Mornings were hard on Danny. Hell, they would be hard for any self respecting crime fighting student. And no matter how much he wished the work away, magic wasn't going to make it all just disappear. His twentieth birthday had been last week, and he hadn't even gotten to celebrate, and it was times like these that Danny wished he were of legal drinking age (He's a hero, he's supposed to follow the law. Good example and all that).

He had spent all night hunting down three jewel thieves, writing a 6 page essay, and cursing his English teacher for scheduling a test in two days. Danny sighed despite himself and took another swig of his latté. At least caffeine was legal.

Ever since he had left Amityville for college, he hadn't really felt comfortable sharing his secret with anyone. Danny wasn't about to go shouting to someone he didn't trust that he was half-dead. Especially at one of the top research schools in America, Princeton (Yeah, he got in. After a lot of work on his part and some help from his sister.). Honestly, did he really want a bunch of research dorks (no offense) to get the chance to swipe at him? Danny had thought through the consequences when he'd sighed the admission papers. But what could he say: Danny liked a challenge.

He had kept in contact with Sam and Tucker, and they were doing well. In fact, Tucker was doing better than well. He was doing awesome. He'd just recently graduated from Harvard and he had a stable job working for NASA on something Danny could never remember. Apparently, the smarter you were, the harder it was to pronounce your job title. Everyone had known he was a genius, but it was neat to see how far he'd gone.

As for Sam, she had acquired a full ride scholarship to Yale, much to her disdain. She personally would have preferred a college not so prestigious, but then, that was just Sam being Sam. He had kept in contact with his high school friends through texts and emails and such, but he'd kept his brooding thoughts to himself and kept a cheerful exterior. He knew his friends could tell that he was lying through his teeth, but they didn't push it. If Danny wanted to talk, he would let them know.

It was a freezing twenty eight degrees outside, but even without a jacket Danny hardly even noticed. This revelation was both interesting and terrifying to him at the same time; lately his ghost powers had been affecting him as a human more often. But things like this he couldn't just turn off, and it filled him with constant feelings of unease.

Even though he would have been fine without the sweatshirt, he left it on for anyone that might see him walking around outside in just a t-shirt and jeans. The last thing he wanted was for someone to think he was nuts.

Danny finished off his coffee and swung open the Starbucks door, dropping the empty cup in a trash bin outside the door. Even in such cold weather, Danny couldn't see his breath crystallize anymore. He knew he should probably be making sure he was okay, but so far, he felt fine. Plus, Danny wasn't sure he was ready for the answers.

Passing through the campus courtyard, he admired the thousands of glassy icicles that adorned the several large evergreen trees mingled within the campus buildings. Passing through the double doors of the library, a wave of stifling, stagnant, warm air hit him in the face hard. At least they tried to keep things warm.

Danny passed through the bookshelves with purpose, finding what he was looking for at a table near a back window. The younger brunette was leaning forward in an awkward writing stance, her shoulder-length, wavy brown hair thrown casually over her neck so she could see what she was writing.

She looked up from her notes when Danny pulled out a chair and sat down across from her and her dark, brown eyes brightened.

"Hey Danny," she whispered across the table, "I'm almost done, hang on."

Danny nodded with a smile and relaxed back into one of the throne-like wooden chairs, suddenly wondering why it was that all libraries had to make their chairs so big and clunky.

A few minutes and several page turns later, she quickly and haphazardly shoved her notes into her textbook and practically climbed out of the chair, as it had decided that the particular place in the carpet was a good place to trap her. After she had wiggled free she smiled at Danny, "K, lets go."

Before they had reached the door, she had replaced her scarf and hood to their intended positions and zipped up her jacket, jamming her hands into her pockets after she managed to get her books back into her messenger bag.

"Amand-"Danny barely started before the girl whipped to the side to face him, "Danny. I've already told you. Call me Amy." Her face was a mask of false annoyance.

Danny smiled and threw his arms up in mock surrender, "Alright, all right. Amy then."

