Fun Fact: I have been infected with the French. It didn't start with this story. I am somewhat of a closet Francophile. It was all completely unintentional.

Chapter Four

Valerie was waiting at the door of her apartment as a very tired looking Danny shuffled up the walkway.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked in irritation. She'd been incredibly patient, not pressing him to tell her what was going on. She knew how much stress he'd been under trying to keep his family afloat, but she hated not knowing what was happening.

Danny took a deep breath and sat on the couch. "Yeah," he said. "But you have to promise to stay calm."

"It's that bad?" Valerie asked tenderly as she sat beside him and traced the side of his face with her fingertips.

"Yeah," Danny answered, not opening his eyes as he rested his head on the back of the couch as he moved from her touch.

"I take it Vlad's final wish was to cause trouble," Valerie stated. She'd broke off regular contact with Mr. Masters, there were other things she knew about Vlad. Valerie knew Danny had secrets, she had her own as well.

Danny laughed a little then opened his eyes and looked into Valerie's determined green depths. He smiled at her a little as he fiddled with one of her earrings. She stilled his hand then leaned forward and kissed him softly. He put his hand on her waist as if he were going to pull her closer, instead he moved her gently away from him.

"I don't know how to put everything," he finally said in a hopeless tone. "I don't know how to tell you without making you angry instantly or getting your hopes up. I don't know how to even mention what's going on without hurting you."

"You know you can tell me anything, everything. Right?" Valerie told him quietly.
Danny sighed and rubbed his hand through is hair. "Yesterday, Tucker and I went to the airport and picked up Sam."

Valerie's eyebrows shot up in surprise and her breath caught. "Sam? Sam Manson?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why? What is she doing back in Amity Park?"

"It has to do with Vlad's will," Danny told her. "The attorney sent her a plane ticket. She flew in yesterday afternoon."

"On what?" Valerie asked dryly. "A broom?" She chuckled to herself then rolled her eyes at the "don't start," expression on Danny's face.

"We went to the attorney again today," Danny continued then pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache bloomed behind his eyes.

"Okay," Valerie said as she watched him intently. Danny said nothing more, and Valerie knew he wouldn't unless she pressed. She knew that he wasn't trying to avoid telling her what was wrong, he was just trying to escape her anger. He never wanted to tell her anything. She knew it was Sam, everything with Danny always boiled down to the girl.

"Where was she?" Valerie pressed trying not to sound upset and scared. "She's been gone, what four years? Where did she go?"

"France," Danny answered trying not to sound to excited. "She was living in France, but I don't know too much more."

Valerie nodded her head. "So, what's the deal with Vlad's will?"

"Yeah," Danny said weakly. "This is where it gets sticky."

"Well spill it, Baby," Valerie said tenderly. "And we'll figure out how to fix it." She smiled at Danny softly and he shook his head. He felt like such a jerk.

"There are conditions to the will. If I meet these conditions, then I inherit everything, all of Vlad's money, his estate, his businesses, everything."

"Well that solves a lot of problems for you family," Valerie said almost happily. "What are the conditions?"

"I have to marry Sam," Danny said quickly as he watched Valerie's face. She seemed calm at first. She blinked at Danny then stood.

"For how long?" She asked as she began pacing. "Is there an escape clause? Is there a time limit? What are the conditions?"

"Forever," Danny answered and Valerie closed her eyes. "Or I have to payback everything with interest."

"The answer is no right? What happens to Vlad's estate if you say no?"

Danny grimaced, he couldn't explain why he couldn't say no, not without getting into a deeper conversation. He groaned and Valerie sat beside him again.

"Vlad's really a jerk," Valerie growled.

"Yeah," Danny said tiredly as he continued to watch Valerie. "The sad thing is, if Sam was still married this wouldn't be an issue."

"Sam was married?" Valerie asked in shock. "She's divorced?"

"Widowed," Danny answered.

Valerie put her hand to her mouth. "How long ago?"

"Three months," Danny answered. "I don't know the details. Sam won't really talk to me…"

"Oh," Valerie said. "She's bitter?"

Danny shook his head. "I don't know."

"Well," Valerie began as she fiddled with her fingers. "Are you going to?"

