Author's Note: Thank you for all of your reviews. I'm really excited about writing this now. Like I wasn't before? You guys are great.
A Wonderful Vacation
Sam and Tucker were sitting on their beds, watching a science fiction movie from Tucker's stash that Sam had picked based on its horror status. Danny had been missing for a half an hour. They'd left Ash in the hot tub after Sam realized what was going on.
Humph… Ash. Sam closed her eyes and thought about him. He was a nice guy, but he was really fast. He kept trying to act like they'd been going out already. Maybe if he'd toned it down a little bit she'd decide he wouldn't be a bad date. Oh, what was she thinking? There's nothing wrong with liking him. I don't even really like him yet, do I?
"When is Danny going to be done?" asked Tucker. "I'm almost worried at this point."
Sam looked up and seemed to notice for the first time that it'd been a while. "I don't know. Maybe we should go look for him."
"No need," said a familiar voice outside of the balcony. Danny became visible and opened the glass door, shifting into human form. He looked extremely annoyed as he held up the Fenton Thermos. "The Box Ghost got out of this. I found it on the balcony before I went after him. Tucker, how did he get out?"
Tucker paused the movie and took the thermos from him. "I didn't let him out. I left it in my bag," he said. "Do you think it's broken?"
Broken. Right. Sam crossed her arms and said, "No way. Danny says he found it outside, and you never went on the balcony before we left. Somebody let him out."
Danny rubbed his head. "He kept spouting out even more random junk than usual, I couldn't even follow most of it," he said. "I don't need this crap."
"I know, Danny," said Sam sympathetically. He sat down on his bed between them. "Tomorrow will be better. We'll worry about the Box Ghost if he ever causes harm."
Laughter came out of him despite his mood. "Yeah… right. Then I'm totally carefree!" He leaned back on his elbows and smiled."What're we watching?"
Danny stepped out onto the snow, feeling it crunch beneath his feet. Unlike the humid mornings in Amity Park, morning here was bright, cool, and refreshing. He actually had a decent night of sleep and felt good for his upcoming snowboarding lesson. "Doesn't it look great today?"
"Super," moaned Sam, rubbing her eyes. Even with the day ahead she wasn't a morning person.
"You seem in a much better mood, though," said Tucker, brining up the rear.
Yes, he was. He was glad he was appearing so, too, because that's what he was forcing himself to be. Yesterday hadn't ended quite well, with the news of a ghost that kidnapped people and the newcomer Ash. He still had a bad feeling about him but he wasn't going to back out of the walk the four of them were supposed to go on that morning. "Yeah. Why, is there a problem?" he asked.
Tucker shook his head. "Nope."
Sam felt someone tap her shoulder and she spun around. Before she could see a face, the person wrapped her in a loose hug. "Good morning, Sam," said Ash, letting go of her and backing away. "Wow, you look dead," he said, seeing her drowsy face. "But it works on you."
"Did you just compliment me because I look like crap?" Sam asked, smiling to herself.
"No, of course not," he said. "You're too beautiful to look like crap."
Sam blushed and tried to act like the words hadn't affected her. "You really don't have to talk like that," she said, turning around to the other two but not really looking at them. She started walking and they all followed, Danny and Tucker hanging back as Ash walked next to Sam, hands in his pockets.
"She's right, you know," whispered Tucker to Danny. "He'spretty mushy for a Goth isn't he?"
"Yeah, well, Sam's not exactly cold-blooded is she? It's a stereotype thing, Tuck."
Tucker raised an eyebrow. "Yesterday you were all madly jealous, and now you're cool with it?"
"Look, I wasn't madly jealous," Danny said, glaring. "I still don't like him, but Sam seems to, so I'll go with it."
He looked at their surrounding silently, seeing the way the snow seemed to gleam with the sun shining directly on this side of the mountain. It wasn't a very tall one, and a quarter mile away, with a small range stretching out behind it. Later this afternoon he'd be taking his first snowboarding class. Flying didn't beat anything, but he'd wanted to since before his powers.
A few feet in front of them, Sam and Ash were having a real conversation for once. He asked her what she liked to do, and she listed off her favorite music and that she was an animal right's activist. While they were talking about their interests, though, Sam realized that there was a lot she wasn't able to say about her free time. Most of it was spent ghost hunting with Danny and Tucker, actually.
"So what about you?" she asked. "What do you like?"
"Well, I like the snow," he said. "I mean, I live in this area actually. So I do a lot with the snow."
"So, snowboarding, skiing, stuff like that?"
"Yeah, sure," he said. "This isn't as much a vacation for me as it is a get-away from my usual place." He smiled shyly at her, one type smile he hadn't really used in front of her. "I'm glad Iwas ableto come."
Sam smiled back. Ash really wasn't that bad. In fact, the constant telling of how he liked her wasn't quite as annoying anymore. She looked back at the two boys behind them, who seemed to be paying very little attention to them. Turning back to Ash, she said, "Me, too."
