Tucker sighed in exhaustion. What a day it had been. The commotion Desiree caused in the cafeteria spread like wildfire. That in itself wasn't bad at all. What was actually troublesome was the fact Desiree caused that whole fiasco for him.

One day was all it took for her to be extremely popular. Almost every, single guy wanted a piece of her. Apparently, it was his entire fault that was the case.

Yeah, I get it, I wished for it, Tucker mentally droned.

Whoever said be careful what you wished for deserved a Nobel Piece Price…and a punch to the face.

The techno-nerd had no idea being the centre of attention could be this stressful. He had never been popular before (Never to this degree at least). And furthermore, Desiree constantly following him around wasn't doing him any favours.

Danny and Sam had been suspicious of the foreign student in the beginning, but they soon put all their theories to rest when they realised that Desiree had no significant relation to her ghost counterpart.

He will admit that he had a bit of fun at Nasty Burger with everyone. It had been a long time since they all had the opportunity to chill and hang out. He got to eat meat again, got shouted at by Sam for eating meat again, and played video games with Danny… just good old fun.

But all good things came to an end. Sam's parents called Danny for one of their habitual meetings. Tucker swore those people had nothing better to do than meddle in their own daughter's life. But it was bad for him, since Danny and Sam had no other choice but to leave him high and dry again.

So now here he was, walking home in utter defeat. Fate didn't really like him much, did it?

He spared his partner a glance and couldn't help from further cursing his luck.

Desiree was walking at a respectful distance behind him. Her strut was sensual and got a lot of eyes from any male in the vicinity.

Tucker guessed that the wish had its perks, in a way. He didn't have to worry about competition because Desiree only loved him. But still, the biggest problem of the whole situation was that this love thing was a fabrication from his desires.

Damn, I sound like a pervert.

"Yes, you do," Desiree supported.

Tucker glared at her. "Could you stop doing that? I'd like to think freely, thank you."

Desiree actually rolled her eyes and huffed. "It is not as if I can help it. With love comes trust, and with trust there are no secrets. "

"Then how come I can't read your thoughts."

Desiree shrugged and simply said, "Don't blame me. Blame the wish."

"Of course," Tucker retorted.

It was getting late and he needed to be home soon or his mother would worry…

His mother… Oh crap.

He stopped and stared at Desiree again.

"Hey, do you have anywhere to go?"

The genie tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean like a home?"

Her confusion soon turned to annoyance. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, right, stupid question," Tucker agreed. He scratched his head, stumped on what to do.

He couldn't just bring Desiree into his home. His mother wasn't against the notion of him having a girlfriend now and then. Actually, she practically prayed that one would come his way, which was tremendously embarrassing, by the way. But, the problem was, Desiree would be the first girl (other than Sam) that his mother would see. Provided how that transaction would progress, misunderstandings were a given.

He couldn't deny how pathetic he was in looks. Yes, it hurt to think that way, but that was the truth.

"That may be true, but I value very little for your outer appearance. It is your character and actions that define you for who you are. So it is those qualities I love," Desiree said.

That was the sweetest thing he ever heard from any girl's lips. He struggled even more to tell himself that it wasn't real. It was so hard for him to accept that, for he had been yearning for something like this most of his life.

Look, a nerd can take a lot of bullying and disregard, but he had a heart. He wanted to feel special like the rest of the people. He wanted to fit in, find someone that didn't want to use him for their own gain. It was fantasy, maybe, but it was a fantasy Tucker always wanted.

Of course he knew that Desiree was probably reading his thoughts at that moment, and in the process finding out about his deepest inner needs, but he gave up fighting the magic. He resigned himself to accepting the situation and waiting for the magic to wear off.

Desiree had been silent for the better part of their walk, but she glanced at Tucker's back occasionally. Yeah, she knew everything about him now; the magic left no stone unturned, and couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt for forcibly prying into his life. It was the magic's fault of course, but she felt a bit shameful.

Not only that, she felt more and more furious with how Tucker was treated. This 'Star' person was his first actual girlfriend, and she used him like a rag. Furthermore, his 'friends' seemed to think very little of his value if all they could really focus on was themselves.

She had been through a horrible life, and she had thought the worst of Tucker before looking into his mind. But…she couldn't for the life of her hate him as any other man anymore.

