It had been a week since she'd seen Danny and Sam sat in front of her dresser and mirror, brushing out her hair. Jazz was throwing a party tonight to celebrate her brother being not dead, and Sam was going. Of course she was going, it was silly to think she wouldn't. She was hurt and confused, and she knew that things could not end well with Danny and Evan in the same building, especially with how quickly his temper had seemed to take over when she spoke to Danny before. But damn it, she was still going. Danny had been her best friend and she loved him, or….had loved him…she wasn't sure which anymore.

Hanging loosely her hair fell to the middle of her back. Sam played with the idea of putting it up, then decided to leave it down for a change. She put a black chocker around her neck and stood up, straightening out the mid-thigh length black dress she was wearing. Jazz had said dress up, so she dressed up. Behind her Evan was digging through their closet, grumbling something about stupid ties and stupid parties. Normally she would have agreed with him, but this was Danny, and she needed to be there for him now that the initial shock had set in.

Evan moved so he was standing behind Sam, wrapping his arms around her waist as he rested his chin on her head, "I'll promise to be the best arm candy ever tonight if you fix my tie." He flashed her a bit of a smile, trying to cheer her up.

Sam couldn't help but smile in return as she twisted around in Evan's arms so she could get at the blue and silver tie he had draping over his neck. It went well with the dark blue shirt and grey dress slacks he was wearing. Sam shook her head, "I think the tie's a bit much honey, Jazz said semi-formal."

"Alright, well, I still promise to behave." Evan tossed the tie onto the bed, she'd have to put it up later because God knows he wouldn't. "You know, you don't have to do this if you aren't comfortable with it Sam." He hadn't called her Sammy again since that first day.

"I'm going." Sam turned away from Evan grabbing her clutch purse as she did, "If you aren't comfortable with this, then stay here, but don't try to talk me out of it again." She heard Evan sigh and probably shake his head before the soft dup dup of his dress shoes on carpet followed behind her.

The ride to Jazz's house was made in silence. Sam stared out the window of the car, resting her chin on her hand. She felt so awful about how she had treated Danny when he showed up. She had berated herself multiple times, saying in mind that there had to have been a different way to have dealt with it. She also suddenly hated herself for not having done something, anything, to have changed how things turned out. A huge part of her now also doubted her life over the past three years, the part that had slipped Danny's ring onto a chain and carefully hidden it under her dress.

She loved Evan. He was good to her. Evan was intelligent, charming on occasions, and driven. Danny was so different from Evan. Danny was funny, stubborn, a bit dense but never one to surrender. Evan was also happy to just live life, not making a difference for anyone other than himself and his immediate friends and family. Danny couldn't live without trying to save everyone. That much was evidenced from the resurfacing of Danny Phantom in the news this past week. Danny wanted to save everyone, he was selfless that way. Evan wanted to protect what he already had. She loved Evan. She loved Danny. She couldn't throw Evan aside like their love means nothing just because Danny came back from the dead. She couldn't forget Danny either though.

Before Sam knew it they were outside Jazz's house, pulling into the huge semi-circle drive in front of her house. There were already about a dozen other cars there. Jeeze, Jazz, how many people do you have coming to your little 'My brother's not dead' party?

Sam and Evan stepped out of the car and went up to the house. The front doors were wide open, so she assumed they were supposed to just go on in. The two of them went towards the back yard where commotion could be easily heard. There, in Jazz's backyard were more people then Sam had anticipated. It looked like half of Amnity Park was already there, and more were probably coming.

Jazz came skipping up to the happy couple in an aqua colored knee length dress, a matching headband pulling her hair from her face. "Sam! Oh, isn't this just the best?"

Sam look around the backyard, taking note of the strings of lanterns that she had probably spent hours direction someone else in hanging. She nodded her head a little, "Yeah, it looks nice Jazz, where's Danny?"

"In the study at the end of the hall, he was complaining about the clothes I got him for tonight, so he's probably sulking. Why don't you go drag him out here, I'll entertain Mr. Bigshot here." Jazz took Evan by the arm dragging him towards a large table with drinks and snacks before either he or Sam could say anything. All Sam heard as Jazz disappeared with her boyfriend was a question about Evan's work.

Sam sighed a bit, turning with a shrug to head towards the indicated room. Upon reaching the door Sam paused, listening to the faint sounds of Danny cursing on the other side of the door before she knocked lightly and pushed the door open without waiting for a reply. She was greeted with the sight of Danny in black dress slacks, his wet hair messy and clinging to his face, and a lavender colored dress shirt hanging open on his chest. Sam gasped and covered her mouth as her eyes fell on the large white scar on Danny's chest where he had been shot that fateful day. That scar didn't surprise her as much as the other scars along the entire front of his chest did.