"So you're finally warming up to me, eh?" he asked, wavering his eyebrows. Sam laughed and hit his shoulder. "No, seriously, thanks. You're so beautiful."
"Thanks, but don't say it so much," she said, blushing yet again. "It's embarrassing."
Tucker elbowed Danny, who stopped with him.and said to the three of them, "Does anyone know exactly where we're going?" They all stopped and looked around. They'd wandered down a trail in a wooded area, but the trail had suddenly disappeared.
Ash turned around and walked in the direction they'd come from. "We haven't been off long, we'll be back soon," he said, leaving the rest of them behind.
"You sure you know where you're going?" asked Danny suspiciously, following.
"I know my way around," was all he said.
"So how was snowboarding tonight?" Asked Tucker that evening as the three friends, now including Ash, ate dinner.
Danny shrugged and stared down at his plate. "It was fun, mostly. Except when I fell face first into the snow and need three people to pull me back up. On the second lesson, too." He didn't tell them how he'd fallen as they all chuckled a little. He'd been thinking about how none of his friends were with him, but with Ash. He kept telling himself he was just being protective, but Tucker's suggestion of jealousy kept coming into his mind. If that was the case, then Ash wasn't actually a bad guy. All the same, though… and it was this point in his train of thought that he'd fallen on his face.
"Well, the hiking group was fun today, too," said Sam. "I somehow dragged Tucker along this time. You should find time to go tomorrow, it's so beautiful. I almost wanted to get lost in there."
Tucker looked at Sam closely. "You'd stay here forever if you could, huh?"
"Definitely!" she replied, putting down her fork loudly.
"I wouldn't wish that," Ash said quietly, looking at Sam intently. She turned toward him, slightly surprised at his tone."I'm sure that by now you've all heard of the Avalanche Specter?" They nodded. "It's not just some legend, you know. There really were disappearances a while back, every year, too. Ayoung girl goes missing, and soon after, aguy. Then there's always a small avalanche not too far away." He reached across the short distance between he and Sam and touched her hand gently. "You're much too pretty to be kidnapped, and I'm sure that if you stayed you'd be in danger."
Sam blushed furiously as she had been a lot these past three days. "So, uh, you believe in ghosts then?" Ash nodded, soon out of his dark mood.
Tucker looked to Danny, expecting a glare, and instead saw him with a thoughtful expression on his face. Just then, the all-too familiar ghost sense kicked in. He stood up hurriedly and said, "Uh… excuse me. Restroom." He ran off, leaving the three of them there.
"Is he usually that spastic?" asked Ash, looking after his running form.
"You have no idea," said Sam. "But it's not really his fault…"
It would've been much more enjoyable seeing the mountains from the sky under a waxing moon if he wasn't searching for the ghost that made his senses go off. He couldn't stop to take in the scenery now, though. He had to get back as quick as possible before Ash wondered if Danny's food wasn't at its best date. But maybe later he'd take Sam and Tucker out to see what he was seeing.
His ghost sense went off again, but it was hard to tell since it was so cold out at night. He looked around and spotted the Box Ghost flying over the trees on the mountain. "Good thing I've got the thermos this time," he said. "This should be easy." He flew over to where the Box Ghost was, sneaking up from behind. "Hey!" he shouted angrily, catching his attention. He twisted the thermos open and pointed it at the Box Ghost. "Get sucked in here so I can start to enjoy my vacation already!"
"I cannot be contained in your cylindrical container for long, ghost boy!" he cried happily. "My servant shall rescue me as he did before and our plans shall continue!"
"Servant?" Danny was dumbfounded for a moment. Were there actually other ghosts dumb enough to follow the Box Ghost's orders? 'As he did before'? So it wasn't Tucker's carelessness that… He quickly resolved his initial surprise and said, "Well, whatever plans you've got, no servant's gonna get you out this time." He pulled the annoying ghost into the thermos and capped it shut.
"Finally, that problem's over," he said, flying back toward the cozy resort. If there was a servant, that ghost would have to be easier to catch than the Box Ghost, and if he kept the thermos close by this time around, there'd be no way he'd escape again.
As he neared the window on one end of the fourth floor's hallway, he stopped short and stared, jaw agape and eyes wide. Going invisible, he phased through the wall and stood in the hallway to watch the scene.
Sam's back to the wall, Ash close in front of her, both of them kissing the other with eyes closed.It didn't matter how innocentthe actionwas, though. Danny didn't move from his spot, even after Sam said good night to Ash as he left the hallwayand walked into their room.
Author's Note: I had to sit down, disconnect my Internet, and scream at myself 'focus focus focus' to get this done. I hope it doesn't seem like it was done in too much haste, though. Yes, Sam has fallen for Ash. Whatcha gonna do, flame me? If you're reading this, review, please, so I can know how to make your experience here more enjoyable.
X Kismet X