Disclaimer: I'd like to own Danny Phantom, but it's just too troublesome what with the daily drudge of my life in the way…so I guess Butch Hartman should keep it.

Author's Notes: I'm sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter. I was not completely satisfied with it, but after rewriting it who knows how many times I think this will be best way it should be (content wise). I should also say that I guess there is more slash interactions here and Dash will unleash his "brilliant" plan to get Sandra.

Author's Warnings: As I already mentioned, the one person who already read this dinged me on the forehead for writing this chapter like this. I didn't think it was that weird, but oh well, nothing for it now. Still when you guys get to the end….um, just don't kill me (or ding my forehead). (⌐.⌐)

lllll blahlllll scene change

llllllllll blahlllllllllldream or memory

'blah' thoughts

"blah" speaking

Chapter 16: The Molestation Minuet

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Dash ran barefoot through the forest as fast as his legs could carry him. His clothes hung as useless tatters covering him, but when a thorny bush caught on his jacket, he slipped out of it and kept going. He ran past all the shrubbery and vegetation around him, not stopping for a moment because if he did then he'd never catch up. The light that filtered through the tops of the trees was enough to guide him, but he still managed to trip over an exposed root.

He landed with a loud thud and laid there feeling tired. Slowly, but steadily he managed to sit up on the cold ground around him. He looked in front of him for the first time and felt awe at seeing how beautiful the forest was. More light shown through the trees and Dash felt content sitting there and taking in everything, for a moment his earlier haste was forgotten.

From the corner of his eyes he caught movement behind a nearby bush. He yelped in surprise as he saw two deer jump from behind the bush. The two creatures stood tall and graceful before him and for the instant that he caught sight of them; Dash thought they were the most beautiful animals he'd ever seen. He sensed they were surprised to see him there, but at the sound of gunshots the two deer continued to escape and run past him. Dash heard the sound of gunshots coming closer and felt a small twinge of fear.

He got up on shaky legs and ran again in the direction that the two deer had run. Dash managed to catch up to them and as he ran with them, he realized that one of them was obviously a male because of the small horns on its head. The sound of gunshots was heard again and the closeness of it made Dash run faster that he thought he ever could. He saw light up ahead of them and used his arm to adjust his eyes from the bright light. When his eyes were able to focus, he looked on in wonder at the sight before him.

Dash and the two deer were in front of a large field of tall sunflowers. The two deer kept running through and Dash was barely able to see the tops of their heads through the flowers. He snapped out of his daze and continued running, trying to catch up with the deer in front of him. As he got closer to them, he understood that they were headed into a darker forest. 'Where those hunters won't be able to find them...'

He heard the sounds of gunshots behind him and saw the shadowy forms of what he assumed were the hunters. He looked back and realized that he could no longer hear the sound of the deer running. He caught sight of something brown in front of him and panicked as he ran toward it. Dash pushed aside a patch of the sun flowers and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the two injured deer in front of him.

Both mewed out in pain and Dash took slow steps toward them. He fell to his knees in front of them, tears slowly running down his face. With the last of their strength the two deer stood on their forelegs and licked at his tears. They laid their heads on Dash's lap and he carefully pet at their soft fur as he saw the light die from their eyes. He couldn't help the whimper that escaped him and he continued to cry. He held his head in his hands and cried out in anguish at how unfair it was. 'They didn't do anything! Why did they have to die?'

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The sound of an alarm clock woke up the groggy blond and dispelled the last vestiges of his dream. With a slow movement of his arm, Dash turned off the alarm clock's beeping. He slowly roused himself up and Dash blinked in surprise. With a shaky hand he wiped at the stray tears underneath his eyes and stared at the moisture on his fingertips. He frowned at the sight and rubbed at his eyes harder to get rid of any traces he'd cried. 'I haven't cried in years, ever since she died.'

A tired yawn escaped him and he stretched out his body to try to wake up. He ran a hand through his messy hair and scratched his stomach as he got out of his bed. He dug around his dresser for a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. After he got dressed, he took the stairs two at a time and walked into his dining room.

