And here's the second of the lost chapters I promised. Be aware there's a few things that may not make that much sense, but that's only because they were part of intended, possibly abandoned, plot-threads I may or may not decide to develop when I do indeed make a full return to this story.
Chapter 3: Encounters
…June 28th 2010 – Kensington, Kansas…
He had rested for the remainder of the day and for the entire night, and now, at about 6:53, he awoke feeling better than ever; which unfortunately for him, wasn't good at all.
As soon as they knew that he was awake, which took only about thirty seconds, Lucy & Ali dragged Vlad down to the kitchen for a very meaty breakfast. Once the breakfast was finished, they then said that there was work to be done. And so here he was, the genius who had tried to take over the world, tending to the chickens. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
"How, Ali? How can I be doing it wrong? It's just a bird"
"Because you just are," the girl replied ", here I'll show you how"
She showed him, and to his frustration, it all seemed so simple. He grunted in frustration. Damn this. "Ma said that if you're not able to get the chicken eggs, ya could always help with the cows" A pang of dread struck his heart. Anything but that. "Alright! I'll do it"
As soon as Vlad returned his attentions to the chickens, he began to mumble. All that Ali could discern was the name "Maddie", or was he saying Patty. She shrugged it off.
"Hey, David?" she asked. Vlad turned to her and quizzed as to her question. "When you fell from the sky, I thought you were a vampire". Oh, god. He went pale. ", but you're much nicer than what the stories say…"
"Ali, I already told you, I am not a vampire"
"I didn't tell anyone about ya, David. Honest" she pleaded ", plus I kinda like you, even if you are a little grouchy" He chuckled warmly, and returned to the chickens again.
Vlad yelped in pain and pulled his hand away from the nest, to see a small gash on the back of his hand. "Wait there, I'll go get some band-aids", she said quickly, and ran out of the chicken coop.
While she was gone, Vlad sensed his opportunity. So, in spite of his bleeding hand, he turned both hands intangible, and dashed about the coop taking the eggs. He didn't take notice, however, of the pair of eyes that were watching him from the window.
Ali didn't say a thing, though, instead she just simply watched him from the window.
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…June 28th 2010 – Middleton…
It was just as she thought it would be. Kim's parents were very understanding. They were even happy for her. Happy that their daughter's mood had improved, and for her to, at last, have another case.
The wait was tedious; incredibly tedious. She and Ron had been waiting for about 50 minutes, and by the looks of things, it was going to take another 50, at least. "Ah, screw this," Ron said loudly ", I'm gonna get a coffee" He took two steps before he turned around and said, ", you want one too?" She smiled. "Thanks, Ron. I'd like that"
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The now-titled Dan Faustino let out a heavy, semi-relieved, sigh from deep within him, and sat up straight. His plane was landing. The in-flight movie that he had chosen to watch finished ten minutes ago. When it finished, he began to read a book, the same book that he now had resting in his lap.
He'd tried to get Tucker to hack into the Guys-In-White's database. But the organization had long ago planned for such a thing, and had installed sufficient countermeasures. So he had no idea of who he was supposed to be staying with.
Danny cut off whatever thoughts were running through his head and jumped back to reality as the plane landed. He stood up silently and grabbed his bag, letting his neck & back muscles crack as he leaned in for it. He pushed his sunglasses up higher, and with polite grace, he exited the plane.
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Ron arrived with the two coffees and a BIG bag of donuts. "How much did they cost?" She asked. "Not much. Only a few dollars" he replied "Want one?"
He held the bag towards her and she looked at them, looked at them hungrily. "No thanks. I'm trying to watch my weight". Ron chucked. "What's that for?" she asked. "Kim, you do NOT need to watch your weight. So believe me when I say that; You, Kim Possible are HOT as hell". She blushed at his comment, took her coffee, and then kissed him for a few moments; letting her tongue brush across his sugar-covered lips. "Boo-yah, Ron" she purred seductively.
