Disclaimer: If I ever own Danny Phantom, pray for your souls because pigs with wings will be flying. Coincidently there will also be a pork barbecue party at my house. In the meantime, it still belongs to Butch Hartman. :)
Author's Notes: Let the fun begin with this chapter and may so many things be revealed to you guys including who the cloaked figure is as well as what Dash really thinks about Jack and Danny's relationship. If nothing else I hope this chapter shows the duality of the characters and how they can be contractions sometimes. The sparks will fly heavily in this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had fun writing it. Now as always please take a load off and enjoy! (Don't forget to review!)
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'blah' thoughts
"blah" speaking
Chapter 22: The Possessive Pachanga
"Yes! In your face Derek," yelled Star loudly.
The Hispanic boy sat arms crossed and sulked as the blond girl did a victory dance in front of him. While most of the others were average bowlers at best, Star and Derek prided themselves on being top notch and bragged as such. The monitor above them flashed the current scores and showed that Star had pulled into the lead and had ten points more than Derek. He felt his competitive streak get the best of him as he stood up next to the girl. Star stopped her earlier movements and looked at him in expectantly.
"I will beat you blondie!" said Derek firmly.
"I'd like to see you try, fat head!"
As Jack stood up to bowl next, he lightly smacked Derek's shoulder and whispered, "Don't act like a moron."
Derek's eyes narrowed as he whispered back, "You should talk."
Jack's face flushed slightly at his best friend's retort, but he continued moving down to the starting end of the bowling lane. He breathed out for a second and concentrated on the angle of the pins. He considered the weight of his ball and then pulled it back. He moved forward and launched the ball quickly. He winced slightly as he saw it hit the pins of someone else's lane.
"Knock it off already, you jerk!" shouted a boy who held that lane.
Derek smirked as he jokingly yelled back, "Be glad he's giving you strikes!"
"I wasn't talking to you, jockstrap!" the stranger yelled back.
Derek's eyes narrowed as he took a menacing step forward and loudly said, "Hey geek, come and say that to my face!"
Jack suddenly came into his line of vision and gave him a disapproving look. Derek looked back at him before rolling his eyes and turning away. Danny watched in surprise as Jack calmly walked closer to the stranger. The stranger looked apprehensive for a moment, but didn't move away.
Dash's eyes narrowed as he saw Jack talk to the stranger in a low voice. The stranger seemed surprised at whatever Jack was saying and nervously shook hands with him. Jack nodded at the other boy and returned back to their lane with a smile. The stranger looked scared as he sat down on a nearby seat.
'I know that look. He must have said something to freak the other guy out,' thought Dash with astonishment.
"Jack, what'd you do to him?" Paulina asked in concern.
Jack gave them a reassuring smile as he said, "Nothing, he was just surprised that I apologized to him."
"He should be surprised that I didn't smack him around," muttered Derek.
Danny looked at Jack with a smile as he said, "Wow that was really mature of you to apologize like that."
"Yeah Jack, you're a bigger guy than me," Dash said off-handedly. "So polite and honest even to people who you wrong."
Jack's smile faltered slightly as he looked at Dash, but soon it was replaced with a smirk as he sat down next to Danny. Dash, who sat on the brunet's other side, gave him a small glare that Jack easily ignored. He turned back to see Kwan get up to bowl next, Paulina and Star cheering him on.
Jack turned back to Danny and said, "I'm sorry to hear that Tucker and Sam couldn't make it. Is their relationship still on the rocks?"
Danny rubbed the back of his neck as he said, "Yeah, he kind of got Sam grounded this weekend because of his serenading."
"Ouch," said Jack with a chuckle. "Still at least he's showing how much he cares about her. I think it takes a lot of guts to do something you're not good at in front of the person you like."
"Kind of like your bowling," muttered Dash.
Jack's eyes widened at the blond's words and he quickly turned to look at the other boy. Dash stood up however, as it was his turn to bowl. He walked over and confidently picked up his bowling ball. As he stood at the starting end, he concentrated for a moment before gracefully launching the bowling ball. The sound of his strike reverberated amongst the commotion around them.
Kwan patted Dash's back in congratulations, while Star and Paulina smiled at him in approval. Derek gave Dash an impressed look and shot a smirk in Jack's direction. Jack caught his friend's expression and watched Danny high-five Dash as the blond sat back down. Jack's eyes narrowed slightly and when Dash turned to them, he placed an arm around Danny.
He brought his mouth close to Danny's ear and whispered, "My turn is coming up soon and I don't want to mess up anymore. Can you please help me?"
