Author's Note: The term Sam's grandma calls him is Yiddish, like bubala from the show, this is the male version of that as far as I can find. I own nothing.

8 The Bet

Dash Baxter was one of the most popular freshmen at Casper High. No one could deny that, no matter how hard his friends tried. He, Kwan Sie and Vincent Grey were all hanging out at the food court in the mall and Vincent had been needling him all morning.

"There's no way you're as popular as you think you are dude." Vincent said smirking as he pointed a fry at his friend. Dash bristled.

"I'm the star quarterback in my freshman year. What more do I need!" He said with confidence he didn't really feel. He'd always been a bit self conscious about his popularity. Vincent laughed, Kwan chuckling lightly.

"How about a girlfriend?" Vincent said grinning. Not that he had much room to talk there. Out of the three of them only Kwan was steadily dating Paulina's best friend Star. "Most popular freshman in school should be able to land any girl he wants. But here you are dateless."

"Wanna bet? Name the girl and I'll take her to the spring fling, just to prove you wrong." Kwan rolled his eyes at his friends but Vincent pounced on the idea.

"Ok let's make it a bet. Hundred bucks says you can't get a girl I pick to not only go with you to spring fling, but also make out with you, pics or it didn't happen." Vincent said holding out a hand. Dash grinned and took his hand shaking once.

"Deal, name the girl." Vincent looked around and his grin turned downright devious.

"Danielle Fenton." Dash frowned.

"Who?" Kwan rolled his eyes.

"Your tutor's little sister. She sits in front of you in English dude." Kwan helpfully pointed out, stirring his milkshake with his straw looking thoroughly uncomfortable with this whole situation. Dash frowned trying to put a face to the name. Vincent rolled his eyes and pointed behind Dash. He turned in his chair.

"Dark hair, blue eyes, you idiot." Vincent said and with that description it was easy to pick the girl out of the crowd. Her jet black hair was pulled up into a long ponytail, dark bangs falling into bright blue eyes. She wore bootcut jeans and a white t-shirt with red trim, red converse finishing the outfit. She also wore fingerless gloves oddly enough. She was walking with a woman who wore a blue hazmat suit. Dash frowned, he guessed it could be worse.

"Who's the crazy lady she's with?" Dash asked eying the jumpsuit. Kwan rolled his eyes.

"That's her mom jackass." Kwan said flicking a fry at Dash. The quarterback pulled a face. He'd heard a lot about the Fenton's around town. The parents were nuts, babbling on about ghosts all the time, and even claiming to hunt them. Jazz was the sane one of the family. Almost overly so, as if she was compensating for her parents insanity. Her nickname around school was 'Doctor Jazz' because most of what came out of her mouth was psychological mumbo jumbo. Danielle, well he'd admit to never really noticing her before. Somewhere in his brain he knew he'd heard the name before. He thought it was probably Jazz who'd mentioned her but he hadn't really been paying attention.

"So wanna pay me now or?" Vincent teased and Dash punched him in the arm.

"This bet's just getting started." Dash proclaimed before standing and stepping over towards Danielle. But before he could reach her she shivered and a blue mist escaped her lips. She handed her bag to her mom who was frowning slightly and rushed into the bathroom. Dash frowned but didn't have a chance to even wait for her as the skylight above the food court exploded inward with an unearthly roar and an honest to god dragon dropped though the now gaping opening. Screams filled the air as everyone started to run. Dash raced under the safety of an awning in front of a store and stared at the dragon. It wasn't quite there if you weren't looking directly at it, almost as if it was somewhat translucent. Almost like…

"Ghost!" The cry went up from near the girl's bathroom and Dash turned spotting Danielle's mom pulling up the hood of her hazmat suit and pulling a silver and green weapon from a pouch on her suit. But before she could fire it something swooped out of nowhere and struck the dragon.

"Hey scaley!" Whatever it was swooped around again and struck the dragon across the face. "I know the sales here say doorbuster but it's not meant to be literal!" The dragon roared again but this time it almost sounded like a word. The ghost girl seemed to think so too.

"Bride? Buddy I think you're a few centuries too old for me." The dragon roared again and this time spit fire at the girl who vanished from sight. She reappeared above the dragon and Dash got a real look at her.

Her hair was long and white, held back in a braid that floated of its own accord. She wore a black hazmat suit with white gloves, boots belt and collar. Her eyes blazed green. She seemed to glow with a light that came from inside her, nothing on earth had a light like that. Ethereal was the only word that came to mind when he looked at this being. Bit he didn't get to look long.

"Come on scaley, let's take this elsewhere!" She shot off the dragon flapping its wings to follow. Dash ran back into the court looking for his friends. Their table had been off to the side and was now empty.

