This story is being written for inuyashaxkagome321, whose plea for more Danny/Kitty pairings could not go unheeded. I hope you like this chapter little one.

A VERY warm thanks goes out to my Beta Reader DigitalPhantom who is simply awesome! If you want to read something really special, go check out her work.

If you thought Johnny was a cad before, you're really going to hate him in this chapter. You have been warned.

This story takes place after the "Livin' Large" episode.

As always, critical reviews are always appreciated. Actually any review is appreciated, except mindless flames with no useful substance.

Please enjoy.


Leaving a Boy for a Man

Chapter Three:

A Friend in Need


Danny had been patrolling the skies over Amity Park for more than five hours and had yet to see any sign of Johnny or Kitty. He really wished he could have asked Tucker and Sam to help him, but neither would have understood. Danny especially didn't want Sam to know what he was doing, sure she would disapprove of him trying to rescue Kitty.

He had a bad feeling that she and Johnny might have gone back to the Ghost Zone, but wanted to be sure he checked everywhere else before going there. The zone was HUGE, and there were no guarantees that they were even there right now. Besides, not everyone in there was friendly to him. He didn't have time to fight a battle with Skulker or any of his other enemies while trying to rescue Kitty.

The thought of Skulker made him smile. Maybe I should ask the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter to help me find them. The image of that conversation suddenly entered his mind. Yeah, that would go over really well. Besides, that clown couldn't find a pastrami sandwich in a New York deli.

Danny chuckled inwardly at that quip and made a mental note to remember it for the next time he was kicking Skulker's butt. He was ripped from his reverie, however, by a wisp of cold air escaping his mouth and the sounds of shouting from below him. Turning his attention downward, he saw several burley men on a loading dock full of packing crates running out of the receiving doors with frightened expressions on their faces. Several looked over their shoulders at the building they had just evacuated and screamed, "GHOST! RUN!!"

Danny shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. "Man, I really don't need this right now," he muttered under his breath as he flew toward the scene of the disturbance.

Touching down lightly just outside the shipping doors he peered around the corner and scanned the receiving bay for the cause of the commotion. He immediately spotted the ghost floating next to a pallet of boxes and scaring the dickens out of a pair of dock workers who were trying to get the back door open.

"I am the Box Ghost; ruler of all that is cubic and cardboard! Beware!" the spirit shouted at the men in a loud, nasally voice.

Seeing the portly, blue overall-clad ghost inside made Danny actually laugh aloud. "And to think I was worried." Taking the Fenton Thermos he carried with him from his back, he took off the cap and pointed the canister toward the Box Ghost. He cleared his throat loudly, causing the ghost to turn in his direction. The Box Ghost's eyes flew open wide when he spotted the ghost boy, and he turned to flee.

But Danny was quicker, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave. Only designated union personnel are authorized to move the boxes at this location," and he activated the thermos, shooting a blue energy beam which caught the Box Ghost full in the back and sucked him into the container. Danny quickly put the lid back on and gave the device a little shake. "All too easy."

He started to sling the thermos onto his back and leave when a thought struck him. Skulker might not agree to aid him, but perhaps he could convince the Box Ghost to. Although he was very weak and had no special powers that Danny was aware of, he could be a second set of eyes and ears. And if he managed to run away, he was harmless enough and would be easy to recapture. His only concern was that the ghost might tip off Johnny that he was looking for him and Kitty.

Danny thought about it and decided the risks were worth the possible rewards. "Can you hear me in there?" he said, giving the thermos a little tap on its side. "I'd like to make a deal that could mean a few more hours of freedom for you. Interested?"

Nothing. Danny knew the Box Ghost was in the thermos, and he knew entities trapped inside of it could hear and be heard, but he still got no response. "Come on, I know you can hear me. Are you really so ready to be sent back to the Ghost Zone that you're not curious about what I have to say?"

"What is this deal that you offer?" came the reply.