Danny blushed slightly at their proximity and nodded hesitatingly. He slowly stood up with Jack and went off to the side to help the taller boy learn how to hold and release the ball. Danny tried to ignore the warmth he felt when his fingers brushed against Jack's.
Dash's eyes narrowed as he saw them and he felt annoyed as he caught the smile on Danny's face. Jack looked up in time to catch his irritated stare and gave Dash a smug smirk in return.
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Jack's eyes narrowed as he walked out of the bathroom stall. Jet black eyes met dark blue and between both there was an unspoken challenge.
Dash smirked slightly at seeing how his presence had affected Jack. From where Dash was leaning against a wall, he watched as the other boy methodically washed his hands. As Jack toweled off his hands, Dash finally moved and walked towards him.
Jack expected any number of nasty things to come out of the flippant boy's mouth and was thus thrown off slightly when he saw an honest smile appear on Dash's face.
"I just wanted to thank you for helping me in math. There's no way I would have done as well without it," said Dash sincerely.
Jack blinked in surprise and awkwardly replied, "Oh your welcome. If you need help again, you can always come and ask me."
Dash's smile widened slightly as he said, "Glad to hear that because it means I can trust you to help me even if…"
"Even if…?" Jack repeated expectantly.
"Even if I'm not Fenton," said Dash, his smile unreadable.
Jack raised an eyebrow at him curiously, "Why would that matter to begin with?"
"Well, I just always got the feeling that you didn't really want to help me and that you were only doing it because Fenton asked you. You and I knew each other long before either of us became his friend, but it's only now that I'm talking to you."
The more he looked at the sincere smile on Dash's face the more Jack wondered if he'd been imagining the earlier antagonism that the other boy was showing towards him. He watched as Dash shoved his hands into his pockets and walked towards the exit. Believing that the blond had nothing else to say, he walked towards the nearest wastebasket and threw away the paper towel in his hands.
"Oh wait," Dash said while turning around. "There was something I needed help understanding."
Jack looked up to see Dash standing by the closed door, "What's that?"
"What exactly is going on between you and Rolland?"
Jack's eyes widened slightly at the blond's question. He quickly recovered from his shock and placed an innocent smile on his face.
"Griffith? Nothing is going on between us, Dash. I don't even know him that well," said Jack.
"Really?" said Dash, still smiling. "So then you're not the drummer for Rolland's band then?"
Dash's eyes narrowed, his gaze clearly challenging Jack to lie to him again. Jack glared right back, all earlier pretenses falling to the wayside as he took a step toward Dash.
"No, I am," replied Jack, his tone eerily calm, "but why is that any of your business?"
Dash smirked as he said, "When I have an enemy and my friend starts being cozy with that enemy, it makes a guy wonder ya know? Can he really trust that friend as much?"
Jack smirked as he said, "Then what makes you think we're friends anymore?"
Dash's expression didn't waver as he replied, "What makes you think you're the friend I'm talking about?"
Jack's mind quickly tried to process Dash's words, but he didn't understand what the blond was saying. There was one thing he knew however and it did not sit well with him to realize that Dash would have the brains or tenacity to do so. His gaze became one of anger as he took another step closer to Dash.
"You've been spying on me."
"I call it selectively watching someone," Dash said with a smirk.
"You don't know anything," said Jack angrily.
"Oh I know a lot more than you think, but the only reason I'm not telling the whole school is because I don't want to hurt Fenton. I mean imagine how he would feel if he knew half the things that you were really up to."
Jack's mouth opened slightly in surprise, but before he could say something they heard a small creak from the door. The two looked behind them to see the door open fully and Derek standing in the doorway. The Hispanic boy raised an eyebrow as he looked between the two, but eventually he shook his head and stepped in fully.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I really gotta go," said Derek hurriedly, as he walked towards one of the urinals.
Dash rolled his eyes slightly and turned back to look at Jack. He almost frowned at seeing the other's calm smile.
Dash smiled in response and casually said, "Well it was nice hanging out with you guys, let's do it again real soon," said Dash with a smile.
"Count on it," replied Jack, his own calm smile in place.
With that said, Dash walked out of the bathroom and down the long hallway. As he rounded the corner he came face to face with Danny.
The shorter boy threw him an annoyed look as he asked, "Dash, what took you so long?"
"I had a large lunch," said Dash with a chuckle.
Danny rolled his eyes at his friend's crude response, but smiled slightly as he walked with Dash towards the bowling alley's exit. As they walked outside, Danny smiled as he saw Paulina, Star and Kwan wave at them to hurry up. Kwan's cousin Jade honked the horn of her car and Dash and Danny rushed over towards them.
