Darla was Donovan's mother and Reginald's late wife who passed away when Donovan was younger.
10) Reginald disinherited Donovan and took away his car.
11) Sam just wanted to use that name.
12) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
13) I think Alex or Samantha would like Danny.
14) Yes, The Traville family has known Reginald's family for years.
Jebest4781 and Eecobeo: Thank you :)
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
Luiz4200: Jean-Puke's brother married and took his wife's last name about 15 years the events of "Blackmailed".
Darkblade2814: I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) Wulf would probably like soccer or basketball.
2) I think if Dani debited in that episode, I see her things more or less happening the same way it happened in the show.
3) Star probably would have been confused but I think she and Danielle still would have been friends in the end.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)