Danny let out a sigh of relief, glad the ghost was willing to listen to his offer. "I need to find someone fast and I want you to help me. If you'll do it, I'll let you out and give you a six hour head start before I come looking for you."

Silence.

"Well?" Danny said, impatient to continue the search.

"If you let me go and leave me be for two days, the Box Ghost will help you find this person you seek."

"I'll give you twenty four hours and not a second longer. And if you tell anyone about this deal or who you and I are looking for, then all bets are off." Danny held his breath, praying his captive would take the offer.

"Deal," the Box Ghost answered, "Now free me from this cylindrical prison so that we may find the one you seek."

Danny's brows knotted and he hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake. Taking the cap off and pointing the thermos away from him, he pressed the particle flow reverse button. A familiar blue beam shot out the opening of the container and in seconds the Box Ghost was floating free.

"Ahhh, it feels good to be out of that evil place of no corners," the Box Ghost said as he stretched his limbs and back. Looking down at Danny, his expression became one of all business. "Now, who do you want me to find?"

"I'm looking for Kitty," replied Danny.

The Box Ghost gave him an odd look, "Why do you seek the girlfriend of the rider on two wheels?"

Danny couldn't think of any reason not to tell the ghost, but decided to keep information to a minimum just in case. "Because she's in trouble and I'm concerned about her. Now, can you help me or not?"

Box Ghost looked questioningly at Danny then just shrugged his shoulders and dematerialized into a large box nearby, disappearing completely.

"Damn it!" Danny cursed, slinging the thermos on his back and taking flight, "I should have known he'd try to..."

He was brought up short as the container that the Box Ghost had entered started glowing bright blue. Charging up his ecto-blast Danny immediately assumed a defensive posture. Then he noticed the boxes nearest to the glowing container began to gleam themselves. The effect spread until every square and rectangular shaped crate or box in the warehouse was emitting the same blue luminescence.

Danny began to feel some concern, no sure of exactly what the Box Ghost was doing. Had he not been focused on the first container, he would have seen that the boxes on the loading dock behind him were now glowing as well. In fact, if he were floating above the city he would have seen that same blue light in an ever growing number of containers spreading out in a circle expanding away from the warehouse. The phenomenon continued to increase in radius until it reached just past the outskirts of town. There it stopped for a moment and then collapsed quickly back upon itself until only the container in front of Danny glowed, then it too went dark.

The Box Ghost materialized out of the crate and hovered several feet in front of Danny. "I have found her, lying next to many old and tattered boxes surrounded by bins of broken glass and shredded plastic bottles. It saddens me that they have been abandoned; as beautiful and square as they once were."

Danny stood unblinking, mouth agape. The Box Ghost hadn't been gone more than thirty seconds, if that. "How…how did you find her so fast?" he asked in awe.

The expression on Danny's face was not lost to the ghost, and he puffed himself up to appear as large as he could. "I AM THE BOX GHOST! All things square and rectangular, cardboard or wood, are mine to command! Wherever they are, I can be in an instant!" Then he glared at the ghost boy and in a menacingly low voice added, "BEWARE!"

Danny almost took a step back in fear, then quickly remembered who he was dealing with. He had kicked the Box Ghost's butt often enough to know he was no real threat, but this new ability of his was something to give thought to. It might even explain how the spook was able to get out of the Ghost Zone so often.

Shifting his focus back to Kitty, he thought about the description the Box Ghost gave concerning her location. "It sounds like she might be at the Amity Park garbage dump, or the recycling center. Were there a lot of old boxes near her? And lots of bins full of glass and plastic?"

The specter thought hard about what he saw and nodded, "Yes, there was mounds and mounds of the beautiful cardboard, all pressed flat and bundled up," he said with a touch of sadness. "And there were many bins as well, all stacked in neat rows with a triangle made of arrows on their sides."

Danny smiled, he knew exactly where Kitty was now. It should only take a minute or two to get to her; he just hoped she was ok. Looking up on the receiving floor's back wall he saw a clock showing the time to be 5:13pm. "Well, you held up your end of the deal, and I'll honor mine. It's five o'clock now, you've got till…oh what the heck. I'll give you until midnight tomorrow before I come after you."

