Frozen Yogurt

A/N: I'm overjoyed at the reactions this story has gotten! Your reviews are so sweet, thank you everyone! And with that said, I give you … [dramatic pause] … Chapter 4.

Chapter 4: Cujo

Silence reigned in the room as Danny's parents stared speculatively at him, he having finished weaving a tale of half-truths and small lies that explained the actions of him and his friends.

"Do you mean to tell us that you and your friends have been breaking curfew, training yourselves to the brink of exhaustion, sneaking regularly into the one place that your mother and I have expressly forbidden you from entering, and ending up bruised and battered almost every day for the last three years, so you could ghost hunt?"

Unsure if that was a rhetorical question, he nodded anyways. Jack's stern face suddenly broke into a wide grin.

"So you've gone into the family business after all!" Jack moved to his startled son and gave him a bear hug. "Atta' boy, Danny!"

"Um, thanks Dad."

Letting go of his son, Jack kept smiling as he said, "No need to thank me son, you're still grounded."

Danny's shoulders slumped as he grumbled that he'd figured they wouldn't let him off that easy.

Meanwhile, Maddie turned to face Valerie, who had so far been glad to avoid her attention.

"And you, young lady. Don't think you're off the hook. Come on, you and I are going to have a little talk about why you thought it was a good idea to hunt ghosts without professional training."

Valerie followed Mrs. Fenton off to a nook near the back of the small cave they were in, looking more miserable than a soaked cat.

The trio, having recognized the small craggy cave they were currently inhabiting, got together to talk. Sam absentmindedly wrapped her boyfriend's injured hands in spare gauze as they thought on the situation. They were considerably closer to Dora's kingdom now, but there was no way they could walk the entire distance without getting ambushed. Since the group of humans had been spotted at Walker's prison, the majority of the Ghost Zone was probably aware of them by now, and would be keeping an eye out for them. A few hours later and they hadn't made an inch of progress. Tuckers PDA had sent a notification, letting them know they were now on Day 2 of their trip. The trio was getting desperate.

"We'll have to find a way to get word to Dora that we're stranded. If we step out onto the path, we'll be mobbed in minutes. Got any ideas?" Sam tried again, looking frustrated with herself for her own lack of ideas.

Danny and Tucker just looked hopelessly at her, at a loss on what to do. That was, until Danny overheard Dash commenting that he missed Pookie, his chihuahua. Dogs, that was it!

The youngest Fenton got to his feet somewhat unsteadily, still exhausted from climbing out of The Pit. Ignoring his friends' questioning looks, he brought his fingers up to his mouth and let off a piercing whistle. The others' hands flew up to cover their ringing ears.

"The hell was that for, Fentonio?!"

"Yeah, you scared the crap out of me!"

Danny paid them no heed, looking at the mouth of the cave expectantly, Sam and Tucker shushing their peers, having already caught on to what Danny was doing. A deep rumbling sound came to their attention, the ground shaking and causing small, purple pebbles to bounce around the floor of the cave. The trio were the only ones unphased, the rest of them beginning to lose their cool.

The source of the noise was shown to be an enormous glowing dog, resembling a rottweiler, whose red eyes and large stature sent the elder Fentons into a frenzy to grab weaponry. While Danny stood confidently ahead of everyone else, it soon came to their attention that the canine was clearly headed for him. Which was decidedly not a good thing in the eyes of the Fenton patriarch.

With the zeal and competence he reserved for when his family was in danger, Jack Fenton strove forward and moved Danny behind him. Seeing that his dad was inhaling deeply, Danny recognized that he was probably about to unleash a war cry and attack his dog.

"No, Dad! Don't attack him!"

"Danny, that thing is charging straight at you, so stay behind me. I've seen you get hurt too many times today, now let me take down this ghost," his tone brooked no argument, but Danny tapped into a bit of his ghostly strength to push past him and out into the Zone. Jack was astonished at the strength his son had just displayed, though with the amount of times Danny had surprised him that day, he should be beyond that by now.

"Oh Cujo,"crooned Danny, "Sit."

The massive dog was only a few feet away when he plopped down on the dusty purple earth. The group gaped widely as the terrifying ghost lolled its tongue out of its mouth and wagged its tail excitedly. To their increasing disbelief, it shrunk down considerably until it was only about twice the size of a normal rottweiler, rather than being large enough to cast a shadow over the entire cave.

