Authors notes: Hello everyone! This is my first DP fan-fiction, so hopefully you all like it.

Just a few quick things to mention... This takes place some time after a fairly altered Phantom Planet. I'll do my best to mention the differences along the way in the story, but if you guys want a more thorough description, let me know.

Also, this story will eventually contain some fairly 'heavy' adult concepts. Nothing that should push it past a teen rating, but I like to put the warning just in case.

I'm currently finishing up the last couple chapters on a long Jak and Daxter fan-fiction, but I was eager to post the first chapter of this to test the waters and see what people think. I also plan on doing a slightly simplified fan-comic version of this story and posting it on Tumblr.

Anyways, on with the fic. Enjoy :)

CHAPTER ONE

Three a.m.

Danny let out an exasperated sigh. He had thought that maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to get a full night sleep for once. Guess not.

The evening had started out calmly enough... Jazz had finished her university finals early and had just gotten home for her break. His family had had a normal, non-ectoplasmic dinner, with normal conversation and plenty of normal laughs. They'd gone to bed at a reasonable hour, and the town was quiet...

That is until Technus decided the new electronics store would make for a perfect haunt (Honestly, it never ceased to amaze the half-ghost teen when a new business would set up shop in Amity Park... you'd think that all the mayhem caused by the near non-stop ghost activity would deter any sane entrepreneur...). It was an easy enough fight—Danny hadn't even bothered to call Sam or Tucker—but it had taken far longer than expected, and the Techno-ghost had even scored a lucky blow to Danny's shoulder with a new weapon. It had fired a pretty powerful electricity-enhanced ecto-blast that had knocked the halfa right out of the sky.

Danny wasn't happy about that... and he made sure that Technus wasn't either.

He lowered his feet to the floor and ran a gloved hand through his messy white hair. His toxic green eyes were still locked in a staring match with his alarm clock, their faint glow casting eerie shadows across his bedroom. With a sigh, a bright white ring of light blinked into existence near his naval, split, then quickly traveled across his body. His human form was left behind, wearing nothing but a pair of soft, cotton pajama pants.

His room was bathed in darkness now that the illumination from his eyes had vanished, but it hardly mattered. Over the years his ghost powers had developed steadily, and he had found that even in his human form his natural senses were well above average. He could easily make out the edges of his furniture, and he slowly shuffled his feet so that he was in front of his mirror. He tested his shoulder and winced, bringing his free hand up to bush against the searing burn that had formed across his skin. He hissed, and pulled his fingers away when he felt the familiar sensation of wet, sticky blood.

"Damn..." He whispered to the mirror, reaching to turn on his desk lamp. He was far too tired to focus, and even with his superior eyesight he decided that he'd like a clearer look, "...I can't believe I got blasted by Technus of all people... er... ghosts... whatever."

The self-proclaimed 'Master of All Things Technological' had definitely hit his mark. A large, grisly burn blistered across Danny's right shoulder and toward his chest. It had been a while since any of the usual suspects had managed to score a direct hit like the one he was sporting now. He once again dragged a few steady fingers across the wound.

It would heal quickly enough—another perk of being half-dead he supposed—but it still needed to be covered for the time being...

There was a gentle knock on his door, and dread set in. His mind raced through his options: He could go invisible, which might cause a panic if one of his parents walked in and found him 'missing', or he could make a mad dash toward his bed and try and act like he'd been asleep the whole time; but he never slept with a light on, and whoever was on the other side of the door had probably noticed...

"Danny? It's just me." A soft whisper drifted through the door.

The half-ghost's shoulders immediately slumped once he realized who was standing in the hallway. He'd been far more paranoid as of late... the past few years had gnawed away at his nerves. The anxiety attack that had threatened to bubble to the surface fizzled out, and he let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, "It's open, Jazz."

His sister gently turned the doorknob and carefully pushed to avoid making any noise that might wake their parents, then poked her head into the room. All those privy to Danny's secret had learned how to traverse the house without making a sound.