The Box Ghost smiled, knowing he had whole day and more to haunt at his leisure. He couldn't wait to go to that super store he had seen while looking for the biker ghost's girlfriend. It had rows and rows of boxes, as far as his eyes could see, and lots of people to scare. He was lost in rapture at the thought of it.

Danny floated up and got ready to leave, moving quickly toward the receiving doors. Before he left he turned toward the Box Ghost one last time. "Thanks for finding her for me. I really appreciate it." Then he flew off at top speed, heading for the recycling center while thinking how weird it felt to be grateful to the Box Ghost.

The Box Ghost watched the ghost boy fly off with a look of curiosity crossing his features. The boy's concern for the biker girl seemed odd, almost as if there was more to it. Then he just shrugged his shoulders, not really caring enough to think about it anymore. He'd tell his other love the Lunch Lady about everything that happened. She'd be able to figure out what was going on and explain it to him.

As he gathered himself up leave he noticed a woman huddled in the corner of the receiving office, shaking in obvious fear. He grinned to himself, thinking that the wonderful store with all those beautiful boxes could wait a bit. He had time to enjoy himself and didn't want to waste a single opportunity. Turning invisible he fazed through the wall and into the office, quietly floating over to her. He quickly appeared in front of her and moaned, "Beware!"

Her screams of terror as she ran through the office and out the shipping doors were like sweet music to his ears. He knew right then that this would be the best day of his afterlife.


Danny had reached the recycling center in just over a minute, circling above it to try and spot Kitty below. He began to quickly descend, heading for the area where the cardboard, glass and plastic storage converged. Immediately, he saw Kitty lying on the ground, unmoving and apparently unconscious, and he cleared the remaining distance in a flash.

Once Danny landed, he was able to get a clearer view of Kitty, and what he found shocked him to his core. She was on her side, facing away from the cardboard pile, her skirt hiked up past her hips and nothing covering her top half whatsoever. He saw a pile of what had once been her halter top and jacket; both looked as if they'd been ripped from her body with serious force. She was still wearing her fishnet stockings, garter belt and high-heeled boots, but Danny didn't know if she routinely wore panties. Regardless, there was no sign of a pair anywhere around her.

What truly sickened Danny were the bruises and cuts covering almost every inch of her face, arms, torso and legs. The worst bruising was on her face and, Danny noted, between her legs on the inside of her thighs and around her womanhood. He knew what those signs meant; he had heard Jazz talking about them to Mom after her first night of working at the battered women's shelter. He tried to think of anything else that might have explained the condition he found Kitty in, but knew he was reading the evidence correctly.

He just couldn't believe that Johnny had raped Kitty.

Bending over, Danny got down on the ground and took Kitty's body in his arms, cradling her softly against his chest. Tears flowed unbidden from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks to drip on Kitty's forehead. Reaching down toward her waist he gently pulled her leather skirt back down, shrouding her exposed vaginal area as best he could. Covering her bare breasts would be more difficult, especially considering her jacket and top were in tatters. Looking around the recycling center, Danny didn't see anything he could use in place of her clothing. There were a few things that would cover her, but nothing that would stay on her while he carried her to somewhere more secure.

As that thought entered his mind he found himself suddenly stumped; just exactly where could he take Kitty to keep her safe? He figured that it had to be in the Ghost Zone, as he was pretty sure she would heal from her injuries quicker there. But he couldn't stay in the zone with her; who knows how his parents would react to his prolonged absence.

So who could he leave her with? He knew it couldn't be anyone that liked Johnny; they would just turn Kitty back over to him. The ghost would have to be fairly strong, capable of protecting her from Johnny, should he discover her location. But most importantly, they would have to be willing to take on the burden of helping Kitty get back on her feet.