Jack and Derek watched the two leave from their vantage point. Derek looked at Jack from the corner of his eye and then looked forward as he saw the car leave.
"You're my best friend and I'll stand beside you, but in doing so, will I be standing beside Griffith too?" asked Derek solemnly.
Jack paused a moment before nodding, "Yes."
"Then that puts me one step closer to seeing my mother again," Derek said with a half-smile. "Although to be honest, I didn't want to see her yet."
"Don't be so dramatic, Derek. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Jack said firmly. "Besides I already told you, we're not going to see her until we're old men."
"And I've already told you that she's not going to recognize us," Derek said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
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Griffith smirked in amusement as he watched Sandra sleep. He sat on her desk, making sure he was invisible, lest the girl wake up and see him. Occasionally Sandra rolled back and forth slightly. The Goth boy grinned evilly as he saw the peaceful smile on the brunette's face.
'Keep smiling Sandra, even as everyday brings you closer to dying, keep smiling so that I have a reason to kill you.'
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Sandra heard the slow melody of the old love song in the background. The folds of her poodle skirt swished about slightly as she slow danced with Dash. The loose hold on her waist felt comfortable and Sandra didn't feel as nervous as she thought she'd be.
The tips of her fingers touched the edge of his jacket's collar. The black leather jacket contrasted nicely with the white shirt Dash wore underneath. He had even gone as far as to gel his hair differently to fit his apparel. It was obvious that Dash had tried hard to look the part of a motorcycle rebel and all in all she thought it suited him in a way that contrasted with his usual clothes.
One of Dash's hands lifted up to her chin and as she looked into Dash's blue eyes, she felt her face heat up. She looked away slightly, but Dash coaxed her into looking back at him. After some hesitation, she chanced looking up at him again.
Dash gave her a charming smile as he said, "Sandra, you're all I think about lately. You're so wonderful and sweet, that a guy just can't help falling for a girl like you."
Sandra blushed and stuttered out, "Y-you like me?"
Dash shook his head and brought his face closer, "No, I love you."
Sandra closed her eyes as she felt Dash's lips meet hers in a slow, but passionate kiss.
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Dash moaned in his sleep and buried his face closer to his pillow. The sudden shrill of his alarm clock startled him awake however and caused him to promptly fall backwards off his bed. Dash laid there disoriented for a second, until he lifted himself up and slammed his hand harshly on the alarm clock.
Dash glared at the annoying electronic, that sat innocently on his night stand. He managed to haul himself back on his bed and as he looked up at his ceiling, he tried to get his bearings. He placed a hand to his mouth as he remembered his dream. His kiss with Sandra had felt so real.
He sighed in disappointment, but eventually sat up. As he moved his legs to the side of his bed, the slight tent in his boxers caught his attention. He blushed at the sight and quickly stood up to prevent touching himself. He hastily made his way over to his dresser and opened the middle drawer to grab a pair of loose sweat pants.
Dash hastily pulled them on and walked out of his room. He practically ran for the bathroom and was relieved to find that it was unoccupied. He slammed the door shut and promptly locked it. He wasted no time in divesting himself of his clothes and stepping into the spray of cold water.
He shuddered slightly as it hit his warm skin, but he tried to relax and calm himself. It took him longer than usual, but sure enough after a few minutes of thinking of the nastiest things he'd ever seen, he was calm again in all areas. He quickly showered and made his way back inside the safety of his room.
He changed into his usual jogging clothes and went about cleaning the most important parts of his room. As he finished making his bed, he was glad that his dream hadn't caused any stains on his sheets. That, in his opinion, was the most embarrassing part of puberty and the hardest to hide from his parents.
Dash made his way downstairs to eat a light breakfast, not saying much to either of his parents as he ate. After thanking his mother and giving them a goodbye, he smiled in anticipation as he made his way to the front door. He wondered if Danny would keep his promise to meet up at his house or if he'd oversleep because it was the weekend. Dash opened the door and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him.
"Good morning Dash," Jack said with a polite smile.
Dash looked at him in surprise and then shifted his gaze to Danny for an explanation.
"Hey Dash," greeted Danny cheerfully. "Jack said he wanted to join us on our jog today. Is that okay?"
Dash felt annoyance as he looked at the auburn-haired boy, but didn't let it show on his face. He smiled politely and merely nodded, not trusting his voice to keep the sarcasm out.
He shut his door behind him and walked with the two until they made their way to the sidewalk. All three silently stretched for a few minutes and tried to get ready to jog. Dash finally chanced a glance at Jack and was annoyed to see the other boy already looking at him. Jack smirked and Dash saw the challenge dancing in his eyes. A small smirk came to his own face and hid the waves of anger he felt towards Jack.
