Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. Now here's where I put my warnings. Well I just have one. Like the summary says, this is a darker retelling of Danny Phantom. Key word being 'darker.' In the upcoming chapters there will be violence, death, and gore. So if that's not your thing, leave now! This story also contains adults hitting on minors (Guess which minor?) So if you don't like it, Kick rocks! And my last thing is, this story contains true events of the some of the darkest days in our nation's history. Just to mention a few, September 11th and the L.A. riots. It also contains gang wars, incest, and kidnapping. Lots and lots of kidnappings. To come right down to it, this is a very dark story and I will only warn you only ONCE! I'm not going to go through this with every chapter I write. So no nasty reviews because you have already been warned! Well that's about all I can think of. Enjoy the chapter!

On a cool crisp December evening, a young woman raced home on a mini bike. Even only at a brief glance one could tell she was extremely gorgeous. Long thick black hair as dark as ebony, beautiful porcelain skin as white as newly fallen snow, and lips as red as blood. Many people around Amity Park nicknamed her 'Snow' or 'Snow White' but her real name was Danielle Fenton.

She was smiling as 'Fenton Works' came into view while taking a glance at her watch. 9:56pm. She would just make it. She would be on time for once!

"Finally," she found herself saying out loud in her excitement, "One day where I get home on time without any ghost detours making me miss my 10:00pm curfew."

As if jinxing it, a blue mist escaped from her mouth and she found herself letting out a groan. Why did her ghost sense have to go off now!? Couldn't those stupid ghosts give it a rest just this once!? She stopped her mini bike abruptly when she saw three vulture like ghosts in the air. Shrieks and screams were heard as they phased in and out of three different houses.

"Or not." She signed. She quickly looked around to check if the coast was clear. Nothing. It was like a ghost town. Laughing inwardly at the irony of that statement, she quickly ducked behind a van to change.

"Going ghost!" She said as twin white rings engulfed her turning her black hair white, her snow white skin tanned, and her black eyes a bright blue. She quickly flew to catch up with the birds. Once she was side by side with them she spoke to make her presence known.

"You fellows look lost. Any chance I could help you?"

Of course she didn't plan on helping them at all. She just wanted to know what the hell they were doing in her town and then she would just suck them into the Fenton Thermos. But she learned a very long time ago that she caught more flies with honey than vinegar. And sure enough the vultures halted all their movements. They were staring at her in shock and amazement. Dani grinned. She got that all the time.

"Can I help you?" She repeated more slowly. They seemed to snap out of their daydreams and the one with the sunglasses called out to her.

"Are you a ghost? Or an angel?"

She laughed. That had to be the single lamest come on she's ever heard. But then again it wasn't the first time she had her ghost genes questioned (You'd think you could tell just by looking at her translucent tail!) and she knew there was a heavy chance that they were actually serious about it so she played along.

"See?" She replied as she turned invisible for a brief second. She reappeared again and told them

"I don't have any wings in my back either. I'm a regular ghost just like you three." She gave them her best dazzling smile and she watched as goofy looks appeared on each of their faces. What could she say? When you've got it, you've got it.

"Do you need any help?" She asked one last time. As much fun as it was being drooled over by the male population (And some females), whether human or ghost (And apparently any species), she really had to get going. They seemed to snap of their daydreams again and the one with the sunglasses finally answered her question.

"Yes, um well we are actually looking for-"

"I know where we're going!" The vulture with the hump in his beak interrupted.

"You so do not." The one with the smooth beak said.

"We've been circling this town for hours! We could have been halfway to Florida by now!" The sunglasses vulture angrily stated. "Just ask this lovely ghost girl for directions!"

"Yes ask her!" The smooth beak one firmly said. The hump beak vulture signed.

"We are on a search and destroy mission." He frustratedly stated. "Can you help us find, and peck to death, this guy here?" He showed her a torn picture. He was young and his hair was much more longer and fuller than it was now but she'd recognize that face anywhere.

