A/N: Good job, ShadowWarrior85. You reminded me that I need to update this every once in a while too. Hope you, and all of the other followers, enjoy!

Chapter #5: Danny Fenton

She strokes the soft, furry, green head. The green mastiff puppy leans into her palm, and she scratches behind a floppy ear. Despite the fur, it's cold beneath her hand.

"So what's your name?" she coos, staring into its red eyes. She reaches down to read the collar, "Cujo? You're going to be a good boy, aren't you, Cujo?"

She flips open a little letter she found tucked into the crate.

Care-wise, Cujo will be easy. He requires no food or water – he can survive on the atmosphere. No house training is required. He's already trained with all basic commands, as he was one of Mr. Grey's guard dogs before his death. He was poisoned by an aspiring burglar. He knows his business, so he can guard your home from all threats, not just the supernatural.

I would suggest kenneling him in the day. After all, it would probably be difficult to explain a spectral dog to your servants. Best to keep him out of sight as much as possible. As a warning: he tends to change size. He's a puppy right now, but if he feels threatened, he'll become as large as a horse or anywhere between the two. He'll do what you tell him, though, so no need to worry.

- Danny Fenton

P.S. I've given him orders to eat Baron Harwood, should he dare show his face.

She smiles, allowing a small laugh to escape her lips. Cujo licks at her fingers, begging for more petting.

"You're going to eat Mr. Harwood, aren't you, boy?" she grins, "Aren't you?"

His tail wags enthusiastically.

"Now…kennel," she orders, "I'll let you back out tonight."

He trots into the kennel without protest, laying down on the soft bed within. She smiles as she pulls an old blanket over the opening, imagining Danny Fenton surrounded by ghostly green puppies.

"It suits him," she comments to herself, "He looks a bit like one. A puppy, I mean. He has that sort of demeanor, though a bit more timid."

Cujo huffs, as though unconvinced.

"You don't think so?"

He remains silent – which she takes as an agreement.

She strides from her room, to the garden out back. Baron Harwood seldom had guests at his home – he preferred to take them to his offices. The flowerbeds are empty, the hedges in disrepair.

"He didn't like plant life much, did he?" Sam huffs.

"Baron Harwood was terribly allergic to most plants," one of the maids comments, "If I may, Milady."

"He couldn't be allergic to that many," She huffs, "Well, this garden is going to change," she pulls on a pair of gloves, making for the gardening shed.

"Lady Harwood, we can hire a gardener–"

"I enjoy gardening," She dismisses, rooting around until she finds the tools she needs, "I was sad to leave behind my garden at home. My roses were blooming spectacularly."

"Yes, milady," she bows, understanding the hidden message.

Get lost. I can handle this and don't need anyone's help.

Sam turns to survey the garden, shears in hand.

"Well, then…the hedges first."

-BREAK-

"…now that I look at him, Danny looks like he could use a little more sleep," Sam comments, watching the engineer from Valerie's patio. The factory waits down the hill, and Danny can be seen running back and forth between the various groups.

"He's looked like that since…" Valerie trails off, "…since the accident."

"…accident?" Sam frowns, placing her cup on its saucer.

"Yeah," she clears her throat, "It was…six or seven years ago? Danny was…fourteen, I was still thirteen. His parents were creating some 'ghost portal' in their free time. They have part of the lab to themselves in exchange for help with occasional projects. Anyway, Maddie – his mom – was inside the tunnel when they realized it was live. Well, Danny noticed it was live. Maddie couldn't hear him, so he went in to get her. He had to physically shove her from the tunnel. The moment he did, though…" she clenches a trembling hand, "The portal activated, and Danny was caught in the formation. They turned the portal off, but…there was no sign of him. He just…vanished."

"My…" Sam breathes.

"Maddie just…she just broke. She would sit, curled up, by that portal every day. She wouldn't talk. Wouldn't eat. Wouldn't sleep. I didn't like it – she was always really nice, you know? I really looked up to her – I still do. I mean, she's so smart and strong…seeing her like that really had an effect on me."

"So how…?"