"Dad, meet Cujo. Cujo meet Dad."

Jack was at a loss as the ghost gave him a cheerful bark. That's when he noticed the nametag. On the dog's studded collar was a small bone-shaped tag reading, 'Cujo. If lost, return to Mattingdom'.

Valerie looked curiously at the dog she had once held so much hate for. It'd been years since that thing had cost her father his job. But ever since Danielle, Phantom and her had struck a truce. A fragile one, that had almost been struck off when she saw him playing with that dog again.

After she'd calmed down from that fight, thanks mainly to Dani, who'd been crashing at her apartment that week and had tagged along with her that evening, Phantom had finally explained why that ghost had done what it did. It took long months for her to let go of that particular grudge, but by now, Valerie had no intentions of attacking it, though she preferred that the specter stay far away from her unless absolutely necessary.

Eventually Maddie, who'd been struck silent at the sight of the unexpectedly obedient dog, shook off her astonishment and turned to her son.

"Danny, just why did you call a giant ghost dog to us? And who is Mattingdom?"

"Cujo's an old friend of mine. Now that he knows where we are, he can get some help for us. And Mattingdom isn't a who, it's a where. And it's the place where we'll be granted food, beds, and a way home."

"Danny, you can't just rely on a stray dog to understand commands that complicated, especially a ghost. How do you know you can even trust it? And that goes for this strange settlement you're talking about, too. If it's a ghost lair it'll be too dangerous." A bit uncertainly, she went on, "Won't it?"

The trio looked at each other. Maddie must seriously be shaken by the events of the day if she was seriously willing to reconsider even a small aspect of her perspective on ghosts. Even if it was only a slight attempt, Danny marked it down as progress and a step closer to him being comfortable with telling his family about his ghost half.

"Look Mom, ghosts are a lot more, well, human than you make them out to be. I've known Cujo since Freshman year, and not once has he tried to hurt me. Sam and Tucker can attest to that."

Technically this was true, as Cujo had never tried to hurt anyone, but rather they were in the way of his squeaky toy and were thus not-so-gently moved from his path. He was hardly malicious.

"And as for Mattingdom, we found it by accident years ago and were welcomed with open arms. They've been nothing but hospitable to us."

Despite looking unconvinced, once the trio brought up that the leader of the kingdom owed Danny a favor, and that ghosts took their debts very seriously, Maddie finally gave the go ahead on sending Cujo off.

"Alright, Cujo!"

The glowing dog jumped to its feet, immediately bounding around Danny in excitement.

"Find Dora, Cujo! Fetch Dora!"

And with that, he was running, a speck in the distance within seconds.

"I'm still not convinced that that dog of yours is smart enough to understand what you're asking of it."

Valerie, who had been listening in, much like the rest of her classmates and the incredibly un-subtle Mr. Lancer, had to disagree. She'd fought alongside Phantom countless times over the years, and whenever that dog was there, it was uncannily receptive to his commands, to the point where she wouldn't be shocked if that thing were fully capable of understanding human speech. And despite that, Phantom would always talk to it in this really annoying baby-voice. Kind like Danny did. Huh.

"You'll see," Danny said assuredly, "But it'll be a while until he's back, so I'm gonna head back inside before we're spotted."

"So this is why you've been so distant all these years."

Valerie glanced up from the craggy floor.

"Yeah, you've got me there," she smiled weakly at her once friend.

"Three years, Val. Three years where you've barely spoken a word to me. We've been friends since we were kids. I wouldn't have cared that you're some kind of hovering ghost vigilante," she spoke evenly but her watering eyes were full of betrayal. To have her closest friend just drop her like she was a nobody stung her more than anything ever had before.

"Don't you think I know that. I cared about you more than anyone, and staying away from you hurt like a bitch. But if you'd known that I was the Red Huntress, you would've tried to help me. It's dangerous, Star. Some of the ghosts know who I am. Who I really am. And they'd be powerful enough to hurt anyone close to me. I couldn't do that to my," she hesitated, taking a deep breath, "my best friend".

Star sniffled. A moment passed before she conceded, "Yeah, okay. And while any reason to suddenly stop talking is a stupid reason, that wasn't too dumb of one. But now that I know what's up, you're not getting rid of me again, Grey. You got that?"

