This was originally written for Invisobang a while ago, I'm just getting around to posting it. I'm only allowed to use one art piece here, so I have the art from Remi as my cover, but Ao3 has a cover from Arisu

This chapter was beta read by TwilightWakerofTime and JCotton42. Also, a lot of thanks to Ayamari no Goshi for helping me with a bunch of the ghost-hunting lore!

Lancer finished writing on the chalkboard, and the chalk squeaked as he underlined the writing. He turned, folding his hands in front of him, and glanced over the entire class.

"Now, as you all know, the mid-term projects are approaching." He paused. Lancer was the type to be dramatic, but Danny did notice a few of his classmates perk up at the sudden silence, so perhaps it wasn't just for effect. "You all can group up as you wish, but no more than five and you can't do the project alone. Each group should create a 20-minute TV show, with extra credit for doing a commercial break."

Danny shot a glance at Sam and confirmed that she was smirking at him. She pointed at her spider-shaped backpack with her pencil. Just this morning, she had been hyping up this assignment. Not that surprising; she had been bouncing ideas off him and Tucker since the start of the semester.

Danny gave her a slight smile as Lancer passed out the grading rubric. It was nice to have a guaranteed partner for these projects, even better was that it was Sam. She was brilliant and… His thoughts trailed off and he reached up and pulled on the white streak of hair in his bangs that he had developed after the accident. The habit had become a comfort at some point.

Lancer sat down behind his desk. "You may take some time now to get together in groups and plan out your projects." The statement set off a flurry of activity as everyone jumped up to move around the classroom.

Sam slid out of the chair, her boots making distinctive footfalls as she crossed the way to the back of the room. She slid into the seat next to Danny and crossed her legs. "So," she began, leaning in, "wanna be my partner?"

Danny laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, obviously."

Sam smirked, dark lips curling up mischievously. "Obviously, huh?" Her voice was light with mirth.

Danny felt his cheeks heat up and his mouth dry. "I mean, uh…" he began, feeling his stomach flip with butterflies as she chuckled at him.

A third member sat down in front of Danny and groaned. "So what's the plan guys?"

Sam laughed, a light chuckle that grew into something more. "What's wrong, Tucker?" she asked, her tone rapidly turning mocking. She turned to face him before continuing, "Turned down by the cheerleaders already?"

Tucker folded his arms and turned up his nose away from her. "So what if I was? Maybe I won't help with your video editing!" He frowned, and a flash of disgust came across his face. "Especially if it is going to be some sort of vegan thing…"

"It's not a vegan thing," Sam muttered, managing to sound only a little put out. She pulled out a notebook, adorned with skulls and black cats. She flipped it open and handed it to Danny. "I thought we could do something more up your alley!"

Danny took the notebook, already dreading what he was going to read. The worst part about it was that he knew he wasn't going to tell Sam no. He hadn't been able to for two years now. If he had, maybe he wouldn't have had that accident freshman year. Even so, as he watched her fingers play with her necklace that dipped down almost into her shirt, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

She lifted the necklace to her lips, and she gave him a smirk as she bit down on the raven's wings. Her lips were curled in the beginnings of a smile, and Danny felt his cheeks heat up at her reaction to his staring.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but homework guys?" Tucker said flatly, his unamused tone at odds with the smile on his face.

Danny shot Tucker a glare, one he knew without looking was mirrored by Sam. He had a point though. Danny sighed and turned and looked at the script Sam had planned. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. He looked up at Sam and said quietly, "Sam… no…"

Tucker leaned over and took the notebook out of his hands. "Wait, let me see! Let me see!"

"Tucker!" Danny scrambled. Trying to grab the notebook back. His efforts were thwarted by the desk between them when Tucker inched back just slightly.

"Sam…" Tucker began, much more serious than before. "Is this a plan for a paranormal investigation?" Tucker slowly lowered the notebook to look at the accused.

