A/N I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and depending on where you are hopefully the freakish cold wave didn't affect you too badly. My family and I were thankfully safe and didn't lose power or heat or anything, I hope all of you were just as fortunate. Anyway I'm here again with another chapter for the story, and I hope all of you enjoy it. Please remember to leave a REVIEW after reading, I love you so much for them. 9 great reviews from the last chapter, thank you to all of you. And without further ado please enjoy.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Danny and Ember were still hand in hand as they flew towards Fenton Works together. They both glanced at each other with a smile before going invisible and intangible to faze into the house, going straight to the basement. Danny did a quick look through the house to make sure everyone was occupied before joining Ember by the portal. Neither of them wanted to leave the other, but unfortunately one of them still had school in the morning. What Danny would give to not go and instead spend more time with Ember.
"Ember, I know that tonight had a bit of a rough spot thanks to this tiger, but all in all I had an amazing time with you tonight," said Danny setting the thermos on the table that still contained the stripped intruder. "
Ember took a look at the ghost portal that lead to her realm before looking back to her boyfriend. The last thing she wanted right now was to be anywhere but here with him. This night had been the best of her existence, even with the tiger ghost sticking it's snout in where it didn't belong.
"Danny, I can safely say that even with the interruption, this has been the absolute best night I've ever had.
And I want so many more of them," said Ember stepping into Danny's embrace, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Danny happily accepted and returned it with interest.
"I definitely want to see you again as soon as possible, if anything so we can do more of this," said Danny grinning suggestively. Ember smirked at his words, feeling much more cheerful since they left the lake.
"Oh don't you worry about that, there's so much more where that came from," said Ember winking at him while guiding his hands around her waist. She wanted him to get a really good feeling for how it felt to have her in his arms so he'd crave it more and more.
"Well since I decided what we did tonight, I guess it's only fair for you to decide what we do next time," said Danny, his mind feeling so elated as his hands were gripping Ember's waist, feeling her smooth skin thanks to her crop top exposing most of her stomach.
"Alright then, how about tomorrow after you get out of that prison that you refer to as school, you come to my realm and I can show you a thing or two about playing the guitar," said Ember sliding her own arms around Danny's neck, while also leaning in so her lips were right against his ear. "And just maybe, we can have a much longer make out session, definitely my favorite perk of having such a cute boyfriend." With that Ember gave his ear a small nibble which caused Danny's entire body to erupt in goosebumps and shiver.
"Holy moly, I think I just lost the feeling in my legs," said Danny as his knees buckled. Ember smirked at his words, thinking it was so cute how nervous he sounded considering when they first met he didn't have any trouble making witty remarks.
Suddenly they heard a light turn on from upstairs and someone descending from the upper level.
"Hey Danny, is that you, are you home?" called Jazz from the middle of the stairs.
"Crap, I don't know what Jazz heard but she can't find us like this," said Danny looking towards the stairs that lead up to the main house.
"Well then I guess this is where we part ways, but I gotta make sure you're thinking about me non stop until I have you all to myself again," said Ember as she pulled Danny's lips against hers. The passion of the kiss was so strong that both of their minds almost flew right out of their heads, sinking into the deep feelings they both had for each other.
With a pop of their lips, they separated and Ember hovered over to the portal, looking back to Danny one more time.
"Chao dipstick, I'll see you later," said Ember with one more wink as she hopped on her guitar and flew off into the ghost zone, leaving a very lovestruck Danny watching with a smitten look all over his face.
"Hey Danny, are you down in the lab?" called Jazz as Danny snapped out of his trance and turned, hearing Jazz now descending the lab stairs.
Quickly going invisible, Danny flew out of the lab and outside the front door. With a quick glance to make sure nobody was around, he transformed back into Danny Fenton before walking into the house, giving the appearance that he'd just come home alone.
"Hey Jazz, I'm home," said Danny acting casual.
Jazz heard Danny come in and came back up from the lab, looking eager.
"Hey, so how did the date go?" asked Jazz with an enthusiastic smile. It's possible she was a little too eager to make sure her little brother had a somewhat normal life. After all their parents certainly weren't helping in that regard, and neither was his secret double life.
But Danny was a little reserved in wanting to share the details of his night. In a perfect world he'd be shouting it to the world from the op center with a megaphone, unfortunately this was not a perfect world.