"Dad?" She replied completely shocked.

"Ah-hah see? I told you she'd know where he is!" Said the sunglassed one excitedly.

Suddenly the clock tower chimed 10.

'Damn it' she thought temporarily forgetting about the vultures 'I'm going to be late!'

"Ghost girl?"

She snapped out of her thoughts to see the vultures looking at her expectantly. So they wanted to know where her dad was? Well she didn't want to disappoint.

"Yeah I know where he is," She replied while grinning inwardly like a Cheshire Cat, "In fact instead of telling you where he is, I'll do you one better. I'll bring you to him."

"Really!?" The three vultures shouted excitedly.

"Of course." She replied and as quick as a flash brought out the Fenton Thermos and sucked all three inside. She immediately slammed the lid shut. "You don't mind meeting Dad while trapped inside this Thermos the entire time right?" She asked them knowing full well they couldn't hear her inside. However her fun moment was ruined when she noticed the time on the clock tower.

10:02.

"Oh Damn it!" She shouted as she zoomed towards her mini bike. She checked to see if the coast was clear and then changed quickly back to her human side. She revved up the bike and sped over to her house. She knew she was late already but maybe her parents would just cut her some slack seeing as she was barely 5 minutes over curfew.

'Better yet' She thought as she parked her bike out front and headed toward her house 'They would be so busy with their ghost gadgets that they wouldn't even notice me come in the house.' But that plan was quickly shot to hell as soon as she opened the door and saw her parents with their arms crossed looking very, very upset.

"You're late again young lady!" Her dad said angrily. Her last thought running through her head before her parents got to ranting was

Well ain't this a bitch.

.

Cue theme song

(She's a phantom) (Dani Phantom, Dani Phantom, Dani phantom)

Yo, Dani Fenton, she was just 14, When her parents built a very strange machine, It was designed to view, a world unseen.

(She's gonna catch em all 'cause she's Dani Phantom.)

When it didn't quite work, her folks, they just quit, But then Dani took a look inside of it, There was a great big flash, everything just changed, Her molecules got all rearranged!

(Phantom, Phantom)

When she first woke up, she realized, She had snow white hair, and glowin' blue eyes. She could walk through walls, disappear, and fly, She was much more unique than the other guys. And it was then that she knew what she had to do, She had to stop all the ghosts that were comin' through, She's here to fight, for me and you! She's-

Gonna catch 'em all, 'cause she's Dani Phantom, Gonna catch 'em all, 'cause she's Dani Phantom, Gonna catch 'em all, 'cause she's (Dani Phantom.)

.

.

"Dani this is becoming a real problem. You're constantly late coming home." Her mother told her crossed.

Her dad's head peeked around from the invention he was working on. "You're shirking from your chores."

"I mean if you were out on date we'd understand-" Her mother rambled.

'Oh God here it comes.' She thought as she slumped on the couch. 'The date fight.'

"You're shirking from your cho-What!? Dating!?" Her father's body quickly sprung from behind his invention and he quickly pointed his finger at her. "No dating before you're 30 young lady!" He sternly told her.

"Come now Jack," Her mother replied, placing her hands on her hips, "Dani will be 15 in a few days time. I think she's old enough to start going on dates. Why just this morning I was talking to Susan Baxter-"

"Oh God mom! Not Dash again!" Dani groaned. Since she was in preschool her mother has been trying to get her together with Dash.

"Dash Baxter? Now that's a great kid!" Her father said excitedly, all past date rage completely forgotten. "Always has time to help me with my ghost fighting equipment."

'Yeah because he wants to sneak a glimpse of me at home.' She thought furiously.

"Hey didn't he and Dani already go out on a date?" Her dad questioned and grabbed his chin as if remembering something.

"One date!" She answered, jumping up from the couch. "And the only reason I went out with him is because I lost one stupid bet!"