"I was up reading, and had to use the bathroom. I saw your light..." Her eyes drifted to his shoulder and she gasped, covering hr mouth with her delicate fingers to muffle the sound, "Oh my God, Danny. Are you...?"

"Fine! I'm fine!" Danny waved his hands and grinned sheepishly, "No worries! It's nothing serious."

Jazz didn't look convinced, and she quickly but quietly shut and locked the door, then practically dashed to her brother's bed. Kneeling, she used one hand to dig around under the metal frame—everyone who knew about his dual identity kept a stocked first aid kit under their bed just in case—then waved her brother over and indicated he should sit on the edge of the mattress.

"Really, Jazz, I'm fine. You don't have to..." Danny began to object, snapping his mouth shut when he noticed the determined glare his sister had set on him. He almost smirked, and shook his head as he trudged his way over and plopped down beside her, "Ok, ok... you win."

Jazz immediately went to work, hands juggling between supplies as she tried to choose which cream would be the best option in this particular situation. She decided on one, then pulled on a set of thin, rubber gloves. She wasn't as practiced as Sam, or even Tucker for that matter, but she'd patched Danny up enough times to know what she was doing, "Who was it?"

"Technus." He sighed, then closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers, "He caught m...Mmmgg!" Danny grimaced as she firmly lathered his burn in some type of disinfectant, but the pain quickly faded. He was pretty used to it by now, "...sorry, caught me off guard with a new weapon... attack... thing..." He shuddered, "Some kinda electricity blast." Danny had a thing about electricity... or rather, being electrocuted. It hit a little too close to home for his tastes.

Jazz hummed sympathetically in response as she inspected the newly cleaned injury. In the dim room she could just barely spot the faint reflective speckles of green ectoplasm in his blood. It looked a bit like dull glitter, and could be easily missed if you weren't paying attention or if the light was too bright.

The burn had already begun to heal. Skin had began to form and scab across the bloodied muscle, and the area around burn had started bruising... still, it probably wouldn't be completely gone for another day or so, and would probably leave a faint scar.

She studied her brother's lithe form for a moment, eyes darting from one patch of discolored skin to the next. A small frown tugged at the corner of her lips... Danny had taken an abundance of beatings since his half-life had started, and the worst ones had left their marks. She still didn't know how he had managed to hide the majority of them from his parents and classmates, or how everyone around him could remain so oblivious to the truth.

Danny cracked open an eye and noticed her staring, "Creepy much?"

Jazz snorted and rolled her eyes, giving him a gentle shove, "Shut up!"

"Hey, watch it!" Danny hissed, "Mom and dad might hear!"

The red-head grew somewhat somber, returning to her task of dressing his shoulder, "Have you thought about, you know... telling them?"

"Are we really gonna have this conversation right now?" Danny's voice peaked just above a whisper, and he mentally reminded himself to stay quiet, "I already told you..."

"You're gonna do it soon." Jazz interrupted, "Hold still, Danny, I know you wanted to wait until after you graduate, but..."

"I graduate in two weeks... and well, college isn't gonna happen..." He sighed, then jerked as she pulled a bandage tight under his armpit, "Ouch! Jeeze!"

"Sorry." She mumbled in reply, "You're grades aren't that bad..."

"Jazz..."

"You could salvage them at a community college..."

"Jazz..."

"Then after a year or two transfer..."

"Jazz!" Danny pulled away, finally gaining her attention, "I know, ok? We've been through this like, a million times, and I promise I'll try. But let's face it, for right now..." He inhaled sharply when he noticed the dismayed look that was painted across his sister's face, "Anyway, I'm gonna tell them. Soon. Me, Tuck, and Sam are going on our trip after we graduate, and as soon as I come back..." He rubbed the back of his neck, which was a long time habit he exhibited whenever he began to grow nervous or overwhelmed, "...As soon as I come back... I'll..."

Jazz stood, and studied her brother intently, "It's been a long time since they've really considered Phantom an enemy, you know."

"Yeah..." Danny's eyes pulled away from hers, "I know. It's just... I can't..."

