WoM- 'blinks' Wow… You guys really responded to this one… Oh, and don't worry, there's no cliffie here, I think the last couple I wrote managed to get them out of my system for a while. 'smiles sheepishly at MoC and GT readers' Thank Obi for this update, since it's her 'pay' for another FP page. And with that said, on with the chapter!


"Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together."

-Petrarch


Supernova

"No way!" gasping, Star fell away, crawling backwards until her back hit a tree. Danny watched her with wide, frightened blue eyes. "Fenton? Danny Fenton?" Danny flinched, unsure of what to say. "You're Danny Phantom!"

"…No I'm not?" Danny faked a hopeful smile even as he beat himself up mentally. That sounded weak even to him, there was no way she'd buy that! Especially not after she'd seen him transform…

"But… how… You're still alive!" then, a little uncertainly, the girl added, "…Aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Danny assured her quickly, taking a step forward. He stopped when Star drew back even more, taking a deep breath to hide his panic and hurt. "Look… Star… I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise. I just… you can't tell anyone, okay?" the last part came out as more of a plea then anything else, and Danny's beseeching look didn't help the matter at all.

He was painfully aware of his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for Star's response. After all, this wasn't Sam, or Tucker, or Jazz… even Paulina or Dash, who while far from being his friends, at least associated with both of his forms long enough to grant some strange form of loyalty to his ghost half. This was a girl he'd only spoken to on a handful of occasions, with none of the conversations ending on a civil tone.

"Are you insane?" Star demanded, glaring at him pointedly. "Why shouldn't I tell anyone? Why shouldn't I tell everyone, huh?"

"Because, nobody else can know!" Danny snapped back before he could stop himself. Flinching, Danny took a deep breath and fixed his tone so as not to upset the girl further. "Look, Star, this is serious. If it gets out that I'm a half ghost, the Guys in White will try and capture me for experiments, leaving Amity Park to be overrun with ghosts and no one to send them back to the Ghost Zone. Everyone will be in danger, Star, including you and your family. Is that what you want?" Star balked a little at that.

Unnerved, she thought back to the first big ghost attack, one of the most frightening experiences she'd ever been through. It had shaken her up so much that she didn't even care that she'd been on TV because of it. No, she didn't want that, not again…

Still… she told herself, shaken by her revelation. I can't believe that a geek like Danny Fenton and a cool guy like Danny Phantom are the same people… I mean, this whole time Paulina's been crushing bad on Phantom and he's been right under her—!

Star stopped mid-thought, her eyes going wide before her face twisted into a sly smirk.

Standing up, the girl brushed herself off before turning the smirk to Danny, who was still waiting anxiously for some kind of response. Approaching him, she stopped about three feet away, crossing her arms.

"Alright." she said in the cool, confident tone only an A-list kid (even a low ranking A-list kid like herself) could possess. "You've convinced me. I won't tell anybody about your double lives."

"Really?" Danny asked hopefully. "Including Valerie?" Star blinked.

Valerie? why would he care if she knew? Because of his crush on her? He still wasn't over that? And people call me desperate…

"Including Valerie." Star repeated with a confirming nod. Danny sighed in relief, making the girl roll her eyes. Talk about overdramatic.

"Thanks, Star." the boy said earnestly. "You really don't know how much that means to—!"

"Hold up." Star broke in, holding up a hand to stop Danny, the other planted firmly on her hip. "I said I'll keep your little secret, but I've got a condition."

Danny's relieved expression melted away at that.

"A condition?" he repeated in a bland tone. "What kind of condition?"

"Nothing major, if that's what your thinking…" Star's smirk widened, her tone never varying. "Its just… do you remember the big Gala coming up in a couple of weeks?"

"Yeah, so?" Danny asked, confused. His paranoia (Combined with his natural clueless-ness) kept him from making the connection he should've.

"So if memory serves, a certain Danny Phantom got an invite to go now, didn't he?" Star said pointedly.

"…Are you going somewhere with all of this?" groaning, Star rolled her eyes in exasperation.

No wonder he and the Goth freak aren't together yet…

"As a matter of fact I am." she announced in annoyance. "I'm going to the Amity Gala, and I'm going on the arm of Amity Park's most famous ghost boy." that one definitely got the point across, causing Danny to pale rapidly and gape at Star in horror before his face flamed with color.