"Well obviously that one date meant a lot to Dash." Her mom cut in looking very upset. "I will never understand why you couldn't bother returning his phone calls. He obviously thinks the world of you."

"Yeah and remember that one day in November? Dash picked you up after school. You even went out to dinner with him! You didn't seem to have a problem with him then." Her father added.

'Yeah because Sydney Pointdexter shapeshifted into my body and I was trapped in the Ghost Zone!' She seethed. But there was no way her parents could ever know that happened. Not that they would believe her anyway.

"And it's not just Dash Dani," Her mother continued, "You've just been so distant lately that I really don't know what has possibly gotten into you."

'Ghost genes.' She thought automatically. But that would never work reality wise. She had to come up with something believable that wouldn't end with her dissected on a lab table.

"Look I'm under a lot of pressure right now. You two have no idea what it's like to be a teenager today!"

She figured if she tried the old 'woe to me I'm a teenager' argument it would have at least a 50/50 chance of actually working. Unfortunately for her, her mother wasn't buying it.

"Come on Dani that's the oldest trick in the book." She replied with her hands crossed. "There's nothing you're going through that you're father and I didn't go through when we were your age."

Just then Dani's elbow went intangible and phased through the couch. Panicked, she quickly brought it back out, signing in relief as it turned back to the way it was. Thank God that was the only moment her parents weren't paying any attention to her.

"Yeah well I beg to differ." She mumbled, still cradling her elbow. Just then her brother Jake, after the whole time of not saying anything and just sitting quietly reading a psychology book, decided to come to Dani's defense. And thus managed to screw her over a million times more than if he'd just shut up!

"The reason Dani doesn't think you can relate to her is that you never take the time to tell her about your childhood." Jake said while closing his book.

"Jake!" Dani said annoyed. But Jake completely ignored her.

"Have you ever told her how you met? About your first date?" Jake continued.

"Jake!" Dani shouted really annoyed. He was going to completely ruin everything for her! She could see her parents pondering Jake's words and that was the last thing she needed! Her to be held hostage while her parents reminisced about the old days!

"Where you went to college?" Jake finished, still ignoring her.

"You know Jake that's a great idea!" Her father excitedly said.

"Is is?" Jake responded confused.

"What is?" Her mother said equally confused.

"This is!" Her father happily shouted, while holding up an invitation. "You can come with your mother and I to our college reunion."

"I can…?" Why in the world would she want to go to their college reunion!?

"Wisconsin!?" Jake shouted, bewildered.

"Sure my old pal Vlad is throwing a huge shindig there." Her father happily responded. "We'll take the RV so the whole family can go together. You can learn more about your mother and my college days, and while we drive, I can blather on about ghosts!" Just then her parents invention went haywire and spilled green goo on top of Jake's head.

"Ha-hah! It works! I can't wait to blather on about that too!" Her dad said overjoyed.

Dani groaned. A cross country road trip with her family? She'd rather be trapped in the Ghost Zone again.

.

.

"Honestly Dani I don't know why you're so unkind to him. Dash has always been the perfect gentleman to you ever since he was a child."

'Gentleman!?' Dani seethed, while switching to her pajama pants. 'HE'S A FUCKING STALKER!'

Dani was currently in her bedroom getting ready for a good night's sleep before they had to hit the road tomorrow. Which would be so much easier if she didn't have her mother breathing down her back. She had spent an hour finishing the chores her mother insisted on leaving for her and was currently sitting on her bed, with her mother at her side, listening to her blab about Dash nonstop. She quickly glanced at her Gone With The Wind clock that was hanging on her wall.

11:15 p.m. Damn it! Forty-five more minutes until her mother got the hell out!

Damn Dash Baxter! Damn him to the fiery pits of hell! Curse the day she ever stepped foot on 5th Avenue! If it wasn't for him, Susan would have never suggested 'Mother, daughter' time! Now she was stuck for an hour with her mother while she discussed why being Dash Baxter's girlfriend is great news for everyone involved.

