Author's Note: In response to a couple reviews, Danny dancing is something we all need to see. Well, something all of us fangirls need to see, anyway. It's partly the reason I wrote out the striptease instead of having him decline. Ahem.

One reviewer described Danny and Paulina as a "mischievous couple." I love that description, and that is pretty much exactly what I was going for. I imagine them being very flirty and all over each other all the time. Paulina especially enjoys being brazen with Danny, and although he can't always keep up with her insatiable requests, he enjoys trying because he's such a pleaser. But, of course, that can lead to conflict as you will soon see.

To my lovely guest reviewer whom I can't even call by name, I hope you will consider getting an account because I feel like you'd be really fun to have an actual conversation with. I seriously adore your thoughtful reviews and can't thank you enough! But to answer your (and another reviewer's) question, this fic does not necessarily exist in the same universe as Mind Wrapped. It can, but it doesn't have to. Think of it however you want!

Shadow Dancing

Drag me across the floor

In the dance studio, a sizable number of people were mingling, waiting for the instructor to begin. Paulina knew many of the people here already and enthusiastically greeted and chatted with them. Danny remained quiet as she conversed not because he didn't want to talk but because his Spanish was very limited.

"¿Y quién es éste señor?" a couple of girls asked her, referring to the very well-dressed Danny holding her arm.

Paulina beamed. "Mi novio, Danny."

They smiled and looked at him expectantly. Danny knew he was being introduced, but he could only smile back, too embarrassed by his terrible Spanish pronunciation to even try giving a response.

Paulina squeezed his arm and cleared her throat. She knew he didn't know a lot of Spanish, but she had made it a point to teach him how to say "hello," at least.

Danny felt Paulina's gentle encouragement, but all of his Spanish had completely left him. "Ah…hi," he finally said.

The girls giggled. "Paulina, esta bien chulo!"

Paulina patted his arm. "See, Danny? I told you."

"Told me what?"

At last, the instructor called everyone to attention. To Danny's discomfort, Paulina dragged him to the front of the room. He took a deep breath, looked around at everyone. While there were some wearing very casual attire, there were others who were just as dressed up as them. He looked down at Paulina's saucy number of a dress. She looked phenomenal, easily the most gorgeous woman in the room.

And she was with him. Surely, no one would pay any attention to his terrible dancing as long as she was dancing right next to him.

He could do this.

The instructor was a pretty young Latina with sparkling violet eyeshadow that matched her short flowing dress. She surveyed the room, took in everyone who was there. Her eyes fell on Paulina, then Danny.

"Welcome, everyone," she said with a Spanish accent. "Good to see so many of you back and also some new faces."

Danny sighed with relief that she spoke in English, so audibly that her attention went right back to him. With a blush, he looked down at the floor.

The instructor demonstrated a few basic steps of a Latin dance Danny had never heard of. Counts of four, taps and hip pops. Danny did his best to keep up, but he always seemed to forget something.

He watched Paulina, her magnificent hips shaking and locking. "How are you doing that in heels?" he asked in a whisper.

Paulina smirked at him. "I can do anything in heels. You know that."

Danny held back a secret smile.

"Come on, Danny. More hip." Paulina delineated the target move, showcased her rocking body.

"I can't. Mine don't move that way."

"Yes, they do. I've personally seen them. And felt them."

Danny scoffed in amused shock. "In public, Paulina? Really?" He lowered his voice. "You are bad."

"You can punish me later." Paulina put her hands on his hips and once again tried to help him, tried to get him to loosen up and just move.

"Dancing is all about letting go," she purred in his ear as the instructor moved onto partner footwork. "You're not supposed to worry about what others think or what you look like. As long as you just let go and enjoy it, you will be amazing."

Hands together, arms winding around each other, Danny tried his best to lead Paulina, but he kept forgetting the choreography, kept getting lost and off the beat. Fortunately for him, Paulina always knew exactly what to do and was able to get him back on track, but he wished that he could move her as expertly as some of the other guys he saw dancing nearby.

Guys who kept glancing at her marvelously pert ass. Yes, he definitely noticed just all of the attention she was getting, attention she couldn't help but command wherever she went. Not that he could blame them. But she was all his…somehow, he had won her over.