"Yes," Danny answered as he continued to watch her face. Despite the fact that he kept secrets from her, their relationship had always been straightforward, based on respect for each other, but he knew better than to think a huge explosion wasn't building. This was just the calm before the storm.

"Just like that?" Valerie asked.

"Yes," Danny replied a strange bubble of something akin to joy growing in his chest. "I'm going to marry Sam." He managed to hold back a smile by telling himself that Sam didn't really want to marry him, and that she already had a way out of it. Even so, he should be focusing on Valerie, she was the woman he was supposed to be in love with, the one he'd actually asked to marry him of his own free will.

"How can you marry her?" Valerie asked as she stood again, no longer able to control her anger. "Just for the money? You're going to marry someone you don't love, who abandoned you with no explanation, who you haven't seen in years, for money?"

"She has an plan to bypass the loopholes," Danny told Valerie as he watched the pressure build. She paced around the room a few times, taking deep breaths.

"She has plans?" Valerie asked her voice edging onto hysteria. "Plans to marry my fiancé! My fiancé, Danny!" She took a deep breath. "I should have known! I should have known she'd be back to mess things up! To mess with your heart! I should have known." Valerie began pacing back and forth.

"She's not messing with my heart," Danny told Valerie gently.

"I think she's put you through enough!" Valerie continued to rant. "She doesn't need to do this! I wouldn't doubt that she asked Vlad to do this! She probably planned the whole thing!"

"Right," Danny said in an almost amused tone. "Sam's been planning all of this for four years, and Vlad's been cooperating with her. He even died so he could make her plan work."

Valerie stopped and looked at Danny. "You don't even know her Danny. You don't know how Sam is! She's conniving! She's manipulative! She's hypocritical! Danny you have no clue!"

"Val," Danny said knowing nothing he could say would calm her. "I think I know Sam a lot better than you. I've known her all my life. She's my best friend."

"Not anymore!" Valerie cried. "She hasn't been in your life for four years! She's not your friend anymore! She's evil! She's always been evil."

Danny took a deep breath and watched Valerie continue on about the vile person Sam was, it made him sad that Valerie couldn't see how unlike her descriptions Sam really was. He knew better than to try and change Valerie's opinion. It was a losing fight.

Sam was unique, kind, loving, sarcastic, smart and funny. She wasn't manipulative, far from it. Danny smiled slightly and his eyes grew distant. He tried to listen to Valerie as she continued to rant. She had every right to be upset, but his heart as much as he was trying to keep it still, was already settling in on the fact that in two weeks, he would be married to Sam.

His mind was aware of the fact that his marriage to Sam would be in no way real. It was a game, a sham, a lie, but in his heart, which he had to admit after so many years was still holding out hope for her return, it didn't matter that Sam obviously didn't want any part of him, what mattered was that she was going to be Sam Fenton. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to concentrate on what Valerie was saying.

"I can't believe she's doing it!" Valerie yelled. "I can't believe she's walking into our lives and disrupting everything."

"It's not her fault," Danny said defensively. "Sam isn't to blame. Don't be mad at her Val."

Valerie shook her head and sat down next to Danny. "I can't ask you to not do this. I understand why you are, but Danny…"

"Val," Danny said as he took her hand. "I'm sorry." She wasn't crying, but her skin was darkened with emotion. He searched her face and sighed. Did he love Valerie? Had he ever really loved her? Or was she just a substitution for Sam? The answer made his conscience writhe in agony. He didn't want to think that he wasted Valerie's time or played with her heart. He cared about her, would have been content with her, but did he love her? Well…yes, but not like he loved Sam, he'd never love anyone like he loved Sam.

Valerie moved forward and pressed her lips against his. He closed his eyes willing back the tears as he pulled her to him. He was torn and his heart twisted with guilt. It was okay for him to kiss her. She was his girlfriend, fiancée, or was. But his body screamed, "She's not Sam." He wanted to yell for that little voice in his heart to shut up. Valerie had been good to him, they had good times together. She deserved so much better than someone who could only love her with half a heart.

"Val," Danny whispered against her lips as she kissed him. She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"You still love her don't you?" she asked sadly. Danny nodded his head and Valerie moved away from him, sighing deeply.

