Links in the Chain
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

A note: Here's another dream chapter for you, but this time it's from Sam's point of view….oh with a half-discussion on the almost, but not really kiss mentioned by Tucker in last chapter….I'll probably get a lot of interesting reviews for this one, so if you feel you need an explanation I shall do my best, all you have to do is ask!
Five points and a cookie to R. Shield for getting the pun! 'Huey' was a play on the word 'hue', meaning color...lol, silly I know, but cute silly I think! Anywho, congrats to you!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Chapter Eleven: Interlude: Remembered Ignorance

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

It was still on her mind.

The park and flashlight tag. The almost, close to it, but not nearly close enough kiss. The feeling of having done something amazing in his eyes when she talked Huey out of attacking them more than he had. Being promised ice cream after helping him out and then getting the ice cream the next day.

But the almost kiss was what was closet to the surface of her mind. It was just so…frustrating and at the same time convenient that Tucker had showed up to get them and prevent them from getting in trouble with the cops.

She wasn't sure about Danny, but a kiss could very possibly have been a bad thing right at the moment in time. What would have happened afterwards? Would they have been awkward around one another? Would he have regretted it? Would she?

'No,' Sam thought to herself as she finished snuggling down into her sheets, 'I wouldn't have minded or regretted kissing him. That's a scary thought though. A 'fake-out make-out' is one thing, but a real, honest to goodness kiss? In the middle of the park? At night…'

She turned herself over, 'He'll be here soon,' and he would too. He always came to his 'sanctuary' as she had begun to think of the room. It wasn't just her room anymore, it had become Danny's place too.

A sigh rent the air then, and she nearly jumped at the sound, but forced herself to lie still and act asleep. She hadn't necessarily been avoiding him, she just didn't actively seek out his companionship since the park. She had to admit that it sucked though. Life was boring without Danny.

Apparently her best friend had other matters to attend to because after only thirty minutes spent resting by her window, during which time she would sneak quick peeks at the white-haired halfa, he returned to her side and made sure the blankets were snugly in pace.

A wry chuckle and then, "What am I supposed to do Sam? Pretend nothing happened in the park? You might be hurt, or you might appreciate it. If I act like something did almost happened, then you might get offended, or you might be happy. Either way I'm trapped."

Her hair was brushed off her face and it was so hard, so very hard, to not just open her eyes right then and say what she was thinking, 'Well, I honestly don't know what to say. I care for you, I likeyou a lot, but do I want more than friendship right now from you? I'm feeling pretty trapped, too, Danny. Things are changing. I don't want us to change as well…not yet.'

"Sam," he sighed, "some people say when you're asleep you still hear things. So, I guess this is just the coward's way out. I'm going to act like nothing happened, and I hope you aren't upset about that. It's just that, we both have so much to deal with. If the link is coming back…"

Sam could almost feel him wince then, "If the link is coming back….damn, there are just so many bad memories. I don't want for us to end up being a bad memory of a friendship that went wrong. You're too good a friend to risk loosing."

Danny Fenton, the boy she had a huge crush on for God knew how long, who was a despised hero that regularly saved lives, who was Danny Phantom, who was her best friend…he meant so much to her, and she apparently did to him too. She felt touched that he thought so much of her.

"Sam," he said again as he stood up, "I just wish life wasn't always so difficult for me. This stupid link coming back is driving me crazy. I sound so selfish, I know. Thank God you're asleep. You'd either kill me or try to and I don't really like either one of those options."

At this last statement the halfa chuckled at himself, "Look how morbid you've made me," he teased the sleeping girl, "but that's a good thing I guess. You act too darkly and I act too cheesy. We balance each other out pretty well, and with Tucker we get just the right blend of all the emotions. Hey, do you know that the three of us make one emotionally stable person? How sad is that?"

"I really do have to go early tonight though," he sighed once more, "This is so sad that I'm talking to you when you're asleep. I really need to see a therapist…"

And he was gone. Just like that and Sam sighed and shifted herself deeper into her bed and pillows, 'How is it you're a complete moron sometimes and can still figure outjust what to say, Danny Fenton?'

He was right. What happened in the park was dangerous ground that she, and apparently he, wasn't ready to try and cross yet. What he said about the link was possibly true as well. Their main priority right now would have to be figuring out if it really was starting to grow again and if they would have to repress it like they had in elementary school.

'Elementary school,' Sam sighed as she closed her eyes, 'those days were supposed to be so sweet…and they were, but only because of Tucker and Danny…Mom and Dad just….Mom, Dad…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Mom, Dad!"

'Why aren't they listening to me?'

"Moooom," she whined to catch her attention, "I just wanna' tell you!"

