Chapter 3: Come Home

But I'm tired of justifying,

So I say to you

Come home, come home

Cause I've been waiting for you

For so long, so long

When I finally arrived at the playground, I saw him. I stayed on the outskirts of the playground, not yet wanting to make my presence known.

He was just laying there on the grass, eyes closed, with a sort of peaceful expression on his face. His strong arms were hooked behind his head, making parts of his messy white hair stick up. He took in a deep breath as if it was the first time he could breathe in a while. He looked so serene and comfortable, like he didn't normally relax like this and was taking full advantage of the moment.

I just stood there, staring at him. I couldn't help it. He was just so...extraordinary. He looked like a fairytale or something totally out of this world, and it wasn't in a bad way, just something different.

With the soft grass outlining his body along with the strong white aura surrounding him, his placid expression and softly closed eyes, and snow white locks framing his delicately angled features, he looked like something mystical, a make believe being that popped out of a story book. Like he wasn't even real.

Then, he took in another deep breath, filling his still form with life again, reminding me that he was real.

I walked over to him slowly, not really sure if I wanted to interrupt him; he looked so at ease. I would hate to take that away from him, but he asked me here after all.

I stopped at his form, just looking at him, waiting for him to reveal those strange green eyes of his.

As if he sensed me, his eyes snapped open, his hands bringing him partly up as he gasped, looking almost panicked.

His widened eyes looked at mine, finally registering that it was only me. He relaxed just a bit, a slow blush creeping across his face as it dawned on him how silly he looked.

He gave me an apologetic look, but I only smiled, choosing not to acknowledge what just happened. I sat next to him, all the while not taking my eyes off of him.

He looked surprised for a minute; then, he smiled angelically at me, managing to make my heart skip a beat. I was able to get over my momentary dazzlement and asked, "What?"

"I just," he said, his smile never wavering, "didn't think you were going to come."

I raised a cynical eyebrow, not able to believe that he actually thought that. "Well, I'm the one who said I wanted to meet again, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think..." he trailed off, cutting his eyes back at me. He shook his head, smiling. "I keep forgetting how different you are."

"Hopefully, that's a good thing," I said, smiling knowingly at him.

The boy looked back at me, resolve set in his green orbs as he smirked at me, "Definitely."

"So..." I said, looking at the ground as I traced patterns in the grass and dirt, "I have some questions..."

I looked up at just the right time to see him roll his eyes, still smiling, but I could see his eyes become a little more guarded after my statement although it still didn't stop me from wanting to ask him everything I've been wondering. "Of course you do."

I grinned, taking that as encouragement to go on. "So you fight the ghosts, right? That's why there has been lower counts of ghost attacks, isn't it?

He shrugged, "I guess." He chuckled, "Maybe they are finally thinking twice before they come out of the Ghost Zone now."

"What is it like?"

"Well," Danny said, putting his arms lazily behind his head as he began to float in mid air in lying position with his legs crossed out in front of him, "there is a process to this: I see the ghost, ghost sees me, we exchange witty banter-well mostly I do, because it wouldn't be fun if I didn't use my awesome talent of providing cleverly designed puns-we fight, I usually wing it, it usually works out, then I go home learning a lesson about honesty or some shit like that."

He smiled goofily at me, amusement dancing in his eyes, "And there's my life story wrapped up into one big ball of amazingness." He settled back to the ground, his smile still intact as his eyes never left mine.

I just stared blankly at him, trying to process it all. "Yeah...that's definitely amazing." I couldn't help but add a little dryness to my voice.

He only chuckled, staring at me with those extraordinary eyes; he beamed at me, unaffected by my answer.

He looked every bit as cocky as the first time I met him; although, I had to admit it was quite endearing.

I couldn't help but return the smile despite the fact that it was kind of annoying me that he wasn't taking my questions as seriously as I wanted him to; but at least it made him smile, which seemed like something he didn't do often.

"So, any adventures?" I asked. He must have had some pretty amazing stories to tell. He quirked an eyebrow at me, looking at me as if I was crazy. "Oh come on," I said, raising my hands for emphasis, "I know you must have a more exciting life. Hell, you fight ghosts everyday!"

"You call that exciting?" He asked, still looking at me as if I belonged in a mental institute.

