A/N: Hey y'all long time no see! I finally found the inspiration to continue this chapter. I had it written half way through like forty years ago but the last half wasn't coming so I had to take some time. Anyway I made this chapter extra long to compensate for my absence so thanks to all y'all who stuck by me. Also a great motivator are your lovely reviews so please feed this thirsty writer to keep the creative juices flowing!

Chapter Ten: Three Strikes You're Out!

She looks in her closet, down the hall, over the balcony, even the garage. It's almost as if he just up and vanished! Then she hears thumping in the attic. What could he be doing up there? How did he even find the secret stairs? She walks to the end of the hall opposite her room and pulls a lever hidden behind a painting. The ceiling gives way to lower a set of stairs, which she climbs with extreme caution. It may be her house but the attic is still creepy as hell.

She peeks her head in but nobody's there. Suddenly there's movement out of the corner of her eye. She turns so quick her hair slaps her in the face, but nothing appears to be out of the ordinary. The hair on the back of her neck starts prickling, plus slowly rising. She only gets this feeling when here's a ghost nearby. She shifts her gaze around the room one last time. Where is that boy? He better not be trying to pull a prank on her. As she's hastily returning the stairs to their original position there's a flash of light behind her. She swivels on her heels just in time to catch Danny exiting the bathroom.

He looks at her like a deer caught in headlights. He's sweating, his clothes are a little disheveled and he's breathing heavy. He looks like he's wracking his brain for excuses but she cuts him off.

"It's fine you don't have to say anything. I get it, school food will do that to people"

He looks momentarily confused, then understanding lights up his face. He chuckles nervously and looks more than a little relieved. Probably because he doesn't have to explain, it is a sort of awkward topic anyway. She definitely understands though, last time she had school lunch she was stuck in the bathroom for days.

"Though I have to ask, what was with that flash of light?"

He tenses up all over again. She raises an eyebrow at his reaction.

"MY PHONE! Um, I dropped my phone and it uhh, took a picture with the flash on..."

An obvious lie. It hurts how bad it was, she stifles the urge to facepalm, but he looks too flustered with the real reason so she'll let it slide for now. She shrugs and waves him over to follow back to her room. When they enter she sees him discreetly put something into his bag. It sorta looked like a mini soup thermos. She narrows her eyes at his back, is he really helping Phantom or is she thinking too hard. Well that is Fenton Tech made by his parents, so it shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary for him not have it on him. She decides to gather more information before making wild accusations.

"Ok Danny you asked for tutoring so you're going to get it. But, I think we should make this more interesting and give you more of an incentive to learn, since your study habits are next to abysmal."

He lets out an indignant noise. She thinks about the stakes. She could use the same method for when she's teaching Star. But with a twist since Danny's a boy. This could work. She stands in front of him, hands on her hips, smiling triumphantly.

"For each ten questions you answer correctly you can chose a pre-selected outfit for me to wear from my closet and for every five question you get wrong, I get to punish you"

He raises an eyebrow and smirks at her, leaning back into his chair while crossing his arms and tilting his head back. He looks at her amusedly and she can't help but feel her cheeks flush. How dare he look so hot when she's trying to make him squirm.

"Oh? What sort of punishment?"

He's totally challenge her. She grins evilly, crossing her arms and leaning her weight on one leg. This time she did catch him glancing her hips.

"I get to dress you up, the whole nine yards"

He sits up, all color drains from his face. He looks at her as though she just said NASA HQ blew up. This is good. Now he'll take it seriously. She asks if he's ready to start, his responds by putting his game face on.

"Alright, I'm going to start by saying a phrase in Spanish and you have to translate it to English"

He already looks lost. She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. They decide instead to take baby steps, translating single words between languages. At first it was going well six questions right and only two wrong. However, Fentons aren't known for their lucky streak. The next three questions were a straight crapshoot. He pales as she corrects him on the final question.