She looked up from Danny's old wounds to his face, and regretted it. He stood frozen, hands on the collar of his shirt like he was mid-motion into adjusting it. His blue eyes were staring indifferently at Sam. The only movement on his entire body was the slight heave and fall of his chest as he breathed, and small drops of water falling from his hair onto his skin and running down until they disappeared.

Sam couldn't bring herself to move or say anything. She stood there, the tears she'd held back for the past week swelling to the front of her eyes and pouring over. Just as slowly as she had started to cry, Danny moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and cradling her against his chest as he ran a hand comfortingly through her hair. She knew he was trying to help, but something in the way his muscles tensed told her he was angry with her. He had every right to be. It was no wonder he seemed so much quicker to anger, anyone who went through whatever gave him all those scars would be different coming out than when they had gone in.

Sam wiggled out of Danny's tight grasp and, not looking at him, pulled the ring from around her neck, lifting it to where he could see it clearly. "I kept it Danny."

Nothing. He didn't say a word. He wasn't moving. His muscles were tense with anger again. She was afraid to look up and see glowing green eyes.

It seemed like an eternity was passing.

Why wouldn't he say something, anything!

"Are you giving it back?" Finally.

Sam swallowed before answering, "I'd prefer not to, but if you want it back, I'll understand."

Now, she looked up. As soon as she had looked into Danny's amethyst eyes she knew this was going to be one of those nights because for the second time since she'd started dating Evan, she was kissing another man. This time she didn't push Danny away and she didn't go to slap him. She stood wrapped in Danny's arms, his lips pressed to hers. When he broke the kiss and set his forehead against hers she could feel him smiling at her.

"We never broke up, Sammy. So technically, you're cheating on me, not Evan."

Sam shook her head a little as she stepped out of Danny's arms, "That's not how it works."

"Then why didn't you stop me?"

"Danny….Please don't make me do this." Sam pleaded with Danny. "I love you. I'll always love you, but I've made a commitment to Evan."

"Some commitment." Danny's voice had turned to ice and his jaw had stiffened. He shouldered his way past Sam, starting on his shirt buttons as he went. He paused, throwing a look over his shoulder, "By the way, I like your hair long." With that Danny walked out into the party, leaving Sam with her thoughts. Sam sat down against the wall just enjoying the relative silence to the general bustle she could hear outside.

Probably an hour or more passed before she heard the distinct sound of Evan's voice and it was raised in anger, his words slurred a bit. Great. He was drunk. Sam was already on her feet hurrying outside as she listened to Evan yelling, "You'se gots some nerve! Y-you break Sam's heart, then juss walz right back in? Now, you'se wantin' t' tell ME abouts MY girlfriend?" Yup, definitely drunk.

Sam came around the corner into the backyard just in time to see Evan take a swing at the equally drunk Danny. What she imagined was supposed to be a punch to the jaw turned into Evan flinging his arm around Danny's head as Danny grabbed Evan's waist. The afore mentioned man began to hit the other in the back on the head with his flailing arm while the dark haired brute of the two decided to just walk both of them into the pool. Oh, that was wonderful. Good thing Sam had told Evan not to wear that silk tie.

The two men splashed around in the deep end of the pool for a few seconds, each trying to shove the other under the water and neither succeeding for very long. Sam marched to the edge of the pool, hands on her hips and eyes watching the two men. It didn't take but a few seconds for both of them to notice the evil sensation washing over them and the feeling of impending doom. Both heads slowly turned to look at Sam. The men were frozen in an unusual position, Danny had Evan in a head lock while Evan was holding tightly onto Danny's hair. God, they fought like girls when they were drunk!

Calls of "Hi, Sweetie," and "Hi, Sammy" rang out in unison.

"Hi." Sam turned to Jazz as the two men climbed out of the pool, "Call Evan a cab please."

"What? You're staying here?" Evan had seemed to sober quickly enough at that proposition.

"Yes!" Danny clenched his hand into a fist and pumped it once in victory.

"No."

Now it was Danny's turn to look hurt and pissed and Evan's turn to grin victoriously at his rival.

"I am going to my mother's. Evan, you are going home to think this through. I love you, but if you keep this up you're going to push me away. Danny, you are staying here. I need to get away from both of you." Sam turned and left, hugging Jazz on her way past. She only made it as far as her car when she stopped. She sat in the driver's seat, hands clenched on the wheel, engine turned off. Tap. Tap. Sam looked to the side, it was Jazz. She rolled down the window.

"I know you hate your parents, Sam. You can stay the night, we'll share my room, I'll make sure Danny leaves you alone. Ok?"

"Can we get Evan out of here first? I don't need anymore headaches from him right now."

Jazz nodded, "Sure. Go around the block, have an ice cream at that shop on the corner. I'll send your fiancée away in a cab, and tell your boyfriend to go lay down and sleep off the alcohol."

"Sounds good, I'll come back in an hour or so." Sam turned the engine over and took off slowly down Jazz's driveway as the redhead went back into her house.