Links in the Chain
By Lacey52

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

A note: Well, here's a look into two things. How they figured out they could 'call' each other and how the other kids at school figured it out.
The end of Danny's dream is very confusing for a purpose. It's more a nightmare than anything else and everything changes scences quickly, one thing melting into the next, so that's why it seems so strangly written...
There's also a tiny preview at the end of Danny's dream of the mysterious 'incident' that occurred in fifth grade, though what you read here is only what Danny saw. It's actually a lot worse than what is described here…I hope this holds you guys over until chapter forty whatever when I actually go into full detail about it…
I also hope that the conversation between mother and son isn't OOC. There's a lot of things behind the way Danny is behaving that you, the reader, don't know of yet, so just keep that in mind. Besides the kid was asleep…you can't control your tear ducts when you're unconscious….;)

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

Chapter Seventeen: Interlude: Calling You

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

The game Tucker had let Danny play that night had been good, but his mom's cooking had been even better. Nothing had been radio active, nothing had attacked them, nothing was glowing. Yes, it most definitely was a good dinner.

Danny was now snuggled contently in his bed, after having left Tucker's about midnight and checking in on Sam for a few minutes. She was still awake and retold her day of alternately being harangued about wearing something more appropriate to the fashions that summer and being treated like a spoiled brat, getting more than a few of the cds she had been planning to purchase and even a few she hadn't even thought of.

'It's like they read my mind,' she had said to him before giving that lovely little smirk she had mastered and telling him he better beat it because she was tired and he looked tired too.

'…like they read my mind,' that little phrase of hers kept bouncing around in his head.

It was there when he flew home. It was there when his Mom fondly ruffled his hair and sent him up to bed. When his father had wished him pleasant dreams and when Jazz had teased him about staying out so late doing whatever it was teenagers did. When he took a shower and got ready for bed.

That phrase followed him, haunted him, even as he lay down and prepared himself for sleep, 'Like they read her mind? Is she hinting about the link…but if she is, what is she hinting about? She could have just been talking, it's a common phrase, right?'

Danny rubbed his chest as a tiny feeling of…was it loneliness or worry?…crept up on him, 'Maybe I'm just thinking about this too much. I really shouldn't have talked to Tucker about this, but I needed to get someone else's opinion. Maybe Tuck's right and it was unavoidable, but if I did cause it to reappear…I'm dead meat.'

Danny shifted, finally finding a comfortable way to lay with one arm under his pillow and head, and the other draped over his side, 'I just can't figure out why the link is growing so fast. It took us forever before we could 'call' each other…three years I think…'

As Danny lay pondering all of this the moon passed its zenith and began its descent into the horizon, stars twinkled overhead, and clouds chased shadows across the ground. Amity Park was asleep and soon was their resident halfa…

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

"There goes the freak's boy," another harsh whisper that he was meant to hear floated to his ears. How had things gone so wrong?

"There goes Fenton, the boy with a psychic girlfriend…he's a psychic too, you know…"

The whispering continued and Danny found himself walking resolutely down the hall of his fifth grade corridor towards his classroom, trying desperately to ignore the whispers that he was still catching.

"They say its occult. My Mom and Dad even said they think it's the devil's work if it is real," off to the side a smug looking girl by the name of Sally mentioned. She was in Danny's class, and apparently the expert on the pair and their 'psychic connection'.

'Why do they think our link is psychic?' Danny sighed as he finally made it to the classroom and sat down. He still had fifteen minutes to the bell, but that didn't matter. It was only a month into school and it seemed as if all the students were bent on either making his life hell, making Sam's life hell, or flat out avoiding and ignoring them, 'What did we ever do to them?'

The start of this school year had been so normal, at least until the end of the first week. That's when the teasing started to get a little more…intense, than what he and his best friend usually dealt with. Tucker had been sticking close to them, but he too was in a different class. He didn't know the half of what Danny and Sam were experiencing as a result of people blowing their abilities out of proportion.

'We used to play games with all these people,' Danny thought forlornly as he rested his head on his desk, 'We used to stand outside and have one group tell me a number and Sam would guess it from across the playground. We used to sit in class together and laugh about nothing at all, only we would know, because we could see it in our head. Now I don't like doing it. It only makes them try harderto bother us more.'

A tiny twinge that brought on a sharp pain behind his eyes surprised Danny before he got a very clear picture in his mind's eye of everything he associated with Sam. It was just the things that reminded him of Sam and even flashes of the girl herself, but something wasn't right. A feeling of worry and slight panic swept over him and he suddenly felt like he had to go.

'I need to get to the playground,' was Danny's exact thoughts as he stood and left his backpack in his chair, 'I need to get there now.'