Dash led the way for a quarter mile until Jack began to run side by side with him. The two matched pace for half an hour, not realizing how they kept speeding up. As Dash ran he glanced at Jack and glared at the older boy. Jack returned the gesture and ran faster to try to pass the blond. Dash noticed this and picked up his pace to match Jack's.
The two growled at each other in anger as they ran at their top speeds down the empty streets of Amity Park. Both were so caught up in their impromptu race that they failed to notice that they'd left Danny behind. The brunet looked on in shock and confusion as he saw the two race each other and he struggled to catch up to them.
They suddenly turned another corner and Danny ran faster as he saw them disappear. He groaned in annoyance as he turned the corner and realized they were gone. He ran down the empty street quickly and looked for them. Finally getting fed up, he ran into the nearest alleyway and transformed. He floated up and flew out to search for the two.
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As Dash and Jack ran through the narrow alleyway, they kept bumping into each other. Jack elbowed Dash none to gently in the ribs. The blow caused Dash to stumble slightly and fall behind. The blond glared at Jack's back and ran faster until he was close to the other boy. Jack turned his head in time to see Dash charge forward and tackle him.
The two fell to the ground with a noisy thud and both tried to disentangle themselves while hitting the other. Jack used his legs as leverage to push Dash off him and send the other boy flying into a group of trashcans.
Dash opened his eyes in a daze and looked up in time to see Jack charge at him. Dash caught sight of two trash can lids and quickly flung them at Jack. Jack dodged the first one, but got hit with the second one square in the head. He fell on the ground and glared at Dash from where he lay. The two quickly picked themselves up and stood warily in front of each other. Jack saw an opening and quickly pushed Dash against the nearest brick wall.
Dash blocked the other's grip on him and managed to turn the tables on Jack. He glared at Jack in fury as he yelled, "What's your problem?"
"My problem is you thinking that you can control me," Jack yelled back. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
Jack roughly shoved off the hands grabbing him and punched Dash hard in the stomach. Dash moved away from him and stumbled slightly as he stood in front of Jack. Jack held his arms up, ready to punch the other boy again.
"Why exactly are you coming in between me and Danny?"
"I already told you why," replied Dash angrily. "You can't pretend with me, Jack."
Jack and Dash circled each other, waiting for the other one to strike. Jack's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw another opening and he moved to punch Dash. Dash saw the blow and he quickly blocked Jack's hand. Jack countered by sweeping the other boy's feet and causing Dash to fall. Dash growled and leapt forward quickly to tackle Jack, catching the other boy off guard. Jack shoved the other boy off him and again the two picked themselves up and were at a standoff.
Jack looked at Dash in angry confusion as he yelled, "You're not making any sense, Dash. Don't you understand that I…care about him as a friend and I'm not going to do anything to hurt him?"
"You did the moment you kissed him!" yelled Dash, as he punched Jack square in the jaw.
Jack stumbled backwards and crashed against a pile of cardboard boxes. He opened his eyes and looked at Dash in surprise. He wasn't sure if the blond was panting from anger or exhaustion, but the cold glare he received was clear enough in meaning. Jack looked away as he picked himself up off the mess around him. The two stood in a tension-filled silence that pervaded the empty alleyway and was only broken by Dash's solemn words.
"I accidentally walked in on you guys that night we played against Hoserton."
"Oh," said Jack lamely. 'Well that explains some of his hostility.'
Dash frowned as he said, "Afterwards I watched you two because I wanted to understand, but you guys were being so weird around each other that I didn't know what to think. Then one morning while I was jogging alone, I saw you walk out of Rolland's house. Imagine my surprise at realizing that the one guy Fenton hates is the same guy you're with on the side."
'On the side?' thought Jack in confusion. His eyes widened slightly as he realized what Dash was thinking. 'He thinks I'm cheating on Danny with Griffith.'
"Dash, you've got it all wrong, I'm-"
"Shut up!" yelled Dash angrily. "I don't want to hear your stupid excuses. Let's get one thing clear Minamoto, I could care less what you feel for Fenton. I'm not just going to idly stand by and watch as you hurt him, so either ditch Rolland or ditch Fenton because Fenton doesn't deserve this kind of crap. He's a great guy and even if he's g-…different, he still deserves someone who'll love and respect him."
Jack's mouth hung open slightly at hearing Dash's words. He looked at the flushed face in front of him and his eyes widened in surprise as an unbidden thought came to him. He swallowed before slowly saying, "You like Danny."