"Hey Dash," Danny said smiling. The brunet took a sip of orange juice and continued eating his eggs and bacon.

"Oh honey, you're finally up. Sit down with your father and Danny and eat some breakfast." Dash's mother said cheerfully.

Dash stared at the scene in front of him, wondering if this was a dream too. It usually took nothing short of buckets full cold water to the face to get Danny up at this hour, much less up and at his house. Danny looked at his friend uncertainly, wondering if he was making his friend uneasy for showing up the way he did. Danny stared at him with a raised eyebrow and asked him if he was alright. The sound of a newspaper rustling was heard as Dash's father moved it down to look at his son.

In a gruff tone Mr. Baxter said, "Boy don't just stand there with your mouth open like a dead fish, sit down and eat."

Dash sighed and did as he was told, taking a seat across from Danny. A tasty smell caught his nose and his mother placed a plate of food in front of him. He blushed slightly when she kissed the top of his head and ruffled his already messy hair. He caught sight of Danny hiding a smile from behind his glass of orange juice.

"What are you doing here?" Dash asked him rudely.

"When your father went to get the paper this morning, he found Danny waiting for you on our stoop," his mother said smiling. She hugged at her bathrobe tighter and made her way back to the kitchen. "Honey, what would you like to eat this morning?"

Mr. Baxter took a moment to consider this and from behind his newspaper he snuck his wife a meaningful smirk and said, "Anything you give me will be fine, Amanda."

Mrs. Baxter blushed and glared at him at the same time, a look that Mr. Baxter took pride in knowing that she had developed after years of being married to him. The small exchange went unnoticed by the two teens at the dinner table who were instead engaged in their own conversation.

"You know I'm surprised that both you and your parents are awake at this hour," Danny said, trying to make conversation. His palms grew sweaty at how nervous he felt underneath the other boy's deep blue gaze.

"Yeah, it's just a habit I got from them and plus my dad has to get up early to go to work anyway." Dash said indifferently. He picked at what was left of his breakfast, not feeling inclined to eat the portion that was left.

"Yeah, at my house the only ones who ever wake up early are my mom and Jazz." Danny said smirking.

"I noticed after that time that Jazz dumped cold water on top of your head to wake you up," Dash said chuckling. "Still, why didn't you just wait for me to come over?"

Danny stared at what was left of his breakfast as he hesitantly asked, "Why? Do you mind?"

"No, I just wasn't expecting you that's all." Dash took a sip of his orange juice before continuing, "I usually have to throw rocks at your window or sneak in with a ladder just to wake you up."

"Yeah, well I woke up early and couldn't sleep anymore so I thought I'd save you the trouble," Danny replied distractedly.

Dash raised an eyebrow and looked at him in concern as he casually asked, "Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Danny looked up and shook his head quickly. An alarm bell rang inside Dash's head as he realized that Danny was lying to him. He looked at Danny sharply, hoping his eyes told the other boy that he didn't believe him. Their staring contest was broken by the sound of Mr. Baxter putting his newspaper down.

"If you're finished with your breakfast boy, then go and finish getting ready. I'm sure Danny is anxious to get going," Mr. Baxter said in authoritative voice.

Danny was about to say that he wasn't in any hurry, but the sound of Dash scrapping his chair stopped him. Dash looked back Danny once more before turning around and walking quickly through the kitchen door. Mr. Baxter's eyes followed his son until he was sure that Dash was out of earshot. With a stern look on his face, he turned his attention to Danny. The brunet squirmed under the older man's stare and Danny wondered if he had done something wrong.

"I wanted to take this opportunity to give you my thanks," Mr. Baxter said suddenly. He carefully folded his paper and set it down on the table.

"Your thanks sir?" Danny asked in confusion.

"Yes, I owe you my thanks for your bravery and quick thinking when my wife and Dash were in trouble. They both told me what happened and believe me when I say that I'm very thankful that you were there that day. Heroes like you are very rare nowadays Danny, it's a characteristic that you should be proud of."

Mrs. Baxter came up behind her husband and smiled as she said, "Yes, if it hadn't been for you, Dash and I would have died that day. I know you must feel awkward to hear me say this again, but thank you very much for saving us. Dash is so lucky to have a friend like you. I can tell that you're a loyal person and truly care about him."