Paulina suddenly shrieked and hopped on one leg, shook out the other foot that Danny had just stepped on.

"I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Danny.

Paulina smiled and put her foot back down. "It's fine; it just surprised me." She reclaimed his hands. "Again?"

Danny nodded and tried very hard to remember the steps and not run her over with his stupid clumsy feet.

"Danny, look up!" said Paulina.

Danny glanced up before immediately returning his gaze to the floor. "I don't want to hurt you again."

"It's fine! Really, just look up at me." Paulina placed a hand under his chin and forced his head up. He looked so doubtful, so worried, an expression that on him was far too familiar for her liking. "Danny, it's just me. Just you and me, no one else."

Paulina was trying to make him feel better, trying to bolster him. Danny could see that, but it somehow made him feel worse. Why couldn't he just get this right without her consoling?

"Sorry, it's just—you're so amazing at this, and I'm—"

"Stop," said Paulina. "Just relax and dance with me, mi amado."

Their arms entwined and circled each other. Paulina rocked and swayed while Danny just tried to get the steps right and in time with the music. One, two, three—

Paulina broke away with a yelp. She massaged the arm that Danny had accidentally twisted in the wrong direction. Danny began apologizing profusely, but Paulina shushed him.

"It's fine." She breathed, tried to calm herself. Danny was clearly trying very hard, but if he couldn't get over his anxiety, he would never be able to get this right and just have fun with her. She wished she could help him gain more self-esteem and to not personally internalize every little mistake he made, but she could not even relate to this problem. She herself had no problem just loosening up and excusing her mistakes, so why couldn't he? It was so easy.

Danny could see that Paulina was starting to get irritated with him. He hated when he did that to her. He of course never meant to, but he really did feel so disjointed and uncoordinated.

"Excuse me." The instructor approached them with a polite smile. "Paulina, this appears to be your friend's first time trying this, yes?"

Danny averted his gaze, embarrassed that his inexperience was so obvious.

"He's my boyfriend," said Paulina, "and yes, but he's doing fine." She grabbed onto his arm in an attempt to cheer up him, but he remained ill at ease.

"You know, Paulina, seeing as you're the best here—"

"Oh, stop," said Paulina, but she was beaming.

"No, really. It'd be great if you could demonstrate some more advanced moves with Gabriel." She gestured across the room to a man who definitely seemed to know what he was doing as he expertly worked the floor with a partner.

Paulina admired the man's movements. She did love dancing with a partner who moved as well as she did, a partner who could lead her.

Danny frowned at the wistful look in Paulina's eyes. He sized up the man across the room. Perfectly coiffed hair, a small bit of manly scruff, strong arms and agile legs, and a plunging neckline that revealed a robust chest.

"I'm here to dance with my boyfriend," Paulina said to the instructor at last.

"Just a couple songs! Besides, it's acceptable and even encouraged to dance with other partners. You know that."

Paulina sighed, just a hint of longing. "That is true…"

"And I can help your boyfriend out." The instructor held out a hand to him, palm up. "I can work with him while you dance with Gabriel."

Danny paled at this idea. He at least felt somewhat comfortable with Paulina. "Oh, no, you don't need to do that."

Paulina looked at Gabriel again. A couple dances wouldn't hurt, and she did so much want to really dance. "It might actually be a good idea, Danny. I mean, she is the teacher. You'd probably learn way more with her than with me." She stepped away from Danny to allow the instructor to take Danny's hands.

Danny looked at Paulina with apprehension. "Are you sure? I mean, are you sure you're okay with…" He gestured to the close contact he had with the instructor. "This?"

Paulina chuckled and waved a dismissive hand. "Of course! What's she gonna do, steal you from me?"

"Maybe," said the instructor in a low voice and with a flirtatious smile.

Danny's frown deepened.

"Relax, Danny. We've known each other for years. She's just kidding." Paulina gave him a small wave. "Have fun, cariño. I'll be back after a couple songs."

She sauntered away, her heels clicking, her body sashaying. Danny stared after her. She certainly seemed fine with him dancing with another woman, but he wasn't so sure he could bear to see her dancing with another man.