Danny immediately removed Clockwork from the list. Although he was without doubt the ghost most capable of defending Kitty, his indifferent attitude made him the worse choice to help rehabilitate her. He gave Frostbite some consideration, but wasn't sure how well Kitty would take to waking up with a snow monster hovering over her. Besides, she didn't exactly have the clothing necessary to withstand even a minute in the Far Frozen. Maybe the Lunch Lady? Danny chuckled inwardly at that one, not wanting to even imagine having to deal with the bipolar ghost. Try as he might, Danny could think of no one at that moment who he could entrust Kitty's well being to.

At least the thought of Frostbite and clothing gave him an idea to solve one problem. Concentrating briefly, he willed the change back into his human half, complete with the clothes he had chosen to wear that morning. Placing Kitty softly on the ground for a moment, he slipped his t-shirt off and began to gently pull it over her head and onto her torso. Once her arms were through the sleeves, he shifted back to Phantom and looked down at his handiwork.

The shirt did cover her, but not in a way he was prepared for. It was a bit small and hugged her body like a second skin, accentuating the soft curve of her tummy and swell of her breasts. When he saw her topless, he hadn't given it a second thought beyond finding something to cover her with. But the way his shirt clung to her sent shivers down deep into Danny and left him confused for the feelings it invoked. He quickly chastised himself for those thoughts; the last thing Kitty needed right now was him perving on her.

Danny scooped up Kitty and held her close to him, preparing to fly her to his house and into the Ghost Zone. The feel of her body next to his brought on a stronger sense of attraction for her, but he shook his head to clear it of the sensation. He had to get Kitty help, and fast. He didn't have time to think of her in that way, nor the right to, given her condition.

Pushing up from the ground he flew at top speed in a bee line toward his home, making sure to keep both of them invisible so as to avoid any unwanted attention. He knew he'd have no problems getting her into the house and to the portal unless the Ghost Shield was up, which it wasn't when he left. The only problem he could foresee was if the portal was locked and either Mom or Dad was in the lab. He figured he could improvise in that case, maybe hiding Kitty in his room until the coast was clear.

In just minutes, he was within sight of Fenton Works, so he reduced his speed and started to descend. Flying slowly toward the building, he braced himself for the shock of the Ghost Shield, only to let out a sigh of relief as he bumped harmlessly into the side of the structure. Turning intangible, he made his way quickly through the walls and floors of the house, moving in a straight line for the basement.

As he entered the basement, he let out an internal groan; his mom and Jazz were there working on the 'Maddie Modulator', and the Ghost Portal was closed. Briefly reflecting on the fact that nothing ever came easy for him, he slid up behind his sister. "Jazz," he whispered, "it's Danny. I need you to open the portal."

Jazz gave a little jump of surprise but quickly recovered, glancing over at her mom to see if she noticed anything. Maddie was happily adjusting the frequency tuner on her invention, oblivious to the world around her. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jazz slowly backed away from the lab table she was sharing with her mom and calmly walked over to the control panel. Casting a quick glance over her shoulders at her mom, she activated the portal's biometric lock scanner with her thumb.

A loud 'WOOSH!' filled the basement as the portal's doors opened up, reveling a swirling green ectoplasmic vortex within. "Whoops! Wrong button!" Jazz said, covering her actions. She reached for another button and pressed it, activating the spot light over the lab table where her mom was working.

"Thanks honey, that light really helps," said Maddie, not even bothering to look up.

"Close the portal in fifteen seconds," Danny murmured into Jazz's ear. "I'll try to be no more than an hour, so open it up again then for five minutes. If you don't hear from me, close it and try again in another hour and so on. If I'm not back by midnight, send help."

Jazz nodded and softly mumbled, "Okay. Be careful, little brother."

Maddie lifted he head up from her work. "Did you say something, Jazz?"

"No, Mom."

"Well, be a dear and get me the voltmeter over there on the other table." Maddie turned her head back down to concentrate on her work. "I've got to get this frequency tuner working correctly just in case that terrible Ember ghost comes back."

