Anonymous review replies:

Guest: So you have wished it, so shall it be! XD get it? Eh...

Phangirll: Thanks ^^ I've never seen that, so I'll take your word for it. Not planning any serious "romance" (I'm not good in that genre), but there will definitely be a very close friendship between the two as the story progresses.

Mistheart150: Ho ho, that's some pretty good motivation there. ^^ I need to drag the manuscript book over to this computer and type... Chapter 8 part 2 is on its way, though! Paused to finish up this chapter.

AJ: Thanks ^^ They'll be getting along a bit better in the chapters to come. That piece of pizza was pretty bad... I couldn't even eat half of it, it was so slimy... and a bit cold.

So here we are, chapter 3. Muehehe. Still setting up the story here, I don't really want it to move too quickly. I pondered this story quite a bit, and my brain is now practically bursting with ideas! XD Enjoy the update~

,.~*~.,

Sam had talked to various people all over the base, whether it was a friendly chat or a conversation about ghosts and technology used to find them and/or fight them. Needless to say, the unordinary young woman felt right at home.

Getting to know some of the other workers besides Danny was a nice change, seeing as she didn't feel like she knew anything about her coworker at all, despite all the hours she had spent watching him in the office. He didn't talk much, and when he did get to talking about himself, he would stop, as if he was hiding something.

On her way back to Danny's office, Sam ran into her supervisor. "Hey, Miss Manson," Cal greeted, smiling cheerfully.

"Hello, Cal," said Sam, smiling back.

"Have you two been getting along well so far?" Cal asked. "Dan can be a bit abrasive at times."

"Oh, I know that," said Sam. "But I deal with it. And there's something sort of weird about him. I cleaned up his office before he came in this morning and he chewed me out for it, then offered me breakfast the next moment."

"Sounds like him," Cal said with a small sigh. "Strange kid, that one. It's as if he resents human company. I've known him for five years and he hasn't really opened up to me. Doesn't want anyone close to him at all. The most I can guess is that he had a troubled childhood."

"Maybe so," said Sam. "I could ask him about it."

"I wouldn't try it while you're still a new thing for him," Cal warned. "He doesn't seem to trust you quite yet. It'll take him some time to start opening up to you."

"I could see that from the beginning," Sam noted. "I'm still gonna ask him about his life. If he says it's too sensitive to talk about, I'll just leave it and wait."

"Good luck," Cal said with a short bark of a dry laugh. "When I asked him, he got really angry at me."

"Oh, don't worry." Sam smirked. "I'll do it subtly." She headed back off towards Danny's office. She poked her head inside the office to see Danny rummaging through his filing cabinets, muttering something to himself. This didn't surprise Sam, seeing as she had reorganized everything.

Danny must have heard her enter, for he closed the cabinet and slowly turned to look at her, a tight, serious smile on his face and an irritated glint in his eyes. He exhaled through his nostrils. "Where are my snack cakes?" he asked Sam, voice terse.

"I don't know," Sam replied. "What, do you have a stash of them someplace or something?"

"I assumed you knew that already," Danny said. "Ah, well. I usually have one in between breakfast and lunch thereabout. If I can't find them and you don't know about them, then there's probably only one left, or none left." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's one way to throw my schedule off."

"You weren't expecting me to become part of your schedule, were you?" asked Sam, sitting down in Danny's chair.

Danny snorted. "Well, obviously," he said. "And could you possibly stop sitting in my chair every time I get up?"

"Possibly," Sam answered, smirking. "Doesn't mean I'm going to. You need to get used to having someone in your own little world besides yourself."

"I don't want to," Danny said quietly, leaning on his desk.

"I could tell," Sam retorted.

Danny gave his assistant a somewhat dirty look. "Out of my chair," he commanded.

Sam got up and walked over to the filing cabinets, crossing her arms. "Do you ever get bored?" she asked.

"No," said Danny, plunking himself down in his chair. "I work on different things all day, do internet stuff." He pulled himself up to the desk. "Come up with new ways of learning about ghosts."

"Every day?" Sam asked. "I'm no social butterfly either, but... don't you ever get out?"

"Nope."

"Never let anyone into your life?"

"I used to."

"So why not now?" Sam threw her arms out for emphasis. "Is there something that made you stop?"

"You're intruding on personal territory, Manson," Danny said. He turned to Sam, giving her a dark look that practically screamed "don't go there". Sam stared back at him, scarcely blinking. The man sighed, sinking down in his chair. "If you must know, yes. But why I'm this way is none of your business." He turned back around and began to type on his computer.

Sam bit her cheek with concern. Danny was harder to break through than a two-foot thick wall of steel. Cal was right. He needs time, she reminded herself. He was so lonely. He pretended to like it that way, but Sam felt that he honestly wanted somebody to share all his secrets with. He needed someone he could trust.

"Sam."

Sam looked back at Danny when he spoke her name. "Yes?" she asked.

Danny swiveled his chair slightly to look at his co-worker. "Get your own chair," he said.

Sam was sure she saw the faintest hint of a smile cross his face.

,.~*~.,

Well, that's the end of Chapter 3. Now that I've finished this chapter and it's off my chest, I shall take a little bit of a break from it and finish typing Frontlines... and for New Year's Day you'll all get the prologue of Desecration!

Anywho, I will continue on with this! As soon as I decide to, em... no definites on next update? XD Hopefully soon, yes? I should... um... think about finishing Double Danny... :l