DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor claim to own any rights to Danny Phantom in any way shape or form…besides it's just a fanfic…

BY: ilovecheese1, with MAJOR PROPS to Crimsonblade117 for staying and helping clean up the mistakes!

Family Heirloom

Early that morning…

"Hey mom?"

"Yes Sammy?"

"What's this?" Sam Manson said coming out of the attic with a small velvet box that looked as if it was in good condition once, but that time was long ago.

"Oh, that looks like my Grandma's and Grandpa's old wedding rings…wow; I didn't know I still had them." She said as she gently took the box from Sam's hands and opened it. "Yes...well I suppose that if you want them I guess you could have them…they don't have any stones in them, but they might be fun to wear to keep away the boys." She said, smiling.

"Mom," Sam said in that voice you use to tell people something obvious. "I don't get hit on by any boys at school."

"Oh? What about that Fenton boy? I thought you two went to that dance together." Her mom said matter-of-factly.

"We're just friends Mom." Sam said, frowning.

"Well, just in case you find some other use for them, just don't damage them. They were special to me after my grandparents died." Sam's mom said and then chuckled, remembering, "My mom told me that my grandparents shared everything they did. There was this one time when my grandpa just stood up in the middle of a visit with his inventor friends and said 'Call an Ambulance; something just happened to my wife!' Even though he was at his house and my grandma was 18 blocks away at my mom's apartment. She thought he was just getting old and was acting a little screwy. My grandma had come to my mom's apartment to pick up some vacuum tubes stored in a back room and noticed that the light bulb was burnt out where they were kept. She got a flashlight, bulb and a chair and went to replace it because she felt it was her duty to help out her daughter in such ways. She was done replacing the bulb and fell off the antique chair as it broke under her weight."

"Wow. Did she turn out okay?" Sam asked.

"In the end, she just had a broken arm and some bruised ribs." Her mom replied, as if she was saying that breakfast that morning was colder than she expected.

"Well that's good to hear. Anyway thanks mom I will take good care of them." Sam told her. While in the back of her mind she was thinking, I have to call Danny about this.

Later that day…

"That's great Sam. So do you know what to do with them?" Danny Fenton (Sam's best friend) asked over the phone.

"I don't know…usually when my parents get me jewelry they have some sort of stone in it, usually fake though, but these are simply gold bands… I was thinking of having them engraved maybe." Sam replied.

"Well what would you engrave on them; you can't put much on a ring when it comes to that." Danny informed her.

"Well the sophmores get to order class rings, so maybe I could engrave my name and the year on it. You know? Like a retro ring or something." Sam said.

"Wow that sounds cool and it wouldn't cost anything really. But that only explains what you would do with one ring, what about the other one?" Danny asked.

"Well, maybe I could engrave the other one for you? Maybe as a gift?" she said/asked him. It was a good thing they weren't standing face to face, or else they would've seen each other blush deeply.

"Wow Sam; that would be nice." Insert mutual blush. "Although can I come over and try them on first to see if one even fits my finger? I don't want you spending money engraving them when I can't even wear it." Danny said

"Yeah, that's fine, I'm in my room. I'll be here waiting. That way it wouldn't attract the attention of my parents. My mom already thinks something is going on between us." Sam replied with frustration. Although with the statement or the one who said it she herself was not sure.

"Really? Wow that's awkward. Well I guess I will only be there for a few minutes. Although I don't think it's a good idea to sneak into your room though when your parents are suspicious of us." Danny informed her.

"Well whatever just get over here, it's getting late! That might even make it worse if they found out you were here." Sam said worriedly. In the back of her mind she could see it now "Sammy, why is Danny here? I didn't hear him come in…neither did I hear you ask if he could come over!" Then she would get chewed out about teenage angst and boy's behavior when they are alone with someone who is as "beautiful" and "defenseless" as her. As if.

"Ok I'll be over in a couple minutes Sam." Danny said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

As he left for Sam's house, a figure made his way out of the ghost portal, cheering "FINALLY! I've found a way out at last!"

It was late in the winter, almost spring. So when Danny left the house he thought the shiver up his spine and seeing his breath was just because of the cool late afternoon.