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Danny looked around; silently looking for the one he was to be staying with. It didn't take him long. His eyes fell on a neon green sign with the name "Dan Faustino" written in bold black lettering. His eyes then fell on the beholders of the sign and he froze. Oh, crap. He knew who these two were. It was Team Possible, the crime fighting duo, and in all honesty, they were probably cooler heroes than him.
Danny sighed and then strode over to them cautiously. Here we go, he thought. "Hi" he said plainly. Smooth move, Fenton. "I'm Dan Faustino".
After she and Ron set the sign on the floor, Kim smiled pleasantly, "I'm Kim Possible, and this is my boyfriend Ron Stoppable. You're gonna be staying with me and my family".
"Hey, I know you. You're Kim Possible, the girl who can do anything" Danny said, trying to lighten the mood. Kim's mood improved upon hearing his words. "Yeah, that's me. Anyway, we'd better get going. It's quite late", she said.
They took off, not noticing, however, the three dark figures watching them from afar.
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As soon as they were all bundled into Kim's car, Ron spoke "Are you hungry, Dan? Why don't we get some Nacos?"
Danny was about to ask Ron what a "Naco" was, when a pink rodent came from out of nowhere and screamed with joy "Nacos!". Danny jumped in fright at the sudden appearance of the anthropomorphic rat. "What's that thing?" he asked. Ron and Kim looked at him with slight confusion. "That "Thing" as you put it, is my little buddy Rufus. He's harmless" Ron said.
"Anyway, let's get going. The Tweebs have got their new friend over."
"Naco?" Ron asked. "No, Ron. No Naco" she replied. Rufus whined and went back into his hiding place, wherever that was.
Two-and-a-Half minutes into the drive, Kim spoke up "Dan, is spaghetti alright?" "What?" "I asked you if spaghetti was alright; for dinner I mean" "Spaghetti's fine"
The rest of the journey ran silent.
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"Here we are" she announced as they pulled into the driveway of the Possible house. From simply looking at the outside, Danny got chills; he was at Kim Possible's house. Oh, Tucker was gonna be so jealous. He knew that his friend had a crush on her.
"That's becoming a staple for you isn't it, Kim?" Ron said.
"What is?" she enquired.
"Saying "here we are". I mean you've said it the last few times we've arrived"
She couldn't prevent the laugh that escaped her; and thought it sounded rude; the laugh soon turned into a loud, belting roar. Danny, of course, didn't get the joke. He knew that he wasn't meant to. That joke was for Kim, alone.
Once she had stopped laughing they exited the car. "Nice, place" Danny exclaimed in awe. "Really?" she asked. "Oh, yeah; my house isn't really a pleasant thing to look at. It's a really grimy, old place, which looks like something from a Tim Burton film"
Kim, of course, laughed again; leaving them still outside. "Well, shall we" Ron interrupted. "Oh, yeah, you're right"
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Danny was amazed by the utter neatness of the place. Not to mention the layout. It was nothing at all like his house; there was no fudgy smell in the air, nor was there a dark spot. The whole room had a cheery and wholesome family air to it, as opposed to the almost Tim Burton-ish feel to his home. This place was awesome.
"My parents will probably be in the kitchen. Come on" she said to Danny. Ron on the other hand, flopped down onto the couch and drifted into sleep.
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Sure enough, Kim's parents were in the kitchen. Her mother was fussing over a pot of spaghetti, while her father was running his hands under a cold tap. "I said the sauce would be too hot, but you didn't listen"
"I know, I know"
It was then that they noticed Kim and what must be "Dan" standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at them.
"Mom, Dad, this is Dan" Kim said in introduction.
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Ron was instantly woken by the shouting of both Jim & Tim. When he opened his eyes, he saw that their friend Danielle was with them too.
"What?" he groaned
"Where's Kim?" Tim asked.
"She's in the kitchen with Dan and your parents"
"What's he like?"
"See for yourself" Ron finished, gesturing in the direction of the kitchen.
