Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.

A/N- Hi! I'm back! Sorry it took so long, I had to wait for the plot bunny to bite me again and then get a rabies shot- but here I am! Thanks to everyone who reviewed (it helps me write!)! I still can't believe how much attention this story has gotten. I promise not to discontinue the story- I'm gonna follow it through to the end, the updates may just take awhile...I'm hoping to fix that but we'll have to see. As promised, this chapter has a boat, the ocean, lots of Danny/Dash, Sam is totally up to something and uh-oh, someone spilled the beans...oh, and there may be a cult, but that's for your imaginations to decide....enjoy! And remember, reviews are love!

“I want all the details.”

Danny let out an unmanly squeak as his friend appeared out of nowhere and sat on the bench next to him. Across the table Sam, let out a distracted huff as she scanned the busy cafeteria for someone.

“The details?” Danny parroted, shooting panicked glances at Sam. She’d been on her own mini war path recently, taking every chance she could to make a sarcastic comment about Paulina. At the same time, she took every opportunity to point out how good Dash looked, or how talented he was. Tucker was convinced Sam had a crush on Dash- Danny had to wonder why she was siding with Dash, since there was obviously no love lost between the two of them.

Thankfully Sam didn’t seem to be paying them any attention. The last thing he needed was another earful of Paulina’s faults.

“Yeah!” Tucker shoved a handful of fries into his mouth, while somehow not hampering his ability to speak. “You totally ignored my calls all weekend. So spill- how great was it?”

He stared at his friend, idly wondering why it was that Tucker wasn’t the one dating Paulina.

“It was great.” He directed his attention towards his burger and firmly told himself that it wasn’t a lie. It had been great; he’d had fun, sort of. It was just a different kind of fun. Not like with say- Dash. He derailed that train of thought before it could go any further.

“What’d you do? Where’d you go?”

Next time he would just bring Tucker with him and then he wouldn’t have to answer fifty million questions, he decided.

“Did she kiss you?”

At that, Danny nearly choked on the burger he had been hiding behind. Tucker cast a victorious grin in his direction, assuring him that it had all been intentional.

“She did! Didn’t she?”

Danny was saved from having to answer as Sam suddenly straightened up and then, without a word to either of them, left their table.

The two boys exchanged a glance, confused and watched her go.

“What was that about?” Tucker asked, leaning to the side, trying to track their friend’s movements.

Danny copied his movements and watched as Sam marched over to…

“Uh oh.” He muttered. Sam walked right up to one of the popular kids tables and sat down.

“Did Sam just do what I think she did?” Tucker asked in disbelief.

If he meant, had Sam just walked over and sat herself down between Dash and Kwan, then he’d have to say that she did. Danny’s stomach sank.

The two jocks both looked at the goth girl sitting between them, then seemed to shrug and go back to whatever they had been talking about. Danny watched, incredibly confused as they easily integrated Sam into the conversation. There was no yelling, no bad jokes at her expense (from what he could see), and certainly no explosion. This defied everything Danny knew about their high school.

Nerds and jocks did not get along. They couldn’t even be seen in the same area.

But he’d broken the rules, hadn’t he? Or at least Paulina and Dash had and he’d somehow been swept along in their wake.

Sam finally looked over, deliberately catching his eye and giving a small wave. He was pretty sure she was smirking.

“So.”

Danny inwardly cursed as he jumped and knocked his head on the top shelf of his locker, surprised. With a groan, he glanced over his shoulder and turned pink as he realized just who he had embarrassed himself in front of.

Dash, for his part, didn’t appear all that apologetic. In fact, Danny was fairly certain that that was amusement in the blue eyes; the blue eyes that were traveling up and down his body, slowly.

Danny blushed even harder and watched as the eyes snapped up to meet his again.

“So?” Danny finished fishing his math textbook out of his locker, trying to control the way his heart was pounding in his throat. He took a breath and turned around, closing his locker and waiting for Dash to say whatever he felt he needed to say.

“So,” Dash began, gaze locked on the space next to Danny’s head. “Paulina mentioned you might be going to her party. Her, uh, boat party.” He clarified at Danny’s blank look.

“Oh, yeah.” The weather was just barely warm enough to hide his coat away in the back of his closet and Paulina was already planning a boat party. He’d never even seen her boat before.