Danny heard this just as he carried Kitty over the threshold into the portal, and the name exploded like fire in his head. Ember McLain; the one individual in all of the Ghost Zone who wasn't too keen on Johnny, was able to kick his ass and was friends with Kitty. There was no one else that so perfectly fit the bill.

And as Danny felt himself slip from the human world into the Ghost Zone, he reflected once again that fate really did seem to be out to get him.


As he navigated through the Ghost Zone, Danny thought how fortuitous it was that he had taken the time to seek out and map all of his enemy's realms. There were so many doors of every shape and size here that trying to guess where they lead would have been futile. Still, the flight to Ember's realm took longer than Danny had planned, mainly due to an unexpected encounter with Klemper.

He was hanging out near the entrance to her realm, most likely still trying to get her to be his friend. Fortunately, Danny had the good sense to keep Kitty and himself invisible while traveling, and he was able to reroute around the annoying ghost. When Danny got next to Ember's door, he sent an ecto-blast into one of the floating chunks of rock strewn throughout the zone, causing a loud blast that drew the overweight ghost's attention. Seizing the window of opportunity, he tugged open the portal, shaped like the back stage door of a concert hall, and rushed in.

Danny wasn't exactly sure what he would find in Ember's realm, having never been in it before, but his imaginings of the place weren't too far off. A huge island of rock floated in the middle of the space, with several variously-sized buildings on its surface. The largest looked to be an open air arena, complete with stage, video screens, lighting systems and huge speakers situated in strategic locations. Next to it appeared to be a large warehouse, but the 'tags' on its walls suggested it might be a rave club or similar venue.

Down from that were several smaller buildings that appeared to be shops. Though Danny couldn't see their signs from this far away, he figured they had to have something to do with music. Several other non-descript buildings littered the surface of the rock, including a bar and what appeared to be an apartment building.

It was from that last structure that he saw the owner of the realm flying up to meet them, her blue hair blazing and guitar slung on her back. Danny was surprised to notice that she wasn't wearing her usual rocker-girl outfit, instead garbed in a black KISS t-shirt, loose jeans and high-top tennis shoes. Her usual eye make-up was missing too, and her lips had a light hue of pink to them. With the exception of the grey cast to her skin and blue hair she could have easily passed for one of his fellow Casper High students.

"Damn it, Klemper, how many times do I have to tell you…"

Ember came to an abrupt stop, suddenly realizing the intruder wasn't the annoying pajama wearing pest she usually had to chase off. This was a much more dangerous pest, and she brought her guitar up and at the ready. Her eyes narrowed in Danny's direction and her voice literally dripped venom. "What are you doing here, dipstick?!?"

If Danny could have, he'd have thrown up his hands in the traditional gesture of surrender, but carrying Kitty prevented it. "Truce, Ember; I'm not here to fight. I've got Kitty with me, and she's hurt really bad."

Ember's eyes flew open when she realized it was her friend that the ghost boy was holding. Then her hair flared and eyes narrowed, turning blood red as she cranked the power on her guitar up to eleven. Her voice, normally melodious even when she was angry, came out as a deep, menacing growl, "What did you do to her?"

Danny recognized that he could be in real trouble if he didn't diffuse the situation immediately. At times like these, he realized only the exact truth would do. "I didn't do anything. I found her like this. I'm pretty sure it was Johnny," Danny's face grimaced, "and I think he might have …raped her."

Ember's whole posture changed with those words. Crimson eyes changed back to their normal green hue, but they were wide open in shock. Her right hand no longer hung threateningly over the guitar strings but instead dangled listless at her side, and her entire posture seemed slumped. Ember's face held an expression of disbelief; her dropped jaw and mouth formed a perfect "O" shape. When she tried to speak, her mouth just moved, no words escaping it.

Danny pressed on; wanting to divert any animosity she might be feeling towards him. "I'm sorry, Ember, but I didn't know where else to go. I knew you Kitty and you were friends, and I know you can protect her while she recuperates."

Ember recovered a bit from her initial shock and looked hard at him. He seemed to be telling the truth, and for all she disliked him she knew he wasn't the type to lie. Besides, coming here to her realm was pretty gutsy, and she could respect that.