"It was pretty amazing, she's really something else," said Danny, closing the door with a smile, still in a daze from that last kiss. "I'm not quite ready to share the details, but it was amazing."
Jazz was thrilled that he had such an amazing first date. As Danny was walked up the stairs to his room she gave him a supportive smile, letting him know that she was happy for him. Walking into his room and closing the door, Danny walked right over to his bed and fell on his back still smiling. He stayed there for ten whole minutes just staring at the ceiling in happiness before getting up to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas. It had been one hell of a night.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sam and Tucker were both still in shock, and in Sam's case anger, as they gathered together in Sam's basement to figure out what to do. Less than thirty minutes ago they had seen Danny flying hand in hand with none other than Ember McLain, one of his sworn enemies. They had been quite high in the air, but even without binoculars they didn't have any trouble recognizing the two ghosts thanks to their very unmistakable appearances. Sam was pacing back and forth so fast it seemed like she might walk right through the floor. Tucker was sitting in the very comfortable theater chair, his head going back and forth with Sam like he was watching a tennis match.
"She's done something to Danny, I don't know what or how, but she's done something to him that has him either liking her, or caring about her, in love with her, or whatever her spell did," said Sam, her eyes looking like they're about to shoot laser beams into the floor. She hadn't been able to stop her body from shaking with rage since seeing them in the sky.
"Sam, calm down, I'm worried too and want to help him, but we're not going to think of anything if you can't get your emotions under control," said Tucker, trying to be the reasonable one. Apparently the universe had flip flopped and become parallel.
"How can I calm down Tucker, our best friend is under some kind of spell from that hotheaded diva that not too long ago tried to take over the world. She's probably influencing Danny for another attempt at world domination, except he'll be on her side this time against his will," said Sam waving her arms wildly.
Tucker was trying to think of another explanation but came up with nothing. Seeing as neither he nor Sam knew of what was really going on between them, all they could do was assume based on what they saw.
"Well how can we help him?" asked Tucker wracking his thoughts. "If we just confront him about it while he's under a spell he'll probably get defensive, and then Ember will get informed and find out we're on to whatever her plans are."
Sam clenched her fist and pounded it into the seat beside Tucker before falling onto her butt, still shaking with frustration.
"Well what else can we do? We can't just stand back and let her do whatever it is she's doing," said Sam gripping the arm rests tightly. "The more time that goes by the stronger her influence probably becomes. For all we know this started the day we saw her in that cemetery, in fact that's probably exactly when it started. I've actually been suspicious about this for a while but didn't have any hard evidence to back it up until now. Hell just yesterday I saw him reading a guitar book in the park trying to learn how to play."
This was the first Tucker was hearing about that and added another level of concern. The more he was filled in, the harder it was getting to suggest something else was going on.
"Okay so let's go over what we know so far, which unfortunately isn't much," said Tucker sitting back in his seat. "Danny fought Ember in Skery City a little more than a month ago, which we showed up for in the middle. Danny has been very absentminded since and spends every lunch period listening to music, which is most likely Ember's. He's trying to learn how to play the guitar at least as of yesterday. And tonight he was on what he told Jazz was a date."
"Yeah, and unfortunately none of that sounds good, sounds like you're reading a blueprint for turning Danny into Ember's mind controlled pet," said Sam with narrowed eyes. "And Danny is a teenage boy, who knows what kind of sleezy stuff Ember has been doing to keep him under her control." That last thought sounded worse than a horror film for Sam, almost making her whole body erupt in flames from rage...and jealousy. If she found out Ember was physically doing stuff to Danny she would mercilessly destroy every last bit of her.
Tucker was tapping his fingers against both his arm rests as he tried to think, Sam doing the same, except she was using clenched fists.
"Well at the very least he hasn't done anything that would be considered bad yet," said Tucker looking at Sam. "We do have one advantage. Now that we know, we can keep a more specific eye on him and watch for anything suspicious."
Sam was not a big fan of the idea of just watching and waiting, especially with the possibility that Danny was engaging in who knows what with Ember, but she was smart enough to know that confronting a possibly love influenced Danny could be hazardous. What if doing so would make him defensive of Ember and cause him to use his powers against them?