"Yes, but unfortunately that thickheaded son of my mine can be quite stubborn sometimes. Nevertheless please continue being his friend. I don't particularly like most of his other acquaintances, but my wife and I agree that we think you've been a good influence on Dash," Mr. Baxter said. He gave Danny a small smile before taking a sip of his coffee.

Mrs. Baxter laughed a little as she said, "And trust us on that, we've seen the differences in our little boy and we know that most of them are because of you. Ever since he's met you he's always saying Danny this and Danny that, I've never seen my son so happy before."

The Baxters smiled at the funny sight the young boy in front of them made. Danny was blushing so hard in embarrassment that even his ears turned pink. He struggled to say something, but his efforts were wasted as nothing came out of his mouth. The sound of footsteps caught their attention as Dash appeared from the kitchen doorway, looking at them suspiciously. The blond boy looked at his parents' too innocent smiles, a blushing Danny and back again.

"Did you guys say something weird to Fenton?" Dash asked them warily.

Mrs. Baxter gave her son a harmless smile as she said, "Yes, we told Danny how we were going to volunteer as chaperones for your upcoming dance and we asked him if he had a girl he was going with?"

"Based on his reaction, it looks like maybe he doesn't. You're pretty popular with the girls Dash, why don't you find him a nice girl to go with?" said Mr. Baxter.

"Way ahead of you dad," Dash said smirking.

Danny looked at Dash in surprise before the other boy dragged him out of his seat. His blush had died down for the most part now and he looked back at the Baxters wondering if they lied to their son often. Dash threw a goodbye at his parents and grabbed Danny's hand before dragging him off. Danny managed to thank and bid his farewell to Dash's parents before they were out the kitchen door. Dash continued to drag him and only let him go once they were outside. Even then Danny's situation didn't improve much because the blond stood in his way and wouldn't let him pass.

"What did they really say?" Dash asked apprehensively.

Danny felt a pang of guilt for what he was about to say, but the truth was too embarrassing and it was obvious that the Baxters didn't want their son to know either. He urgently pushed Dash aside and gave the blond his sincerest smile as he said, "They weren't lying. They really did ask me that, but I didn't expect it so I didn't know what to say."

Dash sighed in relief and smirked as he said. "Yeah, my parents are pretty blunt about things like that. They don't find it taboo to ask a teenager that at all. Anyway, I was telling the truth Fenton, I really have thought about this and came up with a great plan."

"Plan for what?" Danny asked in dread.

"My plan for how you can get a girl to go with you to the dance, heck maybe you'll even get to go with Paulina." Dash said nudging him. He gave his friend an enthusiastic smile as he announced, "Just leave it all up to me...and the other guys on the team."

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"A date auction?" Danny yelled at the top of his lungs. "That's your big plan to get me a date for the dance!"

Dash put a hand over his ear and then smirked at Danny, "It's foolproof Fenton. Last week when Sandra put in her suggestion to make the dance theme 1950's style it won the student vote and she was put on the homecoming committee. The problem is that now they need to get some extra funds to make it happen."

"So you talked the other guys into participating in a date auction to raise the money," Danny said in disbelief. "If you ask me, this sounds more like a plan to make you look good in front of Sandra."

"If all goes well on Friday and Saturday then I'll get a date with Sandra and who knows maybe she'll dig me enough to buy me at the auction," Dash said confidently.

Danny sighed before saying, "At least you're optimistic."

Danny looked over at Dash and begrudgingly made a mental note to thank Jazz. As always his older sister had been right and this time he didn't have to take such drastic steps to solve his problem. His suggestion that Dash ask out Sandra had worked, granted it did take a ridiculous chain of events afterwards, but it was going to lead them to an actual date. All Danny had to really do now was just sit back and watch them kiss.

He stopped walking for a moment and felt a strange ache in his chest at the thought. If Dash didn't mess it up and Griffith didn't interfere, then in a few days his challenge would finally be over. Everything, all his efforts were paying off around him. It wasn't like the results were any different either.

