If your wondering why it took so long for me to put this chapter out, well...I must tell you I am deeply sorry. I'm working on original fics...and I am in love with some new characters created by Capn-nomy and EnnaNyltiak over at DA. Go run over to my DA page (Me-the-anon-one) and look over my original work. I know some people will disapprove of it, but I can't help how the characters are...they are what they are. Thanks! More soon I PROMISE!

Chapter Seven

Tucker looked up as Sam approached. He smiled at her weakly then returned his attention to his PDA. "Where's Danny?" he asked.

"Getting drinks," Sam answered as she sat and looked at Tucker worriedly.

"So everything straightened out with you guys?" Tucker questioned. Sam laughed nervously and Tucker eyed her a moment. A blush bloomed across Sam's cheeks and she unconsciously looked toward Danny then back to Tucker.

"It's funny," she said as she laughed nervously again. "Do you know what Danny thought?"

Tucker nodded his head and gave her a genuine smile, which didn't quiet reach his eyes. "Yeah he told me," Tucker replied. "What happened?"

Sam shrugged one shoulder. "It got cleared up," she answered.

"But what else happened?" Tucker asked as he looked at Sam sharply.

Sam gave him an alarmed look. "Nothing," she said quickly. "Nothing happened."

"Between you and Jazz?" Tucker continued to query. "What did you say? What did she say?"

"Well," Sam said as she looked around for Danny. He had just reached the front of the line. She swallowed hard. "Jazz is really hard to fight with."

"But what did she say?" Tucker pushed. Sam shook her head. She didn't want to tell him about the argument.

"It's not important, Tuck," Sam replied. "She's just…She's just heartless. She has no heart, no feeling, no soul, no depth. She's empty. I know you care about her but." She paused and bit her lip as Tucker looked down. She noticed two tears plonk down on the table. She suddenly felt like a jerk.

"I'm sorry," Sam whispered as she reached over and took his hand. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm not thinking. It's just, she doesn't deserve you, Tuck."

"It doesn't matter," Tucker said softly, not looking up from his PDA. "I mean it's no big deal. Really I get rejected all the time. I'm really used to it"

"What'd she say to you?" Sam asked.

"It's not important," Tucker told her. Sam was about to question him further when Danny walked up to the table and put down three milk shakes.

"Chocolate," he told Tucker softly then sat down beside him, careful not to sit next to Sam in case he let the secret out.

"You know what?" Tucker began after thanking Danny for the shake. "I have a lot of homework to do. I think I'm going to go home. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Tuck," Sam said then sighed. "Give me a call, ok?" He nodded his head, slid out of the booth and walked away.

"Poor Tuck," Sam sighed as Danny sat beside her and slid his arm around her.

"I know you're mad at Jazz," Danny started. "But I think she's doing the right thing. She and Tuck would be a mess together."

"How do you know?" Sam asked quietly as she put her head on Danny's shoulder and sighed heavily.

"I know how Jazz is. I know how Tucker is. I just can't see them working," Danny answered. "I mean yeah there's the fact that they both are logical, but they're both so talkative and happy all the time. They're both so smart and…"

"And what?" Sam asked as she sipped on her shake and watched emotions run across Danny's face as he thought.

"They are perfect for each other," Danny started. "I mean they are the same but different. They balance each other out." He put his hand on his head as a look of sadness washed across his face.

"Perfect for each other?" Sam said in disgust as she wrinkled up her face.

"Think about it, Sam," Danny began. "Jazz tends to overanalyze things and get lost in her own little world, she'd never admit it, but she does. She's just as clueless as I am."

Sam smirked at little. "You admit you're clueless?" Danny shrugged one shoulder and smiled. Sam's smirk turned into a grin and she leaned over and kissed him softly. She loved the way his eyes softened dreamily as she moved away from him. She thought for a moment that he was going to kiss her again, but he pulled himself out of his daze.

"Jazz is stubborn, smart, and thinks she knows what's good for her. She's just too serious. Like a big stick in the mud. Tucker is brilliant but not serious enough. He needs someone to make him stop and think a little more." Danny paused. "They're like my parents…"

Sam laughed at the thought of Jazz and Tucker being like Jack and Maddie then smiled. It was true, they were both like a mix of Danny's parents. She smiled then gasped as Danny moved forward and kissed her.

"I'll talk to Jazz," Danny said against Sam's lips. "I'll do what I can to change her mind."

"Mmmm," Sam replied. "Good luck."


Jazz was laying on the end of her bed reading when Danny knocked. Her eyes widened in dismay as she looked up at him standing in the door, then she sighed and closed her book. "What can I do for you little brother?"

