The Art of Science
By Lacey52
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
A note: Heh…TxDS…in the world of science that means Time times Distance equals Speed…but in the fan fiction world it seems to mean that Tucker and Danny are together and either equal a Sam or create a very confused smiley face…heh…I'm so weird sometimes…Hm, not edited and it's so short again! Wah. Anywho, on with the story. And don't forget to visit the Danny Phantom Fanfic Awards, read all those wonderful stories, nominate stories you like under the different categories, then return to cast your vote!
Ah! Squee, one of my one shots The Deal got nominated on DPA also! Thank you so very much to whoever nominated it! Thank you all!
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Chapter Twelve: Distance
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"Sam, dearest," the curtains were thrown wide open and the horrid light cascaded down upon her form, eyes shut tightly as she tried to outlast her mother in the morning battle of light versus dark, neither being the bad guy in this case really, "Rise and shine, it's a beautiful summer day. You should be out doing something…getting some color in your skin…you know you're awfully pale."
"I know," the reply came from within a pile of pillows, and Sam continued to burrow her way down to escape her mother, "I like being that way. It's different."
"Samantha, different is not always better, whatever else you've been lead to believe in your short life," Sam felt the bed sink beside her prone figure as her mother continued to babble on about something concerning the niceties of being nicely tan, "Don't you want that?"
"No Mom, I want to go back to sleep," she finally emerged from her pillows and blankets, knowing her mother wasn't going to give up this morning without a fight and Sam was just too tired. Yesterday had been horrible, and unfortunately it hadn't had a thing to do with going out with Tucker to the mall. In fact, it seemed to have a lot to do with the fact that they were attacked both going to and coming from that particular place, "I'm getting up, so you win today."
"Good," and her mother stood, handing her a pretty blue blouse with buttons running down the front, "Now go and try this on. There are several other outfits waiting in your bathroom, and I'll be sitting right here to view them and help you choose which look best on you, as you are obviously wanting in the style and taste departments of you life."
"I think my style and taste are just fine," but Sam grabbed the shirt and marched to her bathroom, ignoring her mother's suggestion that muttering isn't ladylike, 'How the heck can I get out of this? If she's sitting right there I can't just sneak out. Maybe…I have a prior engagement? Yeah, that should do the trick. A couple of outfits to appease her, then I'm out of here for a while before tonight.'
A couple of outfits turned into a dozen before Sam finally managed to slip away, telling her mother that she intended to pay the Fenton's a friendly visit, though honestly she wasn't sure if she would make it to see them, wondering just what her reaction to Danny would be this time around. Her mother scowled, a very ladylike scowl of course, but let her leave, seeing that she had been more cooperative than usual and wondering just what the Fentons' son might have to do with it all.
She wasn't exactly clued in on her daughter's life, but she didn't have to be that observant to know that something special was developing between the two adolescents.
"I should be home for lunch," Sam sang out, mostly to her Grandmother as she slipped out the door, enjoying the warm afternoon sun on her face and shoulders, pleased with the fact that she'd decided to wear a tank top that day, 'I may not like to tan, but sometimes the sun is just…'
Sam looked around before completing her thoughts, as though afraid she would be heard in her own mind, '…delicious.'
Laughter bubbled out of the girl, and she took a deep breath, feeling like nothing could go wrong that day. No, she didn't have a Fenton Thermos on her, but she did have a rather handy shade of green lipstick. The smells and sights and sounds of summer gave Sam a sort of confidence that she had been missing the past few weeks, something that had slowly drained from her the more she'd been targeted, attacked, and rescued. She hated playing the damsel in distress, and she'd be damned if she stood there watching while her friends did all the work.
No more.
Nodding to herself, Sam stopped at an intersection; left would take her to town, right to Danny's. The only problem was she didn't want another episode like she had last night in the park. The look of hurt flashing across Danny's face as she refused his hand, all while unintelligibly gibbering from her nervousness, was fresh in her mind and probably would always be there as a reminder. Danny, for all his bravado and heroics, was a very fragile person.
