Danny, Sam
and Tucker walked to school the long way, as they had for the past
two days following Undergrowth's attack on the construction site.
They watched the houses and shops that had been destroyed being
re-built quickly.
"I dunno about you guys, but I've had
some WIERD dreams recently..." said Sam. "Yea, me too... I
keep dreaming about man eating vegetables...last night, a broccoli
and a cauliflower ganged up and chased me, but I assumed it was cause
my mom forced me to eat them for dinner." Tucker replied with a
sick look on his face.
"Well, mine weren't quite like
that..." Sam said giving Tuck a slightly disturbed look. "It
was weird because it seemed so REAL... I had some sort of, plant
powers, and I was like, this 'queen of the plants', and it felt
really great because I could do anything, I could almost fly, but for
some reason Danny was there, and he was killing my plants, and I
didn't know why so I got angry at him and we fought and..."
Sam stopped because Danny was staring at her with a very small smile,
"What?"
"Nothing...what happened then? Did I try
and escape through the ghost portal?" He asked coolly.
"Well
you... wait... how did you know?..."
Danny chuckled and
looked ahead towards the school as they turned the corner into the
street it was on. "Because those aren't dreams, they're
memories. It looks like when those plants took you over they messed
with your memories a bit. Tucker, you WERE going to be plant food,
and Sam, you WERE queen of the plants, UNDERgrowth OVERshaddowed you
and made you his caretaker. You weren't yourself, it was... kinda...
spooky..." Danny had tried to find another word instead of the
one that had first come to mind that started with an S and ended in
Y.
"I... Did? I was?...Then... that means... what you said in
the dream... you actually said..."
"What did he say?"
Asked Tucker curiously, but Sam was concentrating on a house across
the street and they didn't see her blushing with
embarrassment.
"Something about coming back and saving
everyone, but I didn't think you'd remember it at the time,
undergrowth had a pretty strong hold on you, I just thought id better
say something about what I was doing just in case you broke free and
got worried" Danny replied to Tuck's question, noting how Sam
was pointedly not looking their way.
The bell rang just as they
reached the school because the different route they had taken took
longer. They all trudged up the front steps. "Man, I wish that
mind vine you said was controlling everyone had messed up LANCER'S
memory a bit better, then he wouldn't have remembered he was giving
us a pop quiz today..." Tucker lamented as they went to his
locker. As Danny got what he needed from his, he chanced a glance at
Sam, who seemed now deep in thought.
"Something bothering you
Sam?" He asked as he went to shut his locker, then realising it
was still shut and he had automatically gotten his books out
intangibly.
"What? Huh? I'm fine! Oh, wait, I think I
...eeer, dropped something... outside... Danny help me look for it...
we'll see you in class Tucker" Sam said as she grabbed Danny's
wrist and dragged him outside. He looked at Tucker, who shrugged and
waved. Danny went along, a little surprised yet curious as to why she
wanted to talk to him alone.
When they were outside, Sam let go of
his wrist and turned to face him.
"You could have just asked
to talk to me alone, i'm sure Tuck wouldn't have minded", Danny
said casually.
"Yea but that always makes it look like we're
together, and Tuck jumps on any chance to insinuate it, and then the
school starts talking about it and... And you... really meant, what
you said?... In the Lab? Even though I was... I... Danny I remember
it better than I said, I was trying to...to turn you into plant food!
But, you didn't fight me, even when I attacked you...I'm really
sorry..." Sam sat down on the small wall bordering the stairs,
looking ashamed and staring at her boots.
"Sam you have
NOTHING to be sorry for, that wasn't YOU, it was all Undergrowth. And
of course I meant what I said. You do rule..."
Danny had to
stop the words 'my heart' finishing that sentence... he didn't know
why they had popped up in his mind like before, but Sam looked up at
him with confusion in her eyes.
"But... all those people,
our families, I was willing to feed them to those plants, I didn't
care, and I knew what I was doing, HOW was that not ME?"
Danny
knelt down and looked her square in the eyes. "Sam Overshadowing
isn't a black and white thing, when a ghost overshadows someone, they
can suppress different parts of that persons mind, all of it or just
some of it. I'm Guessing Undergrowth was just suppressing the part
of you that cared about your family and friends, leaving your love of
plants to run wild. You were manipulated, and there was nothing you
could have done against a ghost as strong as that, look, just so you
stop blaming yourself, I'll show you..."
Danny changed into
his ghost form and disappeared. The next thing Sam knew, a cold
shiver ran down her spine and suddenly, her body was moving of its
own accord. She was sure she had her own mind, yet she could not stop
herself from pirouetting on one toe and prancing side to side. "Quit
it Danny!" She said, and suddenly, her mouth and voice responded
to her without her control. "I like fluffy bunnies and sunshine
and rainbows!"
"AAAH! You are EVIL!" She said as
she stopped dancing and felt an odd shiver run down her spine again
before Danny re-appeared in front of her and changed back to human.
Sam punched his shoulder.
"OW! Hey!"
"That was
uncalled for!"
"What, the dancing or the fluffy bunnies
and rainbows thing?"
"I don't care! Ugh, you better
hope no one saw or heard any of that..."
"Well, at least
that proves what I was telling you doesn't it? I controlled you, but
only part of you, so you felt like it could have been you doing it,
right?"
"Well... even though I would NEVER do ANY of
that stuff... I suppose you're right. I DID feel sane at
least..."
"You know a ghost could get used to
overshadowing you, feels pretty good inside Sam Manson..." Danny
suddenly blanched as he realised the ramifications of what he had
just said.
Sam stared at him for a moment, looking slightly
shocked, before she replied sheepishly "Yea, well, it doesn't
feel all that bad having Danny Phantom inside me I suppose... kinda
tickles..." She said, and they both blushed Madly before they
burst out laughing.
"Come on then Lordess of the killer
Lilies, lets get to class before that cactus Lancer decides to give
us detention mowing the football field..."
ENDFLUFF!.