Although the magic was forcing her to be compassionate, she decided to not fight it this time. Looking into her partner's being gave her a firm understanding on who he was and what he had been through. She didn't hold herself back when she promptly hugged him from behind.

"Um…Desiree, what are you doing?" Tucker questioned, halting his walk.

"I have seen everything of your past and I've decided on the same course of action as you. I will not fight this feeling anymore and will wait till it fades away. In choosing this path, I have resigned myself to be dedicated to you fully."

Okay, that was pretty random, and Tucker didn't know what to think.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you're weak."

Right…ouch.

"Thanks a lot," he drawled, becoming upset.

Feeling his irritation, Desiree chose to explain her meaning. "You are weak and cannot stand up for yourself. I am strong and will not take nonsense from anyone… It seemed the magic that binds us was right."

"About what?" Tucker asked.

"We are the most suitable people for each other."

"In what sense?"

Desiree shook her head, smiling softly on his back. "That is for you to figure out."

She went ahead of the bewildered nerd, turned around and gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

"Remember, this is the work of magic. So for now, think of me as the best thing that has ever come into your life."

Tucker was stunned speechless with the way she looked at him. It was moments like this he hated the fact that it wasn't real. As a human teen, Desiree was an absolute bombshell. It wasn't fair, really.

"Heed that no mind. Let's live in the present," the genie consoled. In the deepest parts of her mind, however, she was absolutely livid with herself for giving into the magic's influence and allowing a man to be involved in her life. If this stupid boy ever tried anything funny with her...

She'd probably like it.

Tucker shook his head to return to reality.

"Look, that's great and all that you're accepting what's going on, but I still have my mom to deal with," he reminded.

Desiree cocked her head to the side, confused. "I do not think it will be that difficult to get her blessing."

Tucker sputtered in embarrassment, blushing furiously. "Come on, you know that's not what I'm talking about!"

Desiree cupped her face with both hands, swaying from side to side. "I can already imagine it. Oh my…our honeymoon."

Trying valiantly to fight off the dirty thoughts entering his subconscious, Tucker peered at her. "Wait a sec, are you teasing me?"

At that, Desiree stopped her antics and put her hands on her hips. "It seems quite easy to do so… I'll keep that in mind.

"… I don't know what to say to that."

"So let me get this straight, you're really his girlfriend?" Tucker's mother inquired.

Desiree and Tucker sat on the living room couch. Of course, Desiree opted to sit on Tucker's lap instead of the copious amount of space the couch provided.

Tucker didn't want to approach the matter like this. He just wanted to tell his mother that Desiree was a friend that he met at school. But that would have hurt Desiree's love-struck feelings, and in doing that, he would hurt as a consequence.

It couldn't be avoided, and it made him think of the next day of school. Now that Desiree had settled into Casper High, there was no doubt a lot of guys would be gunning for her. What made matters worse was that Desiree would not stand for it, and told him to admit to the entire school that they were together.

That would obviously backfire for many reasons. Firstly, he was the last person anyone expected to score a hot chick; just looking at his mother reiterated the fact.

"Yes, I am. My name is Desiree, and it's a great pleasure to meet you, Mrs Foley," Desiree greeted, even offering a disarming smile for good measure.

Mrs Foley only raised a sceptical eyebrow. She looked between her nervous son and the model on him and couldn't help but saying, "Really?"

Tucker didn't blame his mother one bit for having little faith in him, but he did mentally cry a little.

WHY MOM?!

Desiree kept her composure, even when she noticed Mrs Foley looked immeasurably doubtful. "Of course, we're in love."

The mother turned to her son. "Is that true?"

Tucker nodded vigorously. It wasn't forceful, because a part of him was so elated to throw his own mother for a loop.

Mrs Foley couldn't believe her eyes. It seemed too good to be true. She loved her son to bits, and had the outmost faith that he could do anything he set his mind to, but even for her this was ridiculous.

She scrutinised Desiree, looking for any deceit. Her son wasn't the manliest guy around, and people were prone to take advantage of his kindness, so she couldn't explicitly trust anyone that just randomly showed up in his life.

But Desiree seemed to genuinely love Tucker. Even when she snuggled on Tucker right in front of her, Tucker seemed embarrassed, but happy.

It was as if divine power actually answered her prayers. It was staggering.

She stood up and went for the kitchen.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Desiree. I hope you'll look after my son."

