Chapter Four
Danny and Sam walked down the hall hand in hand. Everyone did double takes as they passed by. To Sam's mortification she could hear them whispering. "The love birds are back together? What happened to her and Foley? She sure moves fast that Goth girl. Why aren't you a Goth girl like her? Shut up you geek!"
Danny's hand tightened on hers. "Ignore them," he said. "Besides Sam Manson, when did you start caring about what other people thought of you?" Sam opened and closed her mouth a few times. She wasn't able to formulate a reply before they stood at the door to Tucker's class.
"You'll need to get him," Danny said. "You know where to lead him?" Sam nodded. She gave Danny a searching look. "Don't be scared," he said. "Even if you're overshadowed again, I'll save you." He gave her one of his devastatingly handsome goofy grins and that's all she needed.
'My hero," she laughed, hoping she didn't sound to serious.
Sam stuck her head inside the room and called Tucker. He looked like he was about to jump out of his skin. "Sam!" He looked alarmed and came out of the class.
"Sam." He said again and grabbed her arm and pinched it.
"Ouch!" Sam hissed. "What was that for?"
Tucker looked around warily, even up. "I've been overshadowed…I think. I can't remember. Sam gave him a wide eyed look. Was this a test? Had Vlad left Tucker? Where had he gone and when would he be back?
"Strange," replied Sam. "Come with me. I have to show you something." She pulled Tucker with her as she ran down the hall. She pushed Tucker into an empty class room then looked around. Someone tapped her shoulder and she screamed and turned to see Danny floating just a little bit off the ground, smiling at her.
"You scared me!" Sam said as she pushed at Danny.
"Tucker isn't overshadowed anymore," Danny told Sam. "I saw Vlad taking off with the Princess. I think they took off."
"What's going on?" Tucker asked.
"There isn't much time to fill you in Tuck," Danny answered as he grabbed both of his friends and went they all phased to invisible. "Sam will do her best on the way."
"On the way where?" Both Sam and Tucker asked.
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"Danny? Sweetie! Are you all right?" Maddie Fenton asked as her son ran into the kitchen. "Why aren't you in school?" Her eyes flickered over to Sam and Tucker who bounced into Danny as they followed close behind.
"Ummm Mom," Danny said. "There were some ghosts!"
"Ghosts?" Maddie asked.
"Did someone say, Ghosts?" Jack Fenton asked as he popped his head into the room. He looked at Danny, Sam and Tucker for a moment then asked. "What are you doing out of school?"
"There are ghosts at the school Mr. Fenton," Sam said. Nothing more needed to be said.
"Grab our new Fenton Ghost Cleaner Upper Maddie my dear. It's time to kick some ghost butt!" Jack then ran from the kitchen and out of the house, his wife close behind them.
"How much time do we have?" Tucker asked as he turned and started rummaging through the refrigerator. He came out with a fried chicken leg between his teeth. Sam shuddered.
"I don't know," Danny said as he sat down at the table. "I don't even know what to do next."
"Find Vlad!" Sam said. "Duh." She grabbed an apple off the table and threw it at Danny's head. He caught it and smiled at her.
"Maybe he went back to Wisconsin." Tucker said between bites of chicken. "Since we foiled his evil plan." His facial expression changed to one of worry. "Danny, I just remembered something. Vlad isn't very good at overshadowing. How did he do it so convincingly?"
"Practice maybe," Danny guessed. "I don't know. Lets go up to my room. I don't feel comfortable talking about this here. Who knows when Mom and Dad will be back."
"But first," Danny said as he approached Tucker and Sam with the Fenton Ghost Finder. "We just need to make sure. It's not that I doubt you. But…"
"One ghost detected," the voice of the Fenton Ghost Finder announced.
"And that's me." Said Danny. Both Tucker and Sam gave him an exasperated look then followed him up to his room.
"Paranoid much Danny?" Sam asked.
"If you'd been through what I'd been through the last 24 hours, you'd be paranoid too." Danny answered as he flopped himself down on his bed.
"Ok," Tucker said as he sat and pulled out his PDA. "Exactly what have you been going through the last 24 hours? Other than figuring out that Vlad had overshadowed me and Sam. Why would he do that?" Sam and Danny looked at each other. Who was going to talk first? How would Tucker react?
"Ok," Sam said. "The ghost overshadowing me left me aware of what was going on." She took a deep breath and looked at Danny again. He nodded in encouragement. "Vlad was trying to convince Danny that you and I were….
Tucker looked up from his PDA in horror. "You and I were what?" Sam looked back at him meaningfully. "No!" Tucker said in denial. "No way!" He started laughing. "Who would believe something as ludicrous as that? Sam looked at Danny who was looking sheepish and rubbing the back of his neck. "No way!" Tucker laughed nearly rolling around on the floor in laughter. Once he regained his composure he looked at Sam. "What did he do?" he asked, pointing at Danny.
Sam looked at Danny. Danny looked at Sam and they both seemed to be at a loss for words. "I um," Danny started.
"He tried to beat you up," Sam finished.
"You what?" Tucker exclaimed. "You were going to beat me up? No way!" He started to laugh harder. "Remind me to never get between you and Sam. Love birds."
"We're not love birds," Danny and Sam said in unison and looked at each other for a moment, doubtfully.
"Yeah, yeah and De Nile is a river in Egypt too," Tucker said as he stood and brushed himself off. "Listen, you two need to talk. There are some things you need to get straightened out and really, I don't want to be a part of it. I'm going back down to the kitchen to get something to eat. I'm starving. When I get back, I expect some sort of resolution between the two of you. Then we'll devise a plan to do something about Vlad. Got it?" Both Danny and Sam nodded. "Good," Tucker said as he left the room. Purposefully slamming the door behind him.