"So this is it for us huh?"

Danny reached forward and wiped the tears from Valerie's cheeks. "Yeah."

"I don't think it's fair, Danny," she said as tears began to fall. "We've been through so much together." He wiped more of her tears away then pulled her into a tight hug.

"I do love you Val," he said shakily. "I always will, just…"

"Not like you love her," Valerie finished bitterly. Danny held her tighter and she let him.

"I'm so sorry Val," Danny whispered.

"You will be," Valerie sobbed as she buried her face in his neck. "She's going to break your heart and rip you into a thousand pieces."

Danny took a deep, shaky breath and replied, "I know."


"Hey Danny!" Jazz said happily as he walked into the kitchen. She looked at the clock and then back at her brother. "I thought you were working tonight." Danny lifted the lid on a pot of boiling spaghetti sauce and shook his head.

"Who's making the garlic bread?" he asked as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Garlic bread?" Jazz asked in bewilderment. "Since when do we make garlic bread with spaghetti?"

"Since Sam is coming over," Danny replied trying to sound nonchalant. "We can't just give her plain spaghetti, even if your sauce is amazing."

Jazz gave her brother an odd look. "Why can't we give her plain spaghetti?"

"She's been in France!" Danny exclaimed. "Paris! Food capital of the world." Jazz shook her head and laughed as she began cutting up vegetables.

"Danny," Maddie said as she entered the kitchen carrying a large bag of groceries. She flushed a little as she put down a bag of groceries. "I thought you had to work." She shot a quick glance at Jazz who shrugged her shoulders.

"I called in," Danny said as he looked in the bag.

Maddie laughed nervously as she pulled the groceries from Danny's prying eyes. "I thought it would be nice to have desert tonight." She smiled sweetly.

"Where'd you get the money?" Danny asked as he reached in the bag and pulled out a bottle of wine, a large loaf of French bread, a very expensive brand of raspberry sorbet, and a few other odds and ends.

"From Sam," Jazz said casually as she stirred the spaghetti sauce. "And don't you say a word, Danny. It's none of your business. You're not even supposed to be here."

"Wow," Danny complained. "I feel welcome. Do you want to kick me out on the street while you're at it?"

Maddie laughed as she put her hands on Danny's shoulders, "No Sweetie," she said. "We just weren't expecting you, that's all." She placed a kiss on his head and he smiled slightly. Jazz gave him a worried look and he frowned. He waited for their mother to leave the room before turning on his sister.

"What's going on?" he asked his voice taking on a dangerous tone which told his sister it wasn't wise to ignore him. She smiled slightly, if only to show that she didn't find her brother to be intimidating.

It wasn't so much his persona which was intimidating. Danny was still very lean, and though he was as tall as his father now, it was easy to underestimate his strength. It was his personality which could send the most confident person into hiding. He rarely had to say much, he just exuded a dangerous air. He was dangerous, though only a very small select few understood why.

He had learned over the years, to carry the confidence he had in his ghostly form, to his human counterpart. Most people who knew him would say that he was funny, a little goofy sometimes, but they wouldn't want to mess with him. He was also incredibly thoughtful and even philosophical, but then, you had to know Danny to understand that.

"Sam just seemed really relieved when she found out you weren't going to be at dinner," Jazz answered.

"She's not too comfortable with me," Danny told his sister as he quickly duplicated, stole a carrot she was chopping and merged back together.

"For goodness sake!" Jazz growled in annoyance. "Why do you have to be so careless?"

"Cause I like it," Danny answered with a cheeky grin as he chewed on the carrot.

"Why would Sam be uncomfortable with you?" Jazz questioned. "What did you do to her?"

Danny's eyes widened. "What do you mean, what did I do to her? I didn't do anything to her! I've been nothing but nice to her. She's the one who took off on me! If anyone should be uncomfortable, it should be me."

"Well you know something," Jazz said as she pointed at him accusingly. "So spill the beans."

"I don't know if I should," Danny replied softly. "I mean they're really not my beans to spill and she didn't seem to happy to tell me as it was."

