Chapter Twelve: Walk in the Park

Sam walked out of the front office of Casper High with Danny still stuck to her side like super glue. She just turned in all of her senior projects for her classes and wanted it to be over with. It was the last day to turn them in and she didn't want Danny to worry about them since they were both struggling to get his done the night before. Besides the fact that he all ready turned in her portfolio for Lancer's class when she was missing; she didn't want to become any more of a burden. They didn't have to go to class or their senior meetings since both had a more than viable excuses to use. Danny just had Sam climb into his car and began to drive home. No more work for the rest of the year. Now all they had to worry about were a few last minute requirements for graduation and, of course, the Prom.

Danny had the Prom on his mind every since Sam had come home a week ago. He wanted to go with her; he wanted her to go with him. Now the only problem in the whole scenario was the way he was going to ask her. It just seemed like everything was happening at once. The court date was finally set, the two men were going to jail, Desire's still on the loose somewhere and on top of all that Danny's parents had to prolong their trip because the RV decided to go down on them. Just like his parents to take a state-of-the-art RV to a ghost convention and not pack any supplies for repair. He definitely needed some vacation time to just get away from it all.

"Danny?" Sam repeated again from the passenger seat, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking is all," Danny offered, stopped at a notorious long light and turned toward Sam.

Her jaw still had some bruising, but the swelling was gone. Her arms still had a few bandages on them from cuts that Jazz insists on keeping a close watch on. Other than that, she was fine. The bruising will go down on her arms, legs and abdomen. She didn't have anything that would cause prolong damage either. She was going to be okay and hopefully back to herself in no time. Heck, she was back to wearing her normal black pants and combat boots. She wasn't so keen on wearing them after the incident, but found that she couldn't fine any other shoes that quite fit like her boots.

"About what?" she lifted one of her eyebrows. He smirked and pushed on the pedal as the light turned. She sighed and knew he was going to play around with her. After a few more moments of silence she began to play whine, "Danny…"

He chuckled, "I was thinking about dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yeah, I still owe you one if I remember right," he turned onto their street and pulled up in front of Fenton Works, "So wanna go tonight?"

"All right," she nodded and got out of the car, "Let me just get ready."

Danny watched her go into the house and he leaned back on his car, 'Why not tonight? I'll tell her tonight. Not just Prom or that I like her more than a friend. I want to tell her that I love her. And I'll do i-'

"Okay, I'm ready," Sam poked him in the side at which time he jumped into the air a few feet and then held his chest, "Sorry."

"No- it's okay… I just was lost in my thoughts of- I mean, just lost…"

She looked at him a little strange, but shrugged her shoulders. That was just the way Danny was and she love him for it, "Okay, let's go."

"Aren't you just wearing the same thing?" he noticed as they climbed back into the car.

"All I needed to do was grab a jacket of mine. You know I'm not one to dress myself up for hours at a time."

"Good thing," he smiled. They began talking about other things, gossip that was still going around school when Sam was gone. What Valerie was doing during her absence. They had told the young ghost hunter that Sam was back after they called the police. She came over after the cop cars left and talked with them for a while and then went back to finish her own senior projects.

"So did Paulina try to move in on you while I was gone?" Sam asked, trying to catch her breath from laughing at some of the more popular rumors.

"A little, but every time she approached me I held up a Sloppy Joe and she went the other way," Danny said jokingly and laughed along with Sam.

"You carried Sloppy Joes with you?"

"How else was I going to keep her away?" he pulled into a parking lot, "Close your eyes."

"Wh-"

"Come on Sam, close them."

She sighed and did as he asked. They weren't going to a Nasty Burger like she thought since they had driven by several of them on the way there. She felt him swing around and come to a stop.

"Now, no peaking," he said in a singsong voice. He came around the back of the car and opened the door to help her out. He let her hold on to his arm as they made their way to the front door of the restaurant.

"Danny, where are we?"

"Oh yeah, Sam," he said sarcastically, "I'm really going to tell you where we are after making you close your eyes."

Sam smirked and let Danny led her across the parking lot. She finally felt the bottom of her boots hit the sidewalk and Danny stopped her, "So…?"

Danny stepped behind her and put a hand on each one of her shoulders, "Okay."

Sam opened her eyes and looked at the restaurant, "Oh my… Danny… This is 'A Moveable Feast'. I didn't even think you or Tucker knew about this place."

"I didn't," he leaned his head over her right shoulder, "I heard you talking about it with Jazz before you went missing. 'Some of the best vegetarian dishes in town.'"

"And not that good seating, unless you have a-"

"Reservation?" Danny grinned and held out two cards with their names on them, "All ready covered."