Desiree nodded. "Of course, I will do anything for him."

Not really a subtle thing to say to her partner's mother, but Mrs Foley didn't think too much of it.

"Would you stay for dinner? I need to get to know you more," Mrs Foley said.

"I would love that," Desiree answered.

Tucker couldn't help but wish his mother would make it easier for Desiree to stay with him, but that would be impossible to convince her no matter what he said.

Desiree stared at him suddenly, and Tucker struggled not to squirm in place.

"What?" he asked, uncomfortable.

Desiree took her time choosing her words, but when she did speak, it was about something Tucker never thought about in a million years."Would it really please you if I stayed here?"

"Where else do you have to go?" he inquired, although knowing the answer.

"I could simply sleep outside the premises. I did not require much when I was alive before."

For the moment, Tucker forgot that the hottest girl he had ever laid eyes on sat on his lap.

"Thank you," Desiree said, finding it difficult to remain composed. Her face was evidently flushed, and she couldn't keep her gaze on him. Seriously, hearing his thoughts had its drawback.

… Anyway, Tucker couldn't believe that he actually heard that come from her mouth.

"There's no way I'd want that for you. Even if you are an enemy, you're a girl first. And no girl deserves to be treated that way."

That was definitely the magic talking, he concluded. There was no way he would have said that on his own. He was never that smooth of a talker.

"Magic or not, I am surprised by this," Desiree said.

"Desiree?" Mrs Foley called.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a place to go?"

"Well, mom-" Tucker was interrupted by the honest genie.

"No, I do not."

"That's great. You can stay here for as long as you like," Mrs Foley said.

"Thank you, Mrs Foley," Desiree said, bowing in gratitude.

Mrs Foley waved her off, chuckling at the genie's behaviour. "No need to bow, dear, it's a pleasure."

Tucker was no fool. He was weak; he cried sometimes. But Tucker Foley was no fool.

There was no way on earth his mother would have suggested Desiree to stay indefinitely at the residents. Something must have happened.

"You wished for it," Desiree answered his unspoken question.

"What?" Tucker whispered fiercely, hoping his mother wouldn't hear him.

"You wished for your mother to let me stay, and it was granted," Desiree clarified.

"…By you?"

"Who else do you know of that wields such powers?" Desiree queried, raising a brow.

It was something he suspected. If not for magic, it would have been impossible for Desiree to enrol into high school.

That actually explained a lot more.

Before he could pry further, his mother returned with dinner.

"Come on, let's eat up."

After dinner, Tucker retired immediately to his bedroom. He tried valiantly to get Desiree to come with him, but his mother was having none of that.

"A teen boy and a teen girl in the same room? Hahaha, yeah, not happening. Besides, my motherly instincts request I grill my son's new girlfriend for validity. After that, Desiree can sleep in the guest room."

So here he was, staring at the bedroom ceiling as he lay on his bed.

So much had happened in just one day. His life had been straight and probably heading nowhere with the ladies. But thanks to one wish, everything derailed into chaos.

Was he okay with this? No, he didn't like trouble coming his way left, right and centre; it was just too stressful.

Did he regret making the wish? In the beginning, of course he did. It was probably the most pitiful thing that anyone could want. He had felt like less of man for getting a girlfriend this way, and for forcing said girlfriend to fall in love with him. It made him seem like scum, worse than scum.

But when Desiree stood up for him in the cafeteria, he couldn't help himself; he was so impressed and confused. No girl would have ever done that for him, so for it to finally happen, was a complete blindside. She looked amazing in that moment. She looked like someone he could actually consider spending the rest of his life with.

He shook his head, trying to get rid of such thoughts. He shouldn't get his hopes up. It would hurt more when everything ended.

There was a knock on his door. Tucker rose from his bed and went to answer.

When he opened it, he did expect to see Desiree on the other side, but not kneeling before him.

Her enchanting eyes never left his. "May I come in?"

"Uh…sure."

Tucker allowed room for her to enter. He couldn't help but blanch when she shifted on her knees until she was beside his bed.

He shook his head and sat on his bed. He looked down at her and waited to hear what she had to say to him.

"Your mother has allowed me to see you. I came to say goodnight to you, Tucker."

"That's all?" Tucker asked.

"Yes. May your dreams be wonderful," she bowed and made to leave.

"Desiree?"

She turned to him and was surprised by his serious visage.