Everyone except her, that is.

"I mean honestly Dani," Her mother told her, while listing off all the things with her hand. "You go to all the school functions with him, all the city celebrations with him, you attend all his football games, he takes you on every vacation he goes on, you're practically his girlfriend already! You're even wearing his necklace, for goodness sakes!"

Dani glared at her mother. Rage filled every part of her being at the mere mention of the dog collar she's been forced to wear for almost two years.

"Dash Baxter," She responded slowly and deliberately, "is not my boyfriend. We are not even friends. I only tolerate him because of you."

Her mother's face turned red with rage. Dani signed. Here it comes...

"WELL YOUNG LADY," Her mother exploded, rising from the bed she was sitting on. "LET'S SEE IF YOU 'TOLERATE' STAYING GROUNDED UNTIL NEXT YEAR!"

"Great!" She fired back, standing chest to chest with her mother. "Now I don't have to go to your stupid reunion party!"

"OH YOU'RE GOING IF I HAVE TO DRAG YOU BY THE HAIR-"

"ENOUGH!"

Her father's voice, so loud and forceful, and so unlike him, shocked Dani and her mother into silence. Dani looked to see her father standing in the doorway absolutely fuming. She hadn't seen him that angry since she beat Dash with a trash can lid.

"Apologize to your mother Dani." He ordered.

"Sorry." She quickly said. Best not tempt fate. The last thing she needed was a fight with her father. He was the only understanding one. Without him, she would be stuck with her mother. And Jake.

She'd would rather be trapped in a vortex.

"Maddie," Her father said while massaging his temple. "Say goodnight to Dani. It's past her bedtime."

Her mother started to protest but her father held up his hand in warning. Her mother signed, gave Dani a kiss on the cheek, and quickly left the room. Her father walked right over to her bedside. He ushered her to join him.

"Dani," He said as soon as she sat down next to him. "What I can't understand is why you continue to lead Dash on? Your mother is right, you do go to all his football games, all his vacations, every city celebration we have here in Amity Park. Why continue to go out with him? Why not just tell him you're just not that interested and give back the necklace?"

"I just-" Dani started but found she couldn't finish. There was no explanation she could give about Dash that her father would believe. The irony of the situation overwhelmed her.

"Do you feel pressured by him?" Her father asked, his eyebrows narrowing in suspicion. "Because if he's pressuring you tell me right now! I'll go down there and set him straight!"

For a split second, she almost told him the truth. Almost told him that Dash had been pressuring her ever since she was four years old. Almost told him that yes, she would love to go right now to kick Dash Baxter's ass but she just had to grab her metal baseball bat first.

"No Dad of course Dash isn't pressuring me." She lied through her teeth, shaking out those thoughts out from her head. "It's just that I've known him since preschool and I'm not really ready to date but mom keeps insisting-" Her father cut her off.

"I completely understand princess."

Dani really doubted that.

"You're just not interested in dating at your age that's all." He continued. "I kept trying to tell your mother that but she kept insisting you were interested in Dash. But I told her that you only went out with him because you've known him so long and he's the only boy you can really trust."

Dani nodded vigorously. That would work.

"But Dani," Her father said while shaking his head. "Dash really likes you. He talks about you all the time. I know it breaks his heart when he sees you treat him so callously. Men have feelings too, though they don't show them as often as women would like."

Dani looked away. She couldn't tell her father that Dash didn't have a heart.

"Just something to think about darling." Her father told her while giving her a kiss on the cheek. He got up and headed for the door. He stopped at the doorway and then turned to face her.

"Dani," He hesitantly said. His eyes showed sadness and uncertainty.

"Yes Dad?" She answered back, slipping into her covers.

"Your Aunt and Uncle called."

Dani signed and rubbed at her eyes. She was beyond tired and she didn't really feel like dealing with her country relatives.