"I'd better get to Sam's before I freeze to death." Danny said to himself. Running into the alley between his house and his neighbors he quickly changed to Danny Phantom and flew in the direction of Sam's house.

"The human world… I never thought I would see it again." The ghostly figure whispered as he phased through the Fenton abode into the crisp refreshing air he had so long missed.

"How long has it been since I have smelled the air of… spring? Winter? Well… it seems like an eternity… perhaps it was." He said as he flew off into the distance to see where he was and what had inevitably changed since his death.

Sam was looking out of her window when she saw Danny approach. He looked so happy to see her. He approached the window just as it started to snow; it almost seemed as if the snow fell because of her joy at seeing him. As he approached the window a smile and a warm gaze surfaced to her face for an instant, then faded as a confused look came from Danny's emerald green eyes.

"Can I come in?" He asked, barely audible from outside the window

Sam nodded and Danny phased through the window saying, "Man it's cold out there." He shivered as he touched down on the floor, changing back to Danny Fenton.

"I noticed." Sam said "Hold on, why don't you get a blanket from the closet."

"Okay, that seems like a good idea." He said clutching himself as he walked over to the closet, accidentally spilling the cup of M&Ms Sam had at the edge of her bed.

"Oh no! Don't worry Danny, I'll pick these up, you go get a blanket." She said as Danny tried to help her.

Danny made his way to the closet and picked out the thickest blanket he could find, which was a queen sized comforter that was green on one side and black on the other (no doubt Sam only let the black side show). He clutched the blanket around him like a cloak, but being so large it was dragging on the floor around him. As he came around to the other side of the bed he noticed Sam was almost finished picking up the M he looked up from her progress, seeing as she was almost done, then his eyes found their way to past her ear to her neck and chest. At that angle he was looking right down her shirt. As he realized what he was actually looking at the blanket caught his foot as he was walking and he started to trip. This was at the exact time that Sam, being finished with cleaning, rose to get the velvet box that contained the rings Danny had come for. As she saw that Danny was falling she tried to catch him, although with his momentum it carried both of them onto the bed, with their arms around each other.

The butterflies in Sam's stomach seem to break into excited shivers and spread throughout her entire body as he held her, and she held him back. Thinking as fast as she could with Danny's handsome face so close to hers she tried to think of a way to keep enjoying holding him tight but not endanger their friendship. Saying, "Wow, you are cold." with the same smile and loving gaze returning to her face trying to read Danny's reaction. She felt torn inside as she battled internally about how she felt, trying to decide how much to show to him. She looked at him, pushing down her feelings, pushing away how she really wanted to look at him, like he looked at Paullina.

Danny however didn't notice anything besides the lovely lavender eyes that were so close to his. "If it makes you feel better you're hot. I-I mean warm." He stuttered.

Finally managing to break away she said, "Well, I'll go get the rings," with that she hurried over to her dresser with a blush on her face. "I also have a surprise for you." She mentioned when she got out the little velvet box.

"Wow Sam, those look awesome! Are you sure you want to give me one of those?" he said as he pulled out the left ring, it seemed to draw him to take that one instead of the other one. He turned the ring over and frowned, "I thought you hadn't engraved them yet…." he said questioningly as he showed Sam the ring that had her name on it already.

"I had them engraved before I even called you, I was really excited at the thought of giving you a gift that I just did it…..I really hope you don't mind." She said as a look of restrained fear came to her face and then disappeared as she regained control. She really hoped that she hadn't ruined her chance to give Danny a gift as special as the ring.

Danny put the ring on his finger, saying, "Well, I'm flattered that you'd enjoy giving me a gift like this, thanks Sam." Putting a hand on her shoulder, he reached back to the box and pulled out the other ring, it had the word Danny engraved on it. "People are bound to start saying things when we both start wearing real rings that match. It will remind me of you whenever I look at my hand; and since I daydream a lot in school that will be just about half the day. I really like it." He smiled warmly at her as he put the other ring on her finger and she smiled back wholeheartedly.

