Title: Quietly

Author: adorkable3

Feedback: Of course! Leave a review or drop me an email.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to Nickelodeon and all those associated with it.

Note: Thank you for the reviews from chapter 1! Now, on with the show.

Samantha Manson was having a horrible day. And it wasn't just one of those bad days that seem horrible at the time but later really wasn't that bad; this one was bad. She was sure that she would remember how bad this day was for the rest of her life.

First, there was the physics test that she was completely unprepared for. Then there was the history essay that she had done wrong. After that, she ate lunch on her own since she was still mad at Danny and Tucker. In English she hadn't understood the reading but had to present a speech on the main themes. She was pretty sure she had bombed that. She got back last week's French test and received a pathetic C for her efforts.

At home, she was treated to another one of her mom's lectures on how making a good impression hinges on appearance, and her current wardrobe was just not up to par. Finally, the highlight of her day had come, the Richard Linklater film fest. For a glorious two and a half hours, she was having fun, until the power went out at the theatre only five minutes into Waking Life.

Now, she had to walk home, wearing a coat that wasn't nearly thick enough for the cold weather (the light pink one was the only one her mom would let her out of the house with).

Sam was considering just going home and sleeping when she heard someone walking behind her. She turned around: no one there. It had to be her imagination. But when she started again, she could definitely hear something; it wasn't walking, more like the sound of moving air.

A second too late she realized it was a ghost.

It wasn't of the Box Ghost-completely-harmless-just-slightly-bothersome variety, this was a ghost. It looked like an old man, spindly and ill, the sort of thing that people say they see in old houses. It just stood floating behind her. She stared at it, transfixed. Slowly, she reached for her cell phone, but found her back pocket empty (of course, her phone was in the pocket of her other skirt, the one she had to change out of because she got mud on it). Just as she did that, the ghost stirred slightly and said, very calmly "Boo," before letting out a piercing shriek and rushed towards her.

Sam ran as fast as she could. One look over her shoulder gave her a view of the ghost in a different form; he was no longer a frail old man but a towering monster. She started to run faster, there was a shortcut through the park she could take, when she felt something icy cold begin to slip around her waist. There was a faint silvery rope around her, and it was connected to the ghost. He was beginning to pull her backwards, he was stronger, and she couldn't outrun it.

The ghost held Sam in its massive grip. "What do you want?" she screamed. Shit, she had no cell phone, no ghost weapons, Danny and Tucker were at a party, the street was deserted, and if she was going to die, she'd really prefer to know why.

The ghost opened its mouth; the "breathing" sounded like a death rattle. She closed her eyes, completely unprepared for what would happen next…

…when it let her go. She went flying to the ground, and when Sam opened her eyes she saw Danny flying ten feet above her, fighting with the ghost. Sam wasn't sure how much time passed, but it felt like forever. She wanted desperately to help Danny (from where she was it seemed like he was being beaten) but there was nothing she could do.

She was getting really worried (how could Danny be slammed into a wall like that and still be able to stand—fly—up straight?) when suddenly the ghost was gone with a little blue flash. Sam was sure it had disappeared on its own will, when she saw the Fenton Thermos glinting at Danny's side.

He glided down to her, and once he hit the ground Danny changed back to normal. He came running to where she was still on the ground.

"Sam!" He yelled, "Are you okay."

Sam stood up shakily. "I'm fine. I've had a really, really bad day, but I'm fine."

"Good." Danny stared at her with concern for a moment before exploding, "What were you thinking? Didn't you have any weapons on you?"

"No," Sam muttered. There had been an increase in ghost activity in the past year, and they had all agreed to have some sort of ghost-fighting weapon on them at all times, and to call Danny if it was anything bad. Of course, she hadn't taken one, since she had expected to spend the night with the Tucker and Danny discussing the finer points of the evolution of Jesse and Celine's relationship at the film fest.

But what was Danny getting so mad about anyway? He would've had to fight the ghost regardless and been pulled away from his precious party.

"Why didn't you call then?" he demanded.

"I didn't have it with me. Even if I did, it's not like it would have helped since I was, I don't know, being attacked by a ghost!"

"Jesus, Sam, all you have to do is leave me a silent two-minute voicemail message and I would have come running."

"Why are you freaking out so much?" Sam yelled?

"Who knows what could have happened to you if I hadn't been here?" Danny said harshly.

"I think I can look after myself." Sam shot back.

"So is that what you were doing when I got here?" he replied. "'Cause if so, you were doing a great job. Admit it; you were helpless without me."

Sam's face fell. Danny had a point, but he didn't have to say it so harshly.

"Thanks," she said bitterly, and started to walk in the direction home. She hadn't walked more than fifty feet when she heard Danny calling after her.

He caught up with her, and Sam stopped. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean what I said." Sam smiled cautiously at him. Danny started to say something, hesitated, and then blurted out, "I was so scared about what might happen to you that I overreacted."

Sam didn't have anything to say to that, so she answered physically instead, and hugged him.

"So, are you still mad at me?" Danny asked, half-laughing as he hugged her back.

"No," Sam answered when she let go, "But you and Tucker are still going to have to work to get back on my good side."

"Sorry," Danny said sheepishly. "Why aren't you at the movies anyway?"

"Theater lost power."

"Sorry." Danny looked at her thin jacket. "Aren't you cold?"

"Yeah," Danny took off his jacket and handed it to her. "No way, now you'll be cold."

"Nah," he said, "Being half-ghost has made me used to the cold." Sam raised an eyebrow. "Mostly used to it," he amended. "C'mon, I'll walk you home."

Danny asked Sam about her horrible day as they walked back to her house, and Sam was more than happy to have someone to vent to. But as she talked, Sam noticed that Danny was acting really, really skitzo. In the past ten minutes, he'd gone from angry, to concerned, to friendly, and now he was nervously avoiding her gaze. In fact, when she thought about it, he'd been acting like this all week. Sam was going to ask him about it, but thought better. Danny and direct questions never really worked out.

Finally, they reached her house. Sam handed Danny back his jacket. "Thank you," she said, "For everything."

"It was no big deal," he said. "Just, uh, be more careful."

And then, in his most confusing move of all, Danny took a step towards her, stopped, and stepped back. "I'll see you later." Danny said and moved quickly away from Sam and down to the sidewalk.

"Bye," Sam called out, completely mystified. It wasn't until she was halfway up the stairs that she realized Danny had been about to kiss her.

And then she tripped.

"Samantha, honeybunch," her dad called from the study, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sam yelled back. In fact, she continued in her head, I've never been better.

See that pretty little purple/blue box that says 'review'? I want you to click it. And then, it would be really nice if you wrote something. Not like I'm broadly hinting, or anything.