WoM- What you guys think I forgot about you or something? 'giggles' Things have been a little hectic around here, but believe me, I could've forget you guys if I tried. Actually, some people are getting a little rude when it comes to demanding updated from me, which is starting to irritate me. I appreciate that you guys like my story, but understand that I do have other things I have to do, too, and other stories I have to work on. With that point made, here's chapter 18, and my retribution to everyone who was getting boorish with me in their comments about me not updating every other day.


"Truth is beautiful, without a doubt. But so are lies."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson


Colorado, Here We Come!

"You… You're…" I gaped, unable to finish my sentence. Chuckling, the man helped me to my feet, bowing in an elegant, old fashion sort of way.

"Vlad Masters." He introduced himself (needlessly) "I do hope I haven't startled you too badly, my dear, but I thought I just saw you talking to my charge…" Recovering from my shock, I frowned darkly at the billionaire, remembering how much Danny seemed to dislike him.

"And if I was?" I asked haughtily. I couldn't care less what the likes of Vlad Masters thought of me, after all, and I wasn't about to betray Danny.

"Calm yourself, my dear girl." Mr. Masters said in an oily tone. "I merely wished to inquire on how young Daniel was fairing. He's saying out of trouble, I hope?"

"If Danny wanted you to know, he'd tell you himself, wouldn't he?" I asked, crossing my arms and glaring at the billionaire. Though I didn't know why, I wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.

"Yes." Mr. Masters, drawled out, looking amused. "I suppose that would be the case now, wouldn't it, Miss Manson? And I suppose it's only fair to expect him to attempt to keep some things to himself. After all, don't we all have our dirty little secrets?" I shifted, uncomfortable with the piercing, unwavering look Mr. Masters was giving me as he waited for a reply.

"I guess…" I answered uncertainly. The feeling of danger breathing down my neck became too pronounced for me to handle, so I started backing away. "Look, I gotta go… you're going to have to find Danny on your own."

"No worries, Samantha." Mr. Masters drawled out lazily as he watched me go. "Daniel shouldn't be too difficult to locate, after all…"

"You okay, short stuff?" blinking, I turned away from the window to raise and eyebrow at Liz.

"Of course!" I replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You haven't said a word this entire trip." Jazz pointed out, sounding a little worried. I flinched, knowing she had a point.

"Neither has Danny." I reminded her, glancing to the back of the plane where my roommate was sulking in a highly unapproachable manner, the same dark scowl he was wearing when we first got on the private jet still firmly in place.

"We're going to Vlad's place, kid." Liz said dryly. "Believe me when I say that it's a good thing he isn't talking yet. Once he starts, nothing he says to anyone is gonna be good." I didn't say anything to that, glancing back at Danny again.

Why did he have such a tense relationship with his guardian? I'd never seen anybody hate someone else so much. It buried any hostility me and my parents had with one another…

Then again, there was something creepy about the guy. And not good creepy, either. I'm talking freaky-stalker-caller-person creepy. The kind of guy you try and get a restraining order against.

I mean, in the five minutes I spoke to him after he helped me up, he didn't say anything that was all that freaky, but something about his attitude and the look in his eyes was setting off bells and whistles in my mind. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Jazz, Danny, Liz, Mr. Marchez, and everyone else I knew disliked him so much, but I got the feeling Vlad Masters was a very dangerous man…

He controls half the jobs in America, dimwit. I scorned myself sourly. Of course he's dangerous!

"Hey, Sam?" jumping slightly, I came out of my thoughts to see Jazz frowning at me in concern. Liz was in the back of the plane talking to Danny, so it was just the two of us in the front. "Are you okay, Sam?"

"Fine." I answered with a sigh. "I'm just tired, I guess… Haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"I know what you mean." Jazz said knowingly. "And I'm really happy you didn't go straight to the press with it or anything. It may take some time to get used to knowing something like that, but I have faith in you, Sam, I know you'll really help Danny now that you know."