"Of course I do, he's one of my best friends," said Dash matter-of-factly.
Jack felt the corners of his mouth rise slightly as he said, "No, that's not what I meant."
Dash gave him a look of confusion that was replaced with a wary gaze as he saw Jack walk closer. Jack continued to brush away some of the leftover dirt and grime from his clothes.
The auburn haired boy looked at Dash critically as he said, "Not that it's any of your business Dash, but for the record, the only reason I'm in Griffith's band is because he's blackmailing me."
"He's blackmailing you?" said Dash skeptically.
"Yes, he heard about my skills and blackmailed me into being in his band. He said that if I didn't join and play with them at the dance, then he'd tell the whole school that I'm bisexual."
Dash's stance loosened slightly and he looked at Jack with a mixture of anger and surprise. As Dash processed Jack's words, a sudden thought occurred to him and he voiced it aloud.
"Fenton doesn't know you're protecting him."
Jack's eyes widened at the other boy's words and he felt a bit surprised at how perceptive Dash really was. He shifted uncomfortably as he saw the blond boy's critical gaze upon him. He could see the wheels turning in the other's head and quickly thought about how to keep Dash from further interfering.
"And I don't want him to know," Jack said solemnly. "It's taken us so long to get to this point that I don't want anything to get in the way and if that means that I have to do this then so be it. I would rather Danny get mad at me for betraying him than him getting ostracized by everyone at school."
"You're so full of yourself!" yelled Dash suddenly. "You think you're protecting him by hiding the truth? You think you can say you love him while you're spending your time being Rolland's lackey instead of being with Fenton?"
"I get why you feel the need to hide, but what I don't understand is how a supposedly smart guy like you can stand there and tell me this bull. Be a real man Jack, because Fenton doesn't need some shrimp that runs away from his problems, he needs a guy who'll let him stand on equal footing and face problems with him head on!"
Jack glared at Dash and grabbed the scruff of the blond's shirt, "What, a stupid tough guy like you? Huh! You think I should handle all by problems with my fists?"
"How could you possibly understand what we're going through?" yelled Jack. "Months ago you were the very type of guy who would have bullied Danny if you'd found out he was bisexual so get off your high horse you stupid, self-righteous reject!"
"Screw you, Minamoto!" yelled Dash, as he twisted out of Jack's grip and pushed the other boy into a nearby brick wall.
Dash grabbed Jack ready to punch the other boy again, but stopped when he heard his name being called. He turned his head to see Danny standing near the edge of the alleyway, glaring at him in annoyance. The two looked at the raven-haired boy in surprise as Danny ran hurriedly toward them.
"Dash, what are you doing to Jack? Let him go!" yelled Danny in alarm.
"He started it!" Dash said accusingly.
"No, he did!" yelled Jack.
Danny angrily yelled, "I don't care who started it, just knock it off!"
Danny looked at Dash and the blond looked at him in frustration, before shoving Jack away. Jack's legs gave way and he fell to the ground with a wince. Danny quickly rushed to his side and tried to help the older boy up. He looked up at Dash, appalled at the other boy's awful behavior. Dash merely looked away and walked down the alleyway in anger. Danny's eyes followed after him a mixture of irritation and confusion within them.
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Jack leaned against the door to his house and said, "Thank you for helping me Danny-kun."
"Um, no problem," Danny replied awkwardly, "but you still haven't told me what happened. Why were you two fighting?"
Jack smiled at him, but said nothing. Danny felt irritated at the other's lack of response and turned around. Jack quickly grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him closer. Danny jumped slightly at the contact and took a half step back. Jack was glad that he had such a high fence around his house as he grabbed Danny's waist and pulled the boy into a hug.
Danny's first reaction was to try to push him away, but he stiffened as he felt Jack kiss his ear.
"How would you feel if I told you we were fighting about you?"
Danny's eyes widened before he roughly slipped out of Jack's embrace. Jack looked at him in surprise, not expecting Danny to react so violently.
"Is that true?" Danny asked in a serious tone.
Jack knew Danny enough to know that he couldn't further rile the boy up by ignoring his questions. He considered how to answer for a moment and realized that being honest was the best choice.
"Yes," he answered calmly.
Danny's gaze grew demanding as he asked, "What about me?"
Jack smiled as he said, "Let's just say that he doesn't like me being friends with you."
The younger boy looked at him in confusion as he said, "Wait, that doesn't make any sense-"
His eyes widened as Jack's lips landed on his. Jack's mouth moved against his slowly and as Jack's hands skimmed the length of his back, he was caught in the familiar warm sensations. Unbeknownst to the two boys, Danny's ghost watch glowed once before returning to normal. Jack broke the kiss little by little and was pleased to see the flushed look on Danny's face.