"What?" sputtering, Danny took an involuntary step back to stare at the girl, stunned. "Are you crazy? I can't—!"

"You can and you will." Star cut him off curtly. Then, in a sweeter tone, she added. "Unless you want me to let Valerie in on your little secret…" Danny couldn't have looked more stunned if Star had slapped him.

"You wouldn't…" he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Wouldn't I?" Star countered innocently. "Valerie is one of my best friends, after all, and keeping a secret as big as this is so difficult…"

"Fine!" Danny said quickly. "I'll do whatever you say, Star. Just don't tell anyone!"

"Excellent!" Star chirped happily, turning away with a sweep of her hair. "I'll get back to you with the details later. See ya!" Danny moaned softly to himself as Star more or less skipped away, apparently in a much higher spirits now then she had been in before her encounter with Danny.

At least one of us is in a good mood… Danny thought sourly as he trudged back to his home. Why me…?


Giggling madly Star fell onto her bed, where she cuddled one of her pillows with a happy sigh. She didn't care that her mother had just gotten done ranting at her for getting into a car with Kwan that morning, not to mention staying out past the nine o'clock curfew without calling home to say where she was.

"Danny Phantom…" Star grinned into her pillowcase, relishing in her own cunning. "Talk about a change of luck!"

Danny Phantom was famous throughout the nation, the face that put Amity Park on the map. Danny Phantom was cool, strong and brave, everything a superhero should be. Danny Phantom was the one thing Paulina wanted, but didn't have.

Danny Phantom was Danny Fenton.

And now, because of that little fact, Danny Phantom was also Star's new boyfriend.

Suddenly, I'm glad Kwan and I decided to break up. Star thought with a smirk, completely dismissing the fact that Kwan had technically dumped her. Who wants to date a boring, average jock when you can be the girlfriend of a superhero? The blonde giggled again, fully enjoying her new status.

'Ring! Ring! Ring!'

Star blinked in surprise when the phone next to her bed started to sound, shifting around to give it a puzzled look before she picked it up. After all, the private line was only put in so that her conversations with Paulina wouldn't tie up the main phone, and she doubted that her ex-best-friend was the one calling, so who would bother to contact an unpopular? (At least for now, at any rate…)

"Hello?"

"Hey Star!" a familiar voice responded. "It's Ashley! How are you holding up?"

"Ashley?" like Star herself, Ashley was only a minor A-lister, someone Paulina found interesting on occasions. She got along decently with the girl but they weren't as close as they could've been.

She probably thinks she's gonna take my place on the A-list, now that Kwan and I are through. Star decided, vaguely annoyed. I bet she just called to rub it in…

"Hey, Ashley!" she sang out sweetly, sitting up on her bed. "Wow, I wasn't expecting you to call tonight! I didn't even know you had my number!"

"Paulina gave it to me." Ashley explained airily to the girl. "I tried calling earlier, but no one answered… I just wanted to let you know how sorry I was. About you and Kwan I mean." Star scowled slightly at the girl's tone, fully sensing that she wasn't sorry in the least.

"Kwan?" Star asked in a thoughtful tone, as if she'd already forgotten the boy. "Kwan who?"

"Your ex-boyfriend." Ashley reminded her. "The one that dumped you today in the cafeteria. That Kwan."

"Oh, him." Star scoffed. "I was getting tired of him anyways. He's so lame, you know, way too boring for my tastes… nothing like my new boyfriend."

"…New boyfriend?" Bingo. You'd have to be deaf not to hear the way Ashley's interests had been peaked with those last two words… "You have a new boyfriend? Already? Who is it?"

"You'll never guess." Star responded confidently, propping the phone between her ear and her shoulder so she could polish her nails. "Go on and try!"

"Jason Anderson from homeroom?" Ashley started. "Or maybe Will from Health Sciences?"

"Nope." Star said smugly as she began applying her first coat of polish.

"It's not Foley again, is it?"

"No!" Star made a face, almost upsetting the nail polish in her distress. "Ew! Never going down that road ever again…"

"Oh come on, you have to spill!" giggling, the blonde capped her nail polish and blew lightly on her hands before she responded to the plea.

"Well, I guess I could tell you, since you're being such a great friend and all…" Star smirk as she dangled the bait in front of the girl, starting to go in for the kill. "But you've got to promise not to tell anyone else!"