…Eh?

"Uh… thanks?" I blinked at Jazz in confusion for a second. "What are we talking about again?" Jazz looked baffled at that.

"I'm talking about Danny's-!" Stopping short, Jazz flinched and gave me a rather nervous look. "He didn't tell you yet, did he?"

"Tell me what?" Did this have anything to do with the attack on Sports Day? He did seem like he was trying to tell me something then…

"W-well… Um…" Jazz laughed sheepishly. "Danny… Danny was supposed to tell you… that I decided to back off about you two dating!" Jazz laughed meekly after that, and I got the feeling there was more to Danny's confession then that. But…

"Really?" I asked, praying that Jazz was being honest with me about this.

"Of course, Sam." Jazz said with a gentle smile. "You two obviously really like each other, so who am I to stand in your way? Just promise to take it slow, okay?" If it wasn't for my complete and utter distain for physical contact, I could've hugged Jazz then and there.

"Attention, Passengers!" The pilot chirped over the intercom. "We're now approaching the landing strip for The Masters Vacation Home in the Colorado Rockies. We ask that you please return all trays to their upright positions and ask you to buckle up for safety. Thank you for your patience, we hope you enjoyed the flight!" My heart jumping to my throat, I reluctantly buckled in before shooting Jazz an uncertain look, surprised at how grim she looked.

"Guess this is it…" She sighed heavily. Danny mumbled something under his breath as we started to descend, but I was sure I heard him wrong.

"At least he's not making us jump this time…"


"Jasmine, Daniel!" Mr. Masters said joyously, throwing an arm around both Fenton siblings. "So wonderful to have you back home for the holidays!"

"Mr. Masters." Jazz responded with a clearly faked smile. "It's… um… nice to see you, too." Danny said nothing, merely scowling darkly at the billionaire.

"And these are your little friends, I presume?" Mr. Masters asked innocently as he turned to me and Liz.

"Yes!" the redhead answered, looking relieved that Mr. Masters had finally released her and her brother. "You already know Liz from last Easter—" Mr. Masters twitched lightly here for some reason as Danny and Liz exchanged grins behind his back. "—but this is Danny's roommate, Sam."

"A pleasure, my boy." Mr. Master addressed me with a rather dangerous looking grin. "I do hope your ride here was comfortable?"

"Yes, Mr. Masters." I answered politely, wanting nothing more then to get away from the creepy billionaire. Besides, I really didn't like how he put so much emphasis on those two specific words…

"Anyways." Jazz interrupted loudly, pushing me towards the large mansion in front of us. "We should all really start unpacking and all. Besides, I'm sure Sam wants Danny to give her the grand tour of the house!"

"Oh yes." Mr. Masters said, sounding amused. "I'm sure he does…"

What was that supposed to mean…?

I didn't get a chance to ask, though, since Jazz was pulling me away so fast. Danny and Liz were on either side of me, Liz looking amused about something and Danny still scowling away.

"You can let go now, you know." I told Jazz pointedly, raising an eyebrow at her. She sighed, finally releasing my arm.

"Sorry." She apologized in a tired tone. "It's just…"

"Vlad's an insane fruitloop trying to take over the world." Danny finished for her shortly, clearly having no problems insulting his caretaker.

"Danny!" Jazz scolded as Liz laughed.

"Ain't that the truth!" The brunette chirped with a wide grin.

"Don't encourage him, Liz!" Jazz turned her annoyance to a new source, her brother forgotten. "You know how impressionable younger children are!"

"They're fifteen, Jazz." Liz rolled her eyes. "I think they're getting to a point where they can make up their own minds about junk like that."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to go around and act… well…"

"Lizish?" Danny supplied readily, dodging away as Liz swiped at him and running off with her hot on his heels.

"Why does Danny have such a problem with Vlad, anyways?" I asked Jazz as the two continued to play cat and mouse.

"It's complicated." Jazz answered, rubbing her temples. "Danny will tell you eventually, I'm sure, but for now…"

"Be patient?" I guess, earning a wry grin in response.