'Which way do I go?'
Sam thought over this while she stood still, her mind drifting back to last night yet again. What had come over her was inexplicable in her mind, but a detachment from the situation now was allowing her a different view on what she had been feeling. She hadn't been afraid of Danny exactly, but she still couldn't put her finger on just what happened.
'Which way?' Sam pondered silently for a moment more, looking first left, then right, 'I think I know now.'
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"Dude, wake up and let's go," Tucker threw an empty water bottle towards Danny, who nailed it with an open palm spike, "Nice…"
"Whatever, I'm perfectly awake now, so let's go," Danny stood and shook out his pant leg over the shoe he had been slowly tying, ready for a day out with his friend, "Got the thermos?"
"Yeah," Tucker tossed it up in the air before deftly catching it again, "We'll have to drop it by Sam's house sometime. She was probably pretty glad you showed up, huh?"
"Uh, yeah," Danny paused with his hand on the doorknob, "Have you found anything out yet?"
"Nope, nothing," Tucker shook his head, pushed past the stalling boy, and opened the door to the sunshine, "You said you talked to Plasmius right?"
"I tried to," Danny slowly followed the other boy through the door and out to the sidewalk, heading towards town, "After Vlad left…he wouldn't talk. I tried later, but he still wouldn't talk, and then I tried one last time this morning right after I called you."
"Let me guess," Tucker took a page from Sam's book and wryly grinned at his friend while answering, "Wouldn't talk?"
"You got it in one," Danny kicked at a rock, letting out a sigh that turned into mist, "Oh, man…why?"
"Because you are who you are," Tucker pushed the thermos towards the boy, "And we got a ghost to catch before it gets to Sam, huh?"
"Something like that," Danny looked over his left shoulder where the ghost was approaching from. Meeting him halfway would be best and keep him the furthest distance from Sam's house, which was one block down and three blocks over, "Let's go techno-whiz, sidekick boy."
"Hey I resent that," Tucker fussed as Danny pulled him up into the air and along with him.
"No," Danny chuckled, "You represent that."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
'That's weird,' Sam sneezed, then shook her head as an old superstition crossed her mind, 'Someone must have been talking about me.'
The door in front of her opened, revealing a slightly sleepy looking Jasmine Fenton, clutching a couch pillow to her chest and rubbing at her tired eyes. Sam gave her a rather sweeping glance, taking in the fact that she was still in a pair of pajamas and looked as though she'd just pulled her hair up into a pony tail rather than brushing it. It all screamed college kid home on summer vacation.
"Morning Sam," Jazz held the door open and ushered her into the living room, where she'd already set herself up with food, coco, and a laptop computer opened to a website on specific personality types and their likelihood to survive through several different situations. Most of them were dealing with people with a high risk profile, "What are you doing up so early?"
"My mother decided that my wardrobe was no where near satisfactory, and decided to help me gain a personal sense of style, which I apparently lack," Sam set herself next to the older girl, sinking into the couch comfortably, "I thought that since I was up I might as well swing by…"
"Well, you might just want to swing towards the mall," Jazz smiled, "The parents aren't home and Danny headed out about thirty minutes ago with Tucker. I'm surprised you didn't see them on the way to the mall. You should have been at the same crossroads…"
"Yeah," Sam shrugged, "That is strange."
"Maybe there was a ghost."
"There's been a lot of those around here because of me lately," Sam sighed deeply, shifting on the couch as her thoughts centered on Danny yet again, "Plus a couple of halfas."
"Only one," Jazz smiled, "Danny was already here."
"Yeah," Sam sunk a little lower, "Already here. He was probably one of the first ones to be affected by it."
"You don't really think that do you?" the older girl's frown was apparent in the lines creasing her forehead, "You know that Danny likes you for who you are, Sam, don't ever doubt that."
