A/N: It hasn't been too long, right? :)

"I knew home economics would pay off somehow…" murmured Valerie as she pulled the last package of bacon out of the refrigerator and tossed it on the side of the stove. I sighed as I placed my hands on the table. After a morning of constant arguing about food rations with meat and vegetables, it was decided that it was wiser to just stick with the meat. Tucker needed more food, as last night's salad wasn't nearly enough 'to fill a grown man's stomach' as he so proclaimed. The clock barely reached up to ten fifteen and my head began to ache from all the ticking.

"So you don't normally cook at home, then?" I asked, trying to break the silence in the room.

"Not really," she replied absentmindedly. "Before I had to move into the apartment with my dad, I didn't find the time to do it. Or maybe never tried to. Until now."

I scoffed immediately. "Glad it was able to stick in your head."

The sizzling of the meat interrupted the conversation and Valerie cursed as the pot popped a splash of oil on her backhand. We minded our own places. I suppose that was the closest small talk we ever got to. Unless that curse was inflicted on me, of course.

"Oh sweet mother!" Tucker rang out as he appeared out of the basement in a childish manner. "Is that bacon I smell?"

"The one and only!" said Valerie enthusiastically as the teen decided to take a seat next to me. I only glanced at their full plates of animal carcass before I had to turn my head away in pure disgust.

"How much have you finished?" I questioned bluntly as Tucker ate. He looked up briefly from his meal.

"As of today? Not much."

"As I expected."

"Hey, you don't mean that as an-"

"Insult? No, but I'm beginning to run out of other things to do around here." I grumbled rudely, standing up in an instant. Was it the situation at hand? Or the meat? I didn't care to know. "And I'm going to go back to bed."

Tucker and Valerie looked at each other once when I last glanced at them.

"Is she alright?"

"Well…she didn't sleep too well last night…"

My bitter thoughts had the better of me and I felt the scowl come on my face. Everything was slow. Too uncomfortably slow. Valerie could only get away with so much food from the store before the GIW caught suspicion of her, not to mention Tucker and I. And maybe even Danny too was looking for us!

And although Tucker deserved his rest, I didn't know what else I could do but watch. Perhaps the best I did was fix the radio once it broke again, but other than that, it had been all improv from there.

The sound of reappearing particles was heard over my head the second I reached my seventh step on the staircase.

I froze. Ghost.

I cautiously looked up. A floating pair of Dash's feet pointed downward directly overhead, but other than that, the overshadowed jock didn't see me from his position.

Quietly as I could, I stuck my arm out in front of me to aim it correctly upward. I curved my wrist down pressed the button on the Fenton Wristband that never left my side.

"OW!" A loud cry shouted. That did not sound like Dash. In fact…

The second the shot was heard, I spotted Valerie in the kitchen, who seemed to have reacted too quickly to think. Which might explain the frying pan in her hands. Tucker followed just after with a fork in his uninjured hand. Like that would do anything.

The ghost rubbed his aching bottom and looked down to face all his opponents. Colors of green stained his eyes and there was only one ghost with that ectosignature.

"Danny," I practically hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" he replied just as harshly to try and counter my anger. He floated down to the first floor to meet us at eye level. "I've been trying to find you guys! You didn't have to shoot me you know…"

"I think we've heard enough of you and your lies." growled Valerie as she held the pan up like a mace. She nudged once at Tucker to signal him for the backup plan.

He immediately got the memo. I shot at Danny to grab his attention.

"Wish you could of had a spare one of those, Sam!" the other girl complained, but covered for Tucker when he left to the basement.

Danny-Dash almost retaliated before Valerie cleverly (or at lest I think cleverly. It could have been last minute) threw the pan at his head. Being as skilled as he was, which wasn't surprising, he ducked in time to avoid it.

"QUIT IT!" He shouted with hands on his head. "I NEED TO-"

With another shot from my wrist, I aimed this time for his chest. Missed again.

I clicked my tongue as Valerie smirked at me. "Nice shot."

"Yeah well, at least I have a weapon."

"Can't you guys listen to me for once?" grumbled our enemy. "You know what..."

With a quick motion, he released his hold on Dash by placing him upstairs on the second floor. The form of the teenager flowed out of him like smoke as his glowing eyes glared back at us menacingly.

I was skeptical at that action. Would an evil Danny do that? Let Dash safety stay on the second floor?

"I just need you guys to hold still a minute!" He shouted, flaring his hands up with green energy. His hand went to point at my direction, but by then, Valerie had dragged me behind a propped up table she had set up in a matter of seconds.

"...at this rate, he'll kill us for sure." I mused.

"You think?"

Danny snapped his head to the table as he was about to shoot. "That depends on who you're talking to."

Yet again, another voice intervened. "I'm sorry about this, dude, but..."

The ghost's energy dispersed to find the source of the voice. Tucker, standing underneath where he was floating, had a thermos in hand. His aim was shaky but stable enough to not fall out of his hands.

"...it's for your own good."

Danny immediately looked down to his blind spot and barely hoped out of the way of the blast. Tucker widened his eyes when he began to swoop for him.

"Tuck, you...!"

But instinct grabbed me last second as I finally nailed my shot to smack the side of Danny's head.

He tumbled across the floor, hitting the wall with the crash of two picture frames. Valerie and I sprung into action, taking Tucker's sides. I held my Wrist Ray, Tucker his Thermos and Valerie her karate. Like that would do anything.

As Danny groaned and got up again, something fell out of his ear. My eyes scanned to the broken device. His Fenton Phone earpiece fell out. And a human Danny revealed himself with hands up after he noticed.

"...don't shoot..." He said in a voice so afraid it was too real to be feigned. "I-I can explain. Instead of being...interrupted for the fifth time..."

"...what...Fenton...?!"

Tucker and I looked at each other before lowering our weapons.

"You better have a good explanation." we said in unction.

-Posted March 18, 2014

A/N: Three years. Wow. I really gotta hustle up -_-