"Speaking of that, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about, Sam…" Jazz said softly, glancing attentively over at Danny and Liz. "Look, what my brother wants to tell you… he's never told anyone else in the world, Sam. Ever. He really trusts you, and he wants to be honest with you. Now, I know this is probably asking a lot, but I'd appreciate it if you returned the favor by being honest with him as well."

"You mean you want me to tell him?" I asked, slowing down to a stop. Tell Danny? I wanted to, yeah but…

Can you honestly see Danny wanting to date someone who lied to him about everything he liked about them?

Scowling to myself, I pushed Megan's words away.

"Sure, Jazz." I told the older girl. "I'll tell Danny everything, as soon as he tells me, okay?"

"Fair enough, I guess." Jazz sighed. "Now come on, I need to help Liz unpack and Danny's gonna give you a tour, okay?"

"Sure thing!" I grinned as I followed Jazz to chase my roommate down. Snickering to myself as Liz tackled Danny into a decorative fountain in the gardens surrounding the house I couldn't help but think that this vacation was going to be very interesting…


"Have I mentioned how creepy that Packer's display is?" I asked Danny, shivering slightly as we left the elevator.

"Only about twelve times." Danny grinned. I smiled, glad I was helping him get into a better mood about visiting his guardian. Of course, I'd made a complete idiot of myself to do so, but still…

"You don't think Mr. Masters is going to be too upset about the chandelier I broke, do you?"

"Relax." Danny chuckled. "It was only a million dollar chandelier. Vlad could probably get another one installed before dinner." Wow, now that was impressive…

"Still, maybe throwing around that football was a bad idea?" I said with a meek smile.

"Don't sweat it, Sam." Danny laughed as he stopped in front of one of the rooms. "This is where I sleep, Jazz is about four doors down and to the right, and you're taking the room right next door. I've gotta shower and stuff before dinner, so feel free to do what you want in your room until then, okay? Or if you want to explore a little more…"

"Pass." I made a face at the thought. Something told me that I'd need a map if I wanted to venture out on my own here…

"Suit yourself." Danny shrugged, heading into his room. Sighing, I decided to get some unpacking done and walked over to the room Danny said was mine.

And stopped dead in my tracks.

It was three times as large as the room I had when I was living with my parents, with a TV that took up and entire wall, Jacuzzi hot tub, king sized bed with a comfort remote control, and a desk with a computer facing a wall made of glass that looked out to the Colorado Rockies, where the sky was dyed in breathtaking shades of red and gold.

Obviously, someone's trying to impress me with their money… I thought dryly. My eyes widened when I realized some of had already been unpacked, before I sighed in relief when I noticed my clothes bag was untouched.

Somehow, I didn't think there was a reasonable explination for a guy in an all-boys school to be wearing girls panties…

I giggled slightly at the thought of trying to explain that to someone as I unpacked my clothes, which took about five minutes. Realizing I didn't have anything else to do, I logged on to DOOMED to see if anyone I knew was on.

VictorE- Sam! Long time no chat!

Chaos- Hey, Victor. Anyone else on?

VictorE- Not yet, but Meg should be on soon.

I made a face after I read that. Fun…

Chaos- Great. The Queen of Evil's coming in too, huh?

VictorE- You two fighting again?

Chaos- You might say that…

(GerbilGal has logged in,)

GerbilGal- Sam! How's everything out there with Danny?

Chaos- Fine. He just finished giving me a tour.

VictorE- Who's Danny?

GerbilGal- Sam's new boyfriend.

VictorE- YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND?

…What's that supposed to mean?

Chaos- Danny's not my boyfriend, Vic, he's just a guy I like.

(Gem has logged in,)

Gem- Hey Vic, Hey Lisa.

Gem- Oh, great. You're here, too?

Chaos- So what if I am?

VictorE- Mind telling me what you two are fighting about this time?

GerbilGal- Danny.