I rolled my eyes at him, but continued, ignoring the look he was giving me, "Yeah, I do."

He just stared at me, his striking eyes unnerving.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Well," I challenged.

He blinked blankly a couple times, then shook his head, smiling. "I don't know why you think the messes I get myself into are exciting but okay, fine. Let me see..." His eyes wandered, looking really looking at anything in particular as he thought.

I waited patiently, crossing my legs so that I was sitting Indian style.

He looked at me, "Okay, well, I seriously wouldn't call them adventures, but-"

"How bout you tell me about Pariah?" I prompted.

His eyes widened in shock as he looked at me, "You know about that?"

I rolled my eyes, "Almost everybody knows, Danny. Just some people choose to believe it wasn't you, but there was a picture and everything. You were in some suit, right?"

"The Fenton Suit," he confirmed.

"They let you take it?"

He looked to the side, shame on his face. He began pulling strands of grass to distract himself. "Not exactly. I took it," he looked up to see my reaction, but I remained composed, choosing to let him explain first. He hurried on, "But, it wasn't like that. If they would have used it, which they were planning to, they would have died. The suit, it drains you. I was the only one who could use it, and it made me powerful enough to defeat him."

"So you won?" I asked, smiling at him.

He smirked, then gave a huff as he looked up at the sky, shaking his head at some memory. "Barely. But, luckily, I had some help from the other ghosts. They were able to take down his army while I fought him. But, yeah, I guess I did." He smiled.

"And," I paused, giving him a look, "the suit, it didn't drain you, right?"

"Well," his hand reached the back of his neck as he rubbed it, making bits of his hair stick up, "yeah, it did, but I was okay after. Bounced right back."

"How much?"

"Really, it wasn't that bad."

"How much?" I urged, not taking no for an answer.

He bit his lip, then looked at me warily. "Four percent was left."

I pursed my lips; I couldn't help the fact that my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my skull. "Four percent! Danny, you could have killed yourself!"

"Yeah, but I'm fine now," he urged, hands in front of him in a surrender sign. "Honest, it was okay."

I looked at him in amazement, just staring at him in disbelief. "Thank you," I said softly, never breaking eye contact.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Thank you for saving the town," I clarified. "You didn't have to do that, risk your life and all; but you did. And, for that, thank you."

He smiled at me bashfully, his cheeks tinged red, "Uh, your welcome..."

"You know you're pretty brave," I said, smirking at him, enjoying how his cheeks were getting redder by the minute.

His head whipped towards me, I couldn't help but let a small chuckle out at seeing how utterly shocked he looked. "W-well, somebody's got to do it. But, really I'm not."

"But, really," I said, shrugging at him, "you kinda are."

I rose to my feet, and walked to the swing-set positioned in front of us. I looked back at him smiling at his dazed and confused expression, his widened eyes making the emerald shades within even more breathtaking to look at.

I sat on the swing, facing him. I gave him an easy smile, patting the swing next to me.

Without hesitation, he stood, walking over to the swing next to mine, and plopping down on it.

We just dangled on the swings for a while, enjoying the night air touching our faces.

I turned to him, remembering a certain part of the conversation I had with Tucker today.

"So, Inviso-Bill?" I smirked at him, quirking my eyebrow.

He glared at me, then crossed his arms looking to the side, muttering, "I need a publicist."

I laughed, and he looked at me finally breaking down and laughing with me.

"Good thing they finally figured out your name, or you would have been stuck with that for the rest of your life," I said, smiling at him.

He beamed back, "Oh, I would have told them eventually. You can only be called that so many times before you crack. Maybe I would have screamed it out during a fight or something." He chuckled, "Or went to the Fentons myself and told them."

He was smiling at some hidden joke behind those words, but I could see a sort of sadness in his eyes. He covered it up well, but I could still see it. And, it unsettled me. I averted my eyes to the ground, dragging my feet to make certain patterns in the dirt.

"What about you?"

I looked up to see his curious gaze fixed on me, "Huh?"

"What about you?" he repeated.

I knew what he meant; it just took me a minute to process that he actually wanted to know about me, genuinely know about me. My life wasn't even close to as exciting as his, and he still asked about it like he actually wanted to know me.