"Okay, let's start slow," the instructor turned him so that he couldn't see Paulina anymore.

Danny shook his head. "Listen, miss, I don't think I can—"

"Camila."

"What?"

"My name is Camila. And yours is?"

"It's Danny, but—"

"Danny, cute name. I like it."

"Okay, thanks, but—"

"How did you and Paulina meet?"

This abrupt question surprised Danny. "We were in high school together."

"But how did you start dating?"

Danny furrowed his brow. He allowed her to spin him around, but he was not actually participating in the dance. This was not the first time he had been asked this. In fact, it was a rather common question that was posed to him, but it was usually asked trivially, meant to be small-talk. The way Camila asked this sounded far more prying.

When answering this question, he could never tell the truth as that would mean revealing his ghostly identity. Paulina had first fallen in love with Danny Phantom, and then when she discovered that Danny Phantom and her high school classmate Danny Fenton were one and the same, she had fallen for him, too. But when people inquired, he would always say that they just started noticing each other in their classes more often, that things just kind of naturally progressed until she finally agreed to go on a date with him.

"We just, um…" Danny didn't continue. For some reason, he had trouble giving her the story that he and Paulina had both agreed on. Suddenly, it sounded incredibly implausible, preposterous even. As far as anyone else could see, he was nothing special. Why would someone like Paulina ever agree to go out with him?

And something about Camila's tone seemed to suggest that she was wondering the same.

"I just always thought Paulina wanted someone bold and charismatic, or at least someone who knows how to dance." She was rocking and popping, but Danny was now barely moving at all. "I never thought she'd date someone so shy and hesitant."

Danny was taken aback by her candid statements. What did she expect him to say?

"You're certainly handsome enough," Camila noted, gently feeling his biceps. "But just so timid."

No more. Enough. Danny broke away from Camila without a word, ignored her calls for him to come back as he walked away. Many in the room had stopped dancing to watch Paulina and Gabriel. He joined them, watched as the lithe and attractive Gabriel skillfully stepped and bent with Paulina, pulled and swung her around him, away from him, toward him, his hands on her arms, her back, her waist, her hips, even lower, all over her, no space between them.

And she looked so happy.

He wanted her affection so much, wanted to hold her, but she was not his in this moment.

Danny tore his eyes away from the scene and briskly left the room, the building, the situation.

Swinging, twirling. Paulina felt exhilarated as she danced with Gabriel, loved the way her hair whipped around her, the way her heart raced as she stepped to the beat of the music, the way everyone was watching her, captivated and rapt.

Gabriel was sensational. He knew exactly how to lead her, so agilely moved her around him. She would say it was like flying if she hadn't already experienced what it was really like to fly.

With Danny.

Paulina glanced across the room to see how he was faring, but Camila was now working with some other dancers. She scanned the rest of the room, but Danny seemed to be gone.

The song ended, and everyone applauded. Gabriel tried to start a new dance with Paulina for the next song, but she politely declined and walked over to Camila. "Where's Danny?"

Camila looked at her, then nodded in the direction of the exit. "He left."

Paulina's jaw dropped slightly. "What? When?"

"Not that long ago."

"Why did he leave? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You looked like you were having fun," said Camila with a shrug.

Paulina huffed. "Did you say something to him that made him leave?"

"Possibly," said Camila. "Your boyfriend is obviously quite fragile. I was just asking him questions, making observations. How was I supposed to know he'd react that way?"

Paulina glared at her before turning on her heel and stalking out of the room. She left the building and frantically looked around, hoped and prayed that Danny had not flown off.

To both her relief and heartache, she saw Danny sitting alone on the steps, his arms resting on his knees, his head down. Of course he was still there. He would never leave her alone.

"Danny?" Paulina approached him from behind. Danny didn't acknowledge her, didn't move at all. She sat down beside him and massaged the back of his head just the way he liked it, but he remained still. "Danny, why did you leave? What happened?" Silence. "Danny, don't do this. Please talk to me."

Danny lifted his head, but he did not look at her. "Sorry. I just needed to get out of there. But don't let me ruin your fun. You should get back in there. I'll wait out here for you."