Danny knew she was right. He'd barely managed to hold on to his secret throughout the whole 'Disastroid' ordeal, but had somehow managed to scrape by without outing himself to the world. None-the-less, his parents had actually started to question their own beliefs and theories about ghosts after that... especially when it came to Phantom.

Vlad had vanished too, which made his life way easier—even with the ever constant ghost fighting—and without him around to sabotage Danny's image the people had really started to warm up to their hero. They'd never know the whole story of course... but everyone had seen enough to know that the scrappy young ghost-boy that had shifted between menace and savior more times than they could count had managed something seemingly impossible; he'd convinced the denizens of the Ghost Zone to come to their aid, (though he suspected that the average human never realized that the majority of the more malevolent ghosts were only in it to save themselves) and had been the talk of the world for quite a long time following. There were still a few holdouts—people who couldn't bring themselves to ever trust a 'filthy ghost'... people like the GIW who suspected the whole thing was a scheme—but that surprisingly didn't include his parents. Maybe it was because they were on the science team during the incident... maybe it was something else.

They never paused to chat with Phantom, never openly admitted they were wrong... but they did stop hunting him. They only went after ghosts that openly terrorized the town, and had become way less pushy and eager to prove that every ghost was an evil creature that needed to be experimented on. Both of them still had their moments, but all in all it was way different than it used to be.

It was almost painful to watch at first. His mom especially had a hard time accepting the fact that perhaps her theories and data were simply... wrong. She was devastated, but eventually that fed her need to learn more, and they'd delved even deeper into their research and testing than ever before.

When the threats of being torn apart 'molecule by molecule' stopped, and they began to become excited about a new branch of reasoning, Danny felt like a huge constraining weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Eventually he had come to a decision... it was time to tell them. For better or worse.

After he graduated.

Er... after his vacation.

As long as nothing else got in the way.

"You said it yourself... every time they found out the truth, they accepted it. They accepted you. Just because they don't remember now, doesn't mean that'll change." Jazz murmured softly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He turned his gaze back to his sister. Concern practically oozed from her eyes, and she was still staring at him like he was about to spontaneously combust. He knew she was analyzing him, forming speculations and possible diagnoses in her mind; thinking about ways to guide him through his supposed internal issues... It was irritating and calming at the same time.

He couldn't help it. As much as he wanted to just come clean, and even though they had accepted him in the past—twice actually—the fear of rejection sat in the pit of his stomach like a rock... What if it was different this time? What if he said something wrong, did something stupid? What if they hated him? What if?

She sighed sadly, completely aware of what he was thinking. As annoying as she could be, knowing she cared did wonders for his nerves. A small, appreciative smile played across his lips, "Thanks Jazz."

After a few seconds she grinned back in return. Without giving him a chance to escape, she roughly shuffled a hand through his jet-black hair, "Any time, little bro."

He feigned annoyance, using his powers to phase through and float away from her touch, "Ugh, little? I'm taller than you now."

"You are," Jazz answered, turning away from him to stroll toward his window. She pulled the curtains even tighter than they had been before in an attempt to block out as much of the glaring light from the neon signage that was clasped to the top of their home, "But you'll always be my little bro, little bro."

Danny rolled his eyes and gave a huff as she broke away from the window, and walked casually over to his lamp. With a sharp click, the room went dark.

"It's way too late, and you've got school tomorrow. Go to sleep, Danny."

"Ok, mom." Danny teased, dropping back down to his bed. He grabbed a questionably clean shirt that was draped over one of the posts, and slid it on to hide his newly acquired bandages. Then he crawled under the covers, and rolled to lay on his uninjured shoulder so he could watch as she carefully navigated toward his door, "Watch out for the bin."

Jazz stopped and carefully looked around in the darkness, finding the small trashcan she was about to trip over, "Thanks."

"Mmmhmm." Danny replied, eyelids growing heavy. His fatigue hit him all at once, and he found himself barely able to stay conscious. He blinked a few times when she unlocked his door and cracked it open, "Hey, Jazz...?"