"Bring Kitty and follow me." She turned and flew back toward the apartment shaped building.

Danny let out a sigh of relief and immediately flew after her. When Ember reached the building she landed and went to the front door, holding it open for Danny. He landed next to her and smiled nervously, not used to a woman opening a door for him. He passed the threshold, took a few steps in and just stopped, looking around in awe.

The room he walked into was huge, easily as long and wide as the building itself seemed to be from the outside. Comfortable-looking sofas and chairs seemed to be situated throughout the room, and a large dining table complete with seating for eight sat off to one side. One wall held more guitars on it than Danny had ever seen in one place before, and beneath them was a place obviously set aside to write and practice her music. Another room near the table promised to be a kitchen, and a door on the back wall indicated another room (or rooms) existed beyond it.

Ember slid past Danny and smiled at his reaction to her place with a certain smugness; it gave her a good feeling to know that she could surprise him. Looking down at Kitty, though, brought her back to reality. "Put her on the sofa over there, the one with the big pillows. I'll grab a wet towel." With that, she disappeared into what Danny thought was the kitchen.

He carried Kitty over to the couch and laid her down gently, making sure to prop her head up with a pillow. Searching around he found a comforter on a nearby chair and draped it over her body. Looking down at her face he noticed the bruises seemed to be fading somewhat, confirming his theory that she would heal faster in the zone than in his world. He noticed a few hairs had strayed onto her face and brushed them back, his hand tingling as it came into contact with her cheek. He found himself staring deeply at her face, and his hand continued to lightly stroke her face.

Hearing a noise to his left snapped Danny out of his daydreaming and caused him to jerk his hand away from Kitty's face. He felt himself blush like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar, which embarrassed him even more. He wasn't sure why he felt that way, but it was really disconcerting.

Ember had exited the kitchen with a wet towel when she looked up and saw the ghost boy standing next to Kitty. He had his hand on her face and was looking at her…dreamily? Ember shook her head in amazement and then purposefully bumped into one of the dining chairs. She almost laughed aloud when Danny jerked upright and his cheeks went red. "Stranger things in heaven and earth, "she thought.

Ember pushed Danny aside and moved the comforter off of Kitty. "I've got something to clean her up with, and time will do the rest. So why don't you tell me what happened."

Danny recounted the story of finding her in the park crying and Johnny's appearance, as well as his talk with Jazz and encounter with the Box Ghost. "When I found her at the recycling station, her skirt was up over her hips and she was naked from the waist up. He clothes looked like they'd been ripped off, and I couldn't find her…err, undergarment anywhere."

If the situation hadn't been more serious Ember would have laughed at how uneasy Danny was about finding Kitty naked. Still, it felt good to see him squirm like this, and she couldn't help but make him even more uncomfortable. "So, where did she get the shirt?"

Danny blushed as the feelings he had when he put the shirt on her came flooding back in him. "I…I took mine off and…put it on her. It didn't seem right to be carrying her with her breasts …err…well, exposed like that."

Ember cracked a little smile as she cleaned the worst of the dirt and mud off of Kitty. The kid was such a boy scout it wasn't even funny. When she got past her waist and saw the mess between Kitty's legs, her anger burned hot again. "Damn, I never thought it would get this bad." She laid a hand on Kitty's shoulder. "Sorry, girlfriend, I should have done something more to help when he started to get mean."

Danny perked up at her statement, "How long has this been going on, her and Johnny I mean?"

Ember was gingerly cleaning the sticky fluids from around Kitty's private areas, seemingly ignoring his question. In reality, she was debating if she should tell him or not, especially considering the circumstances and his apparent involvement in them. She decided that it was most likely best that he know everything.

"It started with the time she overshadowed that girl you liked, the popular Hispanic chick. I think Johnny had taken her for granted for so long that when you seemed to pay attention to her, she started thinking about her relationship with him. Afterward, she was always on Johnny about spending time with her and how nice you were to her. I think it really grated on his nerves."