"Well, well, looks like it's punishment time"

She can't help but feel a rush at seeing him squirm. She's always relished in the power she has over people. Composing herself, she walks into her closet, pretends to take a while, just to build the anticipation. Finally she exits with her freshman year prom dress, grinning from ear to ear. His face is priceless. She walks right up to him and drops the garment in his stunned hands, physically dragging him into the bathroom to change. He wines the whole three feet there.

"Remember you agreed to this, therefore, pay the piper"

"UUUGGGGHHHHHHH. This is why I never make deals with girls. You're all demons"

She snorts, finally pushing him into the bathroom and closing the door. She hears him muttering about needing an instruction manual to put on the dress. She rolls her eyes, he is such a drama queen. then the door opens and she doubles over in laughter. He stands there, red faced, waiting for her to finish. The craziest part is that the color suites him so much and since his body is leaner than most guys he could actually pull it off. He lets out an irritated sigh.

"You done?"

She can't speak, she can't even see through the tears. He looks like an angry princess. She sniffles, trying to compose herself. He walks back to his seat and plops down angrily. She follows, a twinkle in her eye.

"You ready to try again?"

"Whatever, you won't be laughing for long"

She takes that as a challenge. They continue the study session, and boy was he wrong. After three more rounds she's added the shoes, accessories, and even a wig. She can't even take him seriously anymore. She's sure her neighbors can hear her violent laughter.

"You know what? You make a very pretty girl"

"Shut. It."

"You better start getting right answers, cuz next I get to do your makeup and after that I get to take a picture"

He pales suddenly. Then just as quick a determined look settles in. He tells her to bring it on. So she does, making it slightly more challenging with longer words and throwing in a few sentences. She knows he's smart, he just needs the right push. Finally he gets all ten questions right and the celebration that follows is nothing short of hilarious. He's dancing around the room wobbling slightly because of the heels and swishing the dress around. She knows her makeup has to be a mess by now.

"Ok space cadet, you can take off the wig and shoes for a job well done"

She presses a button and a small carrousel of clothes comes out of the walk in closet. Every facet holding a completed outfit. Ranging from swim suits to ball gowns and everything in between, she thinks she has an idea of what he'll want her to wear but she doesn't say anything, not wanting to influence his choice. She turns to Danny.

"As promised you get to pic an outfit or me to wear"

He smugly looks at the available choices, all the while she looks at him in slight exasperation. He's such a sore winner. He pretends to contemplate his choices very deeply but she can see he's just trying to annoy her. She playfully shoves his shoulder telling him to hurry up. He chuckles and decides on a simple flower pattern sundress. She's slightly surprised by his choice, she would think he'd want to see her in a bathing suit or the strapless mini dress. Then again, Danny is much more unique than the other guys.

He must have read her thoughts because with slightly pink cheeks he says he wouldn't make her wear anything that would make her feel uncomfortable. Her heart skips a beat at his admission. He's a bonafide gentleman. How is she just now finding this out? How has she never realized that? She nods and takes the clothes into the closet. Moments later emerging looking like she's ready for a stroll through the garden. Complete with peep toe sandals and a parasol.

"...wow..."

She snaps her eyes up, the look on his face leaves her breathless. Its as if the world has fallen away and only the two of them remain, in this little vacuum of space. She's slightly confused, she isn't showing any skin apart from her arms and legs. Even the chest area is completely covered up. Any other guy wouldn't be impressed. But Danny is looking at her as if she were the most beautiful woman alive. Just as suddenly time ticks back into existence and he blinks, looking away, mumbling that she looks very nice. She brushes imaginary dust off the dress and thanks him.

They stand there awkwardly, until Danny finally picks up the spanish workbook and asks to continue the lesson. As time passes on she is surprised by the drastic improvement he's showing. She knew he was smart, he just needed the right push to apply himself. She laughs inwardly, he's such a typical boy, but at the same time, he's so different. She goes through three more wardrobe changes, all modest in style. However she did not miss the slight wandering of his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking. Finally, after three chapters worth of learning, the lessons are over for the day.

"Thanks for helping me out Paulina, you're a miracle worker!"

