Oh dear, it's been the best part of a year since I updated. Still maybe I've become a slightly better writer, stranger things have happened. Thanks as always to Confab for proofreading and criticising and to Danni4ever for her unending enthusiasm.

That Monday Sam arrived at school frowning and looking distracted. She had spent all weekend trying to think of the perfect revenge against Paulina and now she had the bare bones of a plan. For it to work, though, she would have to learn everything she could about the popular princess's make-up routine.

Sam reached her locker and tried to open it carefully without looking as if she was being careful. This was war and she couldn't let herself appear weak or nervous in front of the enemy. Sam tensed as she tried to see if her locker was booby-trapped.

"Hi Sam!" The voice, coming suddenly behind her, nearly made Sam jump out of her combat boots.

"Tucker! What are you trying to do to me?" Sam hissed at her friend.

"Hey! What's with you and Danny?" he exclaimed in a hurt voice. "First you stay in all weekend and won't answer the phone. Then he blows me off at the Nasty Burger and is too busy to check out the new PDA carry cases at the mall."

"Nothing's the matter with me Tucker!" Sam snapped. "And I'm sure Danny is fine too. Here he comes now."

The two teenagers watched the person who they believed to be their friend, Danny Fenton, head up the hall towards them past Dash, Paulina and other kids from the popular crowd.

"Hey, Fen-Toe-Nail, time for for my early morning nerd wailing!" As Dash spoke he grabbed the smaller boy's shoulder and shoved him against the locker door. The other kids watched with various degrees of amusement or boredom. Paulina took a compact out of her book bag and admired her perfect complexion.

As the jock yanked his prospective victim back, aiming to toss him in a locker, the dark haired boy slipped out of his grip and drove his elbow into Dash's stomach.

"Ugggghah!" Dash gasped as he doubled over.

Freakshow looked at the football star who was trying to catch his breath. A cruel smile settled on the face he had stolen as he silently dared anyone else to step forward. When nobody did he spun on his heel and walked away, leaving the A-Listers, Tucker and everyone except for Dash and Sam staring after him. Dash was still trying to remember how to breath but Sam was focused on the compact the Paulina had taken out to check her face and now slipped forgotten out of her hand.

The clatter snapped everyone out of their shock. Some helped Dash to his feet and everyone else started talking excitedly.

"What did Danny just do?" Tucker hissed at Sam.

"Huh? I didn't see anything," Sam replied, still looking at Paulina who was now heading into the ladies. "Tucker, I've got to go."

"And I've got to talk to Danny," Tucker muttered.

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Freakshow's weekend had been frustrating to say the least. His new body's ghost powers were proving much harder to control than he had expected. Not only was he turning invisible and intangible without intending to but when he tried flying or shooting ecto-bolts the powers would sometimes cut out on him leaving the ringmaster of terror human again. At one point on Saturday night he had been trying to fly across the city when he found himself moving at one hundred and twenty miles per hour straight downwards. It was only thanks to Lydia's quick interception that Freakshow's new life as a teenage ghost boy didn't come to an abrupt and messy end.

Therefore, until he had proper control over his powers, Freakshow was staying undercover in Danny Fenton's life. This was turning out to be far more nerve racking then he would have ever thought. It wasn't that his 'parents' thought that there was anything strange about their son, but everything in the house seemed designed to kill him. Even the vacuum-cleaner cleaner had an ecto-gun mounted on it.

On Sunday Jack and Maddie had insisted that he help in the lab. Maddie was tinkering with the Fenton-Bazooka, while Jack and Freakshow tried to fix the door to the Fenton Weapons Vault. When Freakshow first saw all the weapons on display he grinned at the thought of the uses that he could put them to. After the fourth time that Jack knocked against on the weapons causing it to spontaneously fire at him however, he decided to stick to his original plan; learn to control his ghost powers and then abandon Amity Park for a long and profitable life of crime.

He was wondering how the ghost boy had ever managed to survive in that household when he heard hurrying footsteps . "Danny, wait up!" Freakshow saw that it was the the boy from Friday night, what was his name? Ah yes.

"Tucker, a-ha, how was your week-end?"

"What! Your asking me after you completely blew me off on Saturday!" Tucker was really angry. "And what did you do to Dash? I'm not saying he didn't have it coming but I've never seen you throw a sucker punch like that before."

"Tucker, I'm sorry. My parents kept me in all week-end working in their weapons vault I was nearly blown up three times yesterday. I guess I'm a little on edge and Dash caught me when I wasn't expecting it." Freakshow tried to sound sincere in his apology. The last thing that he needed now was somebody suspecting the truth. Fortunately these events didn't seem too unusual and he watched Tucker relax.

"It's okay Danny, it's just that Sam is acting strange as well. She keeps staring at Paulina. Did you talk to her at all over the weekend?"

"No I..." Freakshow was suddenly interrupted by Star.

"Hello loser, what where you doing back there, trying to impress you girlfriend?" she asked flipping her blond hair.

"Who?" he answered. "Sam? No I've got much better ways of impressing her. Want to see?" He gave her his creepiest smile, the one he had spent twenty years perfecting in the Circus Gothica.

"Whatever, freak," Star muttered and walked away.

Tucker stared at his friend. Every time someone referred to Danny and Sam as boyfriend and girlfriend both of them would shout out a denial before blushing hotly. It was something of a running joke in Casper High. This was the first time that Danny had failed to rise to the bait and that smile did not belong on Danny Fenton's face.

"You're not Danny,' Tucker breathed, backing away.

"Hmmn?" the other boy was still wearing that creepy smile.

"You're not Danny!" Tucker repeated, certain that he was right.

"Well no, I'm not," Freakshow agreed. "But then the three of us are the only ones who know that aren't we?"

Tucker started to shout for help but before he could he was grabbed from behind by Lydia. As he tried to struggle she pulled him down through the floor and into schools basement.