When Sandra wasn't working at the diner or Dash wasn't training with him, Dash and Sandra often hung out with friends or just each other. When they hung out alone Dash would almost always call him afterwards to tell him how it went. From this Danny knew that Dash obviously had a big crush on the girl and knew that it was not one sided. He had been watching Sandra in class lately and had noticed the girl's attention shifting everyday towards Dash more. It had gotten to the point where whenever she was broached on the subject of Dash, she would instantly blush and not say a word about him.

Dash was taking an avid interest in math, constantly asking their teacher or Jack questions and refusing to go to parties because he was "studying". There was a very good chance that they could win the game this Friday if their secret weapon actually worked. Tucker and Sam had already agreed to help the hopeless blond with his third and most daunting task. The two had been working hard on a presentation and had made plans with Dash to coach him on what to say in order to convince the Colonel to let him date Sandra. It was all going to come to a close and both he and Dash would be free. 'He's going to get his life back and find true love...more importantly he's never going to know about his death or about Griffith...so why do I feel so depressed?'

"Yo Fenton what's wrong?" Dash asked Danny. He waved a hand in front of the brunet's face, but Danny remained still as stone.

Danny was shocked out of his earlier stupor by a cold hand on his nape. He yelped in surprise and moved away from the unwelcome hand. He heard Derek laughing behind him and turned around ready to give the older boy an annoyed look, but instead he saw Jack's outstretched hand midair. Derek continued to laugh at the surprised look on Danny's face as he strapped on his helmet and walked onto the field.

"I'm sorry Danny. I didn't mean to scare you…I just wanted to say hello," Jack said, blushing slightly. He gave Danny an apologetic smile and strapped on his own helmet before joining Derek on the field.

"You alright Fenton?" Dash asked, not looking at him. Danny followed the blond's suspicious gaze till his eyes saw Jack. He looked at the quiet boy who briefly met his gaze before looking away and paying attention to their coach.

"Yeah, I'm fine…he just surprised me," Danny said, giving Dash a reassuring smile.

"I didn't mean that, I meant with whatever made you space out to begin with. You worried me because for a second there you looked...well, really sad," Dash admitted. "Dude, is…something wrong?"

Before Danny could answer they heard the loud sound of their coach blowing his whistle. The older man yelled out at the top of his lungs, "Baxter! Fenton! If you two ladies are done gossiping, the rest of your team would like to start practice!"

"No we wouldn't!" came the shout from someone in the crowd of players. The rest of their teammates laughed aloud and were only shut up by the coach furiously blowing on his whistle.

"Just for that Sanchez you can run five laps around the field!" The Coach turned back to Dash and Danny and in a terse voice said, "If you two maggots don't show me the results of your training together, I'll take you both out of the starting lineup."

With that threat hanging in the air, the coach stomped his way onto the field, the assistant coach right behind him. Danny stood there in shock, jaw open at what the coach had accidentally revealed. Dash smacked his shoulder happily and strapped on his helmet.

"I told you so," Dash said smiling broadly. "Now let's show that old fart why you deserve to be on the starting line up."

Dash strapped on his helmet and jogged towards the others. Danny paused for a moment and looked out at his team. He really had gotten better and now he knew most of the ins and outs of the game to understand how to play better. Lately he didn't always have to power up during games in order to score a touchdown. The thought made him smile and as he strapped on his own helmet he thought, 'Yeah, I think I'm starting to love football.'

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"D.F., you were amazing today!" Derek said excitedly. "At first you started off really bad and Joseph and the other defense were kicking your butt, then bam you just started knocking people out of your way. As much as I hate to admit it, I think your going to give me a run for my money for the second receiver position."

"No, I was just lucky and having a good day that's all," Danny said chuckling.

"Don't hide underneath a modest veil Danny-kun. Your playing was at the best I've ever seen this whole season. Everyone noticed how fast your speed and catching accuracy has improved. I'm sure the coach is going to put you in this Friday's game." Jack said enthusiastically. Danny blushed realizing how his performance had made even Jack animated.

"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without Dash's help," Danny said casually. He turned off his shower and walked off toward the towel boy.