"Obviously, have you met me?"

They laugh together as they put away their books. She changed back into her favorite jeans and crop top, Danny back in his clothes as well, and was about to walk him to the door when he gasps. She turns to him and asks what's wrong. He just brushes off her question, eyes darting across the room. She observes him, but just before she can voice her conserns her room door swings open.

"Pau, dinner's ready! Oh! Hello there, you must be Danny. I've heard a lot about you."

Insert conspiratorial parental wink. Her eyes widen. Oh no.

"Why don't you stay for dinner since you're already here?"

She can feel the color draining from her face. Why would her mother do this to her!? She can hear Danny shuddering out excuses to leave but why is her mom still insisting!? He looks at her briefly and she could have sworn she saw mist leave his mouth with another gasp. Reluctantly he agrees to stay. She feels faint, this can't be happening, it's going to be so awkward eating dinner with him and her dad-OH SHIT HER DAD! Before she can even form the question she hears it. The thudding footsteps of her father making his way to her room.

Mercifully, her mother reads the atmosphere and intercepts her father at the stairs. She can hear their muffled voices, the heated whispers and finally the retreating steps. She sighs, Danny sighs, they exchange a look. He tries to give her a reassuring smile but comes out as a grimace. It still has the desired effect though, since her shoulders relax and she snorts at the ridiculous face he's making. They slowly make their way to the dining room.

"Ok Danny listen up, if you want to survive this dinner you have to follow these rules to the T, got it?"

"Uhh...?"

"When addressing my father always end you sentences with 'sir'. Never make eye contact with him unless being spoken to. Do not look at me unless I'm involved in the conversation. Address my mom as Mrs. Sánchez. And if you value your life at all, DO NOT go near his prized soccer championship trophy. So stand up straight and put your game face on, he can smell fear"

"You know...you're not really helping"

She rolls her eyes but understands his very justifiable apprehension. She gives him a good slap on the back for encouragement and they enter the dining room. Her father stares daggers at Danny, all the while her mother is smiling warmly. Talk about mixed messages. She elbows him as discreetly as possible, he blurts out a thank you for the dinner invitation and attempts to sit as far away from her dad as possible. That was mistake number one.

"That's my daughter's seat, boy"

He says in a deep baritone that sounds like tires on gravel, and glares at the poor boy, who looks about ready to keel over. You'd think that with her father being the same height as his he'd be used to the imposing figure. He is however much more intimidating than the goofy ghost hunter, so she'll give him that. She's never liked her father's over protective nature and since this is the boy she has undecided feelings for she won't let him suffer alone.

"Actually papá, since Danny is MY guest, he can sit wherever he likes"

She sits in the chair closest to her dad and glares back. She sees Danny slowly sink into his own chair. Her mom comes to his rescue and starts off by serving him a plate and chatting up a storm, if only to keep her father from tearing into him. Finally everyone has been served a plate of rice, chicken, and frijoles. Topped off with a salad and tortillas on the side. The way Danny's eyes roam his plate you'd think he hasn't eaten in weeks. She stifles a smile, hoping her father didn't catch it. Unfortunately for her, Carmen Sánchez sees all. The gleam in her eyes promises mother-daughter "boy talk". She groans inwardly. They say grace and dig in.

"Wow Mrs. Sánchez! This is the best meal I've ever had!"

"Awww thank you Danny, you're welcome any time, right Jesús?"

Her father looks up from his plate and gives her an incredulous look. Then he looks from Danny over to his daughter and back at his wife. Danny had the decency of keeping his eyes on his plate. She prays this dinner goes well and she won't have to explain to everyone at school why Danny's gone missing. Her father just grumbles, he can never argue with her mom. She is a small but very commanding woman. He shifts his attention over to Danny, who's in the middle of stuffing his face like a chipmunk.

"Tell me boy, who's your favorite soccer team?"