He ran. Danny ran through the halls, dodging both teachers and students, thanking God for his extraordinary dodge ball abilities that helped him out. Reaching the doors, he shoved them open and shot outside, eyes searching…

'Sam?' his eyes went wide to see the girl surrounded by other girls, all of them with dreadful looking faces, 'What's going on?'

Danny quickly trotted to Sam's side, "What's up?" and felt a flood of relief from said girl.

He tried to be so cool about it, but something about the way she was standing made him want to chase all the other girls away from her. She shifted her eyes to him, and for a second it almost looked like she had tears forming.

'Sam doesn't cry,' Danny shook his head, 'I've known her since Kinder and she's cried maybe four times. I'm seeing things…'

"Nothing," Sam replied, "We were just talking. Did you need something?"

It was almost as if she was pleading with him. Danny could read her so well, even without the feelings from her rushing through him, "Yeah, I needed you to come with me to your teacher's room. He caught me in the hall and asked if I could find you."

"Sure," Sam shrugged and picked up her pack from by her feet. She didn't even give the girls a second look as the two of them headed back into the school.

"Thank you," she said softly as soon as they were far enough away.

"Uh, no problem," he replied bashfully. He liked it when he made Sam feel happy. She was feeling happy and safe and…affection, 'Friends feel like that for each other,' he told himself, 'We like each other, 'cause we're friends, that's why we feel that way…'

"How'd you know I needed you to come get me?"

Danny stopped then, brow furrowing as he tried to find the words, "I'm not really sure. I just felt like I needed to find you. And I knew you would be on the playground. It was like you were telling me through the link."

"Did…did it hurt a little?" Sam questioned as she moved a little closer and put her fingers against his temple, close to his eyes, "Right here?"

"Uh," Danny was caught, not wanting to move away from her. She felt so content and safe right then. They were addictive emotions, "Yeah, it did, but just a little, like a headache starting."

Sam nodded, "Yeah, me too."

And that was the end of their discussion, Sam heading to her classroom at one end of the hall, Danny to the other…

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

'Another boring day,' Danny sighed to himself as he drug himself towards the school parking lot where he would start his trip home. He felt like the teachers were trying to kill them with all the homework they gave out, 'We're only in fifth grade, and the state tests can't possibly be that hard, can they?'

"Hey psychic boy," a boy's voice cut through his thoughts, "Where's the psychic girl? We wanna' play a game."

"We don't play anymore," Danny grumbled softly, "Too many people were acting weird."

"Doesn't matter," said another boy, a bit older than Danny, "We want to play, and we're going to right now."

"I don't want to," Danny frowned at the small group forming around him, 'What are they doing?'

He was starting to panic, and he really needed to stop. Panic was a strong emotion that would reach Sam, and she would know something was wrong and try to find him. If this was heading to where he thought it was, Sam definitely did not need to get involved.

"But we do. So how's it work? You two really psychic, or just pretending?"

"We aren't pretending, but we aren't 'psychic', 'cause we don't read people's mind's and we don't talk in our heads or anything like that."

The older boy kept his questions coming as one of the other four kids picked up a rock and tossed it at Danny when he wasn't looking, "So the two of you have a psychic connection just with each other?"

"Ow," he turned to glare angrily at the kid, "Knock it off, I just want to go home. I don't have to answer your stupid questions."

"Of course you do," a boy roughly his size shoved him from behind then, "if you don't we'll have to mess you up until you talk."

The others nodded in agreement. This definitely wasn't Danny's day.

"You know," the older boy started again, "my little sister told me something really interesting the other day. She said that she and some of her friends were teasing Sam, and she was starting to get really upset, when all of a sudden you showed up. She said it was almost like you knew Sam was getting mad…"

The young boy's eyes opened wide in fear, 'No, keep calm Fenton, don't let Sam know, don't get her involved. They don't know what happened, they're only guessing, we're the only ones who really know.'

"You ain't saying anything Danny," the older boy said again as he grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up to eye level, "so I'm guessing I'm right."

"You're such a loser," one of the other kids spat out as he was dropped to the ground, "You can't even answer some stupid questions."

"Freak."

"Weirdo, devil worshiper."

"You're not psychic, you're psycho."

The insults and teasing and poking and prodding and rock throwing went on until Danny couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted it to end. He just wanted to feel safe. He just wanted, 'Sam…'

And the pain came again, slightly less intense this time around. Sam showed up with Tucker, a worried look on her face. The group broke up murmuring about her coming. Sam smiled at him shakily, touching her temple lightly. They knew now.

And then she was gone.