Derek and Jack joined him in the locker aisle a minute later and Danny noticed they were the only ones left in the whole locker room.

Derek toweled off and in a joking tone asked, "Now that you mention it, where did that bum go?"

Jack put on his pants and evenly replied, "He went to talk to the coach about something."

"Probably over that stupid idea he has for that homecoming auction. Can you believe that, Danny? That's gotta be the dumbest idea I ever heard. Who's going to pay good money to go out with us losers?" Derek said laughing. He quickly put on his shirt before continuing, "I swear if I didn't know any better, I'd think this was another one of Dash's stupid ideas to impress Sandra."

"Whether or not that is the case, at this point it doesn't matter very much does it?" said Jack. "There are a lot of desperate boys, who are willing to sell themselves to desperate girls, for a school desperate for dance funds. And for someone who's not even going to be auctioned you're making an awfully big deal about it."

"You're not going to be in it?" Danny asked Derek in surprise.

"Can't, I got a dentist's appointment at the same time as when the auction starts." Derek said with a dramatic sigh. "I feel just like that girl in that fairytale, you guys know the one right, Derekella?"

Danny and Jack laughed at the look on their friend's face, their laughter echoing around the empty locker room. Danny shook his head at Derek's joke and saw that the other boy had already finished getting dressed. Danny ran a hand through his wet hair to get rid of the excess water. 'Better hurry.'

He quickly pulled on his t-shirt over his head, but somehow managed to get stuck. He struggled for a moment before a cold pair of hands gently stopped him. The strange pair of hands helped him turn around the shirt and pull his head through it. Danny stared at the pale chest in front of him and looked up to see Jack's amused smile. He looked to his left expecting to see Derek, but the other boy was nowhere to be found.

"If you're looking for Derek, he's already gone so I guess...it's just the two of us," Jack said timidly.

Something about the way Jack spoke made the hairs on the back of Danny's neck and arms stand up. He caught the faint clean scent coming off the older boy's skin and tensed as he realized Jack was leaning closer to him. Jack's arms suddenly lunged out and slammed harshly on the locker doors on either side of Danny, effectively trapping him from moving away.

"I-I have something to confess Danny," said Jack nervously. "I can't keep it in anymore."

'Did his voice just deepen?' Danny thought in alarm.

Jack's head hung low almost like he was ashamed and with a small sigh he said the words he thought he'd never utter, "If I could, I would buy you at the auction."

Danny's eyes widened as he dumbly replied, "Huh? Why would you do that?"

"I would do that...because I really like you Danny-kun," Jack said slowly. "I like you as more than a friend and I even think that…I-I've fallen in love with you."

His jet black eyes stared into the pair of light-blue that he'd grown to love. Light-blue eyes that told him the owner was hiding a world of secrets and the very same eyes that were looking all the more panicked by the minute. Jack threw away every fear and doubt he'd ever had about his feelings for Danny and kissed him.

A pair of surprisingly soft lips met stiff and scared ones. Jack kissed Danny with all the passion he'd repressed for the other boy show through. Danny felt the experienced lips move against his own and was too surprised to even push Jack away. 'A boy is kissing me, Jack is kissing me!' He literally shivered when he felt Jack's cold hands caress the sides of his face and pull their lips closer. Danny's emotions ran all over the place and he was caught between pushing away the taller boy and the disturbing instinctual urge to respond.

Danny suddenly felt like thousands of warm hands were touching his whole body and he sighed in pleasure. Danny surprised both of them by closing his eyes and lightly pressing his lips against Jack's, reveling in the pleasant sensation as it increased tenfold. Jack felt the change instantly and kissed Danny deeper, running his hand down Danny's smooth neck. Danny's own hands slowly fell on top of Jack's shoulders. Danny shivered in surprise when he felt Jack's hand travel down his back. 'Why am I letting Jack do this to me?' he thought hazily.

The two boys suddenly broke the kiss and separated away from each other. Both stood there panting and blushing furiously at what they'd just done. Danny licked his lips nervously, unconsciously tempting Jack. The taller boy shook his head and struggled to say something. He was about to speak, but was startled by the sound of the locker room door opening.