Jazz sighed in exasperation. "At the very least," she hissed as she began to viciously chop more vegetables. "You could tell me what's going on with all the Vlad's will stuff and tell me why she's here."

Danny shook his head. "I'm not sure I should do that Jazz," he said. "I don't want to jinx it."

"Jinx it?" Jazz asked in bewilderment. "Jinx what? I don't believe in jixes!"

"Vlad left everything to me," Danny said in a very soft tone.

Jazz dropped the knife she was holding and turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "You mean you're rich?"

"Not really," Danny answered. "Sorta, but no not really. He left some pretty ummm some terms."

"Oh," Jazz said her shoulders dropping in disappointment. "What are they?"

Danny didn't bother to keep the rather satisfied smile from his face, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide anything from her. Jazz smiled slightly herself.

"I have to marry Sam," Danny blurted out almost too quickly and nearly giving away a little more information than he wanted. "If I don't then the money goes to the former Guys In White."

Jazz looked at Danny for a minute then started laughing. "There's no way Sam's going to marry you Danny. No way."

"In two weeks," Danny said smugly. "We're getting married in two weeks, and despite the fact that she seems to hate me, I'm…I'm hoping she'll change her mind."

"Change her mind?" Jazz asked in shock. "What about Valerie? I thought you were engaged to her! What does she think of all of this?"

Danny shrugged. "She's upset, but says she understands."

"Really?" Jazz asked in surprise as she regarded Danny thoughtfully. "You know. I told you once a long time ago, that you could have Sam or you could have Val, but you can't have them both. You do realize you can't have them both?"

"I know that," Danny answered in annoyance. "I know. I know what I want, Jazz."

Jazz snorted as she shook her head. "You've never known what you wanted Danny. You've always, always wanted what you couldn't have."

"I've always, always wanted Sam," Danny told his sister, his voice filling with determination. "I just didn't know it until it was too late and I lost her. I don't plan on losing her again."

"Oh Danny," Jazz said sadly She put her hand on his shoulder and looked at him worriedly. "I don't think you have much of a choice."

"I plan on at least putting in a good effort," Danny replied seriously.

"What about Val?" Jazz questioned stiffly.

"We've broken up," Danny said paused as the door bell rang.

"That would be Tucker and Sam," Jazz said as she looked at Danny.

Danny looked around frantically. "I need to go clean up!" he said. "Don't tell her I'm here. Please!" He then flew up, disappearing as he phased through the ceiling.

"Oh Danny," Jazz sighed. "What are we going to do with you?"


Maddie hugged Sam and then Tucker as she showed them into the house. Sam smiled happily, relaxing for the first time since she boarded the air plane that would bring her to Amity Park.

Spending time with Tucker was better than any medication in the world. He made her feel at peace, happy, accepted, loved, and comfortable, but being with the Fentons, the people who she always wished were her family, was like coming home.

"Are you hungry, Sweetie?" Maddie asked as she put her arm around Sam and walked her to the kitchen.

"Yes and no," Sam laughed. "I'm still suffering from jet lag a little bit." She looked at the clock. "It's one in the morning in Paris."

"Paris?" Maddie asked as she gestured for Sam to sit at the table. Tucker smiled as he took his usual spot. He smiled at Jazz who stuck out her tongue at him. Sam laughed then turned he attention back to Maddie.

"That's were I've been," Sam answered. "Living in Paris."

"It must be beautiful," Maddie remarked as she handed Sam a glass of wine. Sam blinked as she looked at the red liquid then smiled wistfully.

"It was," she told Maddie. "But I don't think…I don't think I ever want to go back."

Jazz finished readying the garlic bread and put it in the oven. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes," she said, then looked at her mother. "Where's Dad?"

"Where do you think he is, Sweetie?" Maddie answered as she laughed.

"The lab," Jazz sighed as she removed her apron and excused herself. Sam watched a sad expression flicker across Maddie's face and she herself wanted to cry. It just seemed wrong to think of Jack and Maddie as anything but ghost hunters, and it was wrong that Maddie's exuberance and natural cheerfulness was shrouded in worry.

