He had both his hands around her waist while her hands were on his shoulders. They were awkwardly swaying to the music in their school gymnasium. There were other couples around them, but he barely even noticed. He was more focused on her. Instead of her usual attire, Sam was wearing a black and purple gown. He himself was wearing a tux.

"Geez," Sam said, awkwardly, "Are sappy love songs the only ones the school has?"

"Hmm? Oh. Right. Yeah," he replied, again awkwardly, "Totally sappy, right?"

"Heh. Yeah."

She blushed and looked away. They both continued swaying in silence. Truth was he really wasn't paying attention to the song. He was really paying more attention to her. Sam looked real pretty in that dress. Of course, he thought that she always looked pretty. Her glossy, raven hair, her shining, amyethyst eyes, her beautiful, heart-warming smile. Just one smile at him was enough to make him practically melt inside. To say nothing of that sparkle she'd get in her eyes when she looked at him.

Then again, that sparkle was also there whenever she wielded a Fenton thermos in her hand during their ghost hunts. He had long since lost count of how many times Sam had saved his butt with that thermos or whatever Fenton invention happened to be at hand whenever Skulker or Ember were about done destroying him for good. She'd get that sparkle in her eyes, aim her weapon, and a POW! ghost was gone. Then she'd kneel down to him all worried and check to see he was alright. All this concern just for him. Then after reassuring her he was okay, she'd give him one of her beautiful smiles. And he'd smile back. And then they would usually be interrupted by Tucker or Jazz or some other distraction. Their moment would be gone. That blissful, sweet five seconds or so was gone. But he would never forget them.

"Danny?"

"Huh?"

He snapped out of his daydream and looked back at Sam. She was looking back up at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh. No. Everything's just fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

"Cuz the music's stopped."

"What?"

He looked around to find the other couples had stopped dancing and were starting to leave. The lights in the gymnasium were back on and the deejay was packing up. Meanwhile, he and Sam were still swaying awkwardly to music that was no longer playing. He felt his cheeks grow hot and he stopped moving.

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

He let go of Sam and she took her hands off his shoulders and dropped her arms to her sides. They both blushed and smiled at each other. Sam shyly looked up at him.

"Well," she said, "Thanks for taking me to the dance, Danny. I had a nice time."

"Yeah," he replied, still blushing, "Me too. I had a nice time, too."

They awkwardly stared down at their feet. He looked up and caught her shyly looking up at him. She smiled. That beautiful smile. If that smile was the last thing he ever saw before dying right there on the gym floor, he'd die happy.

"Well," Sam said, awkwardly and headed for the door, "My mom's probably waiting for me outside. See ya tomorrow."

"Wait," he took her wrist, "Sam, there's- There's something I want to tell you."

"What?"

"I-I-"

He wanted to tell her. About how pretty she was. How pretty she was when her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. Or when she would chase Technus down the street with a thermos or a Fenton wrist ray. How pretty her voice was even when she was snarling, "shallow little witch!" at Paulina. How her smile made his whole world stop. But he never said any of those things. What he ended up saying was this:

"Wait here a second!"

He dashed off leaving Sam standing there looking completely baffled as he ran to the deejay. They had a slight argument which ended when he dug into his pockets and gave the deejay the twenty dollars he had. He ran back to Sam and held out his hand as the music started again.

"May I have this dance?"

"Danny," she giggled and blushed as she took his outstretched hand, "What are you doing?"

"Dancing with you."

She giggled again and wrapped an arm around his neck as he took her hand into his own and wrapped his arm around her waist. He led around the gym, slowly spinning her around the room. As they danced, the walls spun round and round them slowly and gradually gaining speed. As the walls spun faster and faster, so did the couple. Right before his eyes, Sam grew. She grew taller and her dress became more elaborate. Black lace covered the skirt in a web-like pattern and the bodice became tighter and fit her more like a corset. Her hair grew longer until it was slightly past her shoulders. Her face lost its child-like features and became more adult-like. It was still Sam, but she looked like she was in her twenties instead of her teens. He looked down at his own hands and noticed they had changed, too. They were larger now. More mannish like instead of boyish. And bluer.

The walls had stopped spinning by now. The dancing couple were now completely surrounded by white. There was nothing around them. No deejay, no bleachers, no gym. Just them and the music. Sam looked up at him with her sparkling, beautiful eyes. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Then took both her hands, wrapped them around his neck, and kissed him. He stopped and enjoyed the taste of her lips against his. He reached for the back of her head and pulled her closer, returning the kiss. She brushed her lips against away from his mouth and delivered sweet, small kisses up his cheek until she reached his ear.

"I love you, Dan."

He put his lips against her ear and kissed her lobe before whispering to her.

"And I-"

Dan opened his eyes and looked around. He noticed the bit of drool dribbling down his mouth and onto his jumpsuit and wiped it away in disgust. He angrily stared at the wall ahead of him. It was completely dark with Dan's hair providing the only light. There was no Sam in sight. Or dance. Or deejay. Or even the high school gym for that matter. He was alone. He had nobody for company except his aching back and cramped legs in this old, busted thermos. Dan let out an angry growl and shot another ecto-beam at the already dented wall of his prison. The shot hit the wall and ricocheted back to him, blasting him square in the eye. He cried out in pain and held his hand to his burning eye, letting out a stream of curses until the burning stopped. He put his hand back down and went back to angrily staring ahead of him.

Another dream. Another stupid dream about him as his stupid younger self and stupid Sam. It was always the same. Fist the dance, then the growing up, and then the kissing. He was absolutely disgusted with himself. It was all that stupid younger punk's fault. And stupid Clockwork. If it weren't for his help, that stupid, younger puny wimp would be evil right now and Dan wouldn't be stuck in this stupid thermos. There was absolutely nothing to do here except bash at the walls and sleep. And everytime he slept it was the same dream. Oh, sure, there would be the occasional weird dreams every now and then, like the one about Tucker turning into a horse or the one where HE had turned into a horse. But normally, the dreams were about Sam. And of course him, but he was back into his wimpy self before the CATs. Before he destroyed practically everything in the Ghost Zone. Before he got bored and moved on to destroying everything in the human world. Before everyone human and ghost alike all cowered at the mention of his very name.

In his dreams, it was all before this. And yet, he was always the happiest he had ever been. Just dancing there back at school with Sam in his arms. And they would spin and twirl to their hearts' content until they had both grown into adults. And that kiss. Dan unknowingly smiled as he remembered her lips against his own. Brushing and caressing him from his mouth, up his cheek, and right to his ear. And she would say those simple, sweet four words. And he would never get to answer back.

Maybe next time he fell alseep. When he saw her again. And dance with her. And kiss her sweet lips. Maybe then, Dan could finally answer.