"Fine, tomorrow at school let's just keep a close eye on him and see if we can subtly ask him questions that would give us clues," said Sam holding her hands up in an attempt to calm herself down. "But I promise as soon as I find that bubble gum haired diva I'll make sure she never lays a hand on Danny again."
Tucker reached over to put a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. He knew that she was dealing with more than just simply wanting to help her friend, and he hated seeing her like this.
"Don't worry Sam, whatever Ember did to him, we'll undo it and stop whatever it is she's planning," said Tucker giving her a soft pat.
Sam nodded her head lightly while taking a deep breathe. They had to play this carefully if they were going to save Danny, starting tomorrow morning.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
November 17, 2004
Sam and Tucker had hoped that they'd be able to make quick work on helping Danny by staying close to him and figuring out what was wrong with him so they could help. Unfortunately for them both, Danny was by all means completely fine. Yes he was still slightly different in his personality, but the only real noticeable difference was that he was...happy. From the morning after they saw him flying with Ember, Danny didn't give any obvious signs that he was under any kind of love spell or such like when he was infatuated with Sam. He was just happy, all the time. He was always smiling, whenever he walked it was quite proudly, he seemed really confident in himself, and nothing seemed to put him in a bad mood. Even when Dash would attempt to shove him in a locker or Paulina would make snobby remarks about his social status, Danny would just brush it off and not let it bother him. Both Sam and Tucker kept looking for openings to say that they knew about Ember and wanted to protect him, but Danny just wasn't giving them the opening they needed. Every night they would both meet to recap what they had observed and if there was any new information to share, but they both kept coming up completely empty.
The more time went by the more anxious they were both getting, particularly Sam. Every day she was getting more and more eager to figure out whatever it was that Ember had done to Danny and put an end to it, but nothing had changed since the night they found out. She would even make an attempt to try to get closer to Danny again like she had at the movie theater, thinking that maybe if she showed she was interested in being more than friends it could draw his attention away from Ember and weaken the spell. The only thing was part of her still really was leaning towards wanting that.
A few days after seeing Danny with Ember, Sam was walking up to Danny while he was at his locker as lunch period was starting. She wanted to try to get to him before he tried to go off by himself again.
"Hey Danny, how's the day been treating you so far?" asked Sam leaning against the lockers smiling.
"Oh hey Sam, it's been pretty good so far, can't complain," said Danny with his own smile, though his was platonic.
Sam was looking into Danny's eyes, really trying to find a sign that he was under some kind of love spell, but nothing was there. He looked completely normal. In a way that only made Sam more irritated because she couldn't figure out how he was being influenced. Maybe if she made physical contact with him.
"Oh, you have a little bit of fuzz on your neck, let me get that for you," said Sam pretending to notice something as she reached behind Danny's head. While pretending to grab something and flick it away, she let her hand linger on his skin and rubbed it a bit, as if she was smoothing something out. Her fingertips were gently brushing his neck as she lightly smiled, but Danny was now noticing that she was lingering and felt a little odd.
"Um, thanks Sam, I think that's ok," said Danny gently moving his head but still looking friendly, not wanting to seem forceful. Sam however wasn't ready to give up yet, determined to weaken whatever hold Ember had on him.
"You're looking really nice today, did you shave recently?" asked Sam taking in his cleanshaven face. It was a bit of a reach, she wasn't even sure if Danny was able to grow facial hair yet.
"Um, no, just my normal face, are you okay Sam?" asked Danny. She was acting a little off again just like when she had suggested they see the Notebook last week.
"Yeah, I'm great, you're just seeming more mature looking lately," said Sam in her attempt to flirt. She might need some more practice because all Danny was feeling was a little weird.
"Well, thanks I guess," said Danny slightly forcing his smile. With the way Sam was acting he was actually wanting to put a little distance between them. "Um, I'm gonna go ahead and use the bathroom, so I'll catch up with you later."
As Danny walked away with a little more speed in his steps, Sam's face had turned form pleasant to irritated that she still was getting nowhere in finding out what was wrong with him. Naturally this was making her anger and irritation of the situation rise little by little every day. Danny wasn't doing anything that could suggest he was being controlled, just his usual day to day activities at school and ghost hunting afterwards. However, that was just when Sam and Tucker were actually around him, which is something they couldn't do 24/7.