Chaos- Lisa! That's none of his business!

VictorE- You two are fighting over a guy?

Gem- And if we are? Besides, it's not really a fight since there's no competition.

I gritted my teeth at that. Why that little…

Chaos- Danny likes me a lot more then he likes you, Megan!

Gem- Only because you're his roommate. Do you really think he'll be so keen on you when he finds out you're a girl pretending to be a boy?

VictorE- WHAT?

Scowling, I started to type out a response to that when I voice behind me made my blood run cold.

"You're a girl?"

Stiffening at the surprise interruption, I slowly turned around, my face paling when I was met with the sight of a very surprised-looking silver-haired, green eyed ghost.


WoM- Okay, that was mean even by my standards, but I think some of you need to be taught a lesson in patience. I love writing, but I don't like people ordering me to write more when I've got other things to deal with, too. In other words, rest assured that I will update my stories, even if you don't hassle me about it 24/7.


Thanks to;

Weber's Cage, Truth91920, chaotic pink chocobo, DarthBill, deadly-anger, conan98002, Firefury, BlackShadow875, Kirstyn.T, timydamonkey, Fading Background, rbzodiac612, Me The Anon One, lil miss sunshine, Crossover Fiend, epobbp, danny0709, Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse, The Sole Survivor, Divine-Red-Crayon, Ghostboy814, Gamma Jack Plasmius, dramaqueen07, Aqua91, Spiffy McFloogan, Crazy Billie Joe Loving Freak, Phantom of a Rose, starlight wishes, Phantomhobbitses, iLOVEyou.dork, Baka Hanyou Rahvin, Jimmy the Gothic Egg, SamuraiSirius, divinedragon7, Snea, SiiAh, Ohka Breynekai, Darkest Reflection, smfandonja, midnight, luv2bamom, Petitio Principii, Samantha-Girl Scout, Hi, Galateagirl, wishing for rain, Lieselle, Celestial Moonshine, moonlight, The White Rose, memoirs of a faded memory, A reader, Sweetnevermore, avearia, Fanficaholic, DannysEvilTwin, blawblawblaw, halfachic, animeobsessed3191, Guinivere Sage, Hakkyou Kuusou, blissfulInsomniac, ghostreader, LilacOcean, yzibella, wandering star, Lunaqua, Anime Chick009, Jillie chan, Boongdaba, Angelicxox, fish n chips n vinegar, Anomaly25, Czarina, ghostgirl327, My Eternal Facade, Seeker Carter, Serenity the Fallen, starrobin4eva, Gmasangel, Lumias, lolopixie, giggleaid, Steven, Kyuugi, Nobody is Somebody, Nakira Ayame Outsuno, Paranoid-One13, xXcrazyidiotXx, Satoshi Silver Syoran, N.sAnE sKiPpY, Annabelle Carter, Shimegami-chan, Kuki Salazar, Dirty Thoughts of Bliss, CarmenElizabeth, JayJayde, cowgirl2, Redwind, Invisible Daydream, EvilPrincessMelphis, Rachel, Iona, Althea Astera Renata, Onigami Link, chronos-girl, jtptan, crazyvi, blindyourears, Gir-geek, dPhantoMfreak, gothchic13, kdm13, MiaHime, WhiteMoonDragon, advocatus, panic! i'm here, nutte, ichigogirl2, Itallia, Idhas, Yoshi, halfachic, Kat, FlamesofAnubis, Emma, Karaway, BlAcK silhOUeTTe, Kute Anime Kitty, fullmoonhowler, Introsquirrel, Master Whiz, Supreme Admiral of the Web, Call Me Blue Streak, Jewish Starburst, hibiscus14, angel4u185, Paxluvfelicitas, Serena, SarahPhantomCat, Laqua the random and insane queen, femaleprongslet, Save Danny69, kennyk12, Tazzel Quickbow, ananomous writer, SpasticImpulses, Jan Fredrik

'faints from sheer number of names'