She paused, turning her head to look back toward his bed. She fought back a frown as the soft nightlight from the hallway outlined his blanketed form. His breathing was unnaturally slow, and when he was too worn out to realize what was happening, his ice-core would react and the temperature of the air around him would lower ever so slightly. It was something anyone who didn't know any better would brush off as their imaginations playing tricks on them, but Team Phantom knew what it really was.

She could feel that slight chill coming from his direction right now.

Everything about the way he looked screamed mental exhaustion; and it wasn't from one late night either. Years of less than adequate sleep and an overabundance of stress had taken its toll... but she knew it was useless to point it out. He'd never give in... even if it wasn't due to a ghostly obsession, (Though Danny and his friends had their various theories about that...) the boy had a hero complex that just wouldn't budge. She'd tried. Numerous times. All she could do now was be there for him.

She cleared her throat, "Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're home..." Danny mumbled, "Missed ya..."

"Missed you too, little bro. Good night."

"Hmm... G'night..."
***

"Come on man, seriously?" Tucker had his eyes trained on his newest device, a small tablet he'd dubbed 'Elizabeth', "Sam is gonna be pissed." He'd never truly give up on his PDA's, (He still had one on him at all times in case he needed to do some sort of old-school hacking) but even he had to admit the advantages of owning a good tablet and smart-phone nowadays.

Danny shrugged as he turned the combination dial on his locker. With a small click the padlock loosened, and he pulled on the handle.

It was jammed. Of course it was jammed. It was always jammed. Dash had shoved him against the locker at the beginning of the year and it hadn't worked right since. He sighed, "It wasn't a big deal... it was just Technus. I didn't wanna wake you guys up."

He grew frustrated with the locker and yanked it hard, wincing when his shoulder objected to the rough treatment. He always healed better when he slept, and he didn't get a whole lot of sleep the previous night. Ignoring the knowing glance from his best friend, he quietly retrieved his History book and notepads, "You guys still have decent grades... I don't wanna screw that up for you too."

"How many times do we have to tell you that you never screwed anything up for us!" Sam's voice cut through the air like a knife, and Danny stiffened, slowly turning to face his angry girlfriend. Tucker smirked.

"Hey Sam..."

"Don't you 'hey Sam' me Mr. ghost boy," She poked a finger against his chest, her voice was low enough to avoid any eavesdropping, "I saw the news this morning... what they heck!?"

"It was just Technus!" Danny sighed, "I had it covered!"

"I'm sure you did. You had it completely under control!" She countered, eyes drifting to his shoulder, "I'm sure that's why Jazz texted me and told me to keep an eye on you and make sure that, and I might be paraphrasing here but I'll give it a shot, 'Stupid Danny doesn't do anything stupid that might make his stupid burn worse."

Danny rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Jazz really needs to expand her vocabulary." Sam continued to glare, "It wasn't that bad! Honestly! Just a little toasty is all! Kinda gnarly... makes me look tough!"

"You're impossible!" Sam growled, throwing her arms up in protest, "Stupid!"

"Maybe," Danny grinned deviously, using his free hand to pull her into a quick, careful hug, "...but you love me."

"Ack." Tucker pretended to dry heave. Their fairly mild public displays of affection never really bothered him; he knew it was only a matter of time before they finally hooked up, and he'd won quite a bit of money on the numerous bets about them. That didn't mean he didn't like to tease, "Anyway... we got like, two minutes to get to class. If you're all done groping each other, I'd like to actually show up on time today."

"Yeah yeah..." Sam shoved playfully away from Danny, and draped one arm around Tucker's shoulders, "You're just jealous."

"Please." Tucker started to walk, Sam still hanging on one side of him and Danny walking just on the other side of her, "I got all the love I need, right Lizzy?" He rubbed his cheek against the tablet's screen, "That's right, baby."

"That's so..." Sam began.

"...wrong." Danny finished.

"Now who's jealous?" Tucker asked, sticking his tongue out childishly.