"But I want you to be in there with me," said Paulina.

"I can't give you what you want, Paulina," Danny said sharply, much sharper than he had intended.

"You were doing just fine, Danny."

"Obviously not."

Paulina felt tears springing to her eyes. "I'm sorry, Danny. I didn't mean for—really, there's no one I'd rather dance with than you. I shouldn't have done that. It was wrong of me."

"It's not just the dancing."

Paulina felt fearful now. She did not like this statement, did not like his tone.

"It's me."

Paulina put her hand on the far side of his face and forced him to look at her. "What are you talking about? What did Camila say to you?" Danny pulled his head away from her hand. "Danny, she's just really outspoken, okay? She has no filter." Paulina tried again to get him to look at her, but he refused. "Danny, you need to talk to me. I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

"That's always what it comes down to. You always have to help me, fix me. What am I to you, really? What do you see in me?"

Paulina again placed her hands on his face. "Danny, just—"

"No!" Danny jumped up and stepped away from her, turned around to face her. "I saw the way you danced with that guy. You seemed only too pleased to be pressed against him."

Paulina gritted her teeth and stood, too. "Danny, we were just dancing! It didn't mean anything. That's how close you get in Latin dancing. It's normal."

"You wouldn't want me dancing like that with another girl."

"That is not true! As long as we came together as a couple, I'd be fine with you dancing with other girls. I mean, it's what you're supposed to do anyway! You're supposed to switch partners, dance with others of varying experience."

"But I wouldn't dance like that!" snapped Danny. "He was all over you, Paulina!"

"It's called dancing!" hissed Paulina. "God, Danny, why are you always so sensitive about everything?"

"I'm not!" cried Danny. "It's just—" He clenched his fists, let out a frustrated growl. "I can never be that for you! You always ask me to do things, things that I just can't do!" He gestured to himself. "You dress me up and try to make me something I'm just not! And I want to be what you want. I want to do the things you ask of me, but I just can't, Paulina!" He turned around, turned back to her. "Why, Paulina? Why are you with me? What do I possibly have to offer you?"

Paulina stared at him in disbelief. "How can someone like you be so insecure?" She scoffed, threw up her hands, looked up at the sky. "You're Danny Phantom! A legend in both the Ghost Zone and the human world! You have so much strength, so much power, not to mention the body of a god and a face to match!"

Danny stared back at her and said nothing for several moments. "Is that why you're with me? Because I'm your prized 'ghost boy'?"

Paulina was struck hard. She hadn't meant it in that way, but now that she had said it, there was no way to take it back. "No, Danny, no—"

Danny shook his head, closed his eyes, leaned over the handrail of the stairs.

Paulina's chest filled with pain and heaviness. She had worked so hard to convince those who knew Danny's secret, his friends and his sister, that she was not dating him for shallow reasons, that she was not dating him just because of his heroics and power, and with just one heated comment, one fell swoop, she had undermined all that.

She hadn't meant to hurt him, not her sweet, kind, wonderful Danny.

She slowly stepped down the stairs, gazed at him for just a moment, debated embracing him. "I really think we should talk about this, but maybe not tonight." She walked past him, away from him.

"Paulina!"

She hadn't walked very far at all when he called her. She turned around to face him again.

"Where are you going?" he asked with concern.

"Home," she said, her voice cracking.

"But you don't have your car."

Paulina smiled sadly, tried to keep her tears back. "I'll just call a cab or something. Or take a bus. I'll be fine." She looked down. "I mean, I of course would love it if you flew me home, but I don't want you to think that I'm taking advantage of your ghost powers."

Danny didn't move or speak. Still so much distance between them.

"I know you don't like me much right now, so really, don't worry about me." She sniffled, wrung her hands. "I don't need you to take me home. I mean, I would love for you to take me home. You could even leave immediately after dropping me off. I wouldn't make you stay. But you don't have to."

A breeze stirred her hair, rustled his sleeves.

Danny walked up to Paulina with clouded eyes. "I could never not like you," he said softly, "and of course I'll take you home."

He lifted her, held her in his arms, placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before transforming and ascending.

(Stay tuned for the third and final part!)