Danny quickly finished getting dressed and grabbed his things. He ran past Jack without saying a word, but ended up crashing into someone. Danny felt a pair of hands steady him and looked up to see that it was Dash.

The blond raised an eyebrow in annoyance and said, "Geezus Fenton, are you always a klutz?"

Dash gasped slightly as he caught the desperate look on Danny's face. Before he could say anything, Danny pushed past him and ran down the locker aisles. Dash looked back at Jack and saw him sitting on a bench, holding his head in his hands. Dash looked between the two in confusion before deciding to chase after Danny.

Dash pushed through the exit he saw Danny ran out of. He stopped and looked around, unable to find the brunet anywhere. He sighed and scratched the back of his head as he thought about what to do. He considered going back and asking Jack what had happened, but he doubted the other boy would tell him. A sudden gust of wind above him took him by surprise and he looked up at the sky. His eyes widened in curiosity as he saw Danny Phantom flying off into the sky, a vaguely familiar gym bag on his arm. Dash ignored his quickened heartbeat and hoped his face didn't show how happy he was to see the teenage superhero.

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"How did his lips taste to you?"

Jack sat up from where he had been sitting at and grabbed his head in pain. He groaned loudly as his eyes switched between black and green repeatedly. Jack concentrated as hard as he could to push back the voice in his mind and after a few moments a green aura appeared around him. The green aura slowly seeped out and reshaped in front of him. Jack fell to his knees in exhaustion and looked up at the ghostly form in front of him. He glared at it as it shape shifted into a familiar Goth boy.

"Watch out, your face might stay that way," Griffith said in a smooth voice.

Jack slowly got up, biding his time until he could hit the other boy without killing himself. Griffith sensed the other boy's intentions and held up his hand. The hand began to glow a dark green and Jack took at step back as he saw it poised over his chest.

Jack frowned as he asked, "Who are you?"

"Griffith Demos Rolland," Griffith replied.

Jack took a step forward and menacingly asked, "No, that's who you're making everyone think you are, but you're someone else. What are you really? Why did you make me do that?"

Griffith smirked as he said, "Shouldn't you be happy? I took away your fear and helped give you one of your heart's desires."

Jack faltered slightly before saying, "No, I didn't want that. He doesn't want…he's not…you used me to hurt him. You made me-"

"Oh, but see that's where you're wrong." Griffith said interrupting him. "I didn't make you do anything. I merely tapped into your mind and broke that ridiculous inhibition of yours. You could say that for a moment you forgot yourself."

Griffith stood in front of Jack, realizing the other boy was ready to hit him at any moment. Seeing that this would be his only chance he spoke, "I could help you make him yours. You've suffered with your feelings for him for a year and a half, but I can end that and give you…his love."

Jack stood stock still for a moment before quickly moving to hit Griffith. The Goth boy dodged the punch and used his powers to lift up the boy and throw him against a row of lockers. Before the younger boy had a moment to recover, he quickly pushed Jack into the lockers and twisted the boy's arm behind his back. Jack gasped in pain and was about to fight back, but stopped at Griffith's next words.

"If you join me, you will have him. If you don't, then I suggest you don't interfere with my plans or I promise to kill him right before your eyes."

Through gritted teeth Jack asked him, "Just what is it that you want with him?"

Griffith thought for a moment before grinning and saying, "He is a very useful pawn, but if he joins me then I will make him into a world class knight. One which I should mention, you might not particularly like, but if it's he that you love then once he is my knight you shall have him. That is if you too become my pawn."

Griffith placed his free hand on Jack's head and the auburn haired boy gasped as he felt his energy leaving him. Before he fell unconscious, he vaguely heard Griffith's last words, "Take your time, Minamoto, I wouldn't want you to make a hasty decision."

End of Chapter 16

Author's End Notes: ducks behind a sofa, frying pan in hand Yes I know that is an odd twist to put in, but all shall be explained soon enough. Please don't kill me for ending this on a seemingly twisted and inappropriate note. Um, thank you for reading and please review! Feedback, in any form, is always welcome. 