"Vince! Kwan!" He called out turning to try and find them. He missed something glowing fall into the bag he'd left behind, but he did glance up when the massive, if light, shadow the dragon had cast vanished. The ghost girl was now facing a much smaller opponent. One that went down with ease when she pulled a tube like thing he hadn't noticed before off her belt and the other ghost disappeared into it. The ghost girl disappeared as well and the clamor of noise died down a bit. Vincent and Kwan rushed over from where they'd hidden.

"What the fuck was that!" Vince asked shaking slightly. Dash shook his head. The mall closed rather quickly after that, repairs needed to be done on the food court. Dash, Vince and Kwan went their separate ways after that, each with their purchases from the day. But as Dash was tossing his new suit onto his bed something thunked to the floor. He frowned. All he'd bought that day was the suit. He knelt and reached under his bed where the object had fallen. His hand met something metal and he pulled it out frowning at a gold watch. Or at least he thought it was a watch. When he flipped it over he blinked at the face of it. Instead of a watch face it looked like a dragon's eye.

"Oh that's too cool!" He said slipping on the band. He didn't notice it glow, nor did he notice that glow spread to his own eyes.

Dani slipped back into the bathroom she'd transformed in and sighed in relief. It almost caught in her throat though when a hammering sounded on the door.

"Dani are you ok!" It was her mother. Dani rushed over to the sink and pulled off the gloves she'd started wearing to wash her hands. She hadn't actually used the bathroom but it would ass to the illusion that she'd been doing that not fighting a transforming dragon ghost.

"I'll be out in a second mom." She dried her hands and pulled her gloves back on, mostly to hide the burn scar. Just because she could now have her hand uncovered around her parents didn't make her any less self-conscious of the scar. She took a deep breath and opened the door, fixing a look of confusion on her face. "What was all that noise?" She asked, hoping she sounded innocent as she held her bag a little closer, glad she'd thought to bring the thermos with her.

"You didn't see any of that?" Maddie sounded incredulous as she pointed to the now destroyed food court. Dani blinked, a flash of guilt passing through her for the destruction the dragon had wrought.

"See what?"

Dani called Sam and Tanya on video chat that night.

"A dragon! Dang I wish I could have seen it!" Tanya lamented. She did look nice though. She'd been out with her mother getting her hair done in preparation for the dance on Friday. Her long dreads now had gold glinting in them. Sam nodded.

"That sounds really cool." Dani shrugged, double checking that her door was shut.

"Yeah I guess. It was weird though I knocked his necklace off and he turned into a regular ghost. He's back in the Zone now though." Sam frowned.

"Any sign of the necklace?" Dani shook her head.

"I didn't really get a chance to look. I couldn't spent too long as Phantom with my mom around. And she was worried that I'd get attacked so she rushed us out of the mall as fast as possible." Sam nodded. Tanya frowned.

"Thought you were working on Lancer's paper tonight, why were you at the mall anyway?" Dani swore.

"Shit Lancer's paper! I completely spaced. Mom wanted to get me a dress for the dance." Sam raised an eyebrow as Tanya grinned.

"Did you find one?" She asked and Dani blushed.

"I did. It's perfect! But I have got to go finish Lancer's paper I'll talk to you guys later." They nodded as she signed off the call.

Sam let out a breath.

"Suck it up and ask her to the fucking dance Manson." He muttered to himself burring his head in his hands.

"Girl troubles boychik?" He looked up and found his grandma sitting on her motorized scooter in his doorway. He sat up and frowned.

"Bubbe how long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know you want to ask one of your friends to the dance on Friday." Sam blushed as she rolled into the room a grin on her face. "I had Walter pick something up for you." Sam frowned as she pulled a wrapped box out of the basket on the front of her scooter. It was wrapped in purple wrapping paper that was covered in little bats. He smiled taking the box, out of all of his family on his grandmother had ever accepted his lifestyle. "Well? I'm not getting any younger here, open it!"

He ripped into the wrapping paper and opened the white box underneath. He blinked and looked up at his grandmother.

"You didn't?" She grinned at him, a wicked smile that she often wore when foiling her daughter's plans to make Sam behave like normal.

"I did."

In the box was a suit, in a deep midnight black. The undershirt was a vibrant violet that matched Sam's eyes almost perfectly. There were already lapel pins on the suit, tiny bats with ruby eyes. Sam set aside the box and hugged his grandmother.

"Thanks Bubbe, it means the world to me." She hugged him back.

"You're welcome. Now you just have to ask out your friend Dani." Sam went bright red.

"I never said I was asking Dani." He defended half heartedly. Ida Manson smiled at her grandson.

"Boychik you didn't have to. The way you look at that girl, I know you'd move heaven and earth for her. Bubbe can always tell!" Sam grinned as he grandma winked and turned to leave the room. "Oh and dinner will be ready soon, don't forget to come eat!" Sam nodded as he pulled the suit out of the box to admire it. It was absolutely perfect. His grandma was right, all he had to do now was ask his best friend to the dance. Simple right?