Alright, people! a lot of people (8) thought that this was a good twist of fate, so I'm pleased to introduce the darling that is chapter 8. I don't own DP.

Danny's POV, by the way

The morning came like a bullet wound in soft skin: painful as hell.

Maybe I toyed too much with Lancer's head last night. He seems really quiet, even more so than lately.

You know, when you can tell that someone is numbing something over, so much so that you can't even hear them breathe.

Though, not hearing things breathe is pretty normal when you're a halfa with friends among the dead, like me.

But still.

Sam had lain out a picnic-like breakfast for us all, so no one had complaints of empty tummies.

Dani still had plenty of strength absorbed from being in her ghost-form for weeks on end. She was happy to eat her share of the real food. I, however wasn't so lucky. When I'm low and I eat human food, it's like all food tastes like gasoline. It's like a mechanical, bland taste, while when I'm low ghost food is bitter and sweet; delicious.

Kind of like death should be.

We packed up and began our trek, staying near the river. Dani sat atop my shoulders, playing with my hair. I could tell she was trying to braid it, but didn't know exactly how. I was beginning to feel better about Lancer as he drifted into conversation among the adults and students alike. I smiled and fell into my own conversations with Tuck, Sam, and my little girl.

It wasn't long after when a thick voice interrupted me: "How much can you bench, Daniel?"

We all stopped dead in our tracks. I swore he was farther behind me. "I dunno, maybe 20?" I replied, beginning to walk again as he found his spot on the left side of Sam.

"Twenty?!" He exclaimed. "But you said you moved that Osmium!"

"That was osmium? I couldn't tell from the looks," I mumbled; I honestly have no clue what Osmium means to him, but Lancer seems to be a bit obsessive over it.

"Well you must have been able to tell from the shear weight of it!" he yelled.

My ghost hearing caused Dani and myself to flinch at the volume of his voice. He was loud, but I doubted anyone behind us could make out his words. "Mr. Lancer!" I scolded, the pain in my ears transcending into anger, which I calmed quickly, "...look I don't know how much I can lift, but I don't want to know or let anyone else know. And if anyone else were to know, it would be Sam, Tuck, Dani and myself only."

He seemed to calm down, and take my answer for what it was. He began to fall back and I smiled.

I heard it before the scream: the crunch of bones against rock. The sound made everyone stop, and Dani wince. I rushed to the back of the group, and lifted the metallic boulder off of his legs easily.

"Get out, now!" I commanded, holding the rock as high as my shoulders. He shuffled out and I lowered the rock. I knew I should've kept everyone closer together while we were in Malice Canyon. Avalanches were incredibly frequent here.

"Daniel, that was osmium. And it was bigger than your father! You lifted it as if it were a feather!" His tone was that of a child who'd just watched a magic trick, not one who's life was just saved.

He was using me.

I was furious.

"Osmium?! Osmium?! What the heck do I care about osmium?! You could've almost died! In fact you almost did die! And I'm supposed to care about the osmium I lifted, apposed to the osmium that almost crushed your pelvis!" I screamed at him. I could feel my face becoming redder and redder by the moment.

"Daniel Fenton, you will not scold an adult!" I heard my mom reprimand. This made me even angrier.

"WHY IS EVERYONE ON THIS TRIP CRAZY?!" I yelled, pulling my hair. I grumbled, looking to Lancer again. He was staring at me with a look I didn't quite recognize.

Was that regret? Apology?

I knelt beside him examining his bottom ribs and lower half. Everyone was silent, and Sam came to help me. "You're lucky," I said after a few more minutes of checking my teacher's wounds. "It fell on you just right. Only a small fracture in your left leg." Sam and I shared a look. I could easily fix a fracture or any broken bone in a matter of minutes with my intangibility. But obviously that was a no-go. I sent Sam to get some wood or flat rocks or anything flat and sturdy. She came back with two flat rock faces and some sturdy, thin rope.

I quickly wrapped where the injury was. "It'll slow us down some, but it shouldn't hurt too bad."

He stood, and a thankful look passed his features. I guess we wrapped it just tight enough that it wouldn't hurt for him to stand or walk. I kept everyone closer as we continued through the Canyon. No more accidents came our way, thank realms.

When we got out of the dangerous rock formations, everyone began to form their little groups. At first Lancer struggled to stay close to Sam, Tuck, Dani (on my shoulders) and I who lead. I never knew Lancer hated silence so much.

"What school do you go to, Dani?"

"What made you decide to become goth, Miss Manson?"

"What was the first thing you learned to program, Tucker?"

He said nothing to me. I expected as much, I had scolded him. I think I must've scared him.

"I'm home schooled."

"I liked dark colors for a long while, and stuff others would call 'scary', and I knew I was a little different and eventually I just decided to label it. The only label I found to describe it was 'goth'. So, why not?"

"My first laptop, her name was Patrica."

Finally came the one thing I was waiting for: his words to me.

"That must have weighed 20.4 tons, at least."

This, somehow, sparked my anger. I'm not sure why, but it did.

"Maybe, if you want to really be impressed, you should get a full semi-truck to try'n'run you over," I grumbled. Sam slapped my arm, and I winced. "It's true."

I picked up Dani off of my shoulder, and held her in my arms like a baby. Sam sighed: I knew it always made her heart melt for me to hold Dani like that.

Not that she'd ever admit it.

Tucker brushed back Danielle's bangs, and we chuckled at how Sam held back a squeal. "I wish you two wouldn't do this to me!" She scolded. She always thought it was cute when 'her boys' would baby her little girl.

I smirked, and Dani chuckled. Lancer raised his brow at us, but then seemed to realize that we were now lost in our own world.

He then fell back with the other adults.

Dani wrapped her arms around my neck as I carried her happily. She fit perfectly in my arms.

And no matter how hyper she was, she would always let me carry her.

"Daddy?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Sugar Skull?"

"What's your favorite game? To play on the playground with other kids, I mean."

I thought a moment, and then it hit me.

Not my favorite game, but why my daughter wanted to know.

She looked twelve, and tried her hardest to act twelve, but was honestly only two. She knew what kids her age and older did for fun, but never got to because she wanted to see the world just as badly as she wanted to be her age. I understood; we both had to grow up a bit quicker than we'd have liked. I loved my little girl, and she was given most of the same likes and dislikes as me. So as her daddy, I should show her what I think she'd like.

"Hide'n'tag," I smiled at her. She looked up to me.

"Hide'n'tag? What's that?" she asked.

I smiled at her and began to explain, "Everyone playing except one gets a minute to hide. Then the one person who wasn't hiding gets to go and try to find everyone else. But instead of just finding somebody they have to tag them also. Actually, it's been so long since we've played... Sam, Tuck you guys wanna play with us? Please?" I begged, and my friends rolled their eyes.

"Alright. Just one game though. And we can't wander too far from the group," Sam replied, and I smiled.

"Yes!"

Sorry about this. I don't really like the chapter, but I needed the filler. Today was a snow-day for me, and I just needed to write. You know? Release, and relax. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Next chapter is option A on my poll and I may throw in option C or F. Vote and Review, guys!