Danny was in fact taking every opportunity he could to see Ember whenever he wasn't occupied with his friends or ghost hunting. Over the next two weeks Danny and Ember were both spending as much time together as possible. The day after their first date, Danny visited Ember in her realm after school and enjoyed his first guitar lesson from her. She taught him the proper way to hold and strum a guitar and how to read the music sheets. After about an hour Danny was strumming chords together at a steady pace and it sounded pretty nice for a beginner. Naturally they set aside plenty of time to make out as well, both of them unable to get enough of each other's lips. Before long Danny's lips were about as purple as Ember's, which she smirked at regularly and said it looked good on him.
Ember, being the rebel that she was, would also take the opportunity to sneak into Danny's house and see him while his family was occupied. Once she even snuck into his room while he was playing his space shuttle simulator and pulled him into a deep kiss, which resulted in the simulation crashing in a huge explosion. Danny quickly got over it and felt a rush making out with his girlfriend in his bedroom. He'd only been able to dream of having a girl in his room before, now he actually had one sneaking in to see him. In order to lower the risk of someone walking in on them while they were together, Danny brought her up to the op center where it was more private. They'd even faze through the ceiling of the op center to lay down on the roof and gaze at the stars. Danny would point out all the constellations that he knew to her, even making one up and saying it was of her. Ember found this quite sweet and pulled him into another kiss that Danny happily accepted and returned.
There was however one person that was aware of their growing relationship and was quite excited about it, Kitty. A little while after their first date, Kitty had seen Danny once again heading to Ember's realm and had taken the opportunity to invite herself in while they were making out on Ember's couch. After the two lovebirds separated themselves and got over the initial shock, plus threatening to end Kitty's afterlife if she ever barged in on them again, they all had a good talk about how happy they were together and how thrilled Kitty was for them. It actually felt nice to both of them that someone knew and was in support of their relationship. Danny was pretty sure Sam and Tucker would not feel the same way, but hopefully whenever they did find out he could avoid that situation.
All in all everything seemed to be going so well for Danny and Ember. They were together and happy, and it all just felt so natural to them. But a little down the road they found out they would be taking a few days away from each other when Danny came home one day to find his mother holding an interesting looking letter addressed to him.
November 29, 2004
"Danny, you got a letter in the mail sweetie," called Maddie as Danny walked in the door.
Walking into the kitchen Danny put his bag down and picked up the letter from the table while Maddie was tending to dinner at the same time she was experimenting with whatever latest gadget she and Jack had been working on.
"Mmmm, interesting, wonder what this could be," said Danny curiously as he opened the letter. As he started reading his curiosity turned into complete surprise as his mouth dropped from reading. "HOLY CRAP, IT'S FROM NASA!"
Maddie heard Danny's shout from behind her and almost dropped her stirring spoon as she spun around.
"What, what do you mean NASA?" said Maddie as her own curiosity had peaked. Danny had a huge open mouth smile as he kept reading.
"NASA is reaching out to me and inviting me to a special space camp in Huntsville Alabama this weekend," said Danny excitedly as he started reading exactly what the letter said out loud.
Dear Mr. Fenton,
On behalf of NASA we would like to congratulate you on being one of the top users of our space shuttle simulator program. Our database indicates that you are one of the top five users nationwide for hours logged on the program. We have also taken note of your exceptional use of the program where you have successfully launched and landed the simulator over one hundred times. To reward our top users, NASA would like to invite you along with the other top five users of our simulator for a free weekend at Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama. You'll spend the entire weekend touring the facility, meeting real astronauts, getting firsthand knowledge of how rockets are built, and even get to climb aboard the first shuttle that will be launched form Huntsville in history. It is currently being set up now by a private funder and will be ready to launch next summer. Your travel arrangements have been made already if you choose to accept. Please reach out to us by calling the number below before the end of Wednesday, December 1st so we can provide you will your itinerary.
Sincerely,
Pallas Divums
Danny almost dropped the letter while staring straight ahead. This was a dream come true, to visit a real NASA facility and explore everything that went into building and operating a space shuttle.
"This is unbelievable, I must be dreaming," said Danny as he sat down at the table in shock. Maddie picked up the letter and read it herself, wondering if this was some kind of scam.