“I guess I’ll see you there, then.” Dash cleared his throat and shifted somewhat awkwardly. A few people passing by gave them curious looks but the hall had emptied out enough that they weren’t gathering too many stares.

“Right.” He was feeling incredibly out of his depth.

Dash nodded, blinked and then turned to leave, apparently getting whatever it was he was looking for from the conversation and leaving Danny rather confused.

Danny reached out and stopped Dash from leaving with a hand on his arm before he could lose his nerve.

“What’s going on?” Dash stared blankly at him, as though he was the one speaking in riddles. “With us.” Danny clarified. He dropped his hand from Dash’s arm to gesture between them.

The blonde opened and then closed his mouth, searching for the right answer. Danny wasn’t sure there was a right answer.

“Nothing.” He finally said, gaze bouncing everywhere but Danny. “You’re dating Paulina and we’re…” He trailed off at a loss.

“Friends?” Danny offered. The word sat heavily on his tongue, awkward and imposing and not how he would have described them. He wasn’t sure what to use to describe them.

Dash gave him an unreadable look, and then nodded.

“Friends then.”

Danny watched as he turned and left, this time making no move to stop him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that ‘friends’ was a down grade from whatever it was that they were.

He was freezing. The cold air whipped around him, blowing his hair until he could barely see past his bangs and raising Goosebumps on his arms. Whoever had thought that a boat party when the snow had just melted was a good idea ought to be put away for a long, long time.

Oh yes, it had been his- uh- sorta girlfriends idea. Three dates, he figured that meant they were officially dating.

Danny pulled his sweater closer to his body as though it would somehow make him warmer. It hadn’t been warming him for the past hour, he was pretty sure it wouldn’t make any difference now.

The music was loud and the deck was shaking with the vibrations; he wasn’t even standing anywhere near the speakers and he was going deaf.

Paulina’s boat was huge. He was fairly certain that he could have fit the first floor of his house on the main deck- twice. As it was, he hadn’t seen Paulina in half an hour and he only knew three other people there, none of which liked him.

He hadn’t spotted Dash yet.

Part of him was dreading it, but a larger part of him was looking forwards to the quarterbacks company.

He was pretty sure Dash was avoiding him though. He’d barely run into him at school all week and now, even on the insanely large boat; he should have at least seen a hint of the blonde somewhere.

What if he hadn’t come?

Then Danny would be stuck alone for the next three hours until they docked again.

A violent shiver wracked his frame and he decided that he’d put in enough time on the main deck. He’d look for Paulina later, in the meantime he was going to make sure he didn’t catch pneumonia or end up with hypothermia. That would just be the perfect way to end his week.

The stairs leading down to the lower- and warmer- decks were steep and Danny had to cling to the railing and enlist in the help of some of his ghost abilities to keep from sliding all the way down.

There were at least two lower decks, possibly a third, but he still hadn’t gotten his sea legs and had given up after making it down two sets of stairs.

The first floor had been furnished with a pool table, video games, and couches. He’d been tempted to just stick to that floor, but there had been a group of teenagers gathered on the couches. He’d recognized one as the new jock to the school- Victor something? The football player had stared at him, dark eyes unreadable until Danny had ducked down to the next deck, feeling unsettled.

This floor, he decided he liked more. There was a mini bar and a fridge, twin couches and an amazing television. Plus it was empty. He could happily camp out there for the next few hours without any worries. Paulina would understand if he disappeared for awhile, right?

He was settled into the couch, pop in one hand, remote in the other when a voice came from over his shoulder.

“Looks like we had the same idea.”

Danny jumped, somehow managing not to spill his soda everywhere and shot a glare over his shoulder.

Dash grinned and hopped over the back of the couch to settle in next to Danny. It looked like the quarterback really did enjoy sneaking up on him.

“I thought you’d be up on the deck with the party.” Danny flicked on the television but barely paid it any attention as he surfed through the channels. His attention was unfortunately glued to the teenager next to him.

“And freeze to death? No way.”

He shot Dash a quick look out of the corner of his eye. The blonde was bundled up in a heavy sweater, which was a shame- Danny flushed pink as he realized where his traitorous mind had led him. He quickly cast around for a different subject.

“So, that Victor guy is pretty creepy.” Dash’s face darkened as he glanced at the ceiling above them as though the new football player could see his glare.

“Yeah.”