"I know that everyone's thinking that, but when you look at the facts, whatever is affecting these other ghosts is probably having something to do with Danny," Sam pulled her knees up to her chest, forgetting for a second the confidence she'd felt that morning, "I mean, maybe not all the way, but at least a little, right?"
"I doubt it," Jazz shrugged, "but I guess the best way would be to talk to him about it."
"We tried, I think," the girl rolled her eyes, "Every time there's a ghost…or person, who interrupts us."
"Story of Danny's life, Sam. You're going to have to get used to it though, because little brother plans on keeping you around for a while as far as I can tell."
"That's nice," Sam blushed deeply, then frowned as she thought of the problem that had been developing the past few weeks around Danny's ghost side, "Jazz…I know you're still studying and I know you're on vacation, but…I need to…talk."
"Doesn't everybody?" Jazz shot a smile to Sam, then sat up a bit straighter, "I'm all ears, and I won't judge."
"I know," she nodded, "Danny told me you were a good listener when he was having a hard time figuring himself out…and I'm sort of having that same problem right now."
"It sounds like it," Jazz nodded, "You know, it's normal to have some doubt in a relationship over whether your partner is truly attracted to you or not."
"As helpful as that is to hear," Sam sighed, "I have a different problem to top off all my other problems."
"It can't possibly be as bad as pulling every ghost in Amity Park to you."
"I'm scared of Danny when he's Phantom."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"So, sucks that we couldn't get into the arcade," Tucker shoved his hands into his pockets while waiting in line with Danny. The Nasty Burger was particularly busy that morning for some reason, "At least we'll get some food…eventually."
"Yeah, eventually," a small smile was gracing Danny's lips. The last few days hadn't been that great, but today had been fine thus far. The ghost had been a pushover, the mall had been alright with Tucker there with him to make fun of the people as they passed by, and the game shop had several new games which he was considering for his upcoming birthday. The only two things currently bothering him was the lack of arcade time and lack of Sam, 'I want to make things right, but I can't think of anything…'
He felt like the answer was staring him in the face. Who was there? Where could he look to for answers? There were far too many questions in his life right now, and the last thing he counted on was another question making his day a little brighter.
"Tucker?"
Both boys turned to find Star in line behind them with Kwan and a few other friends, the girl looking very pleased and Kwan not too sure about what was going on.
"Oh, uh. Hey, Star," Tucker grinned nervously, shifting slightly.
'Tucker cannot be nervous,' Danny watched in amazement, nodding his head towards Star when she said hello to him as well, 'He's never nervous, especially not around a girl!'
"How're things going this week?" Star started the conversation, a tiny glance over her shoulder belying her calm exterior when it came to what her peers thought, though she was certainly making progress because she was talking to Tucker.
"Good, sorta'," Tucker laughed, then nodded towards Danny, "We were going to play the day away in the arcade, but it was closed for some reason."
"That's not cool for you I guess," Star's nose wrinkled cutely as she smiled, and Danny swore that Tucker's grin grew, "but at least the Nasty Burger is open right?"
"Yeah, I-"
"Hey Star, we're going to get a booth first and wait until the line shortens," a girl started pulling her away by the hand, "C'mon, we still gotta' finish talking about Debbie and her night out!"
"Guess I gotta' run," Star smiled again, then turned to go, "Later Tucker. Bye Danny."
"Bye," both boys answered, Danny giving a slight wave as Star left. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it, but Tucker seemed…, 'Dude, no way. He didn't flirt, he didn't crack a line, and he's nervous…'
"Do I detect a crush?" Danny elbowed his best friend, grinning like a fool, "Way to go man, when the heck did this happen?"
"Nah, not a crush, just…," Tucker grimaced, thinking over how nervous he got when trying to just be himself, "I fixed her phone the other day, she was happy, and we got a drink at the mall. She's pretty nice when you get her away from the rest of her group."
"Uh huh," Danny was unconvinced, but just smiled at his friend, "So, why so nervous?"