They all shared a quiet chuckle before splitting ways. Danny and Tucker had first hour History, and Sam had her elective, which happened to be a painting class. They'd meet up at lunch, then wouldn't be together again until World Literature with Mr. Lancer at the end of the day. Sam gave her boyfriend's hand a gentle squeeze before waving goodbye and making her way further down the hall.

"You really ok?" Tucker whispered as they sat at their desks in the back corner of the class.

Danny gave a nearly non-existent nod, "A little sore, but it's fine. It was a new weapon... I was really tired last night and he managed to get lucky, that's all..."

Tucker nodded, fingers typing furiously and eyes focused on the screen in front of him as they spoke. Danny knew it was mostly an act to avoid unwanted attention more than anything... the Techno-geek's real focus was actually on his half-dead friend.

After a few seconds Tucker sighed, "I need a vacation."

Danny leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with both hands, then slowly dragging them down his face, "Tell me about it. Two weeks... then it's fun in the sun with absolutely no interruptions."

"Can't wait."

"Me either."

Danny's eyes were closed and he had placed his hands behind his head. He was still balancing precariously on his chairs back legs, and Tucker took the opportunity to steal a discrete look at his longtime friend. It was obvious that the half-ghost completely and utterly worn out… It's why Sam and Tucker had originally come up with the whole vacation idea in the first place. Jazz would be home to contact them if anything serious came up, and Valerie was plenty competent enough to handle the town while they were gone... even the Fentons would probably be able to get the job done.

Tucker just hoped everything would go according to plan... Danny needed it more than any of them. He'd never admit it, but they knew he really needed some down time to just... reset. Hopefully this trip would give him exactly that.
***

The trio's lunch was quickly interrupted when Dash 'crept' up behind them. He'd grabbed and squeezed Danny's injured shoulder unawares, saying something or other about how he was going to miss 'pounding the crap out of Fenturd' once they graduated. It had taken a considerable amount of self-control on Danny's part to keep a straight face. Any other time it wouldn't have been a big deal: nothing Dash did could actually hurt Danny anymore, and if he had really wanted to he could have easily taught the jock a lesson without ever having to tap into his ghost powers...

He didn't want to. He'd given up that train of thought a long time ago because it just wasn't worth it.

But damn, did his shoulder ache now.

After the unwanted encounter the group shuffled their way outside for the remainder of their free time. Since they were seniors they had a bit more freedom: they didn't have to stay in the cafeteria, though because of the increase in ecto-activity over the past few years fully open lunches had been abolished. They had to stay on school grounds within range of the emergency ghost shields.

The three of them ducked behind their favorite tree, and after a quick look to make sure no one was watching them, Sam pulled carefully to stretch the collar of Danny's shirt so that she could take a look at his burn. Trained fingers expertly found the clasp on the bandages, and pulled them back to reveal the damaged skin underneath.

"Holy crap, you weren't kidding about it being 'toasty'," Tucker whistled, peering down at his friend, "That musta been nasty last night."

Danny twisted his neck to look down at his own shoulder, and shrugged, "I guess. No big deal now though, it'll be gone by tomorrow morning."

"It's still pretty rough..." Sam mumbled, "...but yeah, it's healing really quick. Dash broke open some of the scabs though, so I'm gonna put a little extra gauze in there just in case... don't want any blood to stain your shirt."

Without skipping a beat Tucker dug through her backpack and retrieved her supplies, passing them over. He then placed himself at an angle where he could keep watch and block his friends at the same time.

Several seconds passed and he quietly warned, "Lancer, two o'clock."

Danny and Sam's heads both snapped to attention, the latter quickly finishing her task and pulling her hands free and tucking them behind her back and out of sight. She'd been careful to avoid getting any blood on them, but was weary just in case.

Mr. Lancer wasn't as dense as his students thought he was. He had seen the awkward way Sam had pulled away from the slouching teenager beside her, and had definitely noticed the suspicious pair of eyes that peeked up above the edge of Tucker's expensive tablet. He'd keep that to himself however... neither Sam nor Danny had the personality that suggested inappropriate behavior in public, which led him to believe they were up to something else entirely. What that something else was eluded him… Not that that was anything new. Over the past four years he'd watched with dismay as the inseparable friends grew more and more secretive and secluded from their classmates.