The three children looked towards the kitchen, hoping to see this "Dan" character that the Possible's would be housing; nothing. "Hey, what's the big idea?" Jim complained. "Well, I didn't say he was coming out, did I? I just pointed towards the kitchen; where he and Kim are" "Oh. Right"
"So what's he like?" Tim asked again. "Go look for yourself, Tweedle-dumb. I'm not your slave" "Jeez, Ron. Pushy much?"
"Sorry, I'm just kinda tired. Rufus is too" the little mole-rat acknowledged Ron's comment by poking its head out of right pocket "Ngh, uh huh…yeah, yeah. Sleepy" it yawned.
"Well don't go to sleep now, its meal-time"
Rufus and Ron perked up; Rufus especially. "Hoo, boy: Spaghetti"
Finally, though, Kim and her parents exited the kitchen followed by someone who, to Dani, looked very familiar.
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The instant that Danny entered the living room again, he felt an almost painful stab of cold fear when he set his eyes on the girl. Shit! His blood ran cold. What the hell was Dani doing here? His grip on his bag tightened to the point that it hurt.
He saw Dani squint, and her eyes widen in realization. He shook his head silently.
"Kids, this is Dan Faustino. Dan, these three are called; Jim, Tim and Dani" James Possible said for introductions. "Why are you being housed here anyway?" Tim asked. Kim went to speak, but Danny beat her to the punch "My family was kidnapped and I was threatened"
"Do you know who?" Tim interrogated. "And what the motive was?" Jim finished. "Boys! You know better than to interrogate guests before dinner" their mother Anne chastised. "Do you…?" Tim started. "Zip it!" Kim snapped.
Giving Dani a quick glance, Danny knew he would have to be careful about what he said for the duration of his stay with the Possibles.
"Where am I staying?" Danny asked. "The guest bedroom," Ron said. ", KP, may I?"
"Of course you can Ron"
"Can I come too?" Dani asked. Ron looked at her kindly and his reply was "No, Tinkerbell, you can't," Dani hid her disappointment well. ", Just watch TV or something, instead" Ron then added.
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"Well then, I'll leave you to get settled" Ron spoke, after leading Danny into the guest bedroom. He said nothing else to Danny; mostly because he felt odd around the boy. There was something very off about this kid. Why's he wearing sunglasses in-doors?
Ron quickly exited the room, leaving Danny alone to his thoughts.
Danny relaxed his grip on his bag, set it softly on the double-bed, and took a look around the room; which in his opinion was very spacious, and rather luxurious.
He sat down on the bed, which was very comfy, and then let out a sigh.
Danny collapsed onto the bed for a moment and let his eyes fall heavy. He was almost asleep, when sensed that he was not alone in the room. He looked up, and sat up, to see Ron, who was staring at him "When you're done, just come back into the living room."
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When he came back into the living room five minutes later, Danny noticed that Dani was on the couch watching TV. She was sitting next-to one of Kim's brothers, looking very comfortable. Where the other Twin was, he hadn't the foggiest.
"Dan, could you help us set the table?" Anne asked. "Sure" he said simply.
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When he was done with helping Kim and her parents set the table, he walked back into the living room and saw that Dani had fallen asleep, and was resting on the shoulder of Twin 1, whether it was Jim or Tim, who was also asleep.
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While watching Vlad, a thought struck her, so, cautiously Ali approached her mother, who was busy with the dishes.
"Ma?" she asked.
"What is it sweetie?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course you can. What's the question?"
"A while back you were all upset about somethin'. What was it?". At this question, her mother dropped the dishes into the sink, with an audible clatter, and sat down on a nearby chair.
"Oh, my baby girl, I don't think you wanna know"
"But I do, ma. Honest!" she whined.
"Well, then I think you'd better sit down too". Lucy gestured to a chair next to her, which Ali quickly sat on.
"So what happened, Ma?"
"Well there was a nasty man from Amity Park, and he…"
"That's where Danny Phantom lives"
"Yes honey, it is. Well that man, he was the mayor, and he tried to take over the world"
"How?"
"The scoundrel said that he could save us from the meteor, which it later turned out he sent, but only if he got control of us all"
"How was he gonna save us?"