"Oh man, you've got no idea what it's like to all of a sudden stop pretending to be one thing for people and have to be…yourself," Tucker stopped talking at the raised eyebrow and slightly smug smile on Danny's face, "Okay, okay, so maybe you do, but it's…it's…"
"Nerve-wracking? Embarrassing? Sweating bullets, trying to save the town, and pass an English test the next day worthy?" Danny laughed, then stepped up to place his order for a drink to go, "I think I understand."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"You're scared of Danny…," Jazz was trying to process this through her mind, "…but only when he's Phantom."
"Yeah," Sam sat forward on the couch once again, not sure that she wanted to have this conversation, but desperately needing someone else's opinions on the matter, 'And who better than the resident psychologist-to-be?'
"So only in his ghost form, or is it all the time, or when he's using his ghost powers or what?"
"When he's a ghost, or using his powers mostly. It started a few weeks ago, when all the ghosts started to come more and more often. At first, it just made me a little nervous, then I started to get sort of…skittish around him when he would be Phantom or use his powers. The other day in the lab…I couldn't help it, I just had to get out of there."
"What happened in the lab?" Jazz led her on, hoping to gain a slightly more clear picture of the situation that Sam had found herself in.
"When you and Tucker were busy, after Danny sent Danni up to his room," Sam looked towards the kitchen with a frown, remembering the moment clearly, "He was messing with his ice powers, and the first time…I couldn't take the crystal he wanted to hand to me, so he put it in my hand. I was fine after that, for a while, until he started playing, making more. Then he made one with energy inside of it, and I was afraid again. He levitated them, and I lost it."
"Lost it how?"
"I had to get out of there," the girl shook her head, feeling guilty, "All I could think was 'ghost' when I looked at him, and then after that it's what I kept feeling. I don't think that Danny is a different person when he's Phantom, but it bothers me somehow."
"You know," Jazz started slowly, looking up for a way to explain what she was slowly processing, "I don't think you're afraid of Danny."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," she caught Sam's gaze, holding her attention, "You said that you were fine with Danny when he was just sitting next to you right, before he started making more crystals and messing around?"
"Yes," Sam nodded, thinking how odd that was, 'If I'm afraid of him, then wouldn't I be afraid all the time? I think I see what Jazz is getting at…'
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"Man, today is sorta' weird, ya' know?" Tucker took another sip of his soda, thinking back over their slow morning, "We were gonna' play the day away, and now it's only been what? An hour since we left your house or something?"
"Yeah," Danny shook his head, kicking a small piece of concrete ahead of him and repeating the motion whenever he'd happen upon another, "And now we're heading right back to it. I guess it's just one of those days."
"Yeah well, I couldn't think of anything else to do and neither could you," Tucker reached up to rearrange his hat, then his glasses, before taking another loud sip through the straw, "At least the house won't try to kill us, right? That's a plus."
"Definitely," Danny laughed, kicking another rock and feeling a little better. Tucker was his best friend for a reason, 'He always manages to get me out of my funks. Thank God he's been here for me through all these stupid problems…'
"Dude," Tucker wiggled his eyebrows as he playfully walked ahead of Danny a bit, "If we get back quick enough, Jazz'll still be in her PJ's and we can terrorize her about the pink girly-ness of them!"
"She'll kill you."
"You know it'll be an honorable death."
"Yeah…but still not worth it."
"You're taking the fun out of my fundamentals here, Danny," Tucker laughed as they walked on, Danny finally taking a sip from his drink, "If I can't tease you and I can't tease Jazz, who the heck am I going to tease?"
"You could always find a mirror…"
"Dude, low blow…low blow."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"You know, Sam," Jazz spoke up after letting Sam have some time to think it over, processing what she'd been getting at all along, "I think you're problem is you haven't gotten to spend much time with Danny, in either of his forms, lately. With all the ghosts we've been having around here, it's possible that you may be developing a phobia of ghosts."
"But Danny isn't a ghost, and I know that," Sam shook her head, understanding Jazz's point, but unsure of what she could do to help herself, "If it's my subconscious that's giving me problems, how am I supposed to fight that? People aren't afraid of the dark or heights and then suddenly are cured."