Samantha Manson had never abandoned her 'goth' persona, (Much to her parent's dismay if their parent/teacher conferences were any indication) and now sported a new haircut that was shorter on one side than the other with streaks of deep purple dyed into her ebony hair. The style was against dress code, but it was so close to graduation and she kept herself out of serious trouble, so the staff had all chosen to ignore her transgression. Even Lancer had to admit that it fit her like a glove... she owned the look, and he really couldn't imagine her any other way. The middle aged teacher had realized long ago that it was a front of sorts: a warning for people to keep their distance. She was stubborn, and very protective of her closest friends. She had no qualms about using her appearance to intimidate those around her. If he were to use a cliché, she would be the 'shield.'

Tucker Foley was the 'scout'. He watched for signs of distress, even if it was hidden behind the screen of some new gadget or another. Lancer had no doubt the self-proclaimed 'techno-geek' was far more capable and cunning than his often openly flirtatious and overacted antics led others to believe. He got along with their fellow students better than his two friends did, often intermingling with the various 'nerd' cliques to gather intel or pass along outlandish rumors. The same rumors that would in some way or form distract the student body from noticing whenever something odd was going on within or around his inner circle. He could actually be quite charming if he wanted to be, and had grown and filled out considerably since freshmen year.

Plus there were the numerous hacking and video incidents that had caused quite a bit of grief among the jocks and even some of the staff. Nothing was ever proven, of course, and no one actually knew who the mysterious culprit was... but the English teacher had his suspicions.

Daniel Fenton gave Mr. Lancer the most pause. He didn't really know what 'role' Danny took in the group.

At first he'd shown such promise... he was smart—way smarter than anyone gave him credit for—and was so eager to learn. He'd let it slip once, and only once, that he wanted to be an astronaut, but early in his high school career it seemed like he'd all but given up on his ambition and transformed from attentive student to aloof layabout. He constantly skipped classes, and often fell asleep during lectures or projects. He refused to apply himself, and barely participated in gym class at all. His friends had come up with every excuse in the book to cover for him... and they were pretty much the only two people he openly talked to. He wasn't rude to other students by any means, but was a master at deflection. He kept everyone at a safe distance... yet any time one of the school bullies picked on someone who couldn't defend themselves, he'd stick his neck out for them and interfere, expertly redirecting the ire toward himself with a sarcastic quip that hinted at his cleverness.

Then there was the CAT test. The teenager had every opportunity to cheat and get away with it... but he didn't. He'd come clean, and taken responsibility for his actions. That wasn't how a lazy slacker typically acted.

At first the English teacher had suspected some type of depression... a few years ago they had a counselor who thought much the same, but she'd been discredited and very quickly vanished.

This caused him to dig a bit deeper, and had even made him wonder if there was any kind of abuse going on at home... but there was absolutely NO actual evidence of this, and the warning signs weren't quite right. He'd met the Fentons on plenty of occasions, and odd as they may be, they very clearly loved both their children. They weren't discrete, and he didn't believe they were actually capable of putting up a fake front.

The teacher did believe Danny received quite a bit of hazing from the so called 'A-listers,' but had never really caught them in the act. Every once and a while he thought he spied a well-hidden bruise or cut... Mr. Baxter in particular had insisted on constantly harassing the smaller boy, but was damn near untouchable because of his star athlete status. It disturbed the teacher to think about how much the rest of the faculty was willing to turn a blind eye to if it meant getting another trophy. Hell, even he'd done it at first... and that was one thing he regretted quite deeply.

Though, now that he thought about it... Danny wasn't really that much smaller than the quarterback anymore. He even noticed that if the boy would stop slouching and stand up straight, he might actually have an inch or two on Dash. He wasn't nearly as broad shouldered, and was still on the gangly side, but every once in a while Lancer would come around a corner or spot Danny in the distance and be inwardly shocked by how confident and sturdy he looked.