She eyed his loose attire and asked incredulously. "Aren't you freezing?!"

Danny seemed unprepared for the question and said loudly, "What?! NO. I mean…yes…kinda…uh." He was never a good liar.

Amy made a face and grinned, "Okay then."

Danny smirked sheepishly and said, "Yeah..Well, what I was trying to ask before was, 'Where did you want to go?'"

Amy closed her eyes briefly in thought and said, "I guess we could head over to IHop. They're cheap and I don't have an appetite right now. It's too early. But you just insisted on this time." She smiled at the last comment. Danny had insisted. He had wanted to talk in private, but not anywhere uncomfortable. Plus, if things went well, he didn't want to freak her out in a city at night. There were also plenty of thugs out there he didn't want to deal with with Amy nearby.

Danny replied, "Sure," as he trailed Amy down the block and across a windy intersection. She ran across the street, hands tucked deep into her pockets, arms tight at her sides as the wind gusted around them. Danny followed, unaffected behind her, as she pushed open one of the double doors leading into the Pancake Cathedral. At this time of the morning, the restaurant was as sparsely packed as Danny had hoped.

There was an elderly couple near the kitchen and a couple of college early birds a couple of feet to their left in a booth. So Danny was relieved when the waitress sat them both down by themselves on the other side of the restaurant. The waitress got their orders as they sat down; another coffee for Danny, and a hot chocolate for Amy.

Amy put her hands under her thighs to keep warm and asked curiously, "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Danny had to force a grin, and choosing his words carefully, asked, "I don't want to weird you out or anything…but you're really the only person that I can trust."

Amy's expression turned serious and she leaned forward slightly, "Danny, you know you can tell me anything."

Danny snorted a humorless laugh, "No one really thinks that phrase through when they say anything. Do they?"

Amy's eyebrows knitted together and she asked slowly, "What do you mean?"

Danny briefly pinched the bridge of his nose and said to the floor, "Look. This is probably going to sound kind of stupid, but what if the person you thought I was," Danny met her eyes, "just didn't exist?"

Amy was so enthralled in what he was saying that even after Danny leaned back in his chair to give the waitress room, she was still startled when the hot chocolate hit the table in front of her. She briefly made eye contact with her and her face twitched into a 'thank you' sort of smile, before Amy ignored her again.

When the waitress was far enough away, Danny turned back to her and asked in a low voice, "Can I trust you?"

Amy tightened her hold on her hot chocolate and opened her mouth to answer, only to close it again and look to the right. Worrying her lower lip she asked, "I'll keep your secret, only if no one gets hurt because of it."

Danny smiled, content with this answer, "Fair enough." He picked up the visibly steaming coffee, and chugged it all at once. Amy's eyes widened in surprise when he set the mug down empty. He exhaled between his teeth, steam dissipating as it passed his lips. Either Danny didn't notice, or didn't care as he folded his arms on the table and waited for Amy.

She could only watch in silence as he paid the check and left. Amy followed him this time, down the block and down a deserted alleyway. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself as the cold blew heavily against her back, once again noticing Danny's indifference to the weather. She knew that she should be feeling uncomfortable down in an alleyway in the city, but she felt safe with Danny.

Amy asked when Danny turned to face her, "Sooo…what are we doing here?"

Danny put a hand up and said, "Hang on. This is your last chance to back out; can I trust you?"

Amy nodded, hands tucked under her armpits to stay warm, her breath coming out in small little clouds.

Danny grinned a little and said, "Watch." Then he started to pull his sweatshirt over his head.

Amy's eyes widened as another gust of wind blew down the alley, but now, even in just a t-shirt and jeans, Danny didn't even shiver. Danny dropped the sweatshirt on the ground and closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were a bright, glowing green. Danny seemed focused on something else entirely as a bright white light swirled around him, his clothes changed to a long sleeved, black and white almost skin tight shirt and loose black pants and white boots. He had white gloves coming up over the sleeves of his shirt and a white D on his chest. The only startling change was that his hair turned snowy white, a stark opposite to his normal black.