Trying to wipe her eyes discreetly, Valerie nodded. Giving Star a genuine smile she said, "I think I'd like that."

Trying to make her friend laugh, Star said, "Well, there's one thing you did right by the Red Huntress. That original outfit was cute as hell." She smirked in victory as Valerie chuckled.

"I missed you."

"Yeah, I missed you too."

Dash looked over at Fenton and his friends. He hadn't talked to them much in the last two years. He needed that sports scholarship, which meant he had to have a clean record. So his days of picking on Fentonio and company were for the most part over. As a group, the A-List tended to ignore the trio. While they'd been easy pickings in freshman year, they'd seemed different somehow later on.

Dash knew he wasn't overly smart. It was something that bothered him a lot. But he was smart enough to know that whatever business those three got into was better left alone. He still watched them, the same way all the other kids did. They were the mystery that was left unsolved because no one could bother to care enough about solving it.

The most that they'd known about their business was that Danny and Sam had a relationship that was enviable in the extreme. Looking over at them now, he saw Sam leaning against Fenton, while the three friends whispered to each other with tired grins. Foley was gesturing wildly with his arms, making the Manson girl laugh quietly. Their carefree loving relationship was something he'd never had with Paulina. Sure she was sweet sometimes, but Dash had learned early on that her air-headed personality was a front for her ruthless nature. Why was she that way, anyways?

The thought was one that he'd had too many times. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he noticed that the trio he'd been watching earlier got to their feet. Their classmates followed suit quickly enough, too tired to question anymore.

Danny turned to the rest of his peers.

"Okay, so we'll be heading towards Mattingdom in a few minutes. The ride will last a bit over an hour from here, and once we get there, there'll be time to sleep and eat. I'll speak with Her Majesty on getting ourselves some transportation back to Fenton Works. But first, we need to go over etiquette. Sam, Tucker, and I have earned the privilege of referring to the Queen as Dora. You should call her Your Highness, and if she gives her permission, Ms. Mattingly."

Danny looked around and was eventually satisfied that they comprehended, even if some of them looked sour at calling a ghost by a superior title. Though they looked considerably less upset than he expected and nobody said anything, so as far as he was concerned, everything was going as well as could be expected.

That's when Maddie pulled him gently aside. "Sweetie, why have you been coming here often enough to learn the etiquette in foreign Ghost Zone kingdoms? You knew how dangerous we thought it was. Right now you clearly have the most experience in this place, so your father and I are giving you the benefit of the doubt, but why didn't you tell us what you'd been doing before?"

Danny froze. He wasn't prepared for this conversation, much less when his peers were nearby, even if out of hearing range. So all he got out was a generic 'trust me' and an 'it's complicated'. His mom sighed, seeing that he was unlikely to answer any of her questions at the time being. She was just worried about her son.

The sound of neighing drew everyone's attention outside. They filed out of the cave slowly, most of them wary of any more unusually large ghost animals, only to be met with a sleek black carriage. Two horses stood in front, their manes made of electric blue flames, a sharp contrast to the fur that matched the carriage they pulled.

"Well, then," managed Danny, clearly taken aback. "I didn't think Dora would send for us in one of the royal carriages. I was expecting something a bit less," he hesitated searching for the right word.

"Sophisticated?" ventured Tucker.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Oh c'mon, Danny. Dora considers you one of her closest friends, it's not that shocking. Alright, pile in," she addressed the rest of the class.

"Uh, Manson, hate to break it to ya, but there are mean-looking horses on fire near that thing. No way in hell am I getting on."

A frustrated noise sounded from behind Dash, and Paulina pushed to the front and opened the carriage door. Glancing in at the fine upholstery inside, she gave a satisfied nod before climbing in and plopping herself down on the seat, looking for all the world like she belonged there. She'd been wearing heels for the trip and she'd be damned if anyone tried to stop her from reclining in this admittedly unconventional source of luxury.

The ghost hunting trio shared amused smiles before getting in after her. The vehicle was large enough for the entire class to fit, though they were a bit cramped. Tucker grumbled at being squished between Sam and Dash, the latter of which smelled like sweat. Everyone jolted in their seats, the elder Fentons and Valerie's hands twitching towards their weapons as the doors on the carriage swung closed on their own. The carriage began moving, and their grip tightened as they realized that there was no one steering the carriage other than the horses. Which left Jack and Maddie a bit disturbed at the implications of ghostly animals being that intelligent.