"If Uncle Jeff and Aunt Carol called again about taking the wheels off their new house, tell them-"

"No,no,no," Her father interrupted. "Not them. I already got cousin Leroy and cousin Bobby to help with that...I meant your Aunt Milly and Uncle David called."

Dani's world went ice cold. A voice, a voice she tried so hard to suppress all these years, bubbled up to the surface of her mind at the mere mention of their names.

'"MY SON IS DEAD! MY SON IS DEAD YOU WORTHLESS GIRL!"'

"Dani?" Her father questioned, worried when he saw her fearful expression.

Dani quickly masked her expression into that of a calm one. There was no need to alarm her father. If she did that, he would only tell her mother who would then stick her back into therapy again. She just got out, she was not going back in.

"What did they call about?" Dani calmly tried to say, while trying to ignore the voices and images that kept raging inside her head.

Her dad studied her for a moment, as if seeing if she was stable enough to talk to, and then answered.

"They said they wanted to make amends. They know the last time they talked to you things got a little...out of hand."

Well she supposed that was one way of putting her Uncle trying to shoot her and her Aunt trying to knife her.

"But they want to apologize and make up for lost time." Her father continued. "They've been receiving counseling for the past year and part of their healing is to make amends with those that they've wronged."

Dani raised an eyebrow is disbelief. He wasn't serious. There was no way that someone even as simple minded as her father could believe that story.

"And you believed that?" She asked incredulously. "Dad how many times have they tried to kill me? Guns, knives, bombs-"

"I know, I know, I know." He apologetically said, the discomfort of the conversation causing him to scratch his head. "But your mother looked up the therapist they said they went to and he checks out all right. And you can't really blame them for all of the bombs."

Dani looked away. How could she forget all the rest of the families who couldn't wait to kill her?

"I'm just saying Dani that some people do crazy things when their kids are involved." He reassured her. "I mean I'm not exactly a saint when it comes to you and your brother."

Could she ever forget the image of her father strangling her preschool teacher? It was too bad the police stopped him before he got a chance to kill him.

"O.K. Dad. I'll call them when we get to Vlad's." She was lying again, but she didn't care. It was what her dad wanted to hear. And her mom, because Dani knew he'd be telling her as soon as he left the room.

A wide grin appeared on her father's face and he appeared be to back to his old self again.

"Well sleep tight princess! Tomorrow morning we hit the road!" He happily shouted, his hand switching off the light in her room.

When her father shut her door and she could hear his footsteps fade out, she got up and went to her walk in closet. For a moment she stood and stared at her reflection in mirror hanging in her door. With the full moon in the sky and her curtains wide open, she could make out every inch of her body. She could see why people tend to lose all of their senses when they first saw her.

Her beauty was...unnatural. Something about it just wasn't human.

And it seemed no matter how hard she tried to make herself look more normal looking, it just wouldn't work. Her hair was long and lustrous, free of tangles and split ends no matter how long she went without brushing it. Her skin was flawless and radiant even though she ate junk food every single day. Her lips were red and her eyelashes thick and long even though she didn't use any make-up.

It was so frustrating!

Her mother had laughed at her when she brought it up to her, and told her to be grateful she didn't know what a zit or a knot was. That was the very last time she ever went to her mother for any kind of advice that wasn't ghost related.

She snapped out of her daydreams and grabbed the knob to her closet door. When she opened it, rough hands grabbed her and threw her on the floor. She fell on something soft (Probably her clothes) and her hair flew into her face. But even with no light in the room and her hair blocking her view, she knew who it was.

He came every single night.

"Hello Dash." She drawled out as his hands moved her hair and his lips descended on hers.

.

.

"You're beautiful."

Dani rolled her eyes. He's been saying that for over 10 years! Since the moment he met her. She knew she was beautiful, but she had more qualities than just that! Not that Dash even remotely cared about anything other than her stunning good looks.

"You know our anniversary is coming up?"