"But how?"

"Being the son of the town's only two professional ghost hunters, I have my ways," he smirked and led Sam in.

They sat down at one of the window tables and ordered. Sam thanked the waitress for her water and Danny nodded in appreciation for his soda. Sam couldn't help but smile at the situation. Instead of taking her somewhere where there was only one salad to choose from, he was the odd one out and had to eat veggie for a change.

"So, we've talked about nearly everything except for parents," Sam said and sipped on her water.

"Parents? I all ready told you that mine were stuck at the ghost conference, or somewhere between there and here," Danny said.

"I meant mine," Sam looked into her glass and swirled the glass a bit, "Did they even come home?"

"We still couldn't reach them, Sam."

"Where are my dear 'ol mom and pop on their tour anyway? Made it past China yet?" she asked in a bland tone.

"All the office would tell me was Europe. Daughter or no daughter," Danny frowned at the memory.

"Figures…" Sam looked up to see Danny's expression, "I bet the office got an earful from you, though."

"You have no idea," he smirked at her and they both began to laugh.

After another half hour talking about absolutely nothing in particular as always, the food came and was set down in front of them. Sam put a napkin on her lap and looked down at her soup and then looked at Danny. He watched carefully as the waitress left their ear range and then looked over at Sam. He poked a little at his food and then back at his friend with an unsure look on his face.

"Uh… Sam?"

"Yes?" Sam blew on her soup and took a spoonful.

"If this is all vegetarian, what is my steak made out of?" he poked at his steak in front of him.

"Wheat," Sam said simply, "It's a talent of theirs here. Try it."

"Wait a minute. Do you just say wheat?"

"Danny, just try it," she rolled her eyes and took a few more spoonfuls of her soup.

He cautiously sliced a piece off and put it in his mouth taking a few tentative chews on it. Sam looked on with a smirk and he rolled his eyes and swallowed, "Okay, you win. It does taste like meat."

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to hear," she smiled and began to eat up her soup once again.

"Yeah right, don't tell me you're not reveling in the glory of showing me that there are some non-meat product that tastes good," Danny pointed his fork at her.

"I'm not," she shook her head slightly, "but I am enjoying this. Thank you for bringing me here Danny."

"I just had to see what all the hoopla was about," he put another piece of 'fake steak' in his mouth thinking to himself that Tucker was probably rolling over in his grave by now.

Sam began to chuckle, "Hoopla? Where'd you pick that up, your dad?"

"That's possible," Danny just shrugged it off and then began to think again after eating on his potato wedges, "You feel up to a walk?"

"Now?"

"I meant after dinner."

"Why not?" she shrugged, "I'm up for it if you are."

"Good."

It took them another hour to finish their dinner and Danny wouldn't let Sam pay for anything. He just shook his head when she offered and simply said, "This is my repayment for you instead of the apology that you will not take."

She rolled her eyes and went along with it. Why argue when he was too stubborn to let it go?

They took the car to the central park and parked it near one of the bike entrances. Sam grabbed her jacket out of his car and put it on as they walked the paths. He smiled as she held his arm for warmth and comfort. It was starting to turn dark and she still had a slight phobia of dark spaces and corners. Desire was still out there and it just helped to know that Danny was there and he wasn't going anywhere. At least not with her in tow.

'Okay Fenton pull it together,' Danny thought to himself and looked straight ahead at the bike paths and in the immediate distance he could see the playground where they had first met, 'That's it. Get her to the swings- or even the jungle gym! Yeah, that's perfect! Tell her right where… you …fell on her…? Why does that suddenly sound so unappealing?'

"Danny?" Sam leaned her head on the shoulder of the arm she was holding.

"Yeah?" he blushed.

"What are you thinking about?"

Danny searched his mind for any answer that wouldn't involve giving himself away and pulled out the first word that came from his mind, "Ducks."

"Ducks?" Sam popped her head up and looked at him.

"Ducks," he nodded his head in approval, not daring to look at her since she was about to burst out laughing, 'Great going, Fenton. I applaud myself on that one. Clap, clap.'

"Why, of everything in this whole world, would you be thinking about ducks?" she asked trying to hold back laughter.

"Well, I don't know really," he put the pointer finger of his opposite hand to his chin in thought, "It just came to me. Ducks lay eggs-"

"Yes and so do chickens. I believe we have covered the basics," Sam laughed and saw the swings in the playground she ran over to them, sitting herself down in the closest one.