Danny, caught off guard by being addressed so directly, nearly chokes on a mouthful of rice. After downing a glass of water he opens his mouth to respond, when blue mist comes out instead. He slaps a hand over his mouth, eyes darting around the room, then settling back to the man of the house. They all look at him questioningly, however she's much more intrigued because this is roughly the third time she's seen him do that. Realizing he still hasn't answered, he clears his throat.

"Well uhm, sir, I uh, don't really, um, care about sports so, uh, I don't have a favorite...sir"

To a man who lives for the World Cup, what Danny said is nothing short of blasphemy. She doesn't need to look over to know her father has clenched every muscle in his body. She does peek at Danny though, and is not surprised to see him glancing around the room. He hasn't grasped the severity of what his statement meant to her father. Mistake number two.

She exchanges worried looks with her mother. Then they both look over at the head of the family. The atmosphere in the room is suffocating, she needs to take a walk. She offers to get Danny more water, hoping her mother can deal for a little while. She picks up the glass and hastily makes her tactical retreat to the kitchen. She sighs, this is why she never brings her guy friends over. Not even Dash or Kwan have seen the inside of her house. She'd rather save them, and herself, the embarrassment and emotional scarring. Then she thinks about why she would risk that for Danny. It felt so natural just inviting him over.

She never got farther than that when the kitchen lights flickered and went out. An eerie greenish-blue glow descends over the room. She snaps her head up only to come face to face with a buffalo sized spider. Her eyes grow imposingly large while her pupils shrink to nothing but dots. The scream lodged in her throat, unable to escape. She can't move! Her very justified, arachnophobia freezes her to the spot. It slowly, tauntingly, makes its decent down the chandelier. All the while dripping ectoplasm everywhere. The sight of its long, creepy legs making her skin crawl, tears stream down her face. It gets close enough that she can see her reflection in its eight eyes. Then, it's mandibles open, a la predator, and a single string of ectoplasmic saliva drips onto her face. The pin finally dropped.

The resulting bloodcurdling scream, that could definitely be heard all across town, shattered three wine glasses, two flower vases and half a window. Surprisingly enough the first thing she sees following her cowardly crouching, is Danny flying through the air and delivering a bone crushing kick to its face. Seconds later she feels beefy arms encircle her and swiftly carry her out of the kitchen. Her father looking her over for any injuries while her mother crushes her to her chest. She hears Danny scream in surprise, and seconds later he is crashing through the wall and onto the dining table. Effectively breaking it in half.

"DANNY!"

She watches in equal parts fear and incredulity, as Danny brushes off broken pieces of table and drywall, lunging for the ghost. He continues wrestling the spider and dodging its knife like claws as if he was born to do it. He's herding it away from her and her family, which she just remembered are still there. She quickly glances at her mother, who is watching in horror, frozen behind her father's frame. She then switches over to her father and pales slightly. He looks like he's battling between fury, astonishment, and concern. She hears Danny yelling her name. She turns to him.

"THE THERMOS! GET THE THERMOS!"

He dodges another claw, which gets stuck in the floorboards. She doesn't even think, she just reacts. The urgency in his voice propelling her forward. She moves so abruptly her father doesn't register she's gone until she's half way across the dining room. She can vaguely hear him yelling for her to come back. The blood rushing in her ears muffling any sound. She's only aware of her own breathing, everything feels like it's in slow motion. She senses the leg before she sees it. Her cheerleading coming in clutch she flips over the appendage and continues cartwheeling until she reaches the bag. She jams her hand into the main pocket and in one swift motion pitches it over to Danny.

It soars over the spider, tumbling almost gracefully through the air. She watches, completely numb, as Danny uses a nearby chair as leverage and jumps. Catching the thermos in one hand and removing the cap with the other, the ghost disappears in the blink on an eye. And just like that it's over. She sags to the floor on her knees, the house is deathly silent. She's still trying to process what just happened. Miraculously, of all the things, her father's prized soccer championship trophy survived the ordeal.

That is, of course, until Danny lifted his arm in celebration and knocked it over. Shattering it into a thousand pieces, adding the icing on the proverbial cake. Her father inhaling sharply.

Mistake number three.