Author Note: Please review! I updated twice today. And next chapter stuff will go down. I can't tell ya guys what will happen, obviously.

~CWA

Chapter 19:

Third Person:

Gear stuck her tongue out slightly as she maneuvered her way around the go-karts and the odd little turtles. Beside her, Danielle was just as concentrated on the TV screen and on the game they were playing. Gear cheered as she won 1st place,

"WHOO," Gear cheered loudly as she jumped off the couch, "Told ya Little D, can't defeat the master. I've been playing this game a lot longer."

She twirled her controller on her fingers with a cocky smirk. Danielle huffed,

"Rematch. I demand a rematch."

Gear looked at her amused.

"A third time? Well if you say so."

Gear smirked as she took her place back on the couch and restarted the game. The two girls became focused once more on the game, but it wasn't long before they got side-tracked once again.

"Hey Gear," Danielle said as she passed Lugi, "How do you think Danny's doing?"

"You just talked to him," Gear pointed out without even sparing a glance towards the younger girl.

"That's not what I meant. I mean… He acts like he's okay and all, but he's… He's a ghost and he's not the same Danny. He's changed."

Gear paused the game and turned towards Danielle.

"Little D, listen here you cheeky shit."

Danielle smiled cheekily at the name- knowing full well it was because of the off-handed things she did every now and again that gained her the names 'little shit' and 'cheeky shit.' Though she sobered up a bit as Gear continued,

"People change- it's life and afterlife. You can't expect people to stay the same all the time, you know? I know it's hard on you since you want him to be the same guy he was then, and even though he acts a bit different sometimes, even if he looks different, he's still Danny. Look at this way, Little D, if you suddenly went through a punk phase where you dyed your hair blue with pink streaks and dressed in gothic looking clothing and became a disrespectful, arrogant, sarcastic bitch, I'd still love you."

Dani found comfort in Gear's words, until the last statement. Though she was a bit comforted in the fact that, in her own way, Gear was saying that no matter how she changed, Gear would still love her. She looked at Gear dryly,

"You have a way with words Gear."

Professor X shook his head,

"No, no. I am sure there is a reason that young Daniel would think like that. We must not automatically assume he is a spy."

"He thought it, Professor," Jean argued, "He actually used the word spy."

Kurt and Kitty shared a concerned look. Behind the Professor, Storm and Logan shared a similar look. Scott looked impassive as he thought over everything. He knew Jean was tense around Danny since he felt different and she didn't like Gear. But was she just jumping to conclusions or was it a legitimate concern? It didn't sound that good- Danny thinking he was a spy did not help his case. However, the conversation felt a bit déjà vu to each of them.

"Professor," Kurt said carefully, "Danny is not- I mean, he's our friend, Professor."

Kurt looked at the Professor, pleading with him.

"I'm well aware of that, Kurt. We'll speak to Daniel."

He sent a thought out to the odd-student. In a moment, Danny thought back that he would be there in a moment. Danny gulped nervously as he entered the office. He looked over everyone carefully. Kurt and Kitty looked a bit shamed and worried. Storm and Logan were indifferent, as was the Professor. Yet Jean and Scott looked stern and ready. He tuned to the Professor,

"Professor? Did I do something?"

Danny shifted uncomfortably and scratched at the back of his neck. The Professsor leaned forward,

"It came to our attention, young Daniel, that you have… alternative motives for joining us here."

Danny tensed. Did they know? Did they think he wasn't a mutant? Did he slip up somehow? He thought back for a moment. What would cause them to be suspicious?

"What…What makes you think that?"

"Your thoughts, Daniel, are not always private."

Thoughts…Oh… He realized what he did. He thought about being a spy. That made them suspicious. He relaxed. They still thought he was a mutant. They still thought he was one of them- that he was alive. He smiled,

"If this is about the thought I had about being a spy, you don't have to worry."

"Pardon us for taking precautions," Professor X said dryly.

Danny continued to smile as he decided to tell a half-truth,

"Gear wants me to, report, to her every other day at least. She's kind of paranoid and is always concerned about me, I guess. So everything that happens here, I tell her about it. She won't tell anyone," Danny reassured, "I mean, she has secrets too and she keeps all secrets really well hidden. So she's cool. Like I said, she's just paranoid."

Kurt and Kitty both relaxed, instantly believing him.

"See Professor," Kitty said, "He's like totally telling the truth! You like met his cousin. She's like the most odd person so she can totally like be paranoid too."

Danny felt a brief instant of irritation at Kitty calling Gear odd and the tone she used to call Gear that. He took a deep breath and let the comment roll off his back. Kurt chimed in,

"See, he's good Professor! Can we all go now?"

Professor X took a deep breath before he excused everyone. Kurt and Kitty cheered as they dragged Danny off to go play mutant ball- causing Jean and Scott to follow them as to keep an eye on the game. The game could, of course, easily get out of hand if there wasn't someone playing 'peacekeeper' and 'referee.'

Storm looked at the Professor in mild concern- concern for everyone. Logan lit a cigar.

"Do you believe him, Chuck," Logan asked gruffly.

"For now, I have no other option but to," Professor X said honestly, "But something tells me there is more to this story than what meets the eye."