Sam smiled as she swirled the wine in around in her glass before taking a careful sip. The Fentons were more family to her than her own had been, and she was determined that even if it hurt, she was going to do everything possible to put Jack and Maddie back on their feet.

"So tell me about you," Maddie said as she smiled at Sam. "What were you doing in France?"

"Well," Sam replied as she took one more sip of her wine. "I was helping with art restoration. I also worked in an antiques shop."

"When are you going back?" Maddie asked.

"There's nothing to go back to," Sam answered. "I sold everything with the intention of moving back to the States."

"So you're staying in Amity Park?" Maddie questioned happily.

"For now," Sam answered. She looked at Tucker who raised his eyebrows. She shook her head to indicate that she'd talk to him more about it later, but not now.

"I saw you're parents a few weeks ago, they looked good. Have you seen them yet," Maddie said as she stood to check on the pasta.

Sam smiled wryly. "I didn't know they still lived in Amity Park. I thought they would have moved to Florida by now."

Maddie frowned. "What do you mean, you didn't know they still lived here?"

"They disowned me," Sam said flippantly trying to act as if their dismissal of her didn't hurt. Maddie frowned and was about to say something when Danny walked into the kitchen.

Sam's open, smiling demeanor closed. Tucker sighed heavily and looked at Danny who seemed happier than he had in a long time. Tucker considered standing up and running, but he'd learned from Sam that running away made more problems than they solved.

Sam's stomach did a tango with her heart as Danny fresh from the shower and smelling incredibly delicious sat down. He kissed his mother lightly on the cheek then smiled at Tucker and Sam.

"Not going to work?" Tucker asked.

"No," Danny answered. "I couldn't miss a family dinner with Sam. It's just like old times."

"I was just thinking that," Maddie said happily. "I remember the last time we had dinner together. Sam and Tucker got into a debate about animal testing and the roast went out the window." She looked at Sam. "How do you suppose that happened."

Sam smiled wickedly and shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Danny who was grinning in remembrance. Tucker rolled his eyes and said something about vegetarians.

"You're still a vegan?" Maddie asked. "Tonight's dinner is vegetarian, I wasn't sure."

"I still don't eat meat," Sam answered. "But I've relaxed things a little bit. When you're broke and trying to stretch your last dollar, you can't be picky about what you eat, though I always tried, but it wasn't always feasible."

"I know how that is," Maddie laughed. Jazz made her way back up the stairs and check on the pasta.

"Dad's going to be upstairs in a minute and dinner's almost ready," She said as she made eye contact with Sam, then looked quickly at Danny who was busy looking at Sam. Jazz looked at Tucker whose expression said, "Don't ask me. I know nothing."

"I would imagine turning down all the wonderful French food would have been hard," Maddie said to Sam.

Sam laughed. "It wasn't really, but Jean Paul once tricked me into trying foie gras, I was mad at him for months."

"What's foie gras?" Danny asked.

"Who's Jean Paul?" Maddie questioned.

"Foie gras is an animal rights activist's worst nightmare," Tucker told Danny who looked at Sam in surprise.

"My husband," Sam said to Maddie, which caused every noise in the kitchen to cease, except for the boiling of the pasta water and a clang, clang woosh from the lab.

"Your husband?" Maddie asked, she tried valiantly not to look at Danny, but finally gave in to the urge to see her son's reaction. She knew how crushed he had been when Sam disappeared. He never recovered completely. He'd told her several times over the last year or so that he felt unsatisfied, unhappy, like he was missing something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Maddie didn't have the heart to point out that what he was missing, was Sam.

She watched him move on to an extremely serious relationship with Valerie, and while Maddie was sure they loved each other she was unsure that they were the best match for each other. Of course, she considered herself to be a little bit biased. She'd always felt that Danny and Sam would end up together even after Sam left, Maddie never could fight the niggling feeling that Danny was making a mistake with Valerie, like being so close to her put him in some sort of danger.

Danny was looking at the table cloth, slowly tracing the paisley pattern in away he only did when he was feeling upset or emotional. Maddie's heart squeezed in sadness for her son, who made it obvious by the look on his face, he was still in love with Sam.

"When did you get married?" Maddie asked, suddenly feeling like a reporter asking question after question.

