Man - I have had so little time to write this in the past week or so. Most of it's only been done in the last couple of days. But hopefully it's been worth it. Oh and BTW - I've never been to Anaheim, so I've no idea at all what it looks like. The image was just the first thing that came into my head.

I don't own the characters in this story - Butch Hartman does.

I don't own the lyrics to 'Breathe' or 'Wish You Were Here' - Pink Floyd do. ('Breathe' is in bold italics, 'Wish You Were Here' in italics).

Danny's eyes opened wearily as his alarm clock shook him abruptly from sleep. Lying on his side, he snatched blindly for it and grimaced as his hand struck the corner of his desk. The temptation to hurl it out of, or preferably through the window, was almost irresistible, but he had enough things on his mind. The fact that he was stuck at home with his parents and Jazz for the next few days was enough; a broken window was simply more trouble than it was worth.

Bleary-eyed, he switched it off and rolled onto his back. For a while he gazed up at the ceiling, wondering how long today was going to drag itself out for. For the last three days, he felt like there was no energy in his body at all. He hadn't slept so well the night before – the last time he looked at his clock, it was 5:40am – and he'd felt so lethargic the next day that he couldn't keep himself awake. Good thing it's summer vacation, he thought, or I'd be falling asleep in Lancer's lesson again…

Even though his parents had asked him yesterday if there was something on his mind (his dad was convinced it had something to do with ghosts), he denied that there was anything wrong, which was no lie – his usual school-related fears had been allayed, at least for the time being. But that night, for some reason, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. Even when he was awake, Sam dominated every conscious thought. Whenever he walked into Amity Park, he would think he'd seen her across the street or outside the mall, but each time it would turn out to be someone else. He missed her so much, and although she knew she'd be back soon, the distance that separated them made it even harder to bear.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and sighed. With Sam in Anaheim and Tucker in…well, wherever the hell he was, the entire town felt desolate and empty to him. He didn't particularly want to do anything, but he didn't really want to lie in bed and brood either. Still feeling a little drowsy, he got dressed and went downstairs.

Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave, but don't leave me
Look around, choose your own ground

"Morning, Danny!" his mother greeted him as he went into the kitchen. "Did you sleep better last night?"

Jazz walked past him as he came in. "Try 'at all'," she said, ruffling Danny's hair.

He sighed at his sister's gesture and replied, "Yeah, I did, thanks." He yawned and sat down at the table, cradling his head in his hands.

"Are you sure you're feeling OK?" Maddie asked him, sitting down opposite him. "You look like you could use a couple more hours."

"I'm all right," Danny said. Damn, his mom really cared about him too much sometimes. He wasn't sure whether he should her about his feelings for Sam, and almost decided to do it… But then she'd get all excited and she'd tell Jack – oh, God, and she'd tell Jazz as well. If she knew that for a fact, she wouldn't stop obsessing about it until the summer was over. At least. No, he thought firmly, give it a little while… His mother still looked unconvinced. "Really," he reassured her, "I'm fine. Still recovering from last night, I guess."

Maddie smiled. "OK, honey," she said, "I just want to make sure." Suddenly a loud crash came through the kitchen floor, loud and violent enough to make the windows rattle. Rolling her eyes, she said, "I'd better check on your father," then hurried out and towards the basement, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts.

For long you'll live and high you'll fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be.

Leaning on the railings, Sam looked out from the balcony of her hotel room. It was only about 7:00am in Anaheim, but the Sun had already risen and was idly sitting behind the buildings in the distance.

So this is Orange County, Sam thought to herself. As she'd expected, she didn't really take to Anaheim. Having always identified the "City of Angels" and all the littler cities around it as a place where everything was governed by wealth, fame and popularity, everything she disliked, the experience was far from positive. Luckily for her, the hotel they were staying in wasn't in the city centre, but just inside the city limits where everything was a bit quieter. The lull was a bit of a reprieve, the calm before the storm. Whenever her parents wanted to do anything, they insisted on setting out during the hottest time of the day, and the heat coupled with the noise was rarely bearable. Everyone who commuted or lived here was some sort of speed demon – time was always of the essence, a highly valued commodity. The streets heaved with throngs of people trying to get to the same place at the same time. They were like ants, she thought, slaves to a remorseless grind.