"I don't know sweetie, doesn't this feel a little suspicious?" asked Maddie inspecting the letter. It sure looked official, but still, she'd never heard of NASA inviting kids to one of their facilities.
Danny however had complete blinders on, too excited from the idea of visiting a NASA facility to think logically.
"Are you kidding me, how can this not be real, look at it," said Danny pointing at the stationary logo at the top of the page. "I'm calling the number right now, where's the phone?"
Danny was so excited he didn't even see the house phone sitting right on the table in front of him. After quickly rushing from one end of the kitchen counter to the other, he turned around to see his mom picking up the phone and showing it to him smartly, feeling a bit dumb that he hadn't seen it right in front of him.
Moments later Danny found himself on the phone with this Pallas Divums, confirming everything and being given the information he would need for the bus ride to Huntsville and where he'd be staying at the facility. He would however need his parents permission and a signed permission slip since he was underage. Maddie seemed a bit reluctant to sign, not very comfortable letting Danny go somewhere like this alone. But once Jack heard everything that was going on he rushed into the kitchen like an orange blue.
"My son, a NASA prodigy, never had a doubt," said Jack putting his hand on Danny's shoulder proudly. "Danny my boy, when you get there, be sure to let them know that the Fentons are here and ready to deal with any space ghosts that might be ready to cause trouble. In fact here, you can wear this jumpsuit to show that this family means business." Before Danny could protest he had an oversized orange jumpsuit thrown over his body as Jack grabbed the permission slip and signed it so fast that he almost tore right through it.
Danny was looking way too excited to say anything back about not caring about ghosts that could be there, however he didn't have any intention of bringing the jumpsuit. Maddie though was crossing her arms as Jack walked out of the room.
"Jack honey, are we absolutely sure about this, he's still just our little boy after all," said Maddie walking out of the kitchen after her husband.
Danny sat down at the dinner table, rereading the invitation and blown away by how amazing this was. All those hours he'd spent practicing on his simulator, who knew that it would lead to him being noticed by NASA themselves and inviting him to their facility. If he was dreaming he didn't want to wake up. First he gets an incredible and beautiful girlfriend in Ember, now his dream of one day joining NASA could be starting. Suddenly a thought occurred to him while he was processing all of this.
'Oh yeah, I need to tell Ember and everyone else about this, they're gonna be so thunderstruck,' thought Danny as he stood up and pulled out his cell phone. He'd call Sam and Tucker first and then go tell Ember in person at her realm. He'd just tell his parents that he was going out to celebrate with his friends before slipping back inside and through the portal.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Meanwhile over at Sam's house, she and Tucker were meeting again to once again go over the whole Danny and Ember situation. It had been two whole weeks since they'd seen the two together, but nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening. Whatever Ember was planning must be a long scheme.
"Tucker, I don't know how much longer I can handle not doing anything, we have to actually talk to him at some point," said Sam, once again pacing back and forth in the theater room.
"We've already been over this, if we ask Danny about it without something to go on it could backfire and he could inform Ember," said Tucker. "Until we know exactly what's been done to him we just can't risk it. For all we know Ember could deem him no longer needed if he's found out and hurt him."
Sam was gripping her hair tightly with both hands, this whole situation was killing her. The thought of her best friend possibly being controlled like this and not being able to do anything about it was maddening. And her attempts to get closer to him and weaken Ember's control seemed to have little to no effect. Almost as if he no longer had any feelings for her in that way whatsoever.
'I mean, we have come close to starting something before, has Ember's influence effected that, or does he just truly not have any interest in something happening between us?' Sam thought to herself. She didn't want to believe that was true, she still had suppressed hopes that something could happen between her and Danny. The memory of them holding hands in the theater was still pretty fresh on her mind. In fact before the lion ghost had appeared she had been mulling over leaning her head against his shoulder to snuggle together.
While Sam was letting these confusing thoughts stew in her head, she heard her phone start to ring. Pulling it out she beamed when she saw it was Danny.
"Tucker, it's Danny, he's calling right now," said Sam showing him the phone.
"Put it on speaker, say we're just heading to the Nasty Burger," said Tucker standing up as Sam flipped the phone open.
"Hey Danny, what's up," said Sam holding the phone out for them both to hear.