"Two years ago," Sam answered sadly. Her eyes took on a distant look as she continued, "We were married in a small civil ceremony after hours at the Louvre, went to Tuscany for our honeymoon..."

"Where is he?" Jazz asked as she made eye contact with Tucker again who had been trying to shake his head vigorously in the hopes of stopping the question.

Sam took a deep breath. "Tomorrow it will be three months to the day." She paused then took a big swallow of wine, her voice raised in pitch as she continued to speak. "He was on his way to pick up a gift for our anniversary, or so he told me, when his breaks failed and…" She didn't make an effort to stop the tears freely slipping down her cheeks.

"Oh Sam," Maddie said as she put her hand to her mouth as she watched Sam's face fill with profound anguish.

"And he died," Sam continued, her voice shaking as she closed her eyes, and shut her mouth as she muffled back a sob. She'd not had the opportunity to talk about Jean Paul to anyone. Until she told Tucker, she never had to inform anyone of her husband's death, now she'd done it three times, and it hurt more than she wanted it to. She scrubbed away the tears on her face and tried to keep her emotions together.

"My poor baby," Maddie said gently as she reached forward and took Sam's hand. That was all it took. Suddenly, she was doing what she tried so hard not to do, what she desperately didn't want to do, she broke down, sobbing as she laid her head on the table.
She felt like her heart was laid open on the table, bleeding for everyone to see, but she couldn't stop.

"Sam," Danny whispered softly. He ached to comfort her and hoping desperately that she would turn to him. He put his hand on her back and she all but jerked away.

"Excuse me," Sam sobbed as she stood, not making eye contact with anyone. "I'm sorry. I'll be right back." She ran from the room and into the bathroom. No one said a word, they just looked at each other, then finally at Tucker.

"Apparently," Tucker said as he cleared his throat, which was clogged with tears of his own. "She found out at the funeral that her husband was cheating on her."

"What?" Danny asked in disgust, unable to imagine anyone treating his Sam so badly.

"With many, many eerrr people," Tucker finished. "Don't say anything guys. Sam's really proud, but she's grieving more than she wants to admit to herself."

"We need to be gentle with her," Jazz said as she stood and drained the pasta. "Mom will you finish here? I'm going to check on Sam."

"You do that," Maddie said as she took Jazz's place at the counter.

Tucker looked at Danny for a minute. "She told you about her husband?"

"Yeah, but not everything," Danny said as he continued to trace the patterns on the table cloth. "She made it sound like they were happy."

Tucker snorted. "They were," Danny looked up and frowned at Tucker. "That's part of what's been so hard on Sam. She thought everything was good, nearly perfect, until Jean Paul died and she found out what a prolific cheater he was."

"I knew I hated Jean Paul for a reason," Danny growled, he wanted to find the man and punch him.

"Danny," Maddie chastised. "You can't hate someone you don't even know."

"Oh yes I can," Danny told his mother angrily. "He hurt my Sam, that's a perfectly valid reason to hate anybody." Tucker bit his tongue to keep from informing Danny how much he had hurt Sam himself, but felt maybe that was an accusation best left for another time.


Several minutes later, both Sam and Jazz came back into the kitchen with red rimmed eyes. Maddie, with the help of Danny and Tucker had set the table and dinner was ready. Jack was sitting in his usual spot looking unusually serious, armed with the story of Sam's past and carrying instructions to tread lightly and not ask any probing questions.

Danny watched Sam enter the kitchen and sit down. He noticed for the first time, the beige wrap dress she was wearing, it clung to her lovingly emphasizing the slight curves she had softened into over the years. He noted the heart shaped locket around her neck and the gold bracelets on her arms. Sitting beside her at the table he could smell her expensive perfume. Sam had changed in the most beautiful of ways, she seemed polished, refined and exotic, yet still so familiarly Sam.

All if her changes, her very presencee was driving him crazy. He wanted nothing more than to just hold her, it was as though all his pent up need and emotion from when she ran away, was bubbling uncontrollably to the surface. At the moment, he'd take anything, a brush of the fingers as he passed her the salt or a look of amusement as they recalled their old adventures, or at least the adventures they could talk about in front of his parents. A mere smile from her was a more powerful than anything he'd felt with Valerie these past few years. He felt so lost, so low, so hurt and like all the happiness he'd been searching for the last few years was just beyond his grasp.

