"Thank you for meeting me here." Valerie grudgingly tells me as I sit down. She isn't happy about asking to help her with whatever she's doing, and she seems upset. Tucker's already arrived, and he's frowning slightly in the chair next to her.

Like me, he has no idea why he's here.

"Let's just get down to business, Grey." I hold back my sneer. "What did you want?" It's a question, but I say it like a statement.

Valerie's metaphorical feathers ruffle in indignation at my tone, but I'm not sorry. All she can do is explain why she called in a panic a week ago, and we both know it.

She scowls, and drops the information on us like a bomb; "Danny's dating Dash Baxter."

. . . what?

There's no possible way Danny – my Danny! – is dating his old bully. He's too smart for that, and I know it even if the two of us haven't spoken in years. "Yeah, right – I totally believe you." I scoff, turning to peruse the menu.

There's nothing appealing to my tastes – not even their salads are ultra-recyclo-vegetarian - and Valerie interrupts the beginning stages of a plan for a protest.

"Manson, I wouldn't lie about something like that." She sounds angry – angrier than she would be if this was really about a lie.

"Oh really? It's not like you lied to Danny for years about the Red Huntress thing." I shoot back. Even if she's angry, I don't believe her – can't believe her.

"You mean like how he lied to me for even longer about being Phantom?" she shoots back at me. "Goddammit, why would I lie to you about Danny being . . ." She doesn't finish, choking up on the word.

"Gay?" I supply with biting sarcasm. "Bisexual? Yeah, that's right, put a label on him, judge him. I dare you."

"Sounds like you believe me."

"Not in the slightest!"

"What is your problem?"

"My problem is judgmental, blind bigots like you trying to make everyone conform to their idea of what is right or wrong! To people like you, individuality is just a word and screw the guys who want to be different!" I hiss, narrowing my eyes in anger.

Valerie always has been able to bring out the worst in me.

Tucker finally joins the conversation, speaking up just as Valerie opens her mouth for her excuse.

"Ladies, please. Can't we just eat like old friends are supposed to?"

"That would imply a past friendship." I huff, crossing my arms and turning aside.

There's silence at the table for a long moment.

Valerie breaks it in a small voice, as if lost. "Danny . . . when he's dating someone, he always blushes before he grabs their hand, doesn't he? He and Dash were at the mall . . ."

She slides a pack of pictures onto the table. "I took those with my suit, later that day."

Tucker slides them out, and barely glances at them before handing the pile to me.

Each picture is like a snapshot of a happy life. Danny gesturing about as he speaks to Dash at a small restaurant. Dash smiling down at a pouting Danny. Danny blushing and dragging a laughing Dash behind him as he walks. Picture after picture, all of them featuring Danny and that blond bastard, every pose different but carrying the same feeling of togetherness.

The last one is Danny standing up, hand resting on a table for support as he presses a kiss to Dash's lips.

Unmistakable proof.

". . . why are we here?" I finally speak. I know my tone sounds indifferent, but I am anything but.

"I want to break them up. Danny and Dash . . . this can't go on."

Tucker clears his throat. "And that's my cue to leave."

"Tucker!"

"No, Sam!" he frowns at me. "I . . . I'm not sure this is a good idea either, Danny and Dash. But we can't mess with them!"

Before I can say anything else, he tosses a few bills on the table and storms out. Neither Valerie nor I get up to stop him.

Valerie breaks the silence again. "Are you in?"

"Tell me everything I need to know."

"They have an apartment, but they've just moved in. As far as I know they haven't been dating that long – there's got to be some insecurities."

"Baxter always acted like such a player. We can play off that." My mind is already whirring, and I've got the beginnings of a plan already. "What's Danny working as again? Tucker said something about law?"

"You don't know?" Valerie asks, but quickly supplies the answer at my glare. "Police officer, almost done with training to switch to detective – he's actually been working on the case the news has been covering so much."

"The one with all the robberies. I know it."

She stares at me, eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "You have a plan."

I let my smirk show.