Jack caressed Danny's cheek with his thumb as he said, "Neither does this, but it's just as true."
Danny gasped slightly as Jack kissed his cheek and moved down to his neck. Danny's hands fisted into Jack's shirt and the younger boy wasn't sure if he wanted to push Jack away for pull him closer. He shivered slightly as he felt the sensation of warm hands all over his body and he felt his earlier resolve breaking.
"J-Jack, people might see us," Danny said breathlessly. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want you to be mine," answered Jack in a husky tone.
As Jack kissed him again, Danny's ghost watch glowed once more and Danny was suddenly assaulted by the image of Jazz's concerned face. In his surprise Danny broke the kiss and took a step backwards.
Jack stared down at Danny in surprise and leaned in again to kiss him, but Danny's hand stopped him. Jack looked at Danny in surprise as he saw Danny's flushed expression become one of frustration. Danny grabbed Jack's wrists and slowly removed Jack's hands from his face. Jack saw Danny's hands shake slightly as Danny let go of him. He saw Danny take a several steps away from him altogether and was confused by other's behavior.
Danny held a hand to his head in confusion as he thought, 'Why did I suddenly think of Jazz?' He heard Jack move behind him and he quickly turned around.
Jack stopped walking and looked carefully at Danny's body language. Before he could say anything however, Danny stared straight into Jack's eyes and finally spoke.
"This might be true, but I can't deal with it like this."
Jack's eyes widened, but he said nothing as he saw the strange expression on the other boy's face. He felt worried as he saw the odd gaze in Danny's eyes and he tried to take a step closer, but Danny held up his hand to stop him again.
"Don't come any closer," said Danny desperately.
Jack smiled as he said, "The last time you said that to me, you still let me."
"Yeah, well this time I mean it Jack," Danny said seriously. "I…just can't do this right now. You asked me to think about how I feel about you, but I can't do that if you don't give me some space. It's not that hate this, it's just that I want to think it through before I do anything else. This isn't easy and it doesn't help that you're being so…distracting."
Jack felt his face heat up at the unintentional compliment. He nodded in understanding and said, "I'm sorry for not realizing how my behavior was affecting you. When I'm around you, I guess I get so carried away that I can't help it. I want to be near you more than anything else, but to give you peace of mind…I'll respect your wishes."
Jack walked away from Danny and tried to keep the sadness out of his voice as he said, "I'll see you at school tomorrow, Danny."
Jack half-heartedly waved goodbye to Danny before walking back to his front door. Danny watched him for a moment before turning around and walking down the paved walkway and out the metal door. He felt a strange wave of relief as he closed the door behind him.
Jack stepped through his front door and was not surprised to see Flora sitting politely on his couch. Although her mouth remained an emotionless line, her eyes were dancing with amusement. Jack closed his door and walked over to where she sat, standing in front of her in apprehensively. Flora looked at him before raising her hands up and clapping sarcastically.
"You're a very good actor," she said monotonously. "Perhaps you are the one who should become an agent of G.R.I.M."
"What do you want?" said Jack in annoyance. "Can't you tell I'm busy?"
Flora calmly stood up as she said, "Yes, I can see that and for your information, it's not his body that's rejecting you it's his mind."
Jack reached into his shirt and pulled out a long necklace, "Then fix it."
The necklace's black chain contrasted with the big silver heart locket attached to it. He slipped it off and tossed it to Flora. The necklace landed in her lap and as Flora picked it up, her fingers unconsciously traced over the G.R.I.M. insignia that was engraved on it. She opened it using the small lever on the side and looked at the display before her.
The inside revealed the digitized outline of a heart. Flora noticed how it looked two thirds of the way full and she inwardly smirked at this as she closed the locket. She tossed it back to Jack who caught it with one hand.
"As I thought, the locket is in perfect working order. It is still inducing him with pheromone levels proportional to your feelings for him. However, we already told you that it can only go so far and in the end it is you that needs to seduce his mind. Face it human, the halfa is not in love with you yet."
Flora gave him a commanding look as she said, "I didn't come here to do maintenance checks on your love life, human."
"Then why are you here?" asked Jack frankly.
Flora crossed her legs and leaned back against his sofa as she coldly said, "Griffith wanted me to inform you of the next phase of his plan and to tell you to be prepared to not interfere."