After dinner found Sam wanting to take a walk around the neighborhood to see how things had changed. Danny and Tucker went with her. Danny had to control the feelings of intense jealousy welling up in his heart as Sam put her hand in Tucker's as they walked. They looked like a couple. Rationally, Danny knew they weren't but they looked like a couple. He wanted to push Tucker, yell at him, ask him what he was doing, but he didn't.

"How much do your parents know?" Sam asked as she turned a questioning gaze to Danny.

"About what?" he asked in bewilderment. Tucker snickered and Sam poked him in the stomach.

"About Vlad, the will, the terms," Sam answered as she laughed. "How much do they know?"

"They know Vlad's dead," Tucker answered in light of Danny's momentary inability to think. "That's really about it."

Sam nodded her head and looked at Danny. "What about Valerie? How much does she know?"

"Everything," Danny answered then sighed. "Except about my ghost powers."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're still keeping it from her Danny. It's sick."

"Well it doesn't really matter now does it?" Danny asked coolly. He'd rather put the subject of Valerie far behind them.

Sam gave him a weird look. "Of course it matters! You're in a relationship with her, you're going to marry her eventually aren't you? It matters."

"We broke up," Danny told her. "You and I are getting married…"

"Temporarily!" Sam pointed out then frowned in exasperation. "It's temporary, Danny. Don't go getting any weird mushy ideas, Ghost boy."

"Ghost boy!" Danny half shrieked, purposefully avoiding the talk of their impending marriage as temporary. "I haven't been called ghost boy in years." Sam's eyes sparkled as she laughed. Tucker stepped aside as he watched Danny and Sam almost suddenly reconnect. He hoped they could resume their friendship. He knew Danny was more than willing, he just worried about Sam's openness.

He slowed down a slightly so Danny and Sam, who were now laughing with each other just like old times, could walk side by side. Eventually he stopped moving all together as he watched them walking away, too absorbed in their flirting that they hadn't noticed he was gone.

"Sneaky, sneaky," Jazz teased as Tucker returned back to the house. He just smiled at her and said nothing further as he followed her into the kitchen to help clean up.


"I've missed you, Sam" Danny said as he sat beside her on a bench at the park. He didn't dare look at her. "Why did you leave?"

Sam shrugged as she bent down and plucked a yellow dandy lion from the grass. "I had no reason to stay. I decided to move on with my life."

"You should have stayed," Danny told her. "Things would have been much better if you stayed. Things would have been easier."

Easier for who, Sam wondered as she smiled at Danny wryly. She looked into his clear, perfect blue eyes. They were almost unreal in their brightness, she'd never seen anything like them in her life and doubted she would again.

"I couldn't have stopped what happened to your parent's Danny," she said kindly. "There was no purpose to staying here."

"But having you here, would have made it easier to deal with," Danny told her, his voice raising in anger before drifting back down to sadness. "I've been so alone without you."

"Alone?" she asked in disbelief. "You've had Tucker, Jazz, your parents, Val. That hardly constitutes being alone." It was more than she had.

"Val and my parents still don't know I am half ghost. Jazz wants to turn me into one big psychology project and Tucker just isn't you." Danny took Sam's hand and turned it palm up. He stretched out her fingers and looked down as if he could read the future in her palm.

"I did what was best for me," Sam told him, resisting the urge to pull her hand away from his warm grasp, but weakly allowing herself the indulgence.

"What was he like?" Danny asked as he continued to stare into her palm. He was trying not to sound as broken and jealous as he felt. He wanted to ask her if she loved Jean Paul more than she loved him, but he decided it was a stupid question. She had to love her husband more, he was her husband. Danny was nothing more than an adolescent crush she had grown beyond.

Sam closed her eyes. "He was very sweet and extremely serious," she answered steadily. "He was spontaneous, thoughtful and smart."

"And you were happy," Danny stated as his insides twisted. "You said you were happy."

"Yes," Sam agreed as she fingered the locket around her neck. "I was."