"Could you come and sit next to me?"

Her eyes widened at the request, yet she obediently did what was asked of her without question.

This time, it was Tucker's turn to make her feel uncomfortable. His gaze penetrated her subconscious, forcing her to nibble on her lip.

Tucker was a bit surprised that he had that effect on her. Guess the first stage of loving someone really wasn't that easy.

But enough of inavertedly praising himself, he focused on what he wanted to say.

"I want you to tell me about your passed."

As he expected, she became defensive in an instant.

"This is the second time you have attempted to pry into my passed. I do not wish to."

He ignored her vehement refusal and persisted. "I need to know more about you. You and I have different ways of thinking. And it has more to do with how you were treated before than male or female gender roles."

"I'm… sorry… but I cannot." She was getting irritated with him. Why couldn't he just let that one slide? She was trying her best to be everything he wanted in a companion, yet he still found her lacking?

Tucker sighed in exasperation. Now would have been a good time to call it quits and sleep. But no, he wasn't going to give up, not on himself…or her. "Desiree, I'm worried about you. You treat me like this high and mighty king and you're surprised when I don't treat you like crap. This makes me extremely unsettled. And it upsets me not knowing why you act the way you do."

Okay, he would admit that he was using the love they shared against her, but he felt like he was justified. He was a genuinely nice guy, and respected woman, so he couldn't just stand by and let his own girlfriend degrade herself any further.

Desiree snarled at him, frustrated. "How dare you?! How dare you use my weakness against me?! You don't have the right to-"

"I do if I love you," he countered.

That's when he finally realised what was actually going on. Desiree was holding herself back from sobbing. She did want to tell him, he could see it in her eyes, but struggled to allow herself to.

He understood now. Even if she said she wouldn't fight her affections anymore, she still chose to resist. She must have been trying to distinguish whether her willingness to share her secrets was from her own violation or magic.

Pressing his advantage, Tucker hugged her. It was gentle and hesitant, but it was filled with so much emotion, so much meaning.

Desiree didn't bother fighting him off. She completely relaxed in his hold, using the place between his neck and shoulder as a pillow.

"Forget about the love. Forget about us being enemies. Tell me, please," Tucker whispered, rubbing her back smoothly.

Desiree cursed him for making her feel so good. "I won't forgive you for this."

"You're lying and you know it." If she saw him smirk, she might have reconsidered losing herself in his hold.

With a frustrated huff, Desiree got more comfortable. "If you tell anyone about this, I will make your life a living nightmare when I'm free from this curse."

Tucker gulped, but nodded. "You've got a deal."

And so Desiree told him everything. She laid her heart bare to him. She told him all about her experience being a slave; about her first and only love; about her betrayal and tragic death. Throughout the process, she earnestly cried for the first time in thousands of years.

It felt enormously wonderful to have someone to talk to. Although she would be kicking herself in the morning, at this moment, she was positively putty in his hands.

He let go of her, looked into her eyes and said, "I promise you, until this is all over, I'll show you what a real boyfriend is like, not that jackass of a master that stabbed you in the back."

She didn't say anything. She was too emotionally drained, so she just nodded.

Tucker nodded as well, smiling fully for the first time ever since this whole mess started. He softly wiped the tears from her eyes.

Desiree held his hands before they could leave her. She stared deep into his eyes. Her gaze gradually shifted to his lips and then back again.

Tucker knew what that look meant. He had read a lot of dating magazines to tell the signs. It was clear indication that Desiree wanted to kiss him, but was too afraid to make the first move.

It was go time! He could finally get his first kiss (excluding Sam). But even so, he wanted it to be real, not the cause of magic.

Magic or not, dude, man up and take it! his desperate mind blared. He realised that he might never get a chance like this again…

But he didn't do it. Call him a wuss, if you will, but he wasn't going to take advantage of Desiree's vulnerability.

He freed his hands from her hold, and valiantly ignored the hurt look she sent him. "We're both emo right now. I think it's best we get some rest and talk in the morning."

Desiree looked at him for a long moment, but soon nodded in agreement. "You're right. I shall leave now."

"Right…and can you please not crawl on the ground? We're both equal, so you don't have to think so big of me."

Desiree smiled at that. "I see."

She stood up and went to the exit. Before she left, she looked at him again.

"This love may not be real, but I am glad that my magic chose us."