"Oh, definitely Star!" Ashley promised eagerly. "You totally have my word!"

"Great!" Star said brightly. "It's so good to know I can trust you, Ashley!"

"Mm-hm, great." Ashley responded impatiently. "So who is he?" Star grinned triumphantly into the phone.

"Danny Phantom." There was a long beat of silence before an earsplitting shriek had Star jumping away from the phone in surprise.

"Are you serious?" she gasped. "The Danny Phantom? You're dating THE Danny Phantom? Ghost Boy of Amity Park?"

"That's him!" Star confirmed cheerfully. "He's even taking me to the Gala! Isn't that so cool?"

"But… but I thought… Isn't he… And Paulina… How?" Star giggled a little, basking in her victory.

"He saved me from a ghost today." Star explained enthusiastically. "You should have seen him Ashley, he was so cool, fighting off the freak on the bike! Then afterwards he stayed behind to see if I was alright. He told me he'd been crushing on me for a while since he thought I was the prettiest girl in Amity, and that he wanted me to go with him to the Gala. Wasn't that sweet of him?"

Okay, so she took a few creative rights with the story, nothing too major…

"Yeah… sweet…" the blonde smirked a little at the shock clear in Ashley's voice. Apparently, she wasn't expecting the conversation to go like this when she decided to call.

"Anyways, Phantom was worried that if it got out how much he cared about me, I'd be targeted by his enemies, so I promised to only tell my family and best friends. You won't say anything to anyone, will you Ashley?"

"Huh?" Ashley said at first before the words clicked. "Oh! Of course not, Star! I promise I won't tell a single soul!"

"Great!" Star said brightly. "Well, I'm gotta go now. It was great talking to you, Ashley!" Star grinned triumphantly as she hung up the phone, not bothering to wait for the other girl's response. "That oughta do it…"

Humming to herself the blonde started to prepare for bed, knowing full well that Ashley was probably already busy spreading the word to the rest of Casper High that she was dating the infamous Danny Phantom, and Paulina wasn't.

For the first time in my life, I can't wait for school tomorrow…


"WHAT?"

Danny cringed, one hand against his ear, which was now ringing thanks to Sam's screech. The goth didn't seem all that bothered by this, though, and Tucker was just gaping at him in shock. Even Jazz seemed alarmed at the bomb her brother had just dropped on them.

"What else could I do?" he asked helplessly. "She knows I'm a half ghost now, and she's threatening to tell Valerie!"

"I know dude, but blackmail?" Tucker made a face at that. "That's low, man. Even for an A-list kid."

"I'll kill her." Sam growled out venomously, a look in her eyes that left no one doubting her word. "What makes that snobby, stuck-up, Barbie doll of a—!"

"Sam." Danny sighed, cutting off the rest of what promised to be a colorful insult. "Look, I appreciate the support, but there's nothing we can do. Star knows I'm half ghost, and until we figure out a way to deal with her for good, I'm just going to have to go along with her demands."

"I already have a way." Sam reminded her friend.

"A legal way of dealing with her." Danny corrected himself dryly.

"It's only illegal if you get caught." the goth insisted stubbornly, crossing her arms and turning away. Groaning, Danny shot Tucker a helpless look.

"Hey, don't look at me." the tech geek said defensively, holding his hands out to shield himself. "Unless you develop the power to give people amnesia, Sam's idea sounds like the best thing we've got to go on."

"We're not killing her!" Danny said, exasperated, throwing his arms up in the air. Sighing he shot his sister a pleading look as she pulled into the school parking lot.

"Sorry Danny." Jazz said, sounding slightly apologetic. "I can't see a way out of this any more then you can… and I'm with Danny on your guys' plan, by the way." this last part was directed to Sam and Tucker in the back seat, along with a stern glare. "No homicide on my watch."

"I wasn't serious." Sam sighed drolly, rolling her eyes. "…not completely, anyways."

"It's no big deal, guys." Danny sighed roughly. "One stupid date is all she's asking for. I think I can handle something like that."

"Says the poor, naïve fool who's never dated the girl before." Tucker drolled out in a dry tone. "Trust someone who has been there, dude, there's no way Star's letting you off the hook with one date. She's gonna milk this as long as possible… and then she might just let it spill anyways."