"No, but you're not to the point that you're terrified beyond all reason," the older girl pointed out with a quirked eyebrow, "Most people with phobias of something are debilitated by their fear. You are still perfectly functional according to the stories that Danny's told me."
"It's getting worse though," Sam shifted again, more comfortable with facing Jazz now as she spoke, "I…I shot the Fenton Lipstick the other day and it knocked me on my butt. Danny offered me his hand, and normally I would have taken it, ghost or not, but that time…I couldn't. I don't really understand why I was so freaked out right then, but…"
"Danny said that ghost had been less than three feet from you when you shot it," Jazz cut in at her slight pause, stopping Sam from rambling on, "You were probably still shaken up from being so close to one ghost that was attacking you, then all of a sudden you had another in that same range of space. Your mind was probably having a hard time adjusting."
"But it was just Danny!" Sam was up off the couch and pacing a bit as she thought it out, out loud for the sake of Jazz, "It shouldn't matter that Danny was standing in front of me as Phantom. I was fine with Phantom before I knew he was Danny, even if I was a little more cautious around him. I shouldn't have a hard time adjusting to anything Jazz."
"That's not necessarily true, you know," the other girl sighed and reached for her morning coco, which was definitely cool enough at that point to drink, "I know it's not exactly the same situation, but the most often used reference is to a person, mostly a woman, who has been abused or sexually assaulted, molested, or raped. They may know, without a doubt in their heart, that a father or husband or best friend who is a male would never hurt them in the same way their attacker did, but they have an instinctual reaction to literally any male's touch or presence. That's a very broad generalization, and my professors would shoot me for such a horrible example, but it's one that most people are familiar with."
"So you're saying that I'm going to react badly to Danny no matter what now when he's in his ghost form, just because all these other stupid ghosts are attacking me?" Sam stopped her pacing and looked helplessly at Jazz for answers which she feared the girl didn't have. Taking sympathy on Sam, Jazz patted the couch beside her, soothing Sam as she sat down.
"Most people are able to recover from their fears Sam. It usually takes anywhere from seven to a hundred positive experiences for every negative one a person faces which deals with their specific fear," Jazz was being as earnest as possible, hoping that she could help her little brother's girl through her problem, "In the case of something as extreme as I described a second ago, it can take a lot longer, but most people are able to work through it. Knowing Danny, he'll do anything to help you."
"I know," Sam shook her head, sinking down into the couch again, "That's the problem. I hurt him the other day when I didn't take his hand. It was like I slapped him across the face. I don't want him to have to go through that every time I see him as Phantom, and don't tell me it isn't going to end up like that. At the rate I'm going, I'll be terrified of him by next week."
"So spend more time with him as Phantom," Jazz suggested, thinking of a solution as quickly as she could, satisfied with what she was slowly working out in her mind, "If you spend more time with Danny, more so while he's Phantom, then you should start to become more comfortable around him."
The girl thought on this for a while, agreeing with Jazz on that point and praying that her suggestion would work out should she choose to implement it. Unfortunately, there were far too many variables for Sam to try and predict what might happen.
"Sam," Jazz called the girl to catch her attention after a few moments of silence had passed, "Sam, you're an amazing girl. You're only the second person to figure out Danny's secret, which means you're smart, and you've got an iron will, or so I've heard."
This had Sam grinning a small bit, knowing exactly how stubborn she could be and enjoying how Jazz had worded this compliment so kindly.
"Mind over matter, Sam," Jazz encouraged, smiling as she watched Sam light up a bit, "but I bet you already knew that, huh?"
"Something like that," Sam smiled, then turned and hugged Jazz, surprising the girl to no end as Sam was a particularly non-touchy, feely person, "Thank you."
"Anytime," Jazz laughed and walked with Sam to the door, "Going so soon?"