Danny could see how that might make a guy a bit jealous, but not possessive and abusive like Johnny was.

Ember started cleaning down Kitty's legs, her voice growing more somber as she continued. "Then they had a really bad fight because Johnny forgot the anniversary of their first date. He was working on his bike when Kitty confronted him about it. She accused him of caring about his bike more than her, and he just shrugged and rode off to Amity Park. When she, Penelope and I found him there flirting with another woman, Kitty got pretty pissed and gave him one of her special kisses."

Danny interrupted, "Yeah, my sister told me all about it."

Ember finished cleaning Kitty off and covered her up with the comforter again. Standing, up she looked the boy directly in the eyes. "Yeah, but what she didn't tell you was how pissed off Johnny was at being banished like that. When Kitty was dumped back into the Ghost Zone by your sister, he was waiting for her. He grabbed her pretty hard and rode off before Penelope or I could do anything about it."

Ember sat the towel down on a nearby table, looked down at Kitty and continued, "I didn't see her again for a week, and when I did she had a bruised cheek and black eye. She tried to explain it off, saying something lame about tripping or something, but I saw the look in her eyes; she was scared. Johnny showed up then and ordered her onto his bike. I thought she'd blow up at him for talking to her like that, but she just hung her head and heeled like a whipped dog. That's the last time I saw her, but I had heard from others that Johnny was treating her pretty badly."

Ember moved a chair to the couch up near Kitty's head and plopped down into it. She began to stroke her friend's hair softly and muttered, "I really didn't know he was capable of this. I should have done something when I had the chance."

Danny looked down at Ember with a newfound appreciation and respect. Without even thinking, he put a hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezed. "Well, here's your chance to help. I can't stay here to help her recover and keep her safe, but you can. I've fought both you and Johnny and I know you're stronger than him, so if he tries anything, you can stop him. And I'll be able to rest easy knowing you've got Kitty's back." Danny squeezed her shoulder a bit more. "Will you watch her in my place, Ember?"

She looked up into his bright blue eyes and couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I'll take care of her. After all, she is my friend."

Danny smiled back, "She's lucky to have such a good friend." Letting go of Ember's shoulder, he started walking toward the door. "I've got to go for now; curfew and all, you know. I'll be back as soon as I can though." He turned around and looked at Ember. "If it's okay, that is."

"Sure," she replied. But not wanting to seem too friendly, she called out as he turned toward the door, "Hey, dipstick; why do you even care about her anyway?"

That question brought Danny up short and left him holding the doorknob without turning it. "Just why do I care?" a small voice inside his mind asked. He was stumped when he couldn't pinpoint a logical reason why. Then his heart spoke up, and the words that came from his lips seemed right.

Turning his head, he looked directly at Kitty, a warm, soft smile gracing his features. "Because no one should be treated the way she has been. Kitty's a good person and deserves better, and I intend to see that she gets it." With that he opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

Ember watched as he left, her feelings on Danny mixed. He was her enemy, the one person who had thwarted her plans and beaten her at her own game time and again. But he was also one of the few people she'd ever met who truly cared about the well being of others. She really didn't know where Danny stood in her eyes at the moment, but she did know one thing for certain: the boy she had fought against and with those many times had grown into a man, and a good one at that.


Another set of eyes had watched him leave as well, and their owner also struggled with her feelings for Danny. The attraction she felt for him was growing stronger every time she was around him, even though she felt a little guilty about it. A part of her wished she'd met him under different circumstances, when she didn't have to be a damsel in need of rescue. But a smaller part, one that was shrinking daily, chastised her for her unfaithfulness.

Kitty sighed inwardly, confused about everything. She closed her eyes to rest, then drifted off to sleep. In her dreams, she was Paulina again, only Danny knew from the start that it was her. They were happy and smiling, enjoying a picnic in the park together as they held each other's hand.

But in the background she could hear the roar of a motorcycle engine, and her dream turned into a nightmare.


Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now onto"You're In My Thoughts".

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