“I just thought you two would get along, since you have some things in common.”

“Are you calling me creepy?” Dash shot him a wounded look, but Danny got the feeling he was being teased.

“Only a little.” He teased back, enjoying the warm smile he received for it. “I just thought that all jocks got along.”

Dash let out a little huff of air and slung his arm over the back of the couch, which just so happened to be behind Danny’s shoulders.

“You make us sound like some sort of cult or something.”

Danny chose to let the silence speak for him.

“Sam would probably end up studying you if you were a cult.” He broke the silence a few moments later, sinking further into the cushions and against Dash in the process. It was just to warm up, he told himself.

“Is that why she’s been sitting with us recently?” The blonde asked, deftly stealing the remote from Danny and settling on a channel. “I thought she was just flirting with Kwan.”

“Sam and Kwan?” Danny repeated dubiously. That was the second person that thought there was something going on between Sam and Kwan- he had to be missing something. The other possibility was that everyone was losing their minds. He certainly knew the feeling.

“There are some weirder couples.” Dash said nonchalantly, but Danny caught the quick look in his direction. He just couldn’t figure out if that was a dig at him and Paulina. They were drifting into dangerous territory fast and Danny was out of his league.

“Why are you friends with Paulina?” He blurted out. He was failing at making conversation, floundering and grasping for any topic he could think of and making a fool of himself in the process.

“I dunno,” Dash shrugged and shot him an unreadable look. “I just always have been. You’re the one dating her- why are you dating her?”

Somehow he didn’t think that because she’s the most perfect girl ever would be the right answer here. Dash was staring at him, blue eyes dark and intense and he couldn’t tear his gaze away.

Danny’s hand had a mind of it’s own as it slid up Dash’s chest, feeling the hard muscles underneath his sweater. They weren’t friends- his mind helpfully pointed out. They were something else completely and it scared the hell out of him.

He froze as his phone broke the silence, the harsh sounds of his ring tone making him jump.

“Sorry,” Danny stammered, not sure what he was apologizing for. “I’ve got to get this.” He stumbled to his feet, trying not to take in Dash’s confused look or the heat in the blue eyes as they tracked his movements around the room.

“Danny.” Sam’s voice sounded loud and breathless in his ear. He gripped the cell phone closer and shot Dash a quick glance over his shoulder before disappearing down the next set of stairs.

“Sam- what’s up?” There was a muffled crash in the background and what sounded like Tucker yelling.

“We’ve got a ghost.” There was a pause as Sam yelled something back, but she sounded more exasperated than worried. “We could really use your help.”

They needed his help. He craned his neck and looked up the stairs but it looked like Dash had disappeared from what he could see.

No one would notice if he disappeared from the boat for half an hour, it certainly was large enough and it wasn’t like anyone was looking for him. He’d be there and back in no time.

“I’ll be right there.” He promised as she gave him their location and he hung up. Danny waited silently, checking to make sure there wasn’t anyone around and then went ghost, stepping out through the side of the boat, turning invisible and heading for shore.

It had taken him longer than he had thought it would, but not by much. What he’d originally thought was the box ghost turned out to be a rather vicious relative of the box ghost. One that was determined to bury Tucker under a pile of crates and ship Sam to Mexico of all places; Sam had looked like she’d been considering it too.

Danny really missed the old days when it was the box ghost and all he wanted were boxes. Ghosts nowadays were just getting weird.

He slipped back onto the boat, taking a moment to ensure he was alone before turning back.

The music was still loud, three decks above him, so obviously no one had come looking and panicked when they hadn’t been able to find him.

A challenging ghost (albeit with odd aspirations), a chance to warm up and he got the ditch the party (that last year he would have killed to attend); he’d say that it had been a good day.

Maybe he’d watch some television until they docked.

Only slipping once, Danny climbed the stairs to the floor where he’d been watching television with Dash earlier only to come face to face with an irate blonde.

He managed to stop himself from falling backwards down the stairs, but only just. He let out a startled eep as Dash grabbed him by the arm and hauled him over to the couch, forcing him to sit down and then towering over him.

“Dash?” He asked, startled- most definitely not cowering or watching fascinated as Dash’s face turned various shades of red and his eyes an incredible clear blue.

“Where the hell did you go?” The blonde demanded, voice a harsh whisper, probably so they wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.

