This started as kind of a "concept drabble", but I really grew to like it and typed up this bit in a couple of days. :3 I plan on continuing it at some point.

Since this is a story I started writing the day I came up with it, it's not entirely well plotted out and it may take a while to reach the meat. Plus, the chapters aren't all that long. XD Small project here.

EDIT 3/16/14- fixed some minor spelling errors

Enjoy~

,.~*~.,

Sam Manson had gotten into a very unusual subject of study- the paranormal studies. She lived in an unusual house in an unusual neighborhood and had now added to that list an unusual job. On top of all that, Sam was an unusual girl. She had always been that way, ever since she was born. Now, twenty-three years into her life, she hadn't changed into a normal person yet.

She had always had an interest in the supernatural. She knew a lot about ghosts, and was a self-proclaimed "expert" in the field. No job she had ever had had piqued her interest for very long (she had gotten fired from her last job because she disagreed with the manager), and now, to her excitement, she had gotten a new one. And this one had caught her interest.

Sam was going off to work at a base that studied paranormal entities. It was like a dream come true. She was going to be working with real paranormal experts!

The woman arrived at this base to find a man there waiting for her. He had graying hair and pale blue eyes. He wore a black suit of some sort, with a loose white dress shirt underneath. He greeted her with a smile. "My name's Cal. I'm going to be your new supervisor, Miss Manson."

Sam gave him a bit of an awkward smile, silently making a note of his slight southern drawl.

"I hear you're a self-proclaimed paranormal expert. Tell me what you know," Cal continued, typing in a passcode for the entrance to the base.

"Well, I know that ghosts are like imprints of a person's soul," she began as they entered. "They're created by violent deaths or deaths died in extreme fear, or in intense anger. That's why there are so many angry ghosts."

"Very good research," said Cal.

"The ghosts are made of ectoplasm and a mental imprint. Not really the deceased's soul, but more of a copy derived from his final thoughts before death," Sam continued. "Kind of like the image left on the retina after seeing something lit. After a while, the image starts to invert in color, which is why ghosts tend to have such a strange color scheme. They're inverted images of the original."

"You seem to know what you're talking about," said Cal. "I don't think we were mistaken to bring you here." He typed another passcode and entered through the sliding doors into a large, complicated complex that resembled a mix of a laboratory and a bunch of offices. There were some other rooms mixed in with it all, with windows and doors to peer right into some special offices.

"Wow," said Sam. "So, where am I going to be?"

Cal motioned for Sam to follow him, then walked off. Sam was right behind him, looking left and right at all the workers, who would sometimes glance up to take a look at their newest addition. The two approached the only room with a closed door, marked "Paranormal Phenomena". They stopped in front of the glass window, which appeared to be soundproof. Cal motioned to the man inside.

"Miss Manson, this is Daniel Fenton." Sam looked over at the young man hunched over the unfinished device. His raven-black hair was messy and hanging in his face. He had a screwdriver in his mouth and a keen look of concentration in his eyes amplified by the dark-rimmed glasses perched upon his nose. "You're going to be his new assistant."

"OK," Sam said reluctantly. "But, um... what does he do?"

"He's an expert on entities that are half ghost, half living thing. 'Halfas', he calls 'em. Only 25 years old, but knows more than all of the world's leading paranormal experts on the subject combined. Spends most of his time researching, or working on weapons or solutions."

Sam shot another look at Daniel. The man removed the screwdriver from his mouth and began to twist something into place on his work. "Is he alone most of the time?"

"All the time." Cal chuckled dryly. "Says he doesn't need anybody. We beg to differ. He just doesn't want anybody with him."

Sam nodded. "I see. So you got me to keep him company when he doesn't want it."

"Exactly, ma'am." The man opened the door to Daniel's workspace and motioned Sam inside. The woman entered. Daniel seemed unaware of her presence, much less the fact that his door had been opened. "Mr. Fenton, this is Samantha Manson."