"The Lefevres found Danny three weeks later, washed up on the riverbank near the old Waterland House. You know, the place that's rumored to be extremely haunted? He was covered in cuts, burns…he was freezing cold. They thought he was dead until he bolted upright, coughing water from his lungs, and pulled what they said was a knife made of ice from somewhere. He relaxed once he took in his surroundings. He wouldn't let anyone get too close, though. Refused to see a doctor."

"Odd…"

"I know, right? Anyway, when I saw him, Maddie was laying with her head on his bed, sobbing into the blanket – or she was. I think she was asleep at the time, actually. Danny was just sitting there, patting her head, saying 'I'm okay, I'm okay. Everything's fine,' over and over again. I think that's when I realized she'd blamed herself for Danny's death. It hadn't even really occurred to me that he could be dead, you know? Of course…it was soon after that I started attending finishing school and met you."

"Your fellow rebel," Sam smiles.

"We got into so much trouble!" Valerie giggles.

"Oh my…" Sam laughs, "Don't tell me he was the reason you insisted you'd marry an engineer, not a nobleman!"

"It may have had something to do with it," she blushes, "I had a pretty massive crush on Danny. He was really the only guy I knew my age, you know? He's nice, polite, smart, brave, if maybe a bit reckless…"

"And now…?"

"I'm fine having him as just a friend," she shrugs, "I need someone a little more…stubborn. Fiery…if that makes sense. I was courted by Baron Rushton's son, and he was nice…but I was bored. I realized that, while I like Danny, I need someone who…challenges me a little more. You, on the other hand, would be perfect with him."

"Oh, really?" Sam raises an eyebrow.

"You need someone kind, someone who can calm you down. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Danny has a relaxing aura. There's also this sense of mystery, though, and if you try to figure it out, he just gives you this polite, evasive smile and vanishes in the blink of an eye. Mind-games like that just frustrate me, but I'm sure you find it intriguing."

"I thought you needed someone who challenges you?"

"I prefer things more direct," she snorts, "Danny's a magician of conversation. Everyone would try to get him to tell them what happened while he was missing, but they'd find themselves discussing…the way the color of the curtains clashed with the house or something. It's ridiculous. By the time they realize how off-topic they are, Danny's gone and they can't press the issue."

"Sounds like Danny," someone laughs. Tucker Foley stands politely in the doorway, a file in his large hand, "I apologize, Miss Grey, Lady Harwood. Danny asked me to file these away in Baron Grey's office, and the servants tell me that I need your express permission to enter."

"Of course," Valerie smiles, "I have a question though, Mr. Foley."

"…Yes, Miss Grey?"

"You're Danny's best friend, are you not?"

"I am."

"Do you know what happened while he was missing?"

The polite smile falls from his face, "It's not my place to tell, Miss Grey."

"He's fine now, isn't he?" she laughs, fluttering her eyes.

"If I may speak frankly, Miss Grey?"

"Of course."

"Danny was never fine after that," he growls, his blue-green eyes sparking angrily, "Unless you can call a man who slept sitting up with some ancient dagger in his hand for six months 'okay.' Someone who would flinch at loud noises, falling into a battle stance at a moment's notice. Someone who couldn't let his friends and family hug him for more than a year."

"I never…" Valerie shakes her head, "I'm sorry, Mr. Foley. My comments were insensitive. Please, forget I asked."

"You didn't know," he acknowledges, his gaze cooling, "You were off at school, if I remember. It's not your fault. You only spoke with Danny through occasional letters after we left for Germany. You couldn't have assessed his mental state from that alone."

"You were in Germany as well?"

"Yes, we apprenticed under the same man. I helped Danny create the ballerina he sent you as a gift to your cousin. Do you remember it?"

"Of course," she smiles, "It was amazing!"

"Danny did the basic design, machined the parts, and created the outer shell. I did the main clockwork assembly. Danny had some basic ideas, but I worked the kinks out. He's better at 'big-picture' things while I work with the small details that make it work."

"He must trust you a lot."

"I would like to think so," Tucker smiles back.