Danny walked into Jazz's room, pulled out the chair from her desk and sat. He leaned forward and looked into his sister's eyes. "What's going on between you and Tucker?"

He watched as Jazz flushed. She closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath. "Nothing," she answered. "There's nothing going on between Tucker and me."

"Well not now obviously," Danny replied. "But my best friend is hurt and I want to know what part my sister plays. No one hurts my friends, Jazz."

Jazz looked up at Danny in surprise then blinked at the dangerous look in his eyes. She looked down at the book, running her finger along the cover and sighed. "It's nothing, Danny. If Tucker's hurt, it's not really my fault. I can't control who does and does not have feelings for me or anyone else."

"So you know," Danny started then paused, looking for the right words. "You know how he feels about you?"

"Yes," Jazz admitted. "And I'm sorry Danny. I never intended for it to happen. I never intended to hurt him. I just want him to be happy. He's such a sweet and wonderful person. He's so smart, kind, funny and nice." Tears filled her eyes and Danny watched her with wide eyes as he realized that Jazz was probably in as much love with Tucker as Sam said Tucker was in love with Jazz.

"If you feel that way..," Danny started.

Jazz interrupted him with an annoyed growl as she fought her tears. "This is none of your business, Danny. Whatever happened is between Tucker and me. You have no right to question me about this. I don't care if Tuck's your best friend. I'm your sister and you're just going to have to trust me…"

"I always thought you were smart, Jazz," Danny said. "But you're really, really stupid."

"Gee thanks a lot," Jazz replied as she gave Danny a wary look. "What happened between you and Sam?"

Danny smiled slyly. "Nothing," he answered. "Nothing except we cleared up a crazy misunderstanding."

"Are you two ever going to admit you love each other?" Jazz asked as she prodded at Danny, wanting to get back at him for grilling him about her relationship, non existent relationship, with Tucker.

"It's none of your business," Danny answered smugly. "What right do you have to ask me about what happens between me and my friends?"

Jazz opened her mouth to reply then realized that she'd painted herself into a corner. If she grilled Danny then he would have the right to demand answers from her about Tucker.

"Fine," Jazz said as she opened her book and looked for her lost place. "If that's the way you want to play it Danny fine, but you know I'm going to find out one way or another…."

Danny gave her an angry look. "No you're not," he told her firmly and she looked up at him in surprise as he stood. "You're done messing with my friends. You've hurt Tucker and I'm not going to put up with you meddling anymore. Stay away from them Jazz."

Jazz opened and closed her mouth as she searched vainly for some type of retort, but she knew she was in the wrong, and there was nothing she could say. She blinked back her tears as Danny stopped at the door and turned.

"This is exactly the reason why its not a good idea for you to be involved with Tucker. When it doesn't work out then everything becomes too complicated, I risk losing one of the people I need most." He shut her door behind him.

"Well you're wrong Daniel Fenton!" Jazz shouted after him. "It could so work out!" She paused. Could it? Her heart burned and writhed in agony and she took a deep breath and brushed away angry pain filled tears.

"No," she said. "No it couldn't." She lifted her chin then looked down at the book in her lap then shoved her feelings into the back of her mind as far as she possibly could.


Three weeks later found Tucker walking up the stairs at the Fenton house, toward Danny's room. He'd managed to avoid spending time at Danny's house, or really going anywhere that he'd come in contact with Jazz, but he couldn't avoid it any longer.

He'd talked to Sam about the situation and she agreed he should stay away from Jazz, but later she and Danny decided that it was time to stop letting Jazz dictate their lives. They'd always enjoyed hanging out in Danny's room, and both friends promised they'd protect him.

Jazz's door was shut as he walked by and he sighed for a moment. Unbeknownst to him, Jazz had been informed that Tucker was coming over, and if she wanted to live ghost free, she'd keep to her room until he left. He put his hand on the door and contemplated knocking.

Tucker missed her. He'd barely seen her the last few weeks. He saw Pete, who would glare at him with icy hatred, but he rarely saw Jazz. If he did, it was only as a brief flash of red hair. He understood she was avoiding him and he didn't know if knowing that hurt more than actually seeing her would. He wanted to see her, some part of him wanted to find out if the feelings he had for her were real, never mind the torture it would put his heart through.

"Tuck," a voice from behind him whispered. He turned and came face to face with beautiful turquoise eyes. Her hair was up and she was wearing shorts and a skimpy tank top. His heart slammed painfully against his ribs like it was trying to escape a cage and fly to her, causing his breath to escape his lungs in a woosh. Seeing her was like a punch in the stomach. He swallowed hard.