"Sam, you're not going to believe this, I got an invitation from NASA to come to a Space Camp this weekend in Huntsville, Alabama," Danny said excitedly. Both Sam and Tucker's mouths dropped in shock at this news.
"Wow seriously, how did that happen?" said Tucker with wide eyes.
"Oh hey Tuck, I was gonna call you next but this is even better," said Danny happily. "Where are you guys?"
"Um, we're just about to head to the Nasty Burger, and we were about to call you and see if you wanted to meet us there," said Sam trying to sound casual. "But this is huge, how did NASA even know you exist, let alone send you an invitation like that?"
"Well it turns out I'm one of the top five users of the space shuttle simulator, all those hours of using that program have seriously paid off bigger than I ever thought they could," said Danny, still super happy.
"Dude that is totally awesome, you gotta meet us at the Nasty Burger and tell us all about it," said Tucker just as happy for his friend. "Can you meet us there in fifteen minutes?"
Danny wanted to say yes, but he had one other thing he really needed to do first that he didn't want to put off.
"Um, maybe in about an hour, I have a few other people I need to tell first, but I'll be there as soon as I can," said Danny carefully, not wanting to seem suspicious. But unfortunately for him Sam and Tucker were already pretty sure what he was up to.
"Danny, are you sure you can't meet us right now, maybe just tell whoever else later?" asked Sam hopefully, not wanting Ember to find out about this if they could help it.
But Danny wasn't about to let himself be pulled away from telling his girlfriend such incredible news.
"Sorry guys, I really need to tell everyone about this, but don't worry, I can meet you both at the Nasty Burger in about an hour. I'll see you both then, bye," said Danny as he hung up the phone before either of them could say anything else.
Sam hung up her phone and was conflicted. She was thrilled that Danny had gotten such amazing news, but mortified that he was most likely about to tell Ember, which couldn't be anything good. But just as she was mulling that thought over, something occurred to her that could turn the tides of this whole situation in their favor.
"We need to find out where Ember's realm is in the ghost zone while Danny is away this weekend," said Sam with determination. "Danny will be away so he'll be safe for us to find her and take her out, freeing him from whatever has been done."
"But how are we gonna find her realm, we don't have any idea where to look," said Tucker in defeat. "We never really got to continue mapping out the ghost zone after we started."
"If Danny is under some kind of influence from Ember, then I'll bet you my entire belief system that he knows where her realm is at this point," said Sam as they started to walk out of the theater room together. "If he doesn't have directions or something saying where her realm is, I'll eat a whole 16 ounce steak."
Tucker momentarily stopped walking at her declaration. She must be really serious if she was willing to say that.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Danny was flying as fast as he could through the ghost zone towards Ember's realm, eager to tell her the amazing news. The only downside was that it would mean not seeing her for a few days, but he'd make it up to her as soon as he got back. Arriving at her door he knocked quickly, so excited to tell her.
Ember heard the frantic knocking that she wasn't expecting and got up to walk to her door. Ever since Danny had become her boyfriend he had come by to see her a few times, but they had all been planned. Assuming that was him at the door, was he here for a surprise visit? She certainly wouldn't be mad about that. Opening the door she smiled when she saw that it was indeed Danny, and he looked completely ecstatic about something.
"Well this is certainly a nice surprise, couldn't wait to get more of me baby pop?" said Ember flirtatiously as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around her boyfriend's neck, planting a passionate kiss on his lips.
"While I am always happy to see more of you and never get tired of kissing you, that's actually not why I'm here," said Danny as their lips separated. "But don't think for a second that I'll ever not want that. I'm actually here to tell you some amazing news, let's go inside." Taking Ember's hand, the two ghosts hovered into her realm and closed the door so no random passerby would see them together.
Sitting on the couch together, Ember placed her legs over Danny's lap as he took a deep breathe before speaking.
"I got an invitation from NASA to come to one of their facilities in Huntsville Alabama for a Space Camp weekend," said Danny beaming with excitement.
Ember's eyes shot open and her mouth opened wide into a huge smile.
"Are you serious?" she asked in shock. "Holy shit, that's unbelievable." Ember launched herself forward and hugged Danny in congratulations. This was something she felt he definitely deserved. With all the space talk he'd done since they got together, she knew this was a dream come true for him.