"Fine, if you don't want to hear my thoughts on the winged marvels, then forget it," Danny put his nose up in a playful manner and sat down in the swing next to her, "They are just so…"

"I thought you were going to shut up about the 'winged marvels'," Sam said dryly and began to swing.

"Hey," he kicked off and began to swing next to her.

"What were you really thinking about?" she asked as she passed him.

"Ducks."

"Okay, whatever," she rolled her eyes and began to slow down as the side of the swing seat hit one of her many bruises.

"You okay?" Danny slowed down as they only moved an inch or two back and forth.

"I'll be fine," she smiled and looked him in the eyes.

'This is it! Do it!' Danny chanted to himself.

"Sam?"

"Yeah Danny?"

"I wanted to tell you something," he took a deep breath and looked at the tulips on the outer ring of the playground, "I, uh-"

"BEWARE!" the box ghost jumped from the flowerbed and toward Danny. Danny leaned to one side and the box ghost flew right past him and into some of the playground equipment.

"Dammit!" Danny sighed annoyed and glanced at Sam who only smiled sympathetically back, "Be right back."

Sam nodded and watched as he transformed into his ghost half and flew off after the box ghost. She sat on the swing and pushed her foot against the sand to get a little momentum to swing herself back and forth. She heard a few punches flying and grumbling coming from the box ghost.

"Come here, I'm not done with you yet," Danny called after him.

"You cannot defeat me for I am- No, not the cylindrical container!" the box ghost yelled and Sam heard the lid close and a satisfied Danny came back over and sat himself back down on the swing next to her. He transformed back into his normal clothes and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Now where were we?"

"I believe you were on 'I wanted to tell you something'," Sam said and looked at him expectantly.

"Well, I… I…"

"Spit it out hero," Sam laughed at his nervousness. It wasn't like he was trying to tell her something that might end the world.

"I wanted to know…" Danny could feel the heat rushing to his cheeks, "If you…"

Sam just stared at him with her purple eyes and he couldn't do it all just yet. Step by step.

"…wanted to be my date for our Senior Prom?"

"You want me to be… are you serious?"

"Uh… yes?" he was as nervous as all Hell and she wasn't making it any easier for him.

Sam smiled and blushed as she looked at her hands, "I would love to."

"Cool," he let out the breath of air that he didn't even know he was holding, "Then pick you up at five on Prom night?"

"Danny… I belive we both live in the same house."

"Oh yeah… Kinda forgot," he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, "You getting cold?"

"Just a little. Want to head back?"

"Yeah, let's go," he helped her up and even used some of his leftover courage to put an arm around her as they walked back to his car.

As they made it through the door, Jazz was sitting in the living room by the phone. She look up at the two of them and both of their faces just fell.

"Okay Jazz, what's the news?" Sam asked as Danny shut and locked the door behind him.

"The two men that kidnapped you…"

"They didn't get out, did they?" a slight tremor in her voice made Danny grab her hand for comfort.

"No," Jazz shook her head, "They're… dead. They were both murdered last night in their cell. No one knows who did it because no one came in and no one went out during the night. And there were no other inmates even near their cell."

"Desire," Danny said as if it explained it all away.

"Detective Chasin talked me through the whole thing. I'm guessing you don't need to go to court, Sam."

"Guess not," Sam said and turned toward Danny, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Night," Danny hugged her; still unsure about where they still stood.

"Good night, Jazz," Sam waved as she started up the stairs. After she was out of sight Jazz turned to Danny with a small glare and he rolled his eyes.

"I know!" he threw his hands up in the air and began to climb up the stairs to his own room, "'When are you going to tell her?'"

Desire flew from the city limits of Amity Park, still trying to get the last of the blood from his spectral clothing, "That is the last time I use idiots in my plans. Besides the fact they are too messy to even think about cleaning up. Mortals and their vital organs… just disgusting."

He glided on his back, invisible to the few people they may be walking around the country side in the early morning hours. He sighed to himself and watched the clouds float above and around him. Trying to kill the boy directly hasn't helped, using goons hasn't given him any progress, and using his ultimate weakness against him hasn't even phased the boy. If anything else it seemed to have made him stronger. What he needed was a different approach. A different view at getting to the boy and destroying him once and for all so he could finally have his fun uninterrupted. But where in the world was he going to get it?

"You sound just like Vlad."

Desire stopped in mid air and noticed the venom in the boy's voice. It was an enemy, a rival and a man that knew evil.

"Sounds like a man I do need to meet in person," Desire smiled and looked off in one direction. Something in the boy's mind reminded him of another far off place… another state. It was Wisconsin.

And the venom and evil that the boy had dreaded and detested so much…

Vlad Masters.