Spider's Shout Outs:

(because quiet spiders are the creepy ones)

Dela the Hidden: Hey girl! Nah, don't even trip about the reviews, you've been there (sometimes pushing me) the whole time and I think that says a lot more. :) I hope your wait wasn't in vain, I tried to make this chapter be a turning point, but I hope it doesn't make people take a step back. Yeah, Danny's only got about approx 27-26 days left so things will have to be resolved soon. Sandra isn't out of commission completely, but she and Dash are going to have some problems that's for sure. Hope you liked it and thanks for the review!

Isabella Rossellini: Hello again! I know, I want them to get together too, but I can't do it just yet. Still thanks for reading up until this point and for all the reviews. I suppose in some respects I am drawing them out, but it's just because I wanted to make this something that wouldn't be easy. Lol, perhaps I went overboard:)

Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac: Hey! If you like Danny angst, then the next chapter will give you a good snack, especially after that kiss from Jack. O.o I hope you like the chapter and sorry for the delay. Now dance because…vacation is soon here:) Hurah! Lol, thanks for the review!

KimuraSato: Hey! Lol, I'm a bit out of the loop, but just what is NaNoWriMo? I've seen people put it on their icons, websites and LJs but alas no explanation as to what it is. 50K sounds a little crazy, but I still wish you the best of luck. Lol, I think a lot about the last chapter was classic and I meant a lot of it more as light and humorous. Sandra and death equals correlation, but the why will be more apparent later I think. (Her death…isn't certain or uncertain, gah, so cryptic.) Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter.

animegurl088: Hey there! You said some very direct words, but I gave a pretty indirect response, what with taking so long to update and all. When I'm not working on this fic, I'm working on another one that will be published once I'm done writing this one. :) (Maybe you'll see it around.) Anyway, thanks for the review!

DannysGirlForever: Hey there new reader! Please keep reviewing! Lol, I'm glad you like the fic and I'm very surprised/pleased than you stuck it out and read all 15 chapters. I hope to see/read you again. Thanks for the review!

Dazja: Hello again! I'm going to be sitting on donkeys for Christmas (Lol, there's a religious implication in here somewhere) because I have no bike in Mexico. :) I'll tell them what you said when the conversation dies down, donkeys can also be pretty boring animals to talk to. Anyway, back to your review. Now I understand what you meant about the story line and It's nice to hear/read that it doesn't crash up. :) Thanks for the review!

Ranma Higurashi: Hey! Aw, gotta love the Griffith hate…and yet I wonder what you guys will think of him later. Sorry the massive delay, but this chapter was a bit of another turning point so I had to be absolutely sure that this was the way it should be written. I still hope you enjoyed it and thanks for the review!

Vlad Lover: Hey there! I hope the end of this fic is to your liking in terms of what you said in your two main reviews. You surprised me with your last review and made me smile at how beautifully blunt it was. Lol, I'm not sure if I'm going to write such an aspect on (what with banning possibilities and all) and I've never written a real lemon before because I just choose to imply it or write it very vaguely. Still, your comment brought the idea into my head if not for this fic then perhaps for another one. Well I'll stop babbling now and say thank you for the thought-pushing review!

hittocerebattosai: Hello! Although it might sound inappropriate I'm still going to say "Cool, I had bronchitis too". I don't think it was that bad for me because they still let me go to school, but it isn't a picnic either huh? Just look forward because in a few weeks school will give us all reprieve to relax, sleep and most importantly…read/write fanfiction! I hope you liked the chapter. Thank you for the review!

authoraisarete: Hey there! Yeah, Sandra isn't doing so hot and she probably won't be for awhile. As far as Griffith he's not showing up as much now because he's going to be coming up a lot more in the future. I'm glad that you like my OCs and yes I think that I've been a pretty vague about the end relationships, but that's only because I like keeping people in suspense. I think the last thing I have to say is that you are probably one of the few people who is rooting for Jack and I hope in the chapters to come that doesn't change. Anyway, thanks for the review!

Akiko: Hey there! Sorry for the delay on this chapter, but I'll try harder to keep em coming. Thanks very much for the review!