BVQA: Yes! It is I! I haven't died!

Danny: We're all so glad.

BVQA: Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?

Danny: No, no. . . just go do the story already so Dani can get un-grounded and I won't have to do the stupid BVQA's note at the beginning of the chapter.

"I don't wanna be like Cinderella sittin' in a dark old dusty cellar waiting for somebody to come and set me free! I don't wanna be like Snow White waiting for a handsome prince to come and save me on a horse of white unless we're riding side by side! Don't want to depend on no one else! I'd rather rescue myself!" Dani sang, twirling in a circle and feeling her skirt swoosh around her ankles. She was sooo glad that Danny and Jazz weren't around to see her dancing. She loved her siblings, really, but some things were private. Her parents had had to drive Jazz to some college interview thingie and Danny had, predictably, sensed a ghost and taken off. Dani had complained that she should come, but he'd said something about the GIW and threatened to stick her in the thermos if she followed him.

And, really, after the monster week she'd had she needed a break from people in general.

"I can slay my own dragon! I can dream my own dreams! My knight in shining armor is me, so I'm gonna set me free!" Dani trilled.

And the doorbell rang.

Dani turned up the volume on her ipod and pretended not to hear the doorbell.

"Like Cinderella. . ."

Ding-dong.

"In a dusty cellar. . ."

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

"Waiting for somebody to come and set me free. . ."

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

Dani rolled her eyes and shut off her ipod. "Fine." She muttered under her breath, fuming. "This better be good."

Dani plodded down the stairs, grumbling to herself. It was Saturday! That meant no school, no interruptions, and no unexpected guests who rang the doorbell too many times. Apparently, no one had informed the doorbell-ringer of this fact.

Dani yanked the door open with an annoyed huff.

"Yes?" She snapped. She then registered the vast number of cameras staring up at her and realized she hadn't brushed her hair that morning. Could this day get any worse?

"Dani, the American people want to know! Are you seeing anyone?" A guy's voice called out. Immediately another voice leaped over it, shouting another disturbing question.

"Are you lesbian or straight?"

Dani felt herself being blinded by bright flashes. "I don't see how that's any of your business-" She began, and an even more disturbing question jumped into the conversation.

"We heard it through the grapevine that you're pregnant! Who's the father?"

Dani felt her brain start to melt and drip out of her ear. "Um. . . I'm freaking thirteen. . . now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go throw up."

Dani slammed the door just as Danny phased through the ceiling. He raised his eyebrows.

"I'd reprimand you for opening the door, but I think those reporters are punishment enough." He said. Dani raced over to him and gave him a tight hug.

"The. . . media. . . is. . . evil. . ." She hissed, and Danny patted her on the head.

"I'm well aware of that." He agreed. ". . .You're really freaking out, huh?" He asked. Dani nodded. Danny ran his hand absentmindedly through her hair. "Wanna hear a story?"

Dani raised her eyebrows. "Is this one of those stories where you describe some people who are really us, and you make it really motivational and don't fool anyone?"

Danny laughed. "No. This is a real story."

Dani smiled. "Ok then!"

"But first. . . we make hot chocolate!" Danny exclaimed, and threw her over his shoulder before running into the kitchen. Dani watched the world spin by in a blur as she giggled. She wasn't sure why she was giggling. It just felt like the right thing to do.

Dani's skirt flipped over her head, temporarily blinding her. She was wearing jeans underneath, but she still smacked the back of Danny's head with her foot.

"Danny, I'm wearing a skirt! Don't carry me backwards!" She mock-reprimanded him. He plopped her down on the floor. All she could see through her skirt was a darker green blob that she assumed was Danny and a light green blob where she assumed the light was. Dani reached up and yanked her skirt back over her head and smoothed it out.

"Ok. . . hot chocolate. . ." Danny said, and yanked open a cupboard. He pulled out a box labeled 'instant hot chocolate' and shook his head. "No. . . we need real hot chocolate. . ."

Dani poked her head in the refrigerator. "There's chocolate milk. . . and chocolate pudding. . . and some chocolate fudge. . . and. . . nope, that's it."

Danny yanked out some bars of chocolate. "We have milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. Which one?"

Dani paused, considering. "Milk chocolate. Dark chocolate isn't sweet enough and white chocolate is cheating."

"Milk chocolate it is." Danny said, and dumped the other two bars back. He reached past her and stacked the chocolate milk on top of the bowl of fudge and the tupperware container of pudding. He set them on the counter and stared at them for a while.

"Dani, I just realized I have no idea how to make hot chocolate." He said. Dani grinned.

"Neither do I. Let's mix everything together in a big bowl and stick it in the microwave. It makes sense, because all we really need to do is heat up the chocolate and add milk to make it, so the fudge and pudding should help, right?" Dani suggested. Danny nodded sagely, or as sage-like as he got when he was taking suggestions from a girl a year younger than him.

"Ok, that does make sense. So. . . let's get two big mugs. . ." Danny opened another cupboard and yanked out two porcelain mugs and a spoon. He scooped out a large chunk of pudding and fudge and dumped it in first one mug, then the other. Then he broke the bar of chocolate in half, splitting it between the mugs before pouring in the chocolate milk. Dani grabbed both mugs and plopped them in the microwave. She closed the little door and punched in two minutes. The microwave began humming.

It wasn't until two minutes later that they smelled burning chocolate, but by then Danny was too far into his story for either of them to really care.

BVQA: Aw, some cute brother sister bonding! How adorable!

Danny: I told a story? A good one?

BVQA: And none of you will ever know what it was! Isn't that amazing?

Danny: Uh. . . no?

BVQA: SILENCE! DO NOT QUESTION ME! . . .and speaking of questions, here's one for you reviewers! Milk chocolate, Dark chocolate, or white chocolate?