Tucker was shocked to hear that from her, but returned her grin. "Me too, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Uh…"

"It is fine," Desiree said. "I'll turn that I guess into a certainly."

She didn't give him time to reply before she left.

Tucker flopped on his bed, staring into nothing. His mind was still a whirlwind of emotion.

"What just happened?"

Tucker woke up to the buzz of his cell phone. He groggily got up and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Tucker!"

Tucker jerked to life. He held the phone more firmly. "Sam, what's up?"

"Trouble, that's what! Ember-"

There was a huge explosion.

"-Damn it! Ember's beating the crap out of Danny!"

"What? But it's a Saturday!" Tucker sputtered.

"… Seriously, Tuck? Just get to the park quick!"

Sam hung up.

Tucker groaned, but hopped into action.

He briefly wondered if he should get Desiree to come along, but conceded she would do so without his consent anyway.

They arrived at the park just in time to see Ember whacking Danny with her guitar. The Ghost Boy flew straight into a tanker. It was either he forgot to phase out or was too beaten to do so, because he hit the truck dead on.

It exploded in an instant, sending Danny flying to a nearby trash can.

Tucker whistled. Did Ember get a power boost or something?

Well, it looked like she did. Her hair fluctuated angrily, and she had a very long ponytail, too.

Ember laughed at Danny's predicament. "What's the matter, Dipstick, not used to getting beaten up by a girl?"

Danny groaned and rose from the ground. He staggered in place. "How the heck did you get so powerful?"

"Noticed, did you? Well, while you were busy making kissy faces with Goth Chick over there-"

That got a 'Hey!' from Sam.

"-I was getting enough energy from a country! That's right, Ghost Kid, you're no match for me now!"

"We'll see about that!" Danny attacked again. He fired plasma blasts aimed at Ember's face.

The rocker simply swiped them away with her weapon, and proceeded to fire her own attack.

Danny was too slow to dodge them and was hit head on. He plummeted, and hit the ground with a loud bang, creating a crater.

Ember laughed herself hoarse, unconcernedly floating in the air. "Look at you now! After all those times of stopping me, you can't even touch me anymore. Hahaha! This is so rad!"

Sam cursed. She couldn't get into a good position to use the Fenton Thermos, and she had hoped Tucker would provide significant backup to make her plan more possible.

She looked around and spotted Tucker…with Desiree?

"Tucker, why the heck did you bring her with you?!" Sam yelled.

Tucker struggled for an answer, but one blast from Ember silenced them all.

"What's this?" Ember queried, focusing her gaze on Desiree. "... Nah."

Tucker had barely dodged her attack. He rose to his feet, feeling dizzy.

"Are you alright?" Desiree asked, worry plastered on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked at Ember again. She was way too powerful to deal with right now. He turned to Danny…who was unconscious.

Things were bad. Ember literally came out of nowhere and surprised them. She had the upper hand whichever way they looked at it.

What could he possibly do?

Wait…

He looked at Desiree. "Can you tell how strong she is?"

Desiree nodded. "It would be impossible for Danny to even harm her. She has the energy and support of an entire country."

"Which country?" If they could find out the area, they could stop her. Furthermore, if they could beat her without the knowledge, then her control on the victim's would be dispelled as a result.

"I'm not sure."

Just great, but still…

"Desiree, can you still grant any wish?"

She spared him a glance. "Only wishes that create subtle changes in human judgement. "

"Oh damn," Tucker cursed. It was one bad thing after another.

"… However, if a wish affects me directly, then the limit would not apply, unless if it concerns our love, in which case I can do nothing about it."

"Are you on our side?" He felt terrible for asking such a question after they had a moment the day prior, but he needed to be sure.

"Where ever you go, I will follow," she promptly answered. She wasn't offended by his lack in trust, much. But she was going to give him a piece of her mind later.

Tucker stared at her. Okay, it wasn't much that could be used to their advantage, but it was still worth a shot.

Watching Ember lay waste to Amity Park forced him to think a mile a minute. Something that only affected Desiree; something that only affected Desiree; something that only affected Desiree. How could they use that?

He glanced at her and then at Ember. There must have been something Desiree, herself, could do to defeat the rocker chick.

"Think, Tucker," he whispered.

Desiree stared at him. She wondered what was going through his mind. It was odd, for this was the first time his mind wasn't visible to her.