Speak of the devil.

She saw his ice blue eyes turn to her. She was always creeped out by them. They were so cruel, so hollow, so empty.

"Do you want anything special?" He softly asked her, while giving her another kiss.

"My freedom!" She harshly whispered, pulling back from the kiss. His laughter echoed throughout her huge closet, sending chills down her spine.

"Darling I never messed with your freedom." He told her, caressing her cheek with his knuckles.

"Just my family!" She defiantly responded, moving her head away from his capture. Suddenly he grabbed her hair and forced her to look at him.

"That's right. And if you ever breathe a word about me or my family, you'll never find their bodies." He cruelly stated and those blue eyes of his showed malicious intent.

"I won't. You know I won't." She quickly said, hoping to appease him. The last time he had gotten angry with her, her brother was in the hospital for a month with an mysterious illness. It was only after she promised to be his homecoming date that her brother got better.

"Oh I know sweetheart. I know you won't." He reassured her, placing soft kisses along her scalp.

His very next words stole the breath right out of Dani.

"Be my girlfriend."

Dani was frozen in fear. She didn't know what to say. No? He'd kill her family. Yes? She'd kill herself and then Dash would kill her family anyway out of spite. She was trapped. She was trapped and there was no way out. She always knew this day would come but she thought she'd have at least one more year. He promised her one more year!

"You promised me-" She started to say but was rudely cut off.

"I lied." He harshly said, glaring at her with those cold blue eyes.

"Why-" She tried to ask but was cut off once again.

"You tolerate me?"

Dani froze in fear. Dash's words were whispered, as if he was in disbelief Dani could ever say such a thing about him.

"YOU TOLERATE ME!?"

His words were murderous now and Dash looked about ready to kill her. Dani could do nothing but watch and listen to Dash rage at her.

"After all I've done for you, after all I've sacrificed, after all we've been through together, you tolerate me!? Do you know what I've been through because of you!? DO YOU CARE!?" He roared at her, painfully grabbing her hair and holding her at eye level.

Dani could say nothing. She's never seen Dash this mad at her before.

'Why is he so angry with me?' She thought terrified, staring at his savage expression. 'It's not like I haven't said worse things about him!'

She didn't dare say anything, he was too unstable. He might kill her entire family tonight if she said the wrong thing! After a minute or two, Dash calmed down and showed no signs of the outburst he displayed earlier before. He relaxed his hold and softly massaged the places where he'd pulled her hair. His face held a calm exterior, but Dani knew it was just a facade. His eyes showed his true anger.

"Be my girlfriend Dani." He cooly stated while running his fingers through her hair. His ice blue eyes glared at her, as if daring her to say no.

'When hell freezes over!' She was dying to say. But she had no choice. If she'd said that he would kill one of her family members. And she couldn't let that happen. No matter how much it would kill her.

"Yes." She forced out, blinking back tears from her eyes.

A sinister smile appeared on Dash's face.

"That's my girl." He praised her and Dani felt sickened. "We'll keep it a secret for now and wait until your 15th birthday party to announce the wonderful news."

He looked at Dani expectantly. She nodded her head 'Yes.'

"Now then I have a very important business meeting to attend and we both have to be up early for our road trip tomorrow. I think it's only fitting your new boyfriend attend, don't you agree?"

Again she nodded her head 'Yes' but a few tears escaped from her eyes. Dash gently kissed them away.

"Now, now, now," He soothed, picking up Dani, carrying her out the closet and into her room. "You're just a little tired and cranky from the day's events. You'll be better in the morning." He promised as he laid her on her bed, tucking her in. Dani didn't even have the strength to fight him off.

Not that she even dared to.

With a flick of his wrist, her curtains were drawn, and the room was overcome in darkness. Dash gave her one last kiss, whispered softly in her ear "I'll see you in the morning sweetheart." and then vanished.