"Tucker's right, Danny." Sam agreed as the car pulled to a stop. "We have to stop Star as soon as possible! Maybe if we go to Clockwork or something—!"

"Clockwork can't help me, guys." Danny broke in as the four of them got out of the car. "I already tried that. He told me his hands are tied as far as this whole thing goes."

"Desiree?" Tucker offered hopefully. "Just wish that she didn't know anymore!"

"I don't trust Desiree."

"Anymore then you trust Star?" Sam snorted. "She's an A-lister, Danny, she'll do anything she can to get on top!"

"Don't you think you guys are being too hard on her?" Jazz asked with a disapproving frown. "Until Star proves otherwise, I think we should give her the benefit of the doubt."

"She's an A-list snob!" Sam growled, glaring at Jazz. "She doesn't need the benefit of the doubt, she needs to be bound, gagged and thrown into the darkest depths of the Ghost Zone!"

"That might not be such a bad idea…" Tucker said thoughtfully.

"Guys!"

"Tucker!" jumping in surprised, all four teens turned as a Mikey approached their group, looking excited about something. "Did you hear? The whole school's talking about it!"

"…Hear what?" Tucker shot his friends a baffled look, receiving nothing but blank looks and shrugs.

"Star!" Mikey said, apparently excited to find someone who hadn't heard the news yet. "Star's dating Danny Phantom! He asked her out last night, when she was going back home from Valerie's!" there was a long lapse of silence as Mikey rushed off after another group, apparently intent on spreading the news far and wide.

"…So much for the benefit of the doubt." Sam scoffed, crossing her arms. "Now what?" Danny sighed heavily before he started up into the school, leaving the other three to exchange glances before rushing after him.

"Danny?" Jazz frowned at her brother in concern, anxious at the blank, impassive look on his face. "What are you doing?"

"Going to class." Danny responded shortly. "I'm gonna let Star say whatever she wants, if it means my secret's being kept for at least one more day."

"But Danny—!"

"I don't want to hear it, Sam." Danny cut the goth off curtly, ignoring her scowl. "I'll figure something out sooner or later… just not right now." Slowing to a stop, Tucker, Sam and Jazz all let Danny go on ahead as they watched on in worry.

"I've got a bad feeling about all of this…" Tucker said in an uneasy tone.

"It'll work out, guys." Jazz said with false optimism, "It always does!"

"Maybe…" Sam frowned at Danny's retreating form. "But if it doesn't, I'm blaming it all on that stupid bracelet."

"You and me both." Tucker scoffed.


WoM- That's all for now! Next chapter includes jealousy, rivalry and betrayal!

Wow, when did this turn into one of my mom's soap operas…?


Thanks to-

the Gothic Egg, KatrinaKaiba, epobbp, SilverstarsEbonyskies, savi2070, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, Phantom of a Rose, Leppers, Siren of Time, midnight, BlackWings, XxMidnightWolfxX, Jazzy, Yoshi, Esme Kali Phantom, PhantomShadowKat, aLLgirL112, Just call me Crazy, conan98002, Gmasangel, Redwind, L'ange-Sans-Ailes, Kazzy103, Anomaly25, J.J. Banks, InuYasha'sReincarnation, Crossover Fiend, soaring-bright-flame,animekraze, Wingg-ed Wolf, dfd, shadow-k9, Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, dAnnYsGiRl777, The Person Who Rights, GOst, Karasu87Chaos, dPhantoMfreak, Lumias, Parselmaster,SummersSixEcho, Erebus Faustus, The Bushranger, BarnOwl93, deadzonedragon, xheartkreuzx, Uchiha fangirl aloncye, Evillittlegurlie, JosephineInLove, Gadget14, blindyourears, Light Dragon SunsSong, -StarPhantom-, phantomshadowdragon, ectoenergy, Bunny Bubble, savi2070, Knowledge in the Hollow Noggin, midnight, BlackWings, Yoshi, Just call me Crazy, Kazzy103, dfd, GOst, Erebus Faustus, The Bushranger, deadzonedragon, Gadget14, ectoenergy,

Special Thanks to-

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Redwind, definenormalAB, blackkaosrose, L'ange-Sans-Ailes, dannyphantomfanaticandDxSshipper, AmandaPhantom, Uchiha fangirl aloncye, white rose, kawaii gurl-11, Bunny Bubble