"Samantha Elizabeth Manson," her mother cut her off, "We are very disappointed in you and do not want to hear what you have to say right now. Now please, finish your dinner young lady."

"But Mom! Danny and I didn't even do anything!" she began to desperately try to explain to her parents, "We just were laughing at something funny, we would have stopped if Mr. Gill had asked us to!"

"Sammy-kins," he father's calm voice caused her to sigh, "You and Daniel need to stop playing that silly little game of yours. His parent's have already assured us they were going to have a talk to him about it and we intend to do so with you."

"Samantha, dear," Mrs. Manson picked up where her husband left off, "We know you and Danny are close friends, but pretending to be able to read one another's minds is just not done. It is impossible and the two of you are getting a little old for such childish games, sweetie."

"It's not a game!" Sam felt like crying. She could feel Danny in the back of her mind feeling the same way. His parents were obviously having, or had already had,the same talk with him as she was getting, and she took a small comfort in that.

"Samantha," her father looked at her in then, "Stop this right now, and do not backtalk your mother. You are in forth grade young lady. Things like playing atbeing psychic are all well and good when you are just pretending, but you and Daniel are taking it to the extreme. If he is bullying you into this then…"

"He isn't making me do anything Dad," Sam sighed. Somehow she realized that a rift was forming between her parents and her then. It bothered her, but it bothered her more that they wouldn't have enough faith in their own daughter to believe her, 'Why can't they just believe me? I've never lied to them before.'

"Honey, just please stop pretending with Danny," her mother tiredly rubbed her eyes, "People have started talking and this is the second time this month we've had to pick you up from school. Daniel's parent's are not happy with this situation either."

"Fine, Mom," Sam said angrily, "May I be excused, I'm not hungry anymore and I have homework I need to finish."

"Fine, Sammy-kins," her father waved her off.

The rest of the night and morning were a blur. The next thing Sam knew she was sitting in class, staring into space and waiting for something to happen. She had already finished her worksheet. Now if Danny would only hurry up...

'Another boring day,' she thought to herself, 'At least me and Danny can have some fun, I wonder what he's thinking. He feels very happy.'

"Hey, Sam," Danny turned towards her then, blue eyes dancing, "I just…"

"Hey freak!" a kid called and threw a paper ball at Danny's head, "Oops…I forgot to say catch!"

The class went into an uproar of half laughter, half nervous chattering. Danny and Sam sighed. They were getting used to the teasing and taunting. Talking to their parents didn't work. They refused to believe them for some reason, no matter what they did to try and prove their connection to them.

Their teacher was out of the question, too. All that ever happened from Mr. Gill would be a call to order from the class, just so they would settle down. He never reprimanded the bullies. He never told the other kids to leave Sam or Danny alone. He just didn't care.

But something was going horribly wrong. The kids actually got up, 'No,' Sam thought, 'no one gets up! This is fourth grade, not fifth!'

They were coming towards her. Yelling, shouting, hitting, and the teacher still did nothing but sit there and ignore what was happening. Her parents were there and they did nothing. Danny was shouting something she couldn't hear, he was being torn from her by those people.

She couldn't feel him anymore. She only felt numb, when she knew she should be frightened and horrified and sad and a thousand other terrible emotions. She couldn't feel him in the back of her mind, so nothing else really mattered right then.

'I can't feel you!' Sam cried out in her mind, 'I can't feel you, why can't I feel you Danny? Where are you going?'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

'Why can't I feel you? Where...Dan...'

Sam sat up then, and drew a deep breath as if she hadstopped breathing for a few seconds in her sleep. Shakily she exhaled heavily through her mouth as she thought back over her dream.

It had started as a memory of her parents telling her she was only playing a game with Danny when they were in forth grade. She had been about nine then and knew, absolutely knew, that it was not a game.

Games were fun and interesting and safe. You didn't play games that got you called names or teased or hit. You didn't do something that could possibly get you hurt. That's why they had stopped.

'That's why Danny made me promise that we'd stop, that we'd get rid of the link,' Sam raised her fingers to her lips, 'That's why he's so worried now, but things seem like they can turn out different. I'm so confused, Danny, but maybe you're right. We have bigger fish to fry than worrying about almost kissing in the park. I understand…'

Sam took one last deep breath before settling back down to rest. It was only seven in the morning and she was determined to get at least a few more hours of rest. It was summer after all.

'I'll always understand,' she closed her eyes and drifted back into sleep with one last thought, 'because we're the only ones who really know everything we've been through. I trust you, Danny. You've never let me down before…'

Sam was asleep then, just like that, and drifted into a much more pleasant dreamscape that had to do with ice cream, soft green grass, and a certain blue eyed halfa….She didn't know it, but trials were coming and she needed all the pleasent sleep she could get.