He was sweating like crazy, and his eyes moved around like they were trying to figure out how Drake could think he could dance in that 'Hotline Bling' video.

Think, think, think…

A sudden idea came to mind, and his eyes popped open.

"I got it!" he yelled.

He looked at Desiree, his face stern. "Desiree, I have a wish."

Desiree only raised an unsure brow. "And that would be?"

"I wish you were the most powerful heroine that had an infinite arsenal of weapons, until you beat Ember!" Tucker declared.

"…"

"…"

Desiree deadpanned. "Do you realise how vague that wish is?"

Tucker nodded. "I do, but I think it's good enough."

Desiree was not satisfied with his answer. "If I end up hurting you, you know how angry that will make me."

Tucker sweat-dropped, moving back a bit. "I trust you?"

Desiree huffed. "It's too late to change it anyway. You're going to be hearing from me after this."

A huge surge of light immediately enclosed her body. A moment later, and the light left.

Instead of wearing her ordinary clothes, Desiree wore a black, sleeveless high collar cloak that swept near her feat. She had on her hands leather fingerless gloves. Inside the cloak she wore a white V-neck top and black pants with matching clip boots. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and her eyes glowed emerald.

Tucker was rendered completely speechless at the sight. Desiree looked like a completely different person.

She didn't only get the attention of her boyfriend.

Sam was flabbergasted with what she just witnessed. She stood there, slack jawed. If this didn't prove that Desiree was more than what meets the eye, nothing would.

Ember smirked at the spectacle. "I knew it."

Desiree looked straight at Ember the entire time, even as she spoke. "Does this satisfy you?"

Tucker numbly nodded (Hell yeah, it does!), then shook his head vigorously. "It doesn't matter what you look like! What matters is if you can beat her!"

"Not a problem." In the next second, Desiree completely vanished from sight.

Ember had less than a second to block the surprise attack from Desiree with her guitar. The rocker was surprised that Desiree attacked her barehanded. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Genie girl fighting for Dipstick and his friends?"

Desiree's demeanour remained unchanged. She shifted her weight in the air, flipping over Ember.

"Katana," she called.

A long samurai blade quickly manifested in her hold, and she brought it down fast. Ember quickly blocked it with her own weapon, denting the blade in the process. She countered by blasting a sound wave that was aimed at Desiree's face.

Desiree ducked before the upsurge could touch her. She surprised Ember by stretching an empty hand and aiming it like a gun to her face.

Ember's eyes were wide with confusion. "The heck?"

Desiree's gaze narrowed. "Dragoon Pistol."

If Ember hadn't moved away in that second, then the monstrous shot from the abrupt black gun would have finished her off. She swung her guitar, destroying the pistol in the process, and forcing Desiree to retract her hand.

She flew a distance away from Desiree, trying to gather herself. "What the hell was that?"

Desiree floated in the air ahead of her. The katana in her other hand vanished. She didn't move from her position. She stretched her left hand to the side. "Lion Gate Lance."

A blood red lance quickly appeared in her hand. She changed position, looking like she was going to charge Ember head on.

Ember was able to gather a little info from the first two attacks. "I get it. You got weapons, but they're not strong enough against my own. How can you beat me if that's the case?"

Desiree didn't answer, and attacked her again.

The fight above created massive shockwaves bellow.

If Tucker knew things would have turned out this severe, he would have brought a freaking camera!

Sam had no idea what to do. So much was happening right in front of her eyes, and she was struggling to make sense of it all.

She rushed to Danny and tried waking him up. "Danny, get up! You've gotta see this!"

Another shockwave rocked the immediate vicinity. Tucker noticed that the fight was causing more harm than good. Battered buildings were crumbling even more.

Luckily, there wasn't anyone in the immediate area.

No, wait, there was.

It was a girl, scared and panicking. She was frozen in place.

And rubble was about to fall on her.

Tucker didn't hesitate. He ran towards the girl and tackled her out of the way of debris.

He kneeled above her and groaned in pain. He took a few rocks to the back trying to be a hero. "Hey, are you okay?"

"… Nerd Boy?"

She knew him? He got a good look at her then.

No way.

"Star?"

Star's eyes shifted to the rubble that was a few feet away from them. She knew all too well that she would have died if she stayed in that spot. But she had been too frightened. The tremors were scary, and knowing ghosts were the cause of it all was even scarier.