"Hi," he told her softly, aching to take her hand, pull her close and hug her or kiss her. He ached desperately to kiss her.

"How have you been?" she asked softly. Jazz wanted to touch him. She wanted to adjust his crooked hat and straighten his rumpled yellow t-shirt, allow her fingers tips to graze against his skin, to put her arms around him and breath in deeply. She thought she'd dealt with her feelings and watered them down to a satisfactory nonexistence, but she had been fooling herself. She missed him, badly.

"I've been okay," Tucker told her as he jammed his hands into his pockets.

"I'm glad," Jazz told him sweetly as she opened her bedroom door. She looked at Tucker a moment. "Want to come in?" she asked then kicked herself. What was she doing? It was too late to take the offer back.

"Really?" Tucker asked as he searched her face.

"We're friends," Jazz told him almost too firmly. "I-I miss you. I miss talking with you." She gestured for him to enter and he hesitated a moment before walking past her.

Jazz took a deep breath then followed him, mentally cursing herself for her weakness. She thoughtlessly closed the door behind her then moved past Tucker as she went to sit. She gasped as he grabbed her hand.

"I miss you too," he told her as she turned and looked into his eyes. Suddenly Jazz was melting into his arms as they came around her in what Tucker intended to be a quick friendly hug, mostly to save his sanity. He knew he shouldn't be here, talking to her or more aptly holding her. She didn't want him and he was going to end up hurting even more in the long run. He just couldn't help himself.

Jazz hiccupped back a sob as she buried her face between his neck and his shoulder. She mournfully wondered why it had to feel so right and so wonderful to have him holding her so close when it was just so wrong. She could feel his heart pounding quickly and she knew she needed to move away. She should have never invited him in, but she couldn't help it. She blamed it on a chemical reaction.

"Jazz," he murmured into her hair as his hands slid from the warm skin of her waist, up her back and back down. He knew then and there, no matter what he'd never be able to resist her, resist running his hands against her warm silky skin, or kissing her. Oh how he wanted to kiss her.

Tucker pressed his lips to the top of her head then her temple, and her ear as she tilted her head, sighed and closed her eyes. He feathered a tentative kiss along her jaw, trembling as she tilted her head to the side, giving him access to her neck. He nipped at her racing pulse softly for a moment before moving away enough that she moved her seeking lips toward his and then the world exploded into a million sparkling stars.

Jazz whimpered weakly as Tucker plunged his tongue past her lips. She reasoned that she needed to stop what was happening now, but another part of her reasoned that the damage had already been done, and there was absolutely no reason why she shouldn't enjoy this moment or participate in the most mind blowing kiss she'd ever experienced.

"It's just a chemical reaction," she kept telling herself as her own hands stole beneath Tucker's shirt and ran up the warm skin of his back. He pulled her to him tighter and their kiss intensified.

For his part, Tucker wasn't thinking anymore than he had to. He was feeling and he knew that he loved Jazz, powerfully, deeply and possibly forever. He never wanted to let go or be deprived of the feel of her lips sliding against his, or the sweet magical taste of her.

Jazz cried out slightly as Tucker's mouth moved from her lips and then she sighed as he kissed her neck, she wanted his lips fused with her own. She slid her hands up to the side of his face and moved so their mouths were connected again, glorying in the soft rumble of pleasure vibrating from Tucker's throat.

The unwelcome tap of reason on his shoulder disturbed Tucker first. He tried his best to ignore it and just drown himself in Jazz, but the voice was persistent and bitter. He knew that once the kiss ended, she was going to push him away again. She was going to tell him that their physical attraction was no reason to be together, it was a chemical reaction.

Tucker had carefully rebuilt his heart over the past few weeks and he didn't think he could stand to have it ripped apart again. He was shaking as he moved away from her, his heart and body were screaming at him to stop, to kiss her again, not to talk.

Jazz's eyes opened sleepily and she blinked for a moment as she looked into Tucker's green eyes. Her heart begged her to listen, to throw caution to the wind, to stop being stupid and tell him she wanted him, she loved him, to just forget everything and accept love as she found it.

"Tucker," She whispered as she stumbled past the words, preparing to confess everything.

"No," Tucker said as he closed his eyes, interrupting her confession. "I know what you're going to say. Don't say it. Just don't say it. I know. It's just a chemical reaction. You don't have to say it."

"Tuck," Jazz started sadly, realizing how dumb she'd been. "You don't understand."