Sam and Danny looked at each other for a moment. Neither was sure what to say. Danny sat up and put his feet on the floor. "I'm sorry Sam," he said. "I don't know what came over me. The thought of you and Tucker together…kissing, just seemed so wrong."
"Yeah," Sam said and laughed weakly. "Pretty gross." She sat down beside him. "You were pretty mad though. Scary mad."
"Yeah," Danny said and looked into Sam's amythest eyes. She smiled at him and he smiled back. "I felt scary mad."
"Imagine Vlad thinking he could turn you evil by making you think Tucker and I were a couple." Sam continued.
"Yeah," was all Danny said. He wasn't sure what else to say. He'd defiantly given himself away, and he knew Sam was sitting there waiting for him to admit it. But he couldn't. This was Sam he was talking to. His best friend. The person he most depended on. Why couldn't he just tell her? He looked down at his hands. Maybe it was because he depended on her too much. She just meant too much to him.
Sam took a deep breath. Okay so he couldn't admit it. It was that horrible a concept to him. She understood. It was better not to press him on the matter. But, she'd kept the secret back for so long and there were just too many secrets for her to hold this one in for any longer.
"Sam," Danny said.
"Danny," Sam said.
"I think I may have fallen in love with you!" they said together. Then looked at each other stunned.
"You have?" they asked, in unison.
Sam stood up and looked at Danny. "Ok that's just freaky."
"Yeah," Danny said and looked back down at his feet.
Sam sighed in exasperation. "So our big secret is out," She said trying to prod Danny to talk. "We really are love birds."
"Yeah," Danny replied. Sam growled at him and moved to throw a book at his head but he stopped her. "I don't know what else to say Sam. What else is there to say? I mean, this is kinda anti-climatic."
"Ha!" Sam laughed. "You have been studying English."
Danny shrugged, "Well a little, I do have a C average to maintain." His eyes softened as he looked at Sam. "I just don't think I can give you a grand declaration of love like you deserve. Grand declarations and romance and flowers. I just don't know how. I've loved you for about as long as I can remember and have been terrified to tell you."
Sam sat back down and took Danny's hand. She held it palm up and examined the lines on his hand. She wasn't sure what to say. She didn't think she could manage any grand declaration of love either. She'd been hiding her feelings for Danny for so long, now that things were out in the open, she was at a loss for words too.
"You're still wearing pink you know," Danny told her. Sam's eyes widened in horror. She jumped up and looked at herself in the mirror on Danny's closet. She covered her face with her hands and…was she crying? Danny jumped up and put his arms around her.
"Don't cry Sam," Danny said. "I think Jazz might have some cloths you can borrow. If not maybe nice hazmat suit."
Sam hit at Danny's chest. "I'm not crying you big goof! I'm laughing. I can't believe I'm wearing pink! My mother would pee herself!" Danny personally thought that pink looked good on her, but he wasn't going to say anything or he might get himself killed. He tightened his hold around her and wondered if she'd kill him for that.
"You know," Danny said. "We don't have to rush things if you don't want." Sam nodded her head and leaned into Danny's arms around her. She looked bit her lip as she looked up at him. She could tell it was hard for him to make eye contact with her, now that she knew how he felt. She wondered if it really registered with him that she felt the same way. Tucker was right, someone needed to make a move or they were going to be going around in circles forever dancing around their feelings.
Sam slid her hand behind Danny's neck and reached up on her tip toes as she pulled his head down and kissed him on the lips. Danny hesitated for a moment then returned the embrace which quickly ignited into a blaze. Finally they broke apart. Sam was going to say something but Danny began to shower her face with little quick little kisses. She giggled and tilted her head as he kissed the hollow of her neck under ear. Soon he returned to her mouth where they kissed again. They both felt that this sweet embrace could have gone on forever, but suddenly the door popped open and they were blinded by camera flashes.
"Ha ha!" Tucker laughed. "Preserved for an eternity." He turned to Jazz who was standing behind him, her mouth hanging open in shock. "Pay up Jazz. That will be five big ones."
"I'll give you five big ones!" Sam yelled as she tried to grab the camera from Tucker. He laughed and ran around the room, some how tripping over one of Danny's shoes.
"Help Jazz!" Tucker cried. "Help! help! It's two against one!" Jazz just shook her head. Her eyes met Danny's questioningly. He smiled back at her as Sam and Tucker wrestled on the floor for the camera.
"What about Vlad?" Jazz whispered. Danny shrugged his shoulders. Jazz looked perturbed. She walked into the room and ripped the camera from Tucker's grip. Both Sam and Tucker stopped and looked at her.
"I'm glad you all have time for such jocularity," she said. "But have you forgotten about Vlad?" Sam and Tucker stopped laughing and looked at Danny. Danny sighed and sat down. He really wished that he could put all this aside and just relax with his friends. As he told Tucker and Sam. He felt like he'd been through a lot in the last few days. His gaze fell on Sam who was again sneering at her pink outfit in the mirror. He wanted to spend some time with her. He wanted to explore these new, yet not so new feelings with her. An idea sprang into his mind.
"I have an idea," he said. "Jazz you keep an eye on Tuck." Danny quickly went ghost and grabbed Sam's hand. "We'll be back." Before anyone could say anything else, Danny and Sam phased out and were gone. Jazz opened and closed her mouth a few times, letting out a small squeak each time.
Tucker laughed. "I think we've both been had." Jazz gave him a wide eyed look. Tucker gave her a thoughtful look and asked, "Do you think if you opened your eyes any wider, they might pop out?" Jazz growled in exasperation and stormed out of the room. Tucker smiled to himself then laid down on Danny's bed. He felt satisfied as if he had had a master plan himself, which had all fallen into place. "And now time for some zees," he said. "Before the love birds return." He chuckled and closed his eyes.
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