Sam brushed some of her hair back behind her ear. "Yeah, well, I figured…" She was quiet for a moment. The silence between them was broken by the laughter of their classmates. She took a deep breath. "I kind of wanted to understand… you know?"

She fiddled with her pencil, rolling it between her fingers. She looked up at Danny and met his eyes. Her face fell just slightly, worry coloring her features in a way that made Danny sick to his stomach. "I know you said you've forgiven me-"

"There's nothing to forgive, it was an accident."

"Thanks," she said, smiling just a bit, but it didn't reach her eyes, "but I still feel bad about it. Your parents have said you're fine, but…" she trailed off and looked down at her hands before slowly looking back up at Danny. "I want to know…"

Danny felt his chest seize, and he glanced at Tucker. He could see Tucker's cheeks tense. Tucker looked down at the notebook. Instead of responding to the question, he said, "You know... this sounds like the start of a horror movie. You know what happens to the one black guy at the start of a horror movie?"

"It's not a horror movie. It's a paranormal investigation."

"I guarantee you, I can find a horror movie with that premise in two minutes."

Danny looked down at the script – or rather plan; a script involved pre-planned lines – that was broken down into planned sections. "She's not that aggressive," he muttered.

Tucker and Sam turned toward Danny. "You okay with this, dude?"

"Yeah, I don't want to actually make you uncomfortable…"

Danny nodded. "Not really, but…" He smirked, trying to hide his discomfort. "Might as well make something out of this."

Sam smiled back, and Danny's discomfort vanished.

Tucker groaned. "Alright, I guess we're doing this." He ran a hand down his face. "We're really investigating the haunted cafeteria."

"Supposedly haunted cafeteria," Sam corrected with a giant smile.

Tucker gave Sam a look. "If Danny is saying it's haunted, it's haunted."

"Think anyone is going to believe us?"

Danny leaned forward, going over the list of things that Sam wrote down for supplies. "Probably not." He tapped the sheet with his finger. "My parents have most of this stuff already. I don't think they have any thermal cameras though."

Tucker leaned forward, a glint in his eyes. "Oh! Where do we get one of those? I want one!"

Sam quirked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"I don't know?" Tucker mused as he gave a shrug, though a smile stretched across his face regardless. "I'll find something though!"

Danny opened the door to his house. The tech space downstairs didn't have a light on, so it looked like his parents didn't have any clients over at the moment. He looked downstairs to check that he didn't see any lights from the computers since sometimes his parents would turn the lights off while working to focus.

Nothing.

More comfortable knowing that his parents weren't working at the moment, he shouted, "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" He took a few steps toward the living room. "I need to talk to you about something!"

"In the kitchen!" his mom replied.

Danny turned and walked into the kitchen. Before he noticed both of his parents there, he was enveloped in the wonderful smell of his mother cooking. The smell of rosemary wafted through the room and Danny had to take a moment to center himself.

The sound of a fan turning on woke him from his reverie and he blinked. He turned toward his mom who was opening a window. The black Fenton Works Audio and Video sweatshirt was a stark contrast to the light in the kitchen. Her husband's nickname for her, Maddie, was written across the back. She turned toward him as she reached for a towel. "Food will be done in a little bit, we're having rosemary chicken breast."

"Everything okay there, Danny?" his dad said a moment later. Danny turned and looked at his father. He was also wearing a Fenton Works Audio and Video shirt, though this one was pretty old, using a different icon than what they used now. His name, Jack, was almost unreadable with how faded it had gotten.

Danny blinked again, before shaking his head. "Sorry, yeah. No, everything is fine. It just smells really good." His parents' faces broke out into smiles, and he shifted a bit, turning away. He couldn't quite bring himself to actually move away from the smell of rosemary, but even still. "I uh…" The words fumbled out of his lips as he attempted to talk about what he had originally come in for. The smell of rosemary relaxed him, but the effort his parents went through to make him comfortable felt like babying. "I wanted to talk to you guys. Can I borrow your equipment for a school project?"