"Please relax, guys. I know you don't trust ghosts right now, and Pariah, after the last two days we've had I don't blame you, but at least trust that I know what I'm doing here. You owe me that much at least."

Sam put a supportive hand on her boyfriend's knee, knowing that he was stressed at the moment and willing him to take his own advice and relax. Meanwhile, Jack and Maddie shared a meaningful look before Jack spoke up.

"You're right son. But you haven't shared all that much information about the situation we're in. We have the right to some answers."

Danny took a deep breath before nodding.

"Yeah, that's fair. Ask away. And that goes for all of you."

He looked around the carriage, noticing that his peers had perked up with the promise of answers. Valerie was the first to speak.

"Why did the ghost dog act like you were its owner? I've only ever seen it obey Phantom."

Danny was cut off from answering by the excited chatterings of everyone who suddenly realized that since Valerie was the Red Huntress, she had semi-regular contact with their ghostly idol. Valerie looked like she regretted opening her more more by the second, looking increasingly uncomfortable as they shot rapid-fire questions about the ghost she spent over a year trying to destroy.

Thankfully, Tucker came to her rescue, getting everyone's attention by whistling and then promptly reminding them to get back on track. The teenagers eventually calmed down, but most looked completely unapologetic for verbally pouncing on Valerie like they did. Information on Amity Park's resident hero was scarce, and his fans were brutal in getting every bit they could. Danny finally met her eyes, speaking up.

"Uh, you see, Cujo doesn't really belong to either of us. As far as I could tell, that is. He's just obsessed with his squeaky toy, and seeing as I found it for him once, and I'm guessing so did Phantom at some point, he was just really grateful and listens to us now. Maybe he listens to Phantom more, I dunno, but I, uh, don't really do much more than play fetch with him and use him as a messenger sometimes."

Valerie looked suspiciously at the clearly awkward teen, who was looking at her with a lopsided grin and a 'well there ya go' expression. It obviously wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either, so Valerie accepted it and let it go with a shrug and an 'okay'.

Danny's relief at her not questioning him further was short-lived as he was suddenly bombarded with questions. Where'd you learn to fight like that? Why do you guys come here so often? Do you know Phantom? What's up with these horses? Why keep it all a secret? Do you know Phantom? Can you get me his autograph? DOYOUKNOWPHANTOM?

Danny was out of his depth. He looked to his parents for support, but as far as they were concerned, with a few additions, the teens had covered all the questions they wanted answers to anyways. There'd be no helping him in avoiding those answers, they decided. Danny's shoulders slumped as his parents did nothing other than calm down the crowd and turn to him expectantly for his responses.

"Okay, then. Uh, in order, we learned over the first year by fighting off a few aggressive ghosts. We also practiced a bit in the lab at Fenton Works. Eventually we worked up the courage to come into here, and after a few nasty run-ins with Walker and some other aggressive ghosts, we became friends with Queen Dora. She's provided some protection for us, so we've been coming more often. The horses are Dora's personal steeds, so they're about as smart as Cujo and listen only to her."

"Yeah, but do you know Phantom, Fenton?" pressed Dash.

The moment Dash finished his question, Valerie scrunched her eyebrows in deep thought. 'Phantom, Fenton,' she mouthed. Danny looked at her apprehensively as she went through a myriad of expressions too fast to catch. But when she locked eyes with him, he knew immediately that she'd figured it out. Just as her mouth opened, and she began to say "OH MY GO-", he cut her off.

"YEAh, I know Phantom. But it's more along the lines of seeing him at a distance in Mattingdom now and then. I only know about Cujo also liking him because I saw them playing once and I talked with him for a bit. That's pretty much the only interaction we've had. Yup. Definitely."

His whole speech was riddled with him shooting Valerie anxious looks, begging with his eyes that she not say anything about her revelation until they could talk in private. He internally sighed in relief when she gave a small nod and turned her gaze out the window, still obviously in a daze from what she'd discovered.

Oh the things Danny would give for this all to be a dream. That he'd be able to laugh it off with his friends over some frozen yogurt … Damn, but some frozen yogurt would really hit the spot right now.