A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! I'm sorry to repay your kind words by updating with such a short chapter! This was just a little idea I had that I thought would make a cute little chapter. I was originally going to combine it with another chapter, but I wanted to leave the previous one where it was and the next chapter started getting too long, so I had to insert a break somewhere. I promise to put the next chapter up soon and I can guarantee that it'll be long!

Chapter Six
An Unexpected Visitor

He awoke to find no one sitting next to him in bed. They must have finally realized that having someone watch over him while he slept was a little ridiculous. He didn't want to continue to be a bother to them; they needed to carry on with their lives. He'd heal just as fast without someone sitting next to him.

But still, he did feel a little lonely. They would sit by his bed while he was asleep but not while he was awake, interesting. He was awake and bored, and there was no one to talk to, and he knew his mother would flip if she found him out of bed again.

He looked around his room, trying to find something to do when he heard voices coming up the stairs. Good, he'd have someone to talk to.

"Let me see if he's awake," he heard his mother say in the hall near his door. Quickly he grabbed the book he was supposed to read for English and buried his head in it, hoping to look like he actually found a way to entertain himself. He thought it would be weird if they just entered the room to find him staring at the door.

He saw his mom open the door slightly then smile when she saw him awake. "Danny, there's someone here to see you," his mother informed.

Mr. Lancer marched in through the door, looking at Danny in a much different way than usual. Was it pity?

"Mr. Lancer heard about the accident in the lab and how you got shocked by that electricity. He stopped by to see how you were doing," his mother explained, secretly telling Danny the alibi they formulated.

"Mr. Fenton, how are you doing?"

"A little better sir, but still bed ridden and still sore," Danny answered politely as his mother left and shut the door behind her.

"Yes, I can imagine. I don't think electrocution would be painless. Probably one of the most painful experiences of your life."

"Yes sir."

"I must say I was sad to hear that you'd been injured, so I decided to stop by and give my condolences." He handed Danny a card as he sat down next to his bed.

"Mr. Lancer, you didn't have to."

"No, I felt that I did. As much as I may not show it Fenton, I do rather like you as a student. I'm just hard on you because I know that you can do a lot more but instead you choose not to. So, when Mr. Foley and Ms. Manson told me you were near death due to an electrical accident, I was genuinely concerned, as were your classmates, as you will probably see."

Danny opened the letter in slow and delicate motions since movement still hurt quite painfully and saw a piece of paper fall out. He didn't look at the paper because he was distracted by the vast amount of black on the card. Almost his entire high school class had signed the get well card, some of them he didn't even know. He was shocked to find that even Paulina and Dash had signed it. Granted Paulina wished he would get well so he could come back because that meant that the ghost boy might show up and Dash wished he'd get well because he missed beating him up, but still the sentiment was there. That's probably why Danny didn't know a lot of the people who signed the card. Since Paulina signed it, anyone else who wanted to appear cool had to sign it as well.

Danny examined the piece of paper. On it, Lancer had written a note. It read:

Danny,
This note can be used in the place of any assignment or test (except for the final). It will go in the grade book as an automatic hundred, so please use it wisely.
Mr. Lancer

Danny looked up at Mr. Lancer with a look of disbelief. "Sir, I…I don't know what to say."

"I didn't think you would. I know most people bring flowers or candy, but I thought that the one thing that would cheer you up most is another reason for you to be lazy." Danny smiled. "Now, there are a few exceptions. First, you cannot use it on any assignment that you miss while you're sick."

"What!" Danny shouted loudly.

"Let me finish Mr. Fenton. The reason is that all assignments and tests you miss while you're sick will be exempt, so they will neither help you nor harm you. It will just look like they never took place."

"Even the one we're not allowed to make up under any circumstances?" Danny asked with a wry smile, quoting Mr. Lancer's words.

Mr. Lancer smiled. "Yes, even that one."

"Thank you Mr. Lancer."

"My pleasure Mr. Fenton. I also wish to inform you that all the protocol that took place seven months ago after your first accident will apply here, including my offer to talk if needed. Now, I must be going. I'm sure your friends and family are anxious to see you. I hope you have a speedy recovery."

"Thanks," Danny thanked as Mr. Lancer walked out the door. So Mr. Lancer really liked him? He never really showed it, but maybe that was the point. Maybe Lancer was one of those teachers who was harder on those he liked because he wanted to push them to do well.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Danny was allowed to journey downstairs for dinner so the family could all have dinner together. It was the best dinner of Danny's life, even though it was so simple. There was nothing exceedingly special about it. It was just the four of them, enjoying simple spaghetti with garlic toast and salad. They didn't talk about anything special, just general things like school, work, and friends. What really made Danny happy was that this was the first meal in seven months where he had no secrets from the rest of his family. It was during this dinner that he realized that he never had to lie to them anymore when they asked what he did during the day. He never had to rush out of dinner for unexplained reasons again, never had to worry about his powers malfunctioning while everyone was looking. From this dinner onward he could be completely open to his parents about everything, and this new outlook on life was what made this dinner the best dinner ever.

A/N: So, that was my little tribute to Mr. Lancer. He's one of my favorite characters and he gets such a bad rep because he's hard on Danny, but, as you can see, I like to think he's more of a teacher that wants to push you.Whatever his real reasons are, you won't find Lancer being especially mean to Danny outside of school in any of my stories!

Again, I apologize for the length!