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Tucker wasn't sure if the flush on Sam's face was out of hidden appreciation or visible annoyance. Either way he took a step backwards and crashed into the locker wall behind him as he saw the Goth girl march towards him. Derek saw the look on Sam's face and sent his friend a mental apology as he backed away from the scene about to unfold.
Sam held out her arms and asked, "What the heck is this?"
Tucker looked at the teddy bear, chocolates and flowers in her hands and sheepishly said, "Tokens of affection." 'I knew this was a bad idea, why did I listen to Danny?'
"Why would you give me things like this? You know I don't like generic gifts like these," said Sam, still agitated.
"Hey, the concert tickets for the Night Terrors weren't generic," Tucker said defensively. 'Or cheap,' he thought glumly.
"What tickets for the Night Terrors?" Sam asked in surprise.
Tucker pointed to the small envelope in her left hand and Sam looked at it, not realizing she'd been holding it to begin with. When she'd opened her locker and seen everything fall out, she'd furiously picked it up and hadn't noticed the envelope. She shifted her hold on everything and opened the envelope to reveal a piece of paper and two concert tickets.
"How did you get these? They've been sold out for months," Sam said astonished.
Tucker took her reaction as a good sign and slowly smiled as he said, "Hey you're not the only one with connections." 'Thank you, Paulina.'
Tucker shifted slightly away from her as he said, "Listen Sam, I know I messed everything up, but I want to make things right. When you broke up with me, you thought we could be friends again, but that's not how I feel about you. Just please do me a favor and read that."
With that said, he quickly walked away from Sam.
"Tucker, wait!" yelled Sam, but he ignored her and walked away faster.
She sighed and looked down at all the things she held in her arms. She heard whispers behind her and saw two cheerleaders giggling as they looked at her. Sam considered turning her gifts into weapons, but she merely glared at them and walked down the hallway. She ignored the looks of surprise as she passed and nearly tripped over her own feet when Paulina and Sandra came up behind her. Sam raised an eyebrow at the twin grins on her friends' faces.
Sandra smiled in awe as she said, "Wow Sam, are these all from Tucker?"
Paulina half-squealed out of happiness as she jovially said, "Who else could they be from? No offense Sam."
"None taken."
The two girls noticed the melancholy response from the Goth girl, but continued in their giddy attitude towards the gifts. After a while Sam confessed that she'd rather go to her locker and stuff the gifts there than walk around with them.
"We'll see you at lunch?" asked Sandra.
Sam looked at the envelope in her hand and shook her head. Paulina noticed the envelope and gave Sam an understanding smile.
"Alright, we'll tell the guys that you're studying. Just remember one thing Sam," she said with a half-smile.
"What?" Sam asked, a bit apprehensive.
"That we're your friends now," Paulina said with a grin, before it was replaced with a devious smirk. "So don't run away from us or we'll hunt you down to get the details."
Sandra held a more genuine smile on her face as she said, "Yeah, you don't have to keep so many things in if you don't want to."
Sam gave them a small smile as she said, "I'll keep that in mind."
lllll
Sam raised her knees up to her chest and placed her elbows on top. Her forehead rested on her arms and from the small bit of light seeping through, she was able to see some of the words in Tucker's letter that she'd placed in her lap.
The sound of a sharp thud startled her and she looked up to see Flora carrying a small stack of books and loading them onto a book cart. Sam looked down to see a green hardback book beside her. Sam stared at the cover for a moment before grabbing it and standing up.
"Hey, you forgot this," said Sam.
Flora turned her head to look at her and Sam was surprised to see the girl shake her head. Sam's outstretched hand lowered slightly and Flora turned back, but did not walk away.
"Read it. Perhaps…it will give you a better idea…of things."
Sam gasped slightly at hearing the other girl's voice. Sam couldn't remember ever hearing the girl speak so many words since she came to Casper High. However Jack, Derek and even Danny claimed that they'd heard her voice once. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked up to see that Flora was gone.
Flora floated above Sam and turned invisible. 'Human love, I forgot how difficult it is to understand and how harder it is to attain. I suppose the halfa will learn this lesson well.'
End of Chapter 22
Author's End Notes: Huzzah! Another chapter was done and I was able to put it in roughly within a week's time. I can't guarantee the next one will be so lucky, but it won't take horribly long either. Getting on to business however, first and foremost I hope that now it was clear as water just who the cloaked figure is. However don't get mad at Jack yet because what is also clear is that things aren't as easy or simple as they first appear.