His curious expression became uneasy as he looked to the side, grimacing. He brought his hand up behind his head, rubbing the back of it in cute sort of way. "If you don't want to tell me anything, I understand. You don't ha-

"What do you want to know?" I interrupted, not wanting him to get the wrong idea at all. I smiled at him.

He looked a bit shocked for second, which was kind of funny to see with his widened green eyes resembling a cat, then his gaped mouth melted into a smile, his eyes glowing brighter. It completely disarmed me, making my smile wider. "Everything," he confirmed.

I chuckled, "Okay but just to warn you, it's not as exciting as your's."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, exciting," he mocked.

"Well my parents," I hesitated for a second remembering who exactly my parents were, mainly my Phantom-hating dad, "well, they are definitely different from me..." I looked to the side, my parents weren't exactly a topic I liked, but I felt like I could talk to him. That he would understand. I don't know how I knew this, but I just had a feeling. "They don't really accept me for just me. They constantly try to change me, make me more like them; but they just don't seem to realize that I'm just not like that. I don't want to be one of those rich, spoiled brats. I want to be just Sam. I want to be my own person, even if it's the complete opposite of them." I smiled a little, "They absolutely hate that I prefer black over pink, and that I like to spend most of my time reading and writing than going to football games and dances."

"I guess that explains why you like poetry and dark fantasies," Phantom said.

I looked at him, a bit shocked, "How do you know that?"

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head furiously, "Oh, well, you j-just seem like the type to read that stuff, y-you know?" He gave me a sheepish smile while I returned it with a skeptical look of my own. He looked to the side, his cheeks still crimson, "But," he paused, "I do understand, the whole thing with your parents... It's tough when you feel like you can't even turn to the only people in the world that should be on your side in the first place."

I blinked a couple times at him, still trying to convince myself he was actually real. And, that's when I saw it. There was the sadness in his eyes again. For the first time, I saw past the cocky, carefree front he put up; something awful happened to him, that was still happening to him. All of the sudden, I felt this fierce need to make him forget that sadness, to actually feel carefree. "Well, you guessed right," I forced a smile at him, managing to grab his attention. "I always drifted towards the darker literature section," I shrugged, "it's a weakness of mine."

We both grinned at each other. "What else?" he urged, leaning in slightly towards me, just enough to make goosebumps form on my arms from his proximity.

"Uh," it took me a moment to gather my thoughts, his intense gaze making my mind freeze; for some reason I felt a strange sense of deja vu grow within me the longer I looked into his eyes. "I love animals and am a strong advocate for animal rights, meaning I don't believe they should be stuck in cages being experimented on. It's just cruel. They are beautiful creatures and-" I stopped, giving him an apologetic smile, "Heh, sorry, I kind of tend to rant when I get on that topic."

He smiled back a me, "No problem; actually, I like that you are so passionate about it. Sam Manson, protector of the small and defenseless," he smirked, "Freedom fighter of the furry and scaled!"

"Shut up," I said, delivering a small punch to his arm. "It's not like that."

"Then, what is it like?"

"I don't know," I said, looking into his eyes, then back at my feet. "I just can't stand to see anything locked up, especially when it can't even defend itself. No creature should ever be locked up for just being what it is, no matter what. It's just not right."

I peeked up at him, wary that he was going to start making fun of me. Nobody ever truly got it, not even Tucker. I was expecting to see him smirking at me, ready to fire another joke, but I was surprised to see he looked really deep in thought, looking at me with such intensity that I couldn't even look away. He looked at me as if he was trying to read my mind, trying to figure out what was going on inside me.

"I have a best friend named Tucker," I started again, trying to break the silence and awkward staring.

That seemed to jump start him again, making him break from whatever state he was in. A slow smile creeped on his face again. "Oh? And, what is he like?"

"He is great, the best friend you could ever have. We met in the first grade and were friends ever since. Although he drives me crazy sometimes,-mainly because he's such a stupid meat lover- we still stick together no matter what. I know he will always be there for me, and I will for him."

"You have a thing against meat lovers?"

