My study is complete - and a day early, at that! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope you make weird faces when reading it!

x.x

Danny dragged his feet as he followed her. "Nice to know you've cottoned on."

A hitch of breath. Miss Martian's shoulders hunched.

"No – no I didn't mean it in a bad way!" Danny protested, waving his hands. Not that she could see them. Miss Martian reached up to rub at her eyes. He couldn't hear any other signs of crying… oh he hoped she wasn't.

"It's just—" It was just what? He was cranky and hungry. He looked back down the corridor to the kitchen. "Ahh—does this mean I can get fed? I'm kinda hungry."

"Oh, yes," she mumbled, and dipped a hand into the pocket of her skirt. "I forgot. Here."

She slowed down until he caught up and handed him a apple, a plastic-wrapped muffin and a pair of bananas. Her warm eyes were ringed red. Danny took the food lightly from her fingers.

The muffin was identical to the one Danny had in the kitchen, and tasted pleasantly of apple and cinnamon. It felt great to be getting stuff in his stomach again. "OOD!" he grunted approvingly.

Miss Martian flashed him a fleeting smile. The smile drooped into something more sombre a second later.

Danny pushed the muffin to the corner of his mouth. "What is it?" he asked. She drew a breath in preparation to speak, but nothing came of it for several antsy moments. She glanced worriedly down the corridor.

"Not here," Miss Martian whispered, and cupped his shoulder.

"What is it?" Danny repeated in a quiet hiss.

Miss Martian steered him towards her room. She pushed him before her and clicked the door shut after them. A draft-stopper was nudged against the crack at the bottom, and she knelt down next to it, inspecting it. That didn't satisfy her. She continued into the room, floating up to the ceiling and trailing her fingers along it. She scowled and punched upwards. The roof split open and a little machine tumbled out. Danny startled.

A green finger pressed against his lips. Miss Martian appeared before him, her other pointer crossing her own lips.

She pointed to the machine. With a crunch, it imploded.

"What did you do—" Danny asked around the finger. Miss Martian shook her head and pinned his lips against his teeth. Danny rolled his eyes and watched as fabric from the bed rose up and stuffed itself into the hole Miss Martian had made.

She let go of his lips.

"Robin," she said finally.

"Robin?"

"Yes," The machine leapt into the trashcan with a clunk. "He… enjoys prying."

She took a deep breath. Then she let it out, reluctant to speak. She collapsed onto the floor and crossed her legs, wrapping her arms around her stomach like vines.

"Al…right?" Danny prodded.

Miss Martian shook her head. "It's just hard to say!" She admitted. Her face flushed red.

She didn't… like him did she? Because she was green and that was a bit too ghost-like to him (not that he could talk) and besides he really didn't want a girlfriend! Especially from a crazy world!

"Um… the beginning?" asked Danny.

"Right. I'm a Martian," Miss Martian began. "And – my name's M'gann."

A waved. "Hi. Daniel Fenton here!"

M'gann nodded and licked her lips. She pulled the bottom one into her mouth.

"And… different races of Martians – we're a lot different to humans. Some things… more so than others."

Some things? She really wasn't going to admit to liking him was she? She was still bright red. How did you tell a girl that you didn't like them?

"Aahh…" Danny began. "You know, I… Do you…"

M'gann pouted in puzzlement. Danny really didn't want to elaborate. "Well… um."

A gasp. M'gann's eyes were saucer-wide. "No, I don't like you. Well. I do like you – just not like that!"

She grimaced, and the awkwardness sizzled between them.

"I'm a White Martian," M'gann got them back on track. "And we… don't need… physical contact so much… We reproduce psychically. So… You – We… you're my son."

Danny froze. His thoughts blurred. For a moment, he managed silence, but then his thoughts coalesced.

"You—Ack—what?" he deadpanned. "No I'm—you're crazy! No, look, I'm human, my ghost friend brought me through a portal in the ghost zone to this place—"

Miss Martain nodded along rapidly – but it was like she was humouring him. A troubled look entered her eye

"– only that place turned out to be a dream and now I'm here, and I am not your son!"

She said nothing to agree with him.

He growled inarticulately. "You. Me. UNRELATED."

In fact, it looked like she was going to object!

"Look – who's the father? And if I was your son I wouldn't be able to do this—" He stuck his hand through the wall. There. Proof. Only ghosts could do that.

"I could do that," Miss Martian interrupted with a wet gasp. Oh gosh – he hadn't meant to make her upset. "If I had more practice," she whispered.

"That doesn't matter!" Danny cried incredulously. "It doesn't matter! Don't you think those guys out there would know if I was their son? Oh—you don't mean Martian Manhunter do you! Isn't he your uncle! Ew!"

Miss Martian shook her head and gathered her knees up in her arms.

"Danny, I'm sorry," she said, the words coming out muffled.

Danny collapsed onto the naked bed and flung his arms out. He glared at the ceiling. "It's dumb. It's not true."

M'gann didn't respond. He peeped over at her, but she was staring past him and looking like she didn't believe him one bit.

"Look—how about a compromise. You don't mention this to anyone. Then later, we can get this sorted out."

"No, we can't" M'gann protested—and locked eyes with him for the first time in what felt like forever. They burned. "We can't… let anyone know. Green Martians – like Uncle J'onn – they don't create… children like this and if anyone thought— if he guessed what you were—then they'd know I'm white and he'd send me away."

Danny blinked slowly, suddenly mollified. "They really hate White Martains that much?"

Miss Martian nodded seriously.

"Well, I'm not going to tell anyone because it's not true."

"But would you tell anyone if it was true?"

"No. Because it's not!" Danny jumped to his feet and kicked the draft-stopper away from the door.

"If you go – just don't let the others see you. They'll see you're angry… and they'll think you hurt me or something."

"Like you care."

"I do!"

Danny sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, because you think I'm your son. What are going to do, hold me here?"

M'gann shook her head violently, and scrambled back. "I would never!" She squeaked. The very notion seemed to terrify her. "Danny, listen to me, I would never do that."

"O-kay," Danny agreed hesitantly.

"I wouldn't," M'gann promised. "I… understand if you don't want any more to do with me now… but is there anything you'd like to do?"

The silence was expectant, but it didn't make Danny's skin prickle. He smirked at the trash-can that hid Robin's broken machine. "Yeah… hey, M'gann… do you know where I could find a bucket?"