His parents looked at each other, giving each other halfhearted shrugs. "Of course," his mom said earnestly. "What do you need exactly?"

Danny reached into his pocket and found the paper Sam had given him earlier, although he didn't need it at all. His parents' hobby was second nature to him at this point. "We need at least three audio recorders," he began as he unfolded the crumpled paper. "We think nine video cameras with infrared, a-"

His parents recoiled. "Danny!" Maddie began, before sitting down at the table. "That sounds like you're doing an investigation!"

Danny nodded and looked away from their concerned faces. "Yeah, there's a school project to do a 20-minute TV show. Sam had the idea of doing a paranormal investigation."

Jack and Maddie looked at each other and then back at Danny. Jack spoke first. "Danny… I know you think highly of Sam but ever since your accident a lot of weird things happen around you. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Maddie spoke up next before Danny could respond. "And we do really mean, do you want to do that. Not Sam."

Danny frowned. He didn't want his parents to be so defensive about him. Ever since the accident, his parents were always so careful around him. He wasn't fragile, quite the opposite in fact. He was the one who could actually sense when something was going on. He'd never tell his parents, but, to Danny, it felt like it was the blind trying to guide the seeing.

Ignoring that, Danny countered his parents' point. "Dad, Mom makes you do things you don't want to do all the time."

Jack smiled, looking for all the world like the cat that ate the canary. "Yes, Danny," he said slowly and carefully. Danny felt dread creep down his spine, knowing that somehow he had fallen into a trap. "But… remember, I'm married to your mother."

Danny tried to ignore the way his cheeks heated. "Yeah… well…" He shrugged. "Sam made a comment. She wanted to understand better… and… I think I do too."

There was silence for a moment, as his parents digested that information. The moment was broken when Jack slammed his hands down on the table. "Well!" he bellowed as he stood up. "In that case! I'll go pack up the equipment!" He laughed and rubbed Danny's head as he passed by. "Why don't you call Sam and Tucker over? We can go over how to use the equipment tonight!"

Maddie pursed her lips before they set in a thin frown filled with worry. "Actually, that's a very good idea." She got up and walked over to a drawer and pulled out a few items. "Just in case, you three should carry some charms. Danny, would you please come and look at these?"

Danny couldn't stop the frown from spreading across his face as he approached. But he knew that despite how uncomfortable some protective charms could make him feel, the fact was that they were useful.

No way was he going to let Sam and Tucker walk into a haunted location without something protecting them.

He ran his fingers over a few of the knickknacks his mother had produced: a pair of iron scissors, a few nails glued together in the shape of a cross, and a few keys.

As his fingers ran along the objects, some made his fingers itch, like fire dancing on his skin.

After checking each of the objects, he shook his hand, attempting to alleviate some of the pain the objects had left. "The keys aren't iron enough. Too much other stuff in them. The scissors and nails will work though."

His mom nodded and picked up those two items. "Okay, I'll give these to Sam and Tucker. Make sure that they keep them on at all times during the investigation." She put them in a pocket and then wiped her hands. Danny opened his mouth to tell her that wasn't necessary, but then thought better of it and just smiled. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile back. "I'll make a charm with some herbs for you, something more comfortable."

He sighed following that, and he could feel his shoulders relax. He hadn't been aware of his shoulders tensing, but they had relaxed immediately at that statement. Iron lasted longer than herbs, but that didn't mean he liked carrying it. "Thanks, Mom."

She sighed and her smile fell, going back into concerned mother mode. "I hope you don't regret this, Danny," she began, running a hand through her hair. "Your father and I have done a lot of investigating ourselves, but we've never found anything like you tend to without even trying."

Danny looked down at the keys left on the counter. They didn't have enough iron in them left to be protective charms against the supernatural. He pursed his lips for a moment before responding. "I know… but I think that's why I want to do this myself."