Another group was picking on her and he came. They teased him about running to her all the time. They picked on both of them. That was the day the kids had decided to call what they did 'calling'. That scene disappeared.

He was standing out in the rain, holding his lip as blood trickled down, having just gotten into a little fight with another boy who had been teasing him about running to Sam like a dog and decided to throw in a punch for emphasis. Sam was in front of him now, chewing out the kid for all she was worth as his parent's car pulled up. He had one of the longest talks of his life that night.

Now he was running down the hall, he had to get to the girl's bathroom, Sam needed him. He shoved some girl out of his way and slammed the door open, "Sam?"

He was frantic and the feeling of her panic, and worry, and fear, and pain rolling through his mind and chest and stomach was enough to make him throw up. The sight of what he found almost did.

"Sam," he saw her being held up by her arm, he swore he saw red that day, "Let her go."

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

"Sam!" Danny sat up, breathing heavily. He shakily wiped his eyes, amazed to find not just sweat on his face, but tears still burning paths down his cheeks.

He had wanted so badly to cry that day. He cursed himself for not getting to her faster, for not hurting everyone who was involved with the stupid 'bathroom incident' as it had been dubbed. He wanted to hunt them all down and make them see what they put her through. What they put him through.

'I don't want to remember,' Danny cursed silently, the tears stopping as the horrible memory cleared, 'If I hadn't of gotten there, they would have hurt her even worse than they had. A broken arm is nothing compared to what they might have done if I hadn't of showed up.'

The thought of what had happened, what he had remembered in his dreams, and what he hadn't seen in his dreams, shook him deeply, 'I do not want this link back. I won't let Sam get hurt again, I promised her. She promised me that it would never happen again.'

"Danny?" Maddie poked her head into her son's room, "Are you alright honey? I heard you shout…Sam's name…"

She was treading cautiously, as this could be very delicate ground. What if it hadn't been a nightmare like she feared? What if it was something a mother definitely shouldn't intrude on?

'He sounded terrified though,' she told herself, and then caught sight of the sweat on his brow and what looked like glistening water trails coursing down his cheeks, 'Oh, Danny…what did you see in your dream?'

"I'm…I'm okay now Mom," Danny sat up straighter, and furiously rubbed at his face, embarrassed to be caught crying, "I was just remembering…I guess. It was kinda' like a dream, but they were all memories of…fifth grade…"

"Danny," she sighed sympathetically and moved to sit on his bed, "that was an awfully long time ago. You're almost a Junior sweetie, just another few days…What happened in fifth grade was five or six years ago now."

"I know that," he smiled wryly, "but I don't think my dreams do. I saw it all again. You still don't believe me, do you?"

"I believe that the bullying problem at your school was very out of hand," Maddie softened, "I believe that you wouldn't hold onto the thought of having some sort of connection with Sam this long if you really didn't have one…or if you were crazy, but I think we can rule that one out. I don't think it's what you make it out to be though, if that's what you mean."

"I just don't know what to do Mom," Danny rubbed his neck, "Sam and me have been having some interesting times lately…"

A soft smile appeared on his mother's face, "Interesting as in lots of blushing and accidental touches and special moments? Those sort of times?"

"Geeze, Mom," Danny swallowed hard and turned red, "You make it sound like we're all, in love, or something."

"Well," she held her son's hand, "I don't know about in love. Maybe, saying 'in like' is a little easier on the mind? I know you care about Sam a lot, and whatever brought up this bad memory, well, I'm sure you can work through it. Just know that Sam will probably be able to help you out."

"I don't want Sam to have to think about it," he admitted, "I'd rather deal with it by myself if I could."

"Definitely an 'in like' thing to say, Danny dear," Maddie squeezed his hand, "there's no need to be embarrassed, who would I tell? The ghost machines? Even if your father overheard me he'd just say it was about time and go back to his work."

Danny's face must have been a sight to see, so much in shock was he at his mother's words, "Uh…I…"

His mom just laugh, "Are you feeling alright now? I can get you some water or something if you need it."

"I'm alright Mom," he turned to give her a quick hug before she stood up, "I just need to sort some things out, and it'll be okay."

"Alright sweetie, you know I'm here right?" he nodded back to her and settled back down, "Good night Danny. Have better dreams dear."

"Thanks Mom," he sighed as he started to drift off, "you too…"

'He's such a good boy,' Maddie thought to herself as she headed back to bed, 'I wonder how long it will take before the two of them realize they really are 'in like'. Oh that should be an interesting day...'

With one last giggle to herself at her son's blooming romance with his best friend, she quietly slipped back into bed and found a peaceful slumber like her son had moments before.