"Not really against because then I wouldn't be able to deal with him. I'm an ultra-recyclo vegetarian," I said, looking to see his reaction. But, he only nodded; his expression actually seemed to grow more curious. "He is just extreme when it comes to meat, like he basically won't eat anything else." I shook my head, still smiling at the many arguments we had. "We actually fight a lot because of that, but like I said, we still managed to stick together."

I laughed at a memory. "Like one time, I was really sick with the flu-my parents were gone-so he climbed up to my window, bringing all of my favorite foods, which he said I owed him big time for because he had to actually touch them with his hands. He stayed with me for two nights, watching movies and playing board games with me."

Danny smiled, but a bit of the sadness in his eyes returned. "He sounds nice."

I smiled back at him, trying to get that sadness out of his eyes again. I didn't like it there. It made his eyes more cloudy and less bright. "Yeah, he is. Maybe you can meet him."

He smiled, but it was hard and forced, "Yeah, I don't think he would like that, Sam."

He pushed his feet against the ground, making him lift off on the swing. I did the same but still kept my eyes on him. "And, why do you think that?"

He quirked an eyebrow at me, "Do you even have to ask? I'm surprised that you even wanted to meet me. Nobody wants to hang out with a ghost."

"But you're different; you're not like a ghost," I urged.

He stopped abruptly, his feet planted on the ground, staring at me with fear in his eyes and shock making his mouth go slack, "What?"

Huh, that was a weird reaction. I brushed it aside. "You're not like other ghosts, I said. You have actual emotions, and you can go two seconds without trying to kill someone or destroy something. And, you actually fight others who do. And..."

I trailed off, not really knowing if I should say what else was on my mind.

"And what?" he urged, his eyes becoming strangely intense.

"And, when I talk to you; it's like I'm talking to someone I've known all my life. I feel safe when I'm around you, and I like being with you," I broke eye contact, so I wasn't really able to see his face after I said that. I was too busy trying to stop the blush that I knew was creeping across my cheeks.

"I like being with you too."

I looked up at him to see him smiling at me. He looked up at the sky with a pained relief in his expression. "When I'm talking with you, I feel like I can actually breathe, like everything is not coming at me all at once. And, I feel like I can tell you anything."

"Then, why don't you?" I asked, although I knew it was something I shouldn't ask for if I couldn't even tell him who my dad was.

He looked at me, his expression more pained, he looked older, seeming more haggard looking by many unknown problems he's dealt with. "Because, it wouldn't be safe. And, it would be stupid," he huffed a hard chuckle that was more grim and mocking, "You think my life is exciting. It's not; it's dangerous, especially for those who are close to me."

"So you push them away," I said.

His grim smile turned sarcastic, "You can't push away what you don't have; I'm not close to a lot of people. I can't be."

"That's what you think," I said. I finally understood the sadness in his eyes. He was alone in all of this. Completely alone. That only made me want to be there for him more. "You still need friends, Danny; everybody needs help once in a while."

"Maybe, but I can't afford it."

I was about to protest, but the chime of the clock near us stationed on a nicely crafted post interrupted, getting both of our attention. The chimes ended, indicating that it was ten o'clock.

Danny stood, sticking his hand out to help me up, "It's past curfew. Do you mind if I take you home so I know you're okay?"

I accepted his hand with a nod.

He grinned back at me, pulling me in and gently lifting me until I was in his arms bridal style, which I would have minded with anybody else but him. My arms hooked around his neck, loose enough not to strangle him.


The flight back to my house was quiet. Both of us were not really sure what to say to the other, it was not an awkward silence.

It was actually comforting, just to feel his arms around me, that one simple thing filling my thoughts. Words were not needed because this was enough.

I relaxed a little bit more, settling into his hold; in reaction, his arms tightened even more around me, making me feel safer.

I peered at him and couldn't help but smile. I couldn't help it.

He was looking ahead, his eyebrows scrunched together in a cute sort of way. It made him look like he was thinking about something much deeper than just flying. His eyes seemed to be blazing even more with the strange green flames emitting an inner light; they looked much brighter compared to the dark night around us. His whole being seemed to be brighter, with his body encased in a glistening aura-very different from the dark auras of the other ghosts- and his soft windblown hair shining just as luminous and starkingly white as the moon. He was breathtaking. And, somehow, by just looking at him, I felt something I've really never truly felt before: hope.