“Uh- nowhere?” Danny tried, breath catching in his throat as Dash leaned closer to stare him in the eye.

“Paulina was looking for you.” Danny blanched. “And I covered for you because you weren’t anywhere on the boat.”

Dash had covered for him? How had he known he was gone?

“That’s ridiculous; I was on the lower deck.”

“No, you weren’t.” Dash stated with such certainty that Danny knew it would be close to impossible to convince the quarterback otherwise. He’d apparently really screwed up this time.

“You must have missed me.” Danny assured him, aiming for a smirk and failing horribly.

“I searched this entire boat.” Dash leaned even closer until he had an arm braced on either side of Danny’s head on the back of the couch. Danny leaned further back into the cushions but there still was barely any space separating them. “I told Paulina that you were seasick and that’s why she couldn’t find you- but you weren’t on the boat.”

Dash wasn’t blinking, Danny realized. And the blue eyes were filled with anger, frustration and- worry. Dash had been worried about him.

“You thought I’d fallen into the water?” Danny asked, hesitantly.

Dash blinked and frowned.

“Not when I realized that you’d gone down stairs.” That was as close to an admission as he’d get out of the quarterback. The thought that Dash was worried about him warmed him more than his sweater was, but made him feel guilty at the same time.

“I’m sorry I made you worry.” Danny apologized, reaching up and resting a hand on one of the hands braced next to his head. The hand under his turned, and threaded their fingers together and Danny was suddenly very aware that he was- kind of- holding hands with Dash. It was unnerving how natural it felt.

“I looked everywhere.” Dash continued, frown marring his features. “And you weren’t on the boat.”

The blonde continued to study him, surprise creeping across his features as the anger melted away before disappearing as Dash pulled back and slumped down onto the couch next to him, their hands still linked between them. Danny wasn’t sure he knew how to let go.

“What?” Danny asked.

“Nothing.” Dash tilted his head back and closed his eyes, looking exhausted for some reason.

“Tell me.” He persisted, tugging on their joined hands. Dash looked down at their hands as though just noticing them, then up at Danny briefly before his gaze bounced away again.

“It’s just- it’s almost like you’re…” Dash trailed off, then met Danny’s gaze again, letting out something that sounded like a laugh, but sounded too hysterical for his liking. It wasn’t Dash’s laugh, it sounded wrong coming from the blonde. “Never mind. It’s a stupid idea.”

Danny’s breath caught in his throat. Maybe Sam was right, maybe he was being an idiot. He was pretty sure that he was about to make a huge mistake but his mouth was moving before his brain could catch up with the rest of him.

“Almost like I was Phantom?”

Dash stilled next to him, eyes flying to Danny’s. He waited for the yelling, for Dash to take off to tell everyone, or for the disbelieving laughter.

None came.

There was no explosion. There was no laughter or ghosts attacking or Paulina bursting down the stairs to tell everyone. Dash didn’t even move; he just stared at Danny.

There was just a slow, shocked nod as understanding began to seep into the blue eyes.

Danny was ready to laugh it off, to pretend it had all been a joke, but he couldn’t.

Sam and Tucker knew, and he found that he wanted Dash to know- needed him to know, to understand.

“But you’re-“ He was pretty sure Dash was about to say not Danny Phantom, but they were interrupted.

“Danny!” Paulina appeared at the top of stairs. “There you are!”

“Hey Paulina.” He discretely pulled his hand from Dash’s, careful so Paulina wouldn’t notice; he was pretty sure he was on the verge of panicking.

“Oh good- you’re feeling better.” She smiled at him, a dazzling smile. Danny tried to return it, but he was feeling unsettled, off balance and it was no where near what it should have been.

Paulina seemed to take it all in stride though, waving at him to come join her.

“There are some people I’d like you to meet!”

“I’ll be right there.” He promised as she turned on heel and disappeared up the stairs again.

“Danny-“ Dash began.

Danny propelled himself to his feet and scrubbed a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture.

“I- uh, guess I’ll see you later.” He mumbled, excuses for what he said forming in his head for later.

“Danny.” Dash called again.

Danny paused at the bottom of the stairs but didn’t turn around.

“I’ll see you later.”

Part of him had expected a threat, but it didn’t sound like a threat. In fact, he knew it wasn’t one. Danny smiled to himself, nodded and continued up the stairs to where Paulina was waiting.

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