I am dog-tired. School is murder and I have a mother of a cold, but out of gratitude to those who reviewed, alerted and even favourited(!), here's a new chapter. Now don't get too excited. It is (hangs head in shame) a filler, BUT the chapter you have all been waiting for will be up soon, hopefully by Sunday. Then we'll see how Val reacts when she and Danny meet. So Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet, Kuchiki-san urahara, Toirneach, Lady Lawless and Oak Leaf Ninja, this is for you! Please note this story is slightly AU and may deviate from canon in parts. Don't be too perplexed.

Chapter 4

Danny pressed his cell to his ear and listened while Valerie's phone rang. He was on his bed, arm behind his head and legs crossed as he stared up at the NASA poster that he had stuck on his ceiling. It was a stunning photograph of the planet Saturn taken by the Cassini space probe. With the sun lighting it up from behind, the planet possessed an ethereal beauty that no artist's brush could ever fully imitate. Space was truly the coolest place ever.

When Valerie failed to answer, the phone went silent. Danny swung his legs over the side of the bed and pressed a button to review his outgoing calls. So he hadn't accidentally called another number by mistake; Valerie's winking face smiled back at him from the screen. Well, then why wasn't she picking up?

An obnoxious honk cut into his thoughts. He stuck the upper half of his body out the window and grinned at Sam and Tucker, who had the top down and were waving cheerfully at him.

"Get out here, Fenton!" Sam hollered from the passenger's seat.

"I'm comin'!" Danny yelled back. He hastily pulled on a black shirt over his Dumpty Humpty t-shirt, pulled on his red and black sneakers, shoved his cell phone into his jean pocket and raced downstairs.

"Honey, have you had breakfast yet?" Maddie Fenton asked from the kitchen. Her son skidded to a stop and stuck his head into the kitchen.

"What?"

She waved a piece of toast. "Breakfast."

He bit the toast and pressed his crumby lips to her cheek. "I'll get something from Nasty Burger later."

"That's not—" Maddie began but he was already out the door. "—good for you." She dusted the crumbs off her cheek and shook her head.

Danny vaulted into the backseat. "Hola, amigos! Ready to buy some games?"

"Oh, yeah!" they replied enthusiastically and Tucker floored it.

Ten minutes and a Nasty Breakfast Meal later, they were at Gamer Planet. They came here every two weeks to check out the new games. The owner was a pretty cool guy and he didn't mind kids coming into his store and kicking back, playing video games. They were allowed to try an unlimited number of games, though there was a thirty minute time limit on each. As a result, Danny and the gang were likely to spend at least half their day there before they actually bought something.

The trio entered and was met by Tad, the bearded manager. "Hey, guys. What's up? Tucker, my dude, you'll never guess what I got."

"Avengers of the Ninth Legion!" Tucker squealed and Tad nodded. The bespectacled boy practically jumped on the larger man. "Show me, show me!" His eyes shone.

Tad led the excited boy away. Danny and Sam went about scanning the shelves, looking for anything that might catch their eye. Sam pulled out a game.

"Ben Ten," she read. She studied the picture for a moment. "Whatever," she concluded, putting it back. Danny snatched it before it landed on the shelf.

"Actually, it looks kinda interesting," he opined. Sam shrugged.

They went through the shelves, exchanging monosyllables now and then. After several minutes, Sam came up beside her friend and folded her arms.

"All right, Fenton, what's up?"

He started. "Nothing. Why would be anything be up?" He pulled out another game and then slid it back.

"Because you're checking your phone like every ten seconds," she answered.

"I am not," he denied. Sam's glare was even and unwavering. "Okay," he admitted. "I am. But it's only because I tried calling Val today and she hasn't picked up my calls."

Tucker came up behind them, clutching his game to his chest. "What's going on?"

"Danny called Valerie today and she didn't pick up," Sam replied in a bored monotone.

"So?"

"So," Danny answered, "it's not like her. She always picks up on the third ring latest."

Sam and Tucker exchanged glances then guffawed loudly.

"I've called her twice today and she hasn't answered," Danny insisted only drawing further laughter from his friends. "She didn't answer yesterday either when I called to say goodnight. What if something's happened to her?"

"You guys call each other every single night?" Sam asked. Danny nodded. "You sicken me," she remarked flatly.

Tucker raised his glasses so he could wipe the tears from the corner of his greenish-brown eyes. He put a hand on Danny's shoulder, his other hand clutching his abdomen. "Dude, you are so whipped."

"I am not!" Danny scowled, looking to Sam for support. Instead all she did was smirk at him and make a "Wktsh!" sound.

Danny seethed. Of course, they wouldn't take this seriously. They didn't know Valerie like he did. Maybe today's missed calls weren't that big a deal, but coupled with the fact that she had missed their nightly phone call (which was practically obligatory) it was a cause for concern. He'd taken her home last night but she could have gone out ghost hunting and been injured. What if she had been kidnapped and was trapped somewhere? He couldn't just stand around – he had to find her.

"Danny, stop jumping to your usual paranoid conclusions," Sam broke in. That girl had an uncanny way of knowing exactly what he was thinking. Most times, it impressed him but right now it was just irritating. "She was probably just asleep, or in the shower, or getting her hair done…"

"Maybe she was tired of her phone ringing every five seconds," Tucker chipped in. He shrugged off the daggers that Danny threw him. "What? Dude, there are a thousand different reasons why she might not pick up the phone. Give the girl a break. Keep some mystery going. Girls don't like it when guys are too predictable."

Sam rolled her eyes. Here was the least qualified male on earth giving advice to the most clueless person she'd ever met. Talk about the blind leading the blind.

"I, I can do that," Danny answered uncertainly after mulling it over. Even as he said that, he was nervously drumming his fingers on the phone.

"Care to make a wager?" Tucker challenged. "Twenty bucks if you manage to go all day without calling her."

"I want some of that action," Sam stuck her hand in.

Danny was a sucker for a bet; it was one of his weaknesses. He quashed down the uneasy feeling in his stomach. His friends were probably right. He was just being paranoid. Valerie was probably somewhere with one of her friends right now, sipping lattes and too busy shopping and having fun to hear the phone. He took his friends' hands with each of his own.

"Deal."

"Well, no more time wasting," Tucker declared, holding up Avengers of the Ninth Legion. "Let's get to gaming!"

A/N: Sweet, sweet Danny. If he only knew what awaits him. Stay tuned for... The Confrontation!