I didn't know why I automatically associated that word with him, but it just seemed to fit, making me realize that he really was that.

He was light; he was hope.

Feeling my eyes one him, he looked down at me, his eyebrows knitting even more together, making him look confused. "What? Is there something wrong?"

He looked so concerned as if he was expecting me to start screaming at any moment. I only smiled at him, shaking my head slowly. I only knew him for a couple days, but I could already tell how truly clueless he was, which was a lot if you were wondering.

"Nothing," I said, then I cut my eyes at him, thinking that he needed a little push out of his clueless handicap, "Just enjoying the view."

He smirked at me, "Can't blame you," he said confidently. "But, I'm pretty sure mine is better." He looked ahead again, then sighed. "Look's like this is it." I couldn't help but hear a bit of dejectedness in his voice to my surprise and pleasure.

I looked up to see we stopped at my window, noting that he remembered exactly where my room was.

I leaned away from him as he reluctantly loosened his grip on me, opening my window.

He carefully set me down in my room.

I turned to look at him.

Even though he was still smiling at me, I could tell he was just as sad that this ended so early as I was. "Stay," I said, my voice a mixture of questioning and demanding. I didn't want this to end so soon, and I still wanted to know more about him, much more.

His eyes widened as he just stared at me. "What?"

"Stay with me," I reiterated. I drew closer to the window, not taking my eyes off of his, trying to convince him silently that it was okay.

"I-I" He stuttered, "What about your parents?'

I smirked at him. "They won't ever know. Besides, why would someone who fights ghosts on a regular basis and who can turn invisible be afraid of parents?" Despite my words, I couldn't help but think he had a reason to be afraid of mine.

"Well, you never truly know," he said, smiling.

"Please?" I asked, stretched out my hand towards him. I tried to look confident and like I actually knew what I was doing and totally not embarrassed, but I was silently screaming at myself to not seem too pushy and clingy.

He looked down at my hand, then looked up at me, his expression torn. But, then, something seemed to click in him. He gripped my hand, looking a bit cautious; but he let me pull him into my room.

His eyes took in the room, roaming around until they finally settled on me. I grinned at him, "Planning to stay up there." He was still floating in my room, seeming to forget that there was actually a floor.

He gave me a confused look, "Wha.." Then he looked down, realizing he was still floating. He smiled bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh."

He drifted down to the ground, planting his feet firmly on the floorboards.

I smiled at him, then turned away from him, walking to my bed. Using my foot, I took off my combat boot, then repeated the action with the other.

I peered over my shoulder to see he was staring at me.

Feeling a little more confident, I sat on my bed, turning my body so that I was facing him. He was still staring a me with a funny expression.

Aw, so clueless.

I cut my eyes at him, patting the spot in front of me. It was not like I had anywhere else for him to sit, and I honestly didn't mind. I felt like I could trust him; I knew it was crazy to think that but oh well.

He seemed to understand that. He walked very slowly to my bed, like every move he did was thought out first in his head before executing. In fact, this was probably the slowest I've ever seen him move.

He finally came to my bed, sitting down hesitantly in front of me, leaving more than enough space between us. I wanted to close the space, to show him that I wasn't afraid of him; but then, I thought, I didn't want to take it too far. He didn't seem like the type to ever do this; the last thing I wanted to do was scare him. Ha, scare him, kind of ironic.

"So," I said, giving him a look, "would it be evasive if I asked what kind of powers you have?"

It took him a second to process what I was asking, probably trying to get through the shock that he was actually sitting on my bed, or at least that was what his face was saying; then he smirked at me, the normal cocky light returning in his eyes. The shy boy sitting in front of me changed back to normal Danny Phantom. "Not evasive unless...well, I can't really tell you; what if you wanted to use this information against me. You know, it's pretty important."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, yes, because I'm some evil mastermind planning your destruction," I cut my eyes at him, smiling as I played along. "Knowing your powers will definitely get me one step closer."

"I knew it," he said, giving me one of his sarcastic smiles.

I returned the smile, leaning closer to him, staring into his eyes. "So, hero, are you going to tell me, or will I have to force it out of you?"

He grinned, leaning closer towards me so that our faces were even closer together. "I don't know? I've always been the hard way kind of guy."