Dani laid in her bed for a long while trying not to panic and thinking about how the hell she was going to get out of this situation. The more she thought about it, the more depressed and overwrought she became. She could find no way out. The collar Dash gave her seemed so much heavier now and was even more of a huge reminder of the total control Dash had over her. Before she passed out of exhaustion, a thought occurred to her.

A terrible, awful thought.

Maybe this was payback for what happened to Michael and Michelle. Maybe some higher deity out there decided if they couldn't live their lives, neither could she.

.

.

"So how's my little graduate doing?"

She was fixing her cap when she heard her cousin's voice. She quickly turned around and saw his smiling face standing at the doorway.

"Micheal! You made it!" She happily shouted, abandoning her cap in favor of giving her cousin a huge hug.

"Omph!" He cried when she crashed into him head first. "I see they've been feeding you. You've gotten way heavier since the last time we met, little one." He remarked, mussing her hair.

"Where's Michelle? She didn't have a flight right?" She asked, her eyebrows creasing in worry.

"Of course not." He quickly responded, waving off Dani's worries."Michelle wouldn't miss your graduation for the world! She's downstairs with your mom discussing ghosts and whatnot."

Dani's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"But Michelle hates ghosts!" She said, bewildered. "And mom and dad's ghost fighting equipment freaks her out!"

"I know." He replied, giving her a wink. "She's just buying us time to talk. Now what's all this I hear about you not wanting to come to New York with us? We've been planning vacation this for years Dani and now suddenly you don't want to come?" He asked, giving her those inquisitive bright blue eyes of his.

Dani signed. She could see that her cousin was slightly hurt by this revelation so she decided just to come clean.

"It's not that I don't want to go." She quickly reassured him. "It's just that Dash wants to come with me!"

"But how did Dash even know about the trip?" He asked, raising his eyebrow in question. "I thought we agreed we'd keep it a secret for this type of reason. Did your mom tell Susan?"

Dani looked down so her cousin couldn't see her shame and embarrassment.

"Dani!" He sternly said, grabbing her chin so she was facing him. "Did you tell Dash after we promised to keep it a secret?"

"He was suppose to be going to Italy!" She blurted out, the previous night's events all coming back to her in a rush of words. "Dash has been bragging about visiting his family in Italy for the past six months! And yesterday at lunch he told everybody that I was going with him! So I told him I'd rather eat dirt and that hell would freeze over before I even think about going on a lame trip with him and his family! And then he smirked at me and told me that I didn't have a choice, that I have to go with him because I belong to him!"

"So what did you do next?" Her cousin asked, a grin plastered on his face.

"I pushed him down to the floor and told him to take his snobby rich ass back to private school where he belonged!" Dani exclaimed, a fist pumped in the air. "And that I belonged to NO ONE and NO ONE owned me. And that I was going to New York with my cousin who puts scumbag like him in jail for a living!"

Michael let out a hearty laugh that echoed throughout her room.

"That's my girl! A fighter till the end!" He praised, ruffling her hair.

"But now mom is angry at me for pushing Dash." Dani continued miserably. "And she won't let me go unless he comes."

"Don't worry my sweet darling." He calmly assured her. "Our flight leaves tonight and I guarantee you, Dash will not be on it."

"Really?" She asked, her spirits souring once more. She knew her cousin always kept his promises no matter what. Always. If he said she would be going without Dash, it was certain to come true.

"Really." Michael replied, running his fingers through her thick hair. "You just have to promise me something."

"What?" She responded, fingering the NYPD badge her cousin was wearing.

"Never change." His tone suddenly serious, Dani looked up and gave him her full attention."Never give in to anybody and never give up, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. Promise me this Dani."

Dani stared at her cousin's bright blue eyes and solemn face for a few more seconds and finally agreed.

"I promise."

Author's Note: Hello to all my readers out there from all corners of the globe! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my very first DP fic! Leave a review in the big box below to let me know if you liked it or not! Until next time, see you later!