Daniel grunted. "Cal, I didn't ask to meet with anybody," he said without turning around. "I'm busy. Aquaint me at another time."

"But she's here to help you with business," Cal countered.

"I don't need help. Tell Boss that this girl can get a job with some other guy. I work alone."

Whoah, harsh, Sam thought.

"Afraid of getting too close, Fenton?" asked Cal. "I know your type."

"No, you really don't," Sam heard Daniel mutter under his breath. She wasn't sure Cal heard him.

"She's staying. That's final." With that, the supervisor left the room, leaving Sam alone with Daniel.

Sam stood there for a while, wondering when the man would notice her presence. Finally, after a long while, Sam decided to speak. "So, um... is there anything I can do?"

Daniel turned around for the first time, looking a little surprised. "Oh, I... didn't know you were still here. I guess Cal left you here." He sighed. "So, you're doomed to be my assistant, right?"

"Right," Sam answered.

"I told Cal a long time ago that I don't need an assistant, but am I listened to? No..." His voice trailed off. "Anyway, sorry about the mess. I don't usually have people in here." Daniel shoved a box of gadgets out of the way with his foot, then brushed a pile of candy wrappers off of his desk and into a trash can. "What help can you be? I work alone," he said, exasperation clear in his tone.

"I could just keep you company," said Sam.

Daniel scoffed. "Then you're just dead weight. An assistant helps. Cal had to have brought you here because he thinks you can help me out somehow." He sat back in his chair and began tinkering with his tie.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing a leather jacket, a t-shirt, and a necktie," she said somewhat randomly.

"So? It looks cool," said Daniel. "Insulting my fashion sense is not helping, miss... Manson, was it?"

"Call me Sam," said Sam. "Assistants should call each other on a first-name basis."

"Well in that case, call me Danny. Not Daniel, not Fenton. Leave that to my supervisors and the Boss." He spun around in his chair. "Enough small chat, I've got to get back to work on this thing." Danny picked up a tool and began working on the device again.

Sam pulled up a chair and sat down next to Danny, deciding to satisfy herself by watching him work. His hands seemed a bit oversized due to his slender wrists. They were calloused from all the working he did, from the looks of them. And his eyes somehow looked older, perhaps from being alone so much. There was nothing youthful about his eyes.

"What is that thing?" asked Sam.

Danny sighed. "It's a weapon. That's all you need to know."

Sam continued to watch him in silence, seeing how masterfully he worked on the weapon. He had the skill of someone three times his age, as if he had been doing such a thing for his entire life. Finally, with a twist of his screwdriver, Danny grunted and set the tool down. "Enough of that one," he said. "That's the end of your first day now. I'm about to go home, so you'd better get going, too."

Sam blinked and looked at the clock. She realized she had been watching Danny work for about two hours. "Oh. Guess I should," she said, standing up.

Danny cleared off his desk and put everything in some drawers, then brushed off his hands. He gave Sam a quick yet sharp glare. "Well, go on. Go home."

Sam nodded, slightly irritated at the man's brusqueness. But she understood where he got it from. He was alone most of the time; he didn't really seem to know exactly how to act around other people. So she left the office and left Danny alone.

That man is a mystery, she thought, receiving her official passcodes from Cal, who gave his goodbyes. She decided she'd drop by Danny's office especially early the next morning and do something for him, even if he didn't like it.

,.~*~.,

That's all I have for chapter 1. XD Bespectacled!Danny... More revealed in each chapter about this new, mysterious Danny. He's not the man you knew from the series... Well, he is, but this is a clear AU. Packed full of a mysterious Danny.

Oh, and here's some news on FRONTLINES:

Due to this project coming on the scene and other busy stuff along with a lack of motivation to type Frontlines, you may have to wait till NOVEMBER to get the finished story. Then you'll have to wait till January before I post Desecration, cause I have a lack of motiv on that too!

Just felt I should say that. I apologize for making you wait.