"Yeah, I think I might head home," Sam smiled with a small blush, her hand on the doorknob, talking as she opened it, "There's a lot I need to think about…and some stuff I need to do."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Danny and Tucker were just getting to his house, when the door opened to reveal a smiling Sam saying her goodbyes to Jazz, who was, as Tucker predicted, still in her pajamas. Danny paused, halfway up the steps to watch her, the smile on her face pulling at his heart a bit as he wondered whether he should just disappear and avoid any and all problems his presence might cause.
Fortunately, Sam turned more quickly than he had anticipated and caught sight of him, a surprised look quickly melting into a blushing, shy smile. Danny melted at the look sent his way and returned in kind.
Tucker pretended to gag, effectively ruining the moment, "If you two are gonna' keep up the mush, I'm going to go inside, where it's hopefully mush-free and get some food. The soda just isn't doing it for me."
"Tucker," Jazz chastised the boy, who turned with a pleading grin for mercy, "Leave them alone or I'll make you watch soap operas with me for the rest of the afternoon."
"Threat noted," Tucker took his hat off to ring in his hands, "I'll be good…just let me eat! I'm starving!"
"Overdramatic, much?" Sam grinned towards Tucker's retreating form.
"Just a little," Jazz winked, then closed the door, giving Danny and Sam some privacy, though the entire outside world was privy to their conversation. Summer was always a busy time for the street the Fentons lived on, and the cars passed every few moments while Danny stood partially on his own front steps looking up at Sam and grinning like mad that she was still there, 'Maybe we should have a talk now…'
"So, I'm sorry about yesterday," Danny got out as he inched his way up the steps towards the girl, "I didn't know…um, I still really don't but…"
Ring. That one sound broke the moment for both teens, and they groaned collectively at yet another interruption to their impending thoughts. Danny held his breath while Sam answered her phone, apparently arguing with her mother on the other end of the line.
"Yes, Mom," Sam rolled her eyes and tapped her foot impatiently, "Yes, I'm coming home right now. I know I said I'd be home for lunch…no! No, Mom! Why would I do that? I dunno'…no, no just…Mom! I'm coming right now, just give me time to get there okay? Right, bye."
"What was that about?" Danny nervously stepped closer, breathing a sigh of relief when Sam didn't react as she had in the park, 'Obviously she has to get home for lunch, but it never hurts to ask right?'
"Just my Mom being my Mom, which is a good thing I guess," Sam shrugged, "I have to go home to eat…and then I have to go with my parents tonight to a benefit. It's one of the few things I can stand doing with them because it's for a good cause, you know?"
"Yeah," Danny smiled, then grimaced, "Where's it going to be at?"
"I don't really know, one of the convention centers downtown I guess," Sam shrugged, then looked towards the door and windows to make sure no one was eavesdropping, "I was going to ask you to go tonight, but my mother so kindly reminded me that it was by invitation only and I couldn't just have people tag along…"
"Oh, heh," Danny blushed, then shook it off with a wave of his hand, "It's cool, and besides, it's probably better if I'm on patrol duty anyways, especially since you're going to be somewhere with lots of people, huh?"
"Yeah," Sam ducked her head, heaving a sigh at how bad luck was seemingly following her around lately, "I really have to go now though."
"That's cool," Danny scooted forward another inch, "I'll see you later, okay?"
"Alright," Sam grinned, then reached up and patted his cheek, "Maybe you'll get a kiss then, if you help me escape tonight."
"That better be a promise," Danny sent Sam on her way with a gentle nudge, laughing as she stuck her tongue out at him, "Or else you're going to find yourself kidnapped and held for ransom tonight. Ransom being one kiss. Right? Hey! Are you ignoring me?"
"Let's just say," Sam kept walking, enjoying this day more than any other of that summer so far, "That that had better be a promise."
Sam and Danny both couldn't keep the grin off their face for the rest of the day, and neither breathed a word about just why that was. Jazz and Tucker though…they mostly knew, but kept it to themselves. Things were finally starting to work out, and far be it from them to mess this up for Sam and Danny.