"Yeah, I leave Friday morning first thing," said Danny as they pulled back from their hug. "I'll miss school that day but I'll be able to get all the work to make up on the bus. I know this means I won't see you for a few days, but I'm really excited about this, and I promise I'll make it up to you too when I get back."
Ember now realized that this meant she wouldn't see him while he was gone, but she'd be okay for a few days. She didn't want to appear clingy, that wouldn't be a good image for her reputation.
"Well I'll definitely miss you, just make sure none of those southern girls get any ideas of making a move on you," said Ember smirking. "Just because none of the girls at your school were smart enough to realize such a hunk was right under their nose, doesn't mean girls somewhere else won't realize it. Make no mistake baby pop, you're all mine and I'm not sharing you." Ember leaned in for another quick kiss as she finished talking to finalize her point.
Danny however was more than willing to oblige, he'd have to be braindead to not realize he had the most amazing girl in the world and even thinking of replacing her would be worthy of having himself committed.
"You can rest easy Ember, I only have eyes for you," said Danny as they snuggled on the couch together. They both spent the next thirty minutes discussing what Danny was going to be doing during his weekend and how exciting it all was.
But before long Danny had to be heading back before anyone realized he'd just up and vanished without anyone knowing where he'd gone off to. Plus he said he'd meet Sam and Tucker. Ember's face turned a little sour at the mention that he had to head off to meet with the goth girl. She knew he didn't have any kind of romantic feelings for her, but she still didn't like her. But she also couldn't forbid him from seeing her, that also would not score her any girlfriend points, regardless of how much she'd love to actually tell him that. Danny promised though that he'd make it all up to her when he got back with an hour long back rub, something she was happy to accept. He did have one thing he wanted to give her though before he left.
"Here, I wanted to give you this to keep on you while I'm away," said Danny pulling some little gadget from his pocket. It looked like some kind of miniature radar.
"What is this and what do I do with it?" asked Ember confused, looking at the device from all sides, seeing that it of course had the name Fenton on it.
"This is actually a receiver," Danny explained pointing to the screen. I'll take a homing beacon with me when I go to Huntsville, and this receiver is connected to it. Just in case any kind of danger happens while I'm away, I can activate my beacon and it'll send a signal to this receiver, telling you exactly where I am so you can come find me just in case I need you."
Ember was so touched that Danny was trusting her with this and was using her basically as an emergency contact. It would also give her a little more peace of mind knowing that they'll still be able to contact each other if necessary.
"Well I'll keep it on me at all times, if it beeps I'll be there faster than you can blink," said Ember putting the receiver into her own pocket.
With one more passionate kiss and embrace, Danny flew off back to the human realm to meet with Sam and Tucker and celebrate his upcoming weekend.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
December 3, 2004
Danny was just finishing packing his bag for the bus ride to Huntsville when Jazz knocked on his door, wanting to wish him luck on his weekend.
"Hey Danny, just wanted to say bye and that I hope you have a great time this weekend," said Jazz giving her little brother a hug. Danny appreciated it and hugged her back.
"Thanks Jazz, I don't think I've ever been more excited for anything in my life before, it's a dream come true," said Danny zipping his bag shut.
"Well I'm gonna want to hear all about it when you get back, so be sure to take lots of notes and pictures while you're there," said Jazz, giving Danny a disposable camera.
"You got it, I'll just have to make sure I don't use all the pictures within the first hour," said Danny with a chuckle. Looking at his watch he saw that he had to get going, his bus was scheduled to leave in thirty minutes and he had to get to the station.
Jack and Maddie were waiting downstairs to see him off, Jack looking excited, Maddie still somewhat reluctant.
"Danny my boy, I couldn't be more proud of you," said Jack in his usual high energy voice. "You're got real passion in you, just like you're old man. And before you know it, you'll be hunting ghosts on the moon for NASA."
Danny let a soft fake chuckle out of his lips to humor his dad. He was pretty sure that scenario would not be happening anytime in the next 100 years, but it was usually best to just nod along with his dad's enthusiasm.
"Danny, sweetie, be careful and do everything that the guide tells you, and call us as soon as you get there," said Maddie giving her son a hug goodbye, lingering for a few moments. She'd never let her precious boy go this far away from her before.