Flora certainly plays a bigger part in this chapter and while it seems so strange that she has changed so much in such a short amount of time, the reality is that she is only revealing more of herself than before. Sandra is ever comforted by her dreams and even more blissfully unaware than Dash about the danger that Griffith is setting up for her. Last but not least there is the Sam/Tucker and Jack/Danny/Dash dynamic, however I cannot say anything lest I slip and reveal something. Now then, this being said, please review and let me know what you guys think! (P.S. Sorry for the long chapter, but there was a lot that needed to be said and done.)
Spidey's Shout Outs:
(because in this summer heat spiders get louder)
Akiko: Hello again! Lol, I wouldn't call Dash he's pretty for fear of getting punched by him, but yes finally Danny is noticing how attractive Dash is. Now it's Dash's turn to realize the same, don't you think? Hehehehe. Well anyway, thanks so much for your sweet review!
Isabella Rossellini: Hey again! It's cool dude, no need to apologize because even if I only hear from ya occasionally, the times that I do are always nice. (Besides work is more important because you can get :cha-ching: money! Lol) Yes, yes I know :hides behind the proverbial couch: I still haven't gotten them together, but as you can see the catalyst that will bring them closer to each other is just beginning. (To be honest it's good that you drive this point home because it's a reminder to move things forward.) Please forgive and take this chapter as a gift. Thanks so much for your review!
animegurl088: Hello again! Yes, look I updated just as requested and as soon as I'm done with this fic, I will write 2 other ones, one of which will be a DashDanny one. I hope you read them in the future and continue reading this fic in the present. Thanks so much for your encouraging message and cool review!
KimuraSato: Hello again! The Jazz/Danny sibling dynamic is going to become more prevalent in future chapters simply because life will never be easy for Danny and will always need his big sis, lol. The shower scene was actually a last minute idea because it was the answer to an unasked question about just how much have Danny and Dash seen of each other as two guys who change in the locker room. I think chapter explained not so much the extent of Dash's feelings, but why he's acting so strangely because of them. I do wonder however how the DashDanny fangirls will take this chapter. Ah, Tucker, I'm going to be torturing that poor boy for a little more. Anyway, thanks so much for nice review!
Feramore: Hello there! The titles are a little out there, but yes I do try to make them fit the theme as well as the chapter's mood. It's good news to hear that you're a new fan of this pairing and I hope this fic does justice to it for you. Thanks so your lovely review!
doostar: Hola! Yeah the last chapter wasn't very Jack centric, but I suppose this one had enough Jack to make up for that. Oh if you liked that Dash thought about Danny then get ready for the future chapters. Thank you for your cool review:)
Reptilian Goddess: Hey there! If you loved the Danny/Dash in the past chapter I wonder how you felt about the Jack/Dash antagonism. I hope this chapter didn't keep you too much on your toes however and finally revealed just who the cloaked figure is, however even if that mystery solved, I suppose now though that the next thing to figure out is what Griffith is planning for poor Danny next, lol. I wrote a less embarrassing Tucker chapter this time around simply because he's been tortured enough…well maybe not. :scheming grin: Anyway, thanks so much for your awesome review!
imawalrus: Hurray for a new reviewer and hello there! I'm so delighted to hear that you're into this pairing and pleasantly surprised that my fic actually helped. I too see the great appeal of Danny/Sam and have read some wonderful fics in this pairing, so I can understand why you like it so much. My reason certainly is a bit different than most people's, but even I couldn't help but write a tutoring chapter, lol. To me you just sound straightforward and it's a good thing that you can tell it like you think it is. :) (Wow, an English major? Awesome! I'm a biology one myself!) Lol, most people are also caught in the Jack/Danny or Dash/Danny and so I wonder if this chapter will accidentally turn the tides. Oh, please don't apologize for such a thing, I just like when I get a review, not what size they are. However I feel like apologizing to you for unintentionally keeping you up that long. I'm happy that you liked this fic so much and even more so that you'll be a reviewer. Thanks so much for your kind review!
Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac: Hello again! Lol, don't get that mad at Danny, after all Jack makes um…rather interesting propositions. Yes, I too noticed the trend in VladDanny fics and the severe decline of DashDanny ones. I really like both pairings so I have no qualms on the matter and actually feel a sense of relief that if I ever want to write a VladDanny fic I won't get booed off the stage for it being a "weird pairing". However I thank you for your kind words and your continued interest in my fic which only until now is beginning to show signs of DashDanny. :grins sheepishly: What I love best of your reviews is that you continue dancing and jamming along. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint and that you continue digging on this fic. Thanks so much for your wonderful review!
hittocerebattosai: Hey! I'm glad that you think so. To be honest you're reviews are very, very, very interesting too and make me crack a smile. :smiles: Thanks for the short, sweet and to the point review:)