Danny made a face that could only be identified as embarrassment and shrugged, "Yeah, the whole suit thing is pretty stupid, but I can figure out how to not change clothes when I go ghost. Every time I change to something else, they turn black and white again, so don't rag on the color scheme."

Amy smiled at his analysis and said, "You said 'go ghost?' Is that what this is?"

Danny smirked back at her, "Yep. I don't just get a nifty costume change. I get all those neat intangibility perks and stuff."

"Uhhh, can I see?"

Danny's head turned slightly to the side, "This doesn't freak you out?"

"Should it?"

"Yeah, kinda," Danny said, a strange expression crossing over his features before it was replaced with a smile and he asked, "You still cold?"

"Of course I am!" Amy half wailed, a shiver running down her arms. Danny grinned and crossed the distance between them, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Amy tensed for the wind she had been expecting, but she never felt it, in fact, she felt…normal. Just, at ease.

"What did you do?" Amy asked, looking into Danny's strangely glowing eyes.

"Well, I made you intangible. One of those neat ghost power perks I mentioned. As long as I'm hanging on to you, you share the same status change I go through. If I'm solid, your solid, if I levitate, you levitate."

Amy looked down and gasped, now being able to see through her own legs and coat. She wasn't invisible, just…translucent. "Can anyone else see us?"

Danny grinned, "No. When I'm intangible no one can see me."

Amy smiled back for the first time, "You said you could levitate…?"

Danny laughed, "Yeah, I can fly. Come on." As Danny finished his sentence, Amy felt her body go weightless as she floated off the ground. She gasped at the feeling of falling while she wasn't even moving. Danny spun her around until he was holding her bridal style and he floated just above the rooftops.

"We should talk at your place. It's cold out here, and I don't think dorm rooms are private enough," Danny said to the brunette.

Amy dug her fingers into Danny's shirt for that small feeling of security that stems from a child holding on to someone's hand when they're scared and said, "I live down that way," pointing away from the campus to some apartments down the street.

After some issues finding her apartment, Danny fazed them both through the wall and set her down on her feet. Amy gasped when he let go of her and she became tangible. She wobbled a bit but Danny had a firm hold on her elbow so she wouldn't fall.

When she steadied Danny said, "Sorry. Forgot that that first time leaves you a little bit dizzy. It's been a while."

Amy said slightly dazed, "That's okay. It was still fun," and plopped down heavily on the couch. Danny sat down at the edge of the coffee table and said, fingertips lightly pressing together, "I really wish I could ask this any other way, but I don't think I can. I didn't show you this only because you're my friend, I also kind of need your help."

A look of worry settled over her features, "With what?"

Danny phased back in the same glow of bright light and asked, "Do you have a thermometer?"

"Why?"

Danny looked sad, "Just get it."

Amy frowned and went to the kitchen, rummaging around for a minute or two before returning and sitting on the couch. She brought back with her one of those ear thermometers.

Danny sighed and held his hand out. Amy dropped the thermometer in his hand and watched confused, as he stuck the thermometer in his ear. It beeped and Danny pulled it out, his mouth turning into a slight frown as he read the numbers.

"I was afraid of that," he mumbled.

"Afraid of what?" Amy asked, still confused.

Danny passed the thermometer back to her and she frowned, "It has to be broken, that's not right."

Danny sighed again and said, "Yes it is."

Amy snorted, "Danny, if your temperature was 58.4 you would be dead…oh."

Danny met her eyes sadly and said, "This wasn't always the case. I've been worrying that something like this was going to happen sooner or later."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked setting the thermometer down beside her.

"As dumb as this sounds my parents are ghost hunters. They built a portal to the ghost realm and before I knew that they had actually built something that worked, I got involved in a little accident. They didn't know though, I never told them. But how could I not worry? My DNA was tampered with by ectoplasm, seriously."

"So what do you need my help with?"

"I want to test my DNA."