"He was gonna turn the meteor intangi…intangi…he was gonna make it so that for a short time it would've been a ghost-meteor, so that it would've gone right through us"
"How was he gonna do that?"
"Well, honey, that man was a ghost"
That revelation hit her like a bombshell. She saw what "David" had done in the chicken coop. She now knew for sure. He wasn't a vampire, he WAS a ghost.
"Ma? What was his name?"
"Vlad, baby. Vlad Plasmius"
Ali's mother pulled her into a tight hug, and she could tell that her mother was crying. But don't you worry about that man, Ali. 'Cause he's all the way up in space now."
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"So, Dan where are you from?" Anne asked. Danny caught Dani giving him one of those "Liar" glances. "Uh, Elmerton" Bingo, another "Liar" glance. Mindless chatter then filled the room while everyone continued to eat their meal; every so often Dani would still glance at him. Danny noticed that that didn't continue for long; her glances very quickly turned towards Jim, who would smile nervously and blush.
After the group was finished, they sat down to watch the TV, well the group minus Jim, Tim and Dani, who had gone off to work on some "project". Upon hearing about this "project", Kim's father silently worried about the new repulsor technology he had invented.
The news report was grim, at least in Danny's mind. "All around the world today, people are reeling from the news that Danny Phantom and his family have vanished without a trace, and furthermore by the brutal attack on Samantha Manson, Danny Phantom's girlfriend, and the destruction of Fenton Works. Ex-mayor of Amity Park and member of Team Phantom, Tucker Foley, had this to say, "I'm shocked. That is literally all I can say right now. I mean I've just come from Sam's hospital room. She's in a stable condition, thank god, but I have absolutely no idea who is behind all this, or where Danny and his family are. I only hope that they're safe wherever they are". Re-enforcements are being brought in to help with Amity's increasing ghost problem. We will have more on this story as it develops; I'm Mark Coleman, and you've been watching the afternoon report."
"Shocking" Anne said in dis-belief. "It's probably a ploy for more attention" Kim growled. Only Danny heard her. Is this what she thinks of me?, he thought. "D'ya reckon that that Tucker guy knows where Phantom is?" Ron posed. "Most likely" Kim snorted. "I doubt it" Danny countered; he was really starting to get the fact that Kim probably didn't like "Danny Phantom".
"Well somebody must know where they are" Kim said. "They could be anywhere," James quipped ", anyplace, anytime. You'd have to be father time to find them."
Danny went silent, and with both hands, he gripped his knees hard, probably hard enough to draw blood. It was so simple, he should've thought about it before. Danny knew what he had to do. But it then hit him, Fenton Works was gone. Some idea. He could try Vlad's place, but the place would probably be crawling with Guys-In-White or some other government agency, and he couldn't risk revealing his identity. Besides, he didn't know who to trust anymore.
"Well, Kim, there is an upside to this, ya know" Ron said. "What's the upside?" she asked; a smile creeping along her face as she did so. "This means that you'll be getting more missions again". She grinned; Ron was right. Now that "Phantom" was out of the picture, she would get more missions again. But those thoughts scared even her. She didn't really hate "Phantom" that much did she?
Danny noticed her grin; it made him uneasy. Did she hate him, or was it just jealousy?
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"Well, they've made contact. So what do we do now?" the man asked. The taller man; the leader of the three, simply sighed and wrinkled his brow. "We wait, John. We wait" "For what?" this "John" asked.
"For the culprit to make the next move" the female added. "Precisely" the tall one exclaimed. "But we can't just stand here and do nothing. They'll die if we do nothing" she then finished.
"But if we do something now, the cost could be greater than doing nothing. Think it over; classic psychology: we wait for the criminal to make the next move."
"But…?"
"Think. It. Over. Look, I know you love them; but please rethink it. We're dealing with a master criminal here. This "Incident" has been carefully planned out for a very long time."
"But we can't just do nothing!"
"We won't just stand here and dawdle, I've got an idea"
"Why didn't you say that ages ago?" the smaller of the two men, "John", asked. "Because I didn't think of it then"