There was a mask there; a stealthy facade hidden behind baggy clothes and shaggy hair... but what it hid was a complete enigma. Mr. Lancer had hoped to get to the bottom of it before the end of the year, but graduation was quickly approaching and he really was nowhere near an explanation.

"Good afternoon Ms. Manson, Mr. Fenton, Mr. Foley." Lancer didn't quite smile as he studied his students, "No lunch today?"

"Just stepped out for some fresh air." Sam replied dully, shifting in a way to draw attention to herself rather than her companions. It was subtle, but Lancer had been keeping an eye on the three of them for years and had learned to recognize what was really happening. She crossed her arms and cocked her hip slightly, "Plus, have you seen the food they serve? Honestly, would it be too much to ask to get some Vegan friendly options?"

'Excellent deflection' Lancer thought, "Well, lunch is just about over. I'd like to assume you're going to be to class on time?" He slowly shifted his gaze to the teenager that was still sitting with his back against the tree.

Danny shrugged, stood, and brushed the back of his pants off with both hands. He gave an unconvincing smile, "That's the plan, Mr. Lancer."

Sam bent to scoop up her open backpack, quickly shuffling something in and out of sight and zipping it tight, before turning away and heading toward the school with the two boys at on her heels.

"Wait, Mr. Fenton!" Lancer cleared his throat and placed a heavy hand on Danny's shoulder to catch him... only to be surprised at how suddenly the boy jerked free from his grasp, "Great Gatsby Daniel, I didn't mean to startle you!"

His student shifted from startled glare to embarrassed smile in the matter of seconds, using one hand to rub the back of his neck, "Sorry! Didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I guess I'm a little jumpy. Jazz came home and we were hanging out..."

"I see..." Mr. Lancer wasn't really convinced, but he dropped the subject, "I just wanted to remind you to stay for a few minutes after class... your parents and sister are still chaperoning the senior picnic, correct?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess so. Mom mentioned it I think."

"I have that paperwork ready for them, so don't forget to come pick it up."

The warning bell rang, and Danny almost looked relieved for an excuse to rush away, "Right! No problem. Gotta go..."

The teacher raised a brow and gave them one last quizzical look before letting out a sigh and following them into the building at a distance. It wouldn't look good to show up late to his own class after making such a suggestion to Mr. Fenton after all.
***

It was the last class of the day, and the trio took their usual seats in the back corner of the room. Danny slumped with his forehead against his desk, arms outstretched and hands dangling loosely off the edge, "Ugh... I forgot they were chaperoning."

"It's a picnic, Danny." Sam's head was propped against one hand lazily, the other tapping her her pencil against her desk, "It's tradition. Think of it as a free day out of class."

"Yeah, relax man, I'm sure it'll be fine." Tucker assured, "What could go wrong?"

Sam and Danny both groaned, the former tilting her gaze to glare at her fully human friend, "Really? Really Tucker!?"

"What?" The techno-geek raised a brow, then narrowed his teal eyes, "Oh, come on! No. I am not 'bad luck Tuck!"

"Yes you are." Danny mumbled into his desk, not bothering to lift his head.

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are."

"Agh. Shut up."

"You shut up."

"No, You shut up!"

"Oh, My, God. Both of you shut up!" Sam turned sideways in her seat so she could give the leg of Danny's chair a solid kick.

He rolled his head to give her a goofy look, and then stuck his tongue out, "No you."

"Real mature, Danny."

"I know you are, but what am I?"

The goth just rolled her eyes, and gave an exaggerated sigh of defeat, "Dork."

"But you love me."

"Yeah. Sometimes. I guess..."

"Ouch!" Danny stifled a laugh, "My pride."

"Oh, gag me." Tucker mumbled, just as the final bell rang. Lancer stood, and began his lesson. Danny did his best to pay attention, but his thoughts were racing between various unrelated topics; Graduation, their vacation, his shoulder, the picnic, his parents chaperoning the picnic, ghosts, the ghost zone (it had been a while since he visited the Far Frozen...) and finally, telling his the big secret.

It was going to be a long two weeks.

Author's notes: Thanks for reading, please leave a review!