Taking a deep breath, Sam was grateful for the little bit of peace she'd been granted. Now she had a little bit of time to think things through. Without the bustle of day-to-day urban living that would usually kick up around 9:00, the only noise she could hear was the faint buzz of crickets in the bushes, occasionally permeated by a horn honking or a train passing nearby. The early morning sunlight wasn't too dazzling, but bright enough to softly illuminate the landscape around her. Some sparkled off the surface of the narrow canal to her left as it meandered through the grass.

So you think you can tell heaven from hell?
Blue skies from pain?
And can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

A light breeze blew across the balcony, making her shiver. So far during the holiday she'd still been asleep around this time. That morning, however, she'd woken up around 6:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. After lying wide awake for half-an-hour, knowing her parents wouldn't be up for a while yet, she pulled on her dressing-gown and quietly opened the double doors that led out to the balcony. As she looked toward the city, she was reminded of the hilltop and that blissfully long afternoon she'd spent with Danny.

A quiet sigh escaped Sam's lips. She'd felt excited, and a little relieved, when she saw that he felt the same way for her as she did for him. Her journal remained empty that night – she couldn't express how happy she felt in an appropriate enough way. But now that she knew, she'd have to wait to see him again. Why did I have to go straight away?, she fumed silently, I could have told him more…should have told him more…

She shook her head vigorously and told herself to get a grip. OK, so she wouldn't see Danny for a few days, it wasn't like they weren't ever going to see each other again. And yet…she felt like there was someone missing in her life, ever since they'd pulled out of Amity Park. It sounded corny, sure, but she hadn't experienced it before, and it only served to make the wait seem longer and longer, which in turn made the feeling stronger. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him, and it was driving her crazy.

"It's just three days…" she muttered under her breath, repeating it to herself over and over again, "just three days…just three days…"

And did they get you to trade
Your heroes for ghosts,
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you exchange a walk-on part in a war
For a lead role in a cage?

Half-stumbling across his room from tiredness, Danny booted up his computer then went to open his curtains. He stepped back blinded as the sunlight hit him full on.

As his eyes readjusted to the light, he spied his guitar in the corner, unused since he'd gone round to Mike's the day before yesterday. He'd been unable to concentrate long enough to play a single chord that afternoon, prompting Mike to ask him if anything was on his mind. Mike was only about a month older than he was, but he found her the best person to talk to at times like these. But at that moment, telling her what was wrong was like being in a confession booth. He managed to string some sentences together, talked about how Sam had left for a few days, the afternoon in the park, how he couldn't stop thinking about her…

Mike smiled sympathetically. "You're pining for her, aren't you?" she said.

"Yeah," Danny admitted with a laugh.

"She feel the same way about you?"

"I think so," he said. "I mean, I couldn't be sure…but she looked like it."

"Sure as hell sounds like it to me," Mike said, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, man. She'll be back. I'm sure she misses you too." Picking up her guitar, she started playing 'Blowin' in the Wind' again. Danny listened to her, absent-mindedly singing the words with her under his breath.

As he walked back to his computer, he noticed the wallpaper he had on his desktop – a photo of him, Sam and Tucker that his dad had taken on the digital camera. It was late evening, and Jack still didn't know how to work the camera properly, so the three of them were in focus, but everything else left a trail of light behind it. He looked at it for a while, smiling. He felt better for talking to Mike, no doubt about that, but the three days still stretched on dauntingly ahead of him, which, he guessed, he'd have to ride out for now.

How I wish,
How I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here

(Three days later)

Home, home again.
I like to be here when I can.
When I come home cold and tired,
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire.

Edging open her bedroom door with her foot, Sam flung her suitcase onto her bed. The dark purple wallpaper, black drapes and the general Goth décor were hardly welcoming to the naked eye; to her, it was home.

She fell backwards onto the bed. The journey home hadn't been that long, but emotionally, she felt worn out. Her eyelids drooped and she almost nodded off to sleep when she heard her mother's voice call up the stairs.

"Sam! 'Phone for you!"

Instinctively, Sam surged up. Her hand hovered over the receiver, quivering with anticipation, hoping it was Danny… "Hello?"

"Hey, Sam," a voice answered, "it's Danny."

"Hey, you," she said. "How's it going? Anything happen while I was away?"

"Nope, not really. Tucker can almost shoot a hoop now." She laughed. "Hey, you wanna do something tomorrow? We could meet up at the mall, go see a movie or something."

"Sure," Sam said, "I'd love to."