She had just been walking home after cheerleading practice. It hadn't been a great day for her. Kwan got into a fight with her - again - and opted for them to take a break from each other (Basically, she got dumped). And Paulina had her own issues to deal with. So she had essentially been alone the entire time.

She intended to go home and reflect on her day, only to be suddenly smack-dab in the middle of a ghost battle.

She thought she was going to die. She almost did die, but Tucker saved her. The nerd that she'd used and abused before got hurt by saving her.

She didn't know what to make of it. He had no reason to risk his life. She treated him horribly when they 'dated', and he still came to her safety.

She continued to stare at him even when he frantically looked around.

He rose to his feet and quickly offered her a hand. "Come on, it's not safe here!"

She hesitantly accepted his touch, and was stunned when he hauled her to her feet and led her away from the scene.

When they got far enough, Tucker let her go and began running back.

Star grabbed his hand before he could get away. "Wait! You can't go back there!"

The worry laced in her voice was real. She was in the moment, still reeling from what happened.

Tucker freed himself from her hold. "I have to help! I can't stand here and do nothing. Even if I'm used as a distraction, that's good enough for me! Get to somewhere safe!"

He ran back into the battlefield.

Star watched him, stunned. When did the nerd become so brave? Not only did he save her life, but he was still going to help out?

She looked at the hand he held, and continued to ogle. She could feel his lingering touch.

"…Tucker," she whispered.

"Damn it! How many of those things do you have, anyway?!" Ember yelled, swiping repeatedly at her guitar strings.

Desiree dodged every wave blast that came her way. She straightened herself and her Raven Twin Blades disappeared.

Ember gave a wicked grin. "I can do this forever, you know? Besides, whatever you have can't possibly beat my stick."

Tucker ran to Sam, who was seated next to Danny.

"Sam, where's the thermos?!"

Sam numbly gave him the Fenton Thermos, staring, stupefied, at Desiree and Ember's fight. "Tuck?"

"…Yeah?"

"You owe us a HUGE explanation!"

Tucker grimaced. "Yeah, I know."

Desiree dodged a swipe from Ember's guitar, but couldn't dodge a surprise wave that followed it up.

She frowned in discomfort, creating a distance between herself and the rocker.

Ember's smirk turned to a cynical grin. "So you do have your limits, ey Genie Girl? If you summon more than one weapon every time, it takes longer to bring out more. Also, those big weapons you bring up have a time limit. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Tch." Desiree scowled at Ember's arrogance.

"Wait until everyone in the Ghost Zone hears about this. To think you'd betray your own kind."

Desiree ignored the spitfire's rant. She put her hands together and by her side. A blue orb immediately appeared, overwhelming and intense.

"Ultimate Chi Cannon," Desiree announced.

Ember raised a brow. "Where do you get these things from?"

"If you must know, these weapons exist in the past, present and future. They are not limited to our dimension or planet. The conditions of my magic allow me to have ample knowledge of their structure."

That actually got Ember's attention. "Sounds interesting, but still not good enough, right?"

"Whether I can beat you or not is irrelevant. My only course of action was to distract you."

"Say wha-"

Ember felt her body being pulled to the ground. She looked down, and realised that she had forgotten about the Fenton Thermos. It was too late for her to do anything about it.

"Oh shi-"

She was sucked in instantly and Tucker quickly closed the thermos.

He dropped on his butt and sighed in relief.

That was probably the toughest battle he had ever had to endure.

But it was freaking awesome!

He had no idea that Desiree had that kind of potential. It completely threw him for a loop.

Desiree casually landed near her partner. "Are you alright?"

He spared her a smile. "I'm fine, how about you?"

"I am not injured," she informed.

"That's good to hear," he breathed out, deciding to take a little break.

"Tucker?"

Tucker looked up and saw Sam staring at him. She didn't look too happy. In fact, Tucker would be more willing to face Ember again than deal with her glower.

"Right, right… explanations."

Oh wow, I really went overboard with this chapter, didn't I? If you can guess where I got all those names for Desiree's weapons, then you get a virtual cookie! Also, I couldn't leave you guys hanging after you took the effort to review, so here's my thanks to you! Keep those reviews coming and enjoy.

Happy Holidays and thanks for reading!

Update:

As a hint, let me just say that the cover pic is a sign of epic things to come.