"This feels like we're getting engaged or something." She said and hugged him; Danny just hugged her back, there was no way that he couldn't. As he held her close he leaned his head in and down, running his face on her neck until his lips rested on the side of her neck with his nose buried in her raven black hair. His eyes closed as he inhaled her scent, a mix of lavender and vanilla that intoxicated him, erasing all thought from his mind. He didn't know what caused him to but his lips started moving at that moment, kissing her neck softly and making Sam close her eyes and open her mouth, a small gasp escaping from her. The sensation running up and down her spine that was coming from her neck took Sam's breath away and made her hold Danny tighter, encouraging him. He pulled back just enough to change from kissing her neck softly to kissing her lips and was surprised by how much she kissed back, lost in the feelings they'd both repressed for so long. He wrapped his right arm around her lower back, pulling her hips in close and put his left hand on the back of her head, rubbing her scalp as he pulled her deeper into the kiss.

Just then, the rings on their fingers seemed to sparkle, as if someone had recently polished them, and the words Sam and Danny radiated with light; though Danny and Sam were too preoccupied at the moment to notice. Ending their kiss, Danny gave her one last hug and whispered into her ear, "I understand now, there's nothing I'd rather do than be here with you, but I have to get home." He said as he went into ghost form and phased through her window again. He left her there speechless as he flew into that bitter cold evening, feeling like he'd never be cold again.

Sam collapsed on her bed as she watched him go, amazed at what happened. She lay with her eyes closed, remembering the kiss that they shared, their first real kiss. She had thought before when her love had been secret that she loved him as much as a person could love another, but she was wrong. She could feel her love and desire to be with him grow within her as she remembered that kiss, and now she knew how he felt about her, that fueled her adoration even more. He likes me, she thought, he really likes me, I finally know for sure.

Danny was on his way home, and he flew in wild eratic sweeping loops. Phasing through an office building (it was after five, no one was there) he enjoyed the warmth and his memories. He had kissed Sam! He really did it this time, no fake-out-make-out, a real kiss! He thought that nothing could ruin this moment when his ghost breath went off. He phased out onto the roof, looked around, and saw a figure in the distance just floating there. Usually his ghost sense would go off when someone was already under attack, but he had to check it out anyway, that's a hero's job right? Still he wasn't really paying attention to the ghost; he just couldn't get Sam out of his head. So instead of interrogating the ghost he just thought of Sam while he waited to see if this ghost was trouble or not. He knew that not all ghosts were evil and that some just wanted to be left alone in peace, but this ghost did a weird job of doing it, floating above downtown and just watching everyone like it was a gripping movie.

The ghost didn't know Danny was there nor did he care. All he was looking at was the mass of people entering and exiting the various stores in the downtown. In his head the ghost was remembering why this ordinary looking scene he was witnessing made him so infuriated.

It was 1937, in the later half of the depression era; he was lying in under the bridge in the square of Amity Park. Half starved; more so actually, he tried to keep his jacket and papers dry. They were the first thing people hiring looked at. After he lost his job he couldn't pick up another one, just like the thousands of other Americans at this time. If only he had a quarter he could go buy a real meal instead of scrounging pennies from wherever he could find them. Then spending them on whatever could keep him alive for one more hour or two, if it was a successful day he might even find an employer looking to hire, and they usually sent him off with a nickel or two. (Which he could remember was a lot of money) But where he was looking now people went into stores and spent hundreds of dollars on clothes! He remembered his stylish brown jacket and his last haircut before he died was only five dollars! It welled inside him like an inferno, how happy and carefree everyone looked. It reminded him that now he looked unkempt and his jacket was more muddy brown than cotton brown, and his once short cut red hair was dangling about his eyes in small tangled curls. Bags under his green ghostly eyes and his pasty white skin, small dirty nose and fingers that looked like they had dug through dirt more than once recently. He remembered as he scratched his chin that the only reason is beard was shaved before he died was when he found that barber that gave it a trim for 5 cents, and the next day he was supposedly killed over having gone around giving cheap haircuts and profited from them. As he remembered this and stared at all the ordinary people in the streets below him, everyone had so much wealth, so much prosperity. He had starved to death after people became less generous to him, and the job interviews got less frequent and more demanding. His fists clenched and he stared in hatred at it all. Tears flowed from his eyes, remembering that even if he had one tenth, no, one hundredth of what most people paid for in what seemed like daily shopping below him, he might have lived long enough to get a job and to make enough of a living to survive just one more day.