"Don't worry mom, I'll be fine, it's just a weekend camp. It's not like I'm actually going to the moon or anything," said Danny reassuring his mom.
"I know, I just love you and still worry," said Maddie letting go. "Have a good time hun."
"I will, and I love you guys, see you Sunday night," said Danny as he walked out the door. With his bag in tow Danny started walking down the sidewalk towards the bus station a few blocks away. But before he even got to the end of the street he heard his name being called out.
"Danny, wait up," came Sam's voice as she was hurrying towards him alone. Stopping and looking back, Danny greeted his friend who he hadn't expected to see him off, having done so last night along with Tucker.
"Hey Sam, don't you need to be getting to school? What are you doing here?" asked Danny curiously.
"I...I just wanted to see you off again before you left," said Sam smiling. "I mean, this is such a huge thing for you and I wanted you to know how happy I am for you, and that I'll miss you while you're gone."
Sam was still really worried about the situation with Ember that she and Tucker still hadn't gotten any new info about, and Sam wanted to make sure she was the last person Danny saw before he left. Maybe if she showed Danny how much she cared about him right before he left, he'd be thinking more about her rather than Ember while he was away.
"Will you call me when you get there to tell me how it's all going?" asked Sam stepping a bit closer. Dany looked a little uneasy, not expecting Sam to be getting close to him like this.
"Um, yeah, not a problem, but I have to go so I don't miss the bus," said Danny trying to hurry.
"Okay, have a great time," said Sam as she stepped forward to give Danny a hug before he could stop her. She stayed in his personal space for a few seconds, really hoping she was having an affect on Ember's control...and also because she was really liking being in physical contact with Danny.
"Well, thanks Sam, but I really do have to get going," said Danny a little hastily as he gently took Sam's hands to remove them from around his body. "I'm only going to be gone for a few days, not a few weeks."
He was trying to keep his face from looking uncomfortable as he forced a smile, thinking Sam was being really weird again. She's never all touchy feely like this, yet lately she had been getting into his space quite a bit. He wasn't exactly offended by it, but he just didn't feel right unless Ember was the one doing it. Sam on the other hand was trying to hide the disappointed look on her face, telling herself she was just trying to help him, not because she wanted to be closer to Danny.
As Danny turned to walk away Sam felt really frustrated. Danny didn't seem to even like that she had hugged him, and even wanted to get away from her. And just like that, two weeks of suppressing her thoughts and emotions had now overflowed and erupted right out of her head. Whatever Ember had done to Danny she was going to put an end to it. Her best friend now seemed repulsed just by being close to her.
'That is it, I've had enough. I'm finding that hothead diva and taking her down today,' thought Sam as she turned around and started stomping in a bit of a huff. 'I'll wait until after school so Danny has time to get a safe distance in case Ember tries to do something to him, but she goes down today.'
Walking the whole way to school with a scowl on her face she starts looking for Tucker. Finding him by his locker she pushed it shut before he was even finished grabbing his stuff.
"Hey, what gives Sam, you almost took my fingers off," said Tucker flinching at Sam's sudden appearance.
"We're doing this right after school," said Sam seriously. "As soon as that bell rings we're getting the speeder, finding Ember's realm, and we're putting an end to her. Danny will be a safe distance where she can't do anything to him. We'll find whatever he has that says where her realm is, I'm 100% sure he has something. We'll arm ourselves up, and once we find her she'll be nothing but a pile of ecto goo."
Tucker was mulling over her proposal. He wasn't feeling as aggressive as Sam was, but he was completely on board if it meant freeing Danny from whatever control Ember had over him.
"Alright, let's do it," said Tucker nodding. "Let's just get through the day, strategize, and save Danny."
Sam grinned proudly while nodding her head. By the end of the day, Danny would be saved and Ember would be no more. She couldn't wait.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N Oh boy, trouble is definitely on the horizon. Sam and Tucker mean real business and Danny isn't anywhere around to help the situation. What will happen when Sam and Tucker confront Ember, probably not anything good. Will Danny have fun at Space Camp and what will he be returning to, doesn't sound like anything good. How do all of you think this will go down once the fireworks start? If you have any opinions or thoughts please let me know, I'd love to hear them. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, please remember to leave a REVIEW! Until next time, love you all.