"What did he look like?" Danny asked, suddenly feeling curious about the man his Sam had married. "How did you meet? How did you know you loved him?" How did you know you were over me, he wanted to ask, but didn't.

Sam smiled dreamily as she looked off into the distance. "He looked like himself. He looked French." She took off the locket and cracked it open, handing it to Danny so he could see a picture of Sam and a man with warm brown eyes and shaggy brown hair smiling at each other lovingly.

The sweet looks on their face, the obvious emotion between them made Danny feel so weak and sick that the locket nearly slipped from his grasp. When Sam leaned against him to look at the picture his fingers twitched and the chain slipped away from him. Sam caught the necklace quickly.

"The picture," she said as she looked down at the open locket, her eyes shining as she smiled. "Was taken at the Arc de Triumph. He had just asked me to marry him and I said yes. He gave me this locket as an engagement present."

"Not a ring?" Danny asked, suddenly hating the beautiful locket and hating the man in the picture. The man made Sam smile in away he'd never seen her smile, made her happy in a way he never could. It was like a bolt of lighting hitting Danny when he realized that not only did Jean Paul marry Sam, he kissed her, he held her in his arms, woke up with her beside him in the mornings. He'd made love to her and was loved by her and suddenly Danny wanted to throw up. He wanted to cry, he wanted to die. The thought of them together was completely unbearable.

"I didn't want an engagement ring," Sam said softly as she put the necklace back on. "Jean Paul knew that. He gave me a locket instead." She smiled, completely unaware of the searing anguish Danny was fighting against.

"Why didn't he ask you to marry him on the top of the Eiffel Tower?" Danny asked, clearing his throat to keep his voice normal and steady.

Sam laughed and shook her head. "That's too cliché, Danny. Jean Paul always said, the Eiffel Tower is où les touristes stupides se fiancent." She chuckled again at Danny's bewilderment. "Where stupid tourists get engaged," she translated.

"Oh," Danny replied as he looked at the locket again.

"My parents didn't take the news very well. They said I was marrying a poor nobody Frenchman. They said if I was going to disown my country, they were going to disown me, and they did and that was that. I haven't spoken to them since."

"Jean Paul was poor?" Danny asked as he blinked in shock. Of course it was like Sam to marry for love not money or status, he wouldn't expect less of her.

"Only compared to my parents," Sam told him. "L'argent n'est pas tout, Danny."

Danny only blinked at Sam and didn't ask for a translation. She'd often slipped into French phrases at dinner. She had blushed charmingly and smiled telling everyone that it really had been a long time since she spoke much English, and that she found it easier to say so many things in French.

"But that chapter in my life is closed," Sam said firmly as she snapped the locket shut. "I'll help you get your parents back on their feet again, get you some college money, and then I'll be off to start a new adventure."

Danny didn't know what else to say. He didn't want to give away his plan, she wouldn't go through with the marriage if she knew, he was sure of that. Sam was stubborn. But, he intended on keeping her forever, making her remember she loved him, or at least fall in love with him again. He never wanted her out of his life, he didn't want to lose her again.

"So two weeks," he said and cleared his throat. "You know we're required to have a full ceremony, right? Do you think you can pull it off in two weeks?"

Sam shrugged. "It doesn't have to be fancy. I already called the bakery. Tucker's been nice enough to volunteer his car. I'll have it pulled together quickly. All you have to do is tell your parents."

"Yeah," Danny sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "They think I'm still with Valerie…."

"Just tell them the truth, Danny," Sam said tiredly. "They'll understand. You don't how lucky you are to have the family you have. I wish mine was as understanding and accepting."

"You are a part of my family, Sam," Danny told her. He wanted to hug her but reisted. "You'll always be a part of us. We love you…Can't you tell?"

"Yeah," Sam said sadly as she moved away from Danny. "I can tell. Vous serez toujours une partie de moi aussi." She started walking back toward his house, not giving him a chance to ask her to interpret.

"Tell them," were her last words to him as she left his house with Tucker. Danny nodded in agreement then watched her go, with a horrible ache in his heart.

TRANSLATIONS:

Money isn't everything, Danny

You'll always be a part of me too