He felt himself losing control as he remembered all the pain, all the hunger. He didn't notice the ball of energy that surrounded him. The more he thought about the past and the more enraged he got the larger and more concentrated the ball surrounding him became. He closed his eyes against the memories and pulled his limbs in, trying to protect himself from the past. He unknowingly lowered to the ground, and as the anger and the hurt overpowered him he thrust out his arms and legs screaming with fury, sending out the blast wave of destructive energy that broke all the glass in the surrounding areas and destroying the merchandise of a high end clothing store behind him.

Danny was daydreaming of Sam when he suddenly heard the yell and almost deafening shatter of glass, soon to be replaced by screams. He looked for the ghost and saw him standing in the broken window of a dress store, destroying everything in sight! This was more than causing trouble; he was endangering hundreds of people in the area, and destroying expensive (but somewhat tacky) clothes and property!

Danny flew down about ten feet away from the hazardous ghost, ready with a witty remark, "Hey, Disgruntled Shopper! I don't know if anyone told you but if you break it you buy it!" he said as he looked at the ghost.

As he first heard Danny the ghost turned around and saw the rumor that everyone talked about. "The half-a…" he said to himself in mingled fear and disgust, fear that the rumors in the ghost were true and disgust that someone would try to stop him, especially some kid.

"That's right gruesome!" Danny said as he fired a ghost ray at the criminal. He didn't have his Fenton thermos with him, but maybe he could just knock this guy out and get him back through the Fenton portal before he woke up. Then he could call Sam. No, He thought, I can't get distracted; I have to save these people!

As the ghost ray came nearer in what seemed like forever the ghost raised his arm as if to absorb a blow. That motion (along with his will for survival) created a screen of energy that, like light on a mirror, reflected the ray back at Danny. Obviously surprised the ghost watched under his arm (he didn't want to lower it in case the screen went away) as the ray hit Danny with force enough to slam him back into the snow that had built up since he left Sam's house.

"Ouch, this will be tougher than I thought." Danny said. Then he flew towards the ghost and rammed him with his shoulder, going intangible as he was still in contact with him, driving them through the wall of the store to the alley behind it. So that way he could at least fight the ghost without worrying about innocent people.

Sam was lying on her bed, remembering. It was only a few minutes ago that Danny left, but it felt like eternity. She could still feel his lips upon hers, the electricity that jumped between them like a Jacobs Ladder. Just being without him was like she had lost her sense of sight, because when she closed her eyes all she could see was Danny, and when she opened them he wasn't there. But somehow she knew he was alright and it sounded weird when she thought about it, but she felt as if she could close her eyes and point exactly where he was. It was absurd, but Sam knew it was true. She tried it after he left and was out of sight. She pointed out the direction of Danny's house and frowned, he wasn't there. She knew he wasn't there. If she called Danny's house Jaz would pick up, and say that she's surprised because Danny isn't there and he didn't leave a note for anyone.

She put her palm on the cold glass which almost felt as cold as the cold sadness in her heart when she didn't have him around. Then she looked at her hand and she felt a warm spot right at the tip of her thumb, she put her pointer finger there and she could feel that Danny was there! He was in the downtown area, from where her finger pointed. He was standing still 300 feet in the air! Perhaps there's a ghost there, she thought as she put her face closer to her hand and she could actually feel he was thinking about her! No way, I'm just being silly, I've been through a lot today; it's no wonder I feel and think weirdly. She thought as she lied down on the bed, slipping back into her memories. "There's no way I could feel his-" she stopped and leapt to the window. She felt for where Danny was, he was moving lower to the ground at alarming speed. It stopped, which meant Danny stopped, but he was alright. "He didn't hit the ground." Sam said to relieve herself. Then she felt surprise in her head, as if it was a memory, and it was getting stronger as she put the ring closer to her head!

She put her hand to her head, not really understanding what was going on, but not caring. "As long as he's-" she cut herself off again as she felt pain flash into her body and burn out, pain and surprise. That was it, sprinting downstairs; she grabbed the thickest coat in the closet and ran out the door for downtown.

To be continued….