Bright Star

By: Wilona Riva

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

In the Stacks

Mr. Lancer lowered his book, and looked around. Over in a corner by the window, Samantha Manson was watering an aloe vera, soaking up the sun. Her dark veil covered her face, and reminded him of a Victorian widow.

Far off to his left, two ghost girls were giggling and whispering, while Tucker Foley was playing a game on his PDA in silent mode. Daniel Fenton was nowhere to be seen, but he had been going back and forth between the stacks and the table, only to have the latest reading material rejected. His face downcast, he returned to the shelves to search again, whatever this particular study group's latest obsession was.

Miss Grey was late. Very late. Ah, there she was now.

He returned to the book he was reading.

"Where's Danny?" Valerie asked, slipping into an empty seat, and putting down her bag. Opening it, she pulled out a notebook, a pen, and a calculator.

Tucker looked up. "Back to the shelves again. He can't seem to make up his mind on what book he should do for his report. Also, I think he's looking for something in particular to help Danielle."

Valerie looked at the tomes scattered on the table. Everything from Darwin's Origin of the Species to a book on ghost biology (borrowed from the Ghost Writer) were spread out everywhere. "What are you two up to?"

Ember help up a copy of Geist, the magazine she was reading. It showed a picture of Spectra in a two piece bathing suit with a pen and notepad in her hands. "It's a cross between Cosmo and People, with a bit of Life thrown in," she said, handing it over to Valerie. "Take the quiz and see how well you do?"

"If your boyfriend's mother hates your guts, you:

"A. Strip dance behind his mother's back.

"B. Hit her with a water balloon and kidnap him.

"C. Turn yourself over to ghosts hunters and allow yourself to be experimented on.

"D. Bake cookies."

Valerie cocked an eyebrow at the girls. "What did you two say to this one?"

Ember grinned. "D."

Dani giggled. "A."

"Do you even know what a strip dance is?" Valerie asked her.

"What Ember did last night to distract Danny while his mom was scolding him," Dani said innocently. "Could you teach me to dance like that?"

"Once we solve your aging problem, kiddo," Ember said, ruffling her hair.

"How long has Danny been in the stacks?" Valerie wanted to know.

"A good ten minutes at least," Tucker said, looking up from his game. "Sam's just about ready to send out a search party."

Ember stood up. "I'll go and see what's taking him so long. We do need to discuss Walker's mission."

"Fine," Valerie said, waving her away. "You look nice today."

"Thanks," came the reply.

Ember had taken care to choose a black pencil skirt, hot pink three-quarter sleeve satin blouse, and pair of nude hose and dark heels. A bit behind on fashion sense, but servicable. Her fiery hair was tamed back in a bun. She'd thought of tucking a pencil behind her ear, but she didn't want people think she was too nerdy. "Be back in a minute."

Danny, she found, sitting on the floor in a dark corner of the science fiction section reading Robert Heinlein's Time Enough for Love.

"Book report?"

"No, research for Dani's conundrum. Got sucked in."

"You are a bookworm like your sister."

"I am a Fenton," he retorted turning a page.

"Okay, while Ember's gone, what happened when you got there?" Valerie asked.

"We want all the dirt," Sam added, while Tucker put away his precious Charlene.

Danielle looked at them confused. "Well, the kitchen table was broken."

Tucker exchanged knowing glances with the girls. "And?"

"Were his parents home?"

"Was Jazz home?"

"No," Dani said. "Why?"

"Ha! I win the bet. Pay up, guys," Valerie crowed. "Fork it over."

Grumbling, Sam and Tucker handed over twenty dollars each, grumbling about cheaters. "Easiest forty I've ever made," Valerie commented, grinning, and quickly stuffed the cash in her wallet before Lancer decided to confiscate it for the 'library fund', which no had contributed to yet.

"So what were they doing?" Tucker demanded. "Tell, girl, tell."

"Well, Danny was laying down on the top of the broken table, and Ember was sitting on top of him, and she was licking something off his chest," Dani said, her memory flicking back to last night.

Flashback:

"Um, what are you guys doing?" Danielle asked, biting her lip. The table was broken and Danny was turning red as a tomato. Ember looked like the cat who got the cream.

"Wrestling," Danny said, standing up and tugging his shirt down.

"Eating rice," Ember said at the same time.

"Seriously?" Danny looked at her askance.

"Eating rice while wrestling," Ember amended, smirking at Danny. "Though I hope to graduate him to popping cherries next."

"Why is Danny choking?"

Valerie waved her hands in front of her face. "Whoo! Spi-cy!"

"Do you think I can get Danny to pop cherries with me someday?" Dani asked.

"Moving on," Sam quickly changed the topic. "You have the answers to questions 13 and 14 on Fallucca's chart, Val?"

"No, but I think Tucker photographed Danny's copy when he wasn't looking earlier," came the response.

"Yeah, let me find it."

"There's something shining up there," Ember said, climbing the ladder. "Let me see. Danny, what are you doing?"

Danny's hands softly stroked her legs, going higher. His eyes were closed, as he memorized her calves.

"Danny?"

"Hush," she was told, as he lifted her skirt. Tucking his warm hands into the waistband of her panties, he pulled down her stockings and her underwear. This was followed by soft lips wandering dangerously close to her pleasure zone. Ember closed her eyes and leaned against the shelf, enjoying the sensation, though this senario seemed familiar. "You're actually watching that library porn video again?"

"Maybe."

"Mr. Fenton!"

"Crap!"

"Uh, where's Lancer?" Tucker asked, suddenly realizing the teacher was missing.

"Rendezvous at the Nasty Burger!" Sam yelled, loud enough for the halfa and his girlfriend to hear.

"What did you find?" Valerie asked, twenty minutes later, as Danny and Ember arrived a little flushed.

Ember held out a plain steel ring. "This was on top of a shelf. Though I don't think this is what Walker is looking for."

"What were the exact words that Walker used, Danny?" Valerie said, giving him a dark look.

" 'There is a chameleon-skinned book though to have been destroyed centuries ago. Do not touch it,'" Danny recited. "That is an odd place to put a ring."

"So, that explains why you were asking if Tucker and I had a lizard-skin book in house," Sam said, looking disgusted. "That's just sick to do that to a poor creature."

"Not the time, Sam," Tucker said, typing away furiously on Charlene. A beep signaled an answer had been found to his query. "Anyone remember Doctor Who?"

"We just watched an episode last night," Valerie said. "The Eleventh Doctor was talking about the Tardis' broken chameleon circuit at one point if I remember."

"Exactly," Tucker stated. "What if Walker wasn't talking about a chameleon-skinned book, but a chameleon circuit? It might have been in the form of a book the last time any one saw it, so he assumed it still was."

Everyone turned to look at the ring in Ember's hand. Valerie took it from her and pocketed it. "We'll examine it later. Right now, Danny, you and Danielle need to head over to Vlad's like you promised her yesterday."

Danny nodded. "Right." He looked over at Danielle.

"Ready?"

"Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Clockwork was blasted against a wall. "They found the ring!" the Observant shouted at him.

"I'm aware," Clockwork responded. The Observants could be a bit violent sometimes.

"He cannot touch the ring."

"Walker has already warned him not to," came the rejoinder. "The human girl has worn it before so it is safe for her to have in her keeping."

"Well, do something!"

"All is as it should be."