Tucker shook his head and moved to the door. "I do understand," he said sadly. "I don't want to hear it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even come in here. I shouldn't have talked to you."

Before Jazz could say another word, Tucker was gone, leaving her feeling broken and bereft. Her knees gave out from beneath her and she slumped to the floor, dissolving into a puddle of tears and thinking that maybe Tucker had saved her from a huge mistake. Even so, it still hurt and she still wanted him.


Tucker gave Sam and Danny a wary look as he walked into Danny's room. They were sitting at opposite ends of the room from each other, but blushing slightly. Had he been in any other state but extreme emotional turmoil, he would have picked up on the fact that something was going on between them.

"What's up Tuck?" Danny asked casually as he shot a quick and hungry look at Sam who gave him a warning look then smiled at Tucker.

"Nothing," Tucker asked shortly as he turned on the television and the video game, slipping the disk from his pocket into the console and sitting down.

"You're late," Sam said teasingly, thinking that his funk was due to being in Danny's house and so close to Jazz. "You should have been here half an hour ago."

"Sorry," Tucker replied emotionlessly. "I got side tracked." He snorted bitterly, which caused Sam and Danny to exchange worried looks.

Danny sat beside Tucker and picked up one of the game controllers. The look on Tucker's face was hard to decipher, mostly it was angry. Danny was about to ask what side tracked him when there was a knock at the door.

Tucker stiffened as it opened slightly and Jazz poked her head in. "Sam," she said softly. "Can I…" she looked at Tucker quickly. "Can I talk to you please?"

"Sure," Sam said as she stood, looked at Danny a moment then walked with Jazz down the hall.

Danny scratched his head, fiddled with the controller in his hands then looked at Tucker. "Uh," he started. "Wanna talk about it?"

"No," Tucker growled. "I don't Danny. Thanks."

"No prob," Danny said as he watch Tucker cue up the game. "But I'm here if you do want to talk."

"No thanks," Tucker replied shortly.

The two boys played several rounds of Tucker's new video game until finally Tucker said, "I hate your sister."

"What?" Danny asked, his blue eyes going wide in shock.

"I said I hate her," Tucker continued. "I never want to see her again, Danny!"

"Oookay," Danny replied slowly. "I'll make sure you don't"

"Good," Tucker said firmly. "Good. I don't want to see her again."

"What happened?" Danny asked cautiously.

"Nothing happened," Tucker lied bitterly. "Why do you think something happened? I just made up my mind about her, that's all."

Sam returned to the room looking very troubled and nervous. She looked at the angry look on Tucker's face then sat next to Danny. She cleared her throat as if she was going to say something and Tucker jumped up.

"I need to go home," he said quickly. Both Danny and Sam blinked up at him in bewilderment. "Now! Danny will you fly me home please?"

"Sure," Danny replied as he stood and transformed to ghost mode. He looked at Sam who opened and closed her mouth then shook her head.

"I'll be right back," Danny told her then took off with Tucker. He was back in no less than five minutes. His face grim and troubled.

"Do you see why I didn't think they should get involved with each other?" Danny asked as he pulled Sam into his arms.

"I understand," Sam said as she laid her head on his shoulder. "But I think they're both stupid. Do you want to know what happened?"

Danny laughed shortly. "I don't know, but tell me anyway."

"He kissed her," Sam began softly. "Before he came in here. He kissed her and she kissed him and Jazz decided to throw caution to the wind and tell Tucker how she feels. Only he pushed her away and well I guess you know the rest."

"Dumb," Danny announced. "First he wants to be with her and she doesn't want to be with him. Now she's changed her mind and he doesn't want her. It's stupid."

Sam sighed heavily as she closed her eyes and snuggled closer into Danny's arms, feeling immensely grateful that they'd worked things out between them and they were happy. She didn't think she'd be able to handle the Jazz and Tucker situation if she didn't have Danny's arms to run to.

"I wish we could just trap them in a thermos and force them to work it out," Sam sighed sleepily. "Too bad we can't"

Danny smiled as he rubbed slow circles along Sam's back. "Maybe we can't," he said. "But maybe we can do the next best thing."

"Next best thing?" Sam asked as she pulled away and looked into Danny's eyes.

"Yeah," he said as he put his hand on the side of her face. "I have an idea?"

"An idea? You?" Sam teased.

Danny laughed a moment then sighed. "I'll tell you later," he told her huskily then pulled her close and kissed her. "It will all work out, but…later."

"Mmm," Sam replied, and then there was no more need for talking between them, for quite awhile.