"Fine," I grinned, slowly putting my hand behind my back, taking hold of the corner of one of my pillows, "then, you leave me no choice." I gripped the pillow even tighter, and whipped it around me, hitting him directly in the head.

"Wha!" He went back, but his arms caught him on the bed just in time. He stared at me in surprise, looking a little dazed, as if he couldn't believe I actually did that.

I laughed, getting on my knees so that I was higher up than him, making him look up at me. I held the pillow menacingly in front of him. "Give up?"

He smirked, a mischievous light in his eyes that did not make me feel comforted at all.

Suddenly, so fast that I couldn't process it, I was pinned down to my bed with him on top of me, the same smirk still intact on his face. "I think the question is do you?"

At this point, our faces were so close that if either of us moved even an inch we would touch. I stared at his brilliant emerald eyes, marveling at how alive they looked. At this moment, I didn't see any of the sadness I saw before. I saw just him, carefree and normal Danny. For the first time, I saw the teenager, not the untouchable ghost hero.

I couldn't stop the blush spreading across my face, but at the moment, I really didn't care because right then and there, staring at him, I could feel something changing in me. I couldn't deny it anymore, or just ignore it. Yes, it was now acknowledged, but that didn't mean I knew what to do with it or even knew how to identify what it truly was. All I knew was that I was starting to care for him.

We just stared at each other, both captivated by the other, breathing heavily, frozen in place.

I felt one of his hands loosen from around my wrist. Not thinking, I lifted my hand to his face, outlining the different angles and his strong cheekbones and jaw. His eyes slid half way closed, but still focused on me.

My hand found its way to his hair, touching the soft wisps of hair; something I've been wanting to do. For some reason, the white hair was mesmerizing, beckoning me to touch it, to see if it was real. I didn't know why, but I was half expecting it to dematerialize in my hands, maybe because it reminded me so much of the soft clouds in the sky. It was so pure, and every strand seemed to be glowing. His hair was soft and tangled; I raked my hand continuously through it.

He just stared at me, still frozen, but his shoulders began to relax, loosening from their stiff position.

He opened his mouth to say something; but instead, he gasped, a soft blue wisp coming out of his mouth, looking as if his breath was visible. He shivered involuntarily; eyes wide open now. He was upright before I knew it. I sat up, peering up at his form as he began to get up. I could here him saying to himself, "You've got to be kidding me."

"What is it?" I asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

He looked at me, now standing over me, shoulders slumped. "Ghost. That was my ghost sense you just saw."

"Ghost sense," I smiled. "Looks like I found out one of your powers."

He smirked back, "Guess you won this time."

I looked at him, a little sad because I knew he had to leave. "Not really."

He kneeled down so that we were eye level. "Meet me tomorrow, same time, same place?"

I nodded, smiling at the thought of seeing him again.

He smiled back, then got up, leaving in the direction of the window.

"Danny?" I said. He turned towards me, his expression questioning. I looked at him steadily, clutching my folded legs closer to my chest. "Be careful, okay?"

He nodded, giving me a mock salut, grinning at me goofily.

He left the room, his form melting into the walls.


A/N: Okay! Chapter 3! Woo! Well, I have some pretty bad news. I tore my ACL playing soccer. For those who don't know, an ACL is the ligament in the knee; basically something that you don't want to tear...Ever. Yeah, so that's why this chapter is a bit late and that's why some of the reviews aren't answered. :/ I had surgery Thursday, and they found out I tore a bit of my meniscus too. Luckily, they didn't have to shave it off or take it out; I just have two stitches in one and three stitches in the other. Hopefully, they heal; if they don't, well, I can't play soccer anymore. Recovery time is going to be 6 to 10 months. I will be able to play soccer around the sixth or seventh month, but no cutting or doing moves (if all goes well). I will be going through a tough time, and I'm not sure what will happen in the future. My story updates (The Catalyst and Dangerous Trust) probably won't be as fast or coming in the next month due to all of this going on with me. I'm sorry, but really, it's going to be hard, but I will NOT stop writing. So don't worry there; I will never quit a story. Besides, I just love writing too much. Thanks for all the support, you guys!

On to non-depressing stuff, the song Come home is so good :) completely inspired this chapter.