Links in the Chain
By Lacey52
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A note: Well, it isn't as long as some chapters, but it's semi-funny and moves the whole D/S thing along a bit more.
Oh, and chapters 27, 28, 29, and 30 happen in rapid succession. 27 and 28 are on the same night. 29 and 30 happen the next day. Hope that isn't too confusing or anything, but it helps to know that.
With that said, on with the show!
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Chapter Twenty Seven: Ice
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'I don't know if I should like cold weather or not,' Sam huffed to herself as she slid her dark purple hoodie over her head and arms, 'I love the weather, but I hate wearing all these clothes. Stupid skirt and tank top being too cold…'
As Sam grumbled to herself she headed off to get ready for bed. It was only eight o'clock, as her alarm clock so lovingly informed her with glaring, neon color, but she was tired and wanted to hit the hay early…that and get in a couple of hours worth of music from her stereo.
School had been hellish that day. Between the rain that had decided to pour that morning and drench everyone who usually hung out outside of the building, the food fight in the cafeteria, the multiple detentions she and the boys had earned, and the mayhem of the Lunch Lady offering cookies outside of the library, well….hellish was the nice way to describe it.
Sam decided that she deserved to treat herself to a nice, relaxing evening doing whatever she wanted to do. Not that this was unusual, but an extra long shower and maybe buying a new cd or ten on the internet would make up for the craziness of earlier. A long shot, yes, but it was worth the try at making herself feel slightly more normal.
Shuffling down the hall, Sam turned into her bathroom and set about brushing teeth and showering and brushing hair, 'Nothing like feeling clean before you head into dreamland. Smelling good when halfas come to visit in the middle of the night is a plus too.'
Chuckling at her own 'girly' thoughts, Sam finished, wrapped up in her towel, and stepped out of the shower stall, only to find she had forgotten her pajamas in her room. Slipping into a robe, Sam once again shuffled down the hall back into her room.
"I hope this isn't a long night like today was long," she spoke tiredly to herself as she opened her door and let the heat rush over her. For the moment the young woman decided that she liked the cooler weather. Cooler weather meant that the heaters were on and she loved being warm, though at times she slept better cold.
Water droplets flew from her hair as she shook her head, feeling a little like a dog who had just been washed. As her hand went to open her underwear drawer, Sam noticed that the heater had suddenly kicked back on, but the temperature was still low.
Grabbing the necessities to complete her night outfit, she walked over to her window, noticing that a small draft was created by a tiny sliver of missing caulking, 'Well, that needs to be fixed and explains the cold. For a minute I thought I had a ghost-peeper.'
Getting ready to change, Sam moved away from the window and threw her clothes onto her bed. Just as her hand moved to the ties of her robe,her breath appeared in front of her face and goose bumps cropped up on her arms. Feelings flooded over her, and for a moment she was dizzy trying to sort through them.
'I can see my breath and it's cold and I'm feeling things that I'm not really feeling,' she jerked her hand away from the ties and grabbed the collar, holding it closed, 'I do have a peeping ghost! I'm going to put him through the ringer! I'll smack him into next Wednesday if he doesn't give me a damn good reason or at least act really, really sorry!'
Shaking her head to clear it, Sam calmly sat down on her bed and went back over the mess of feelings that had washed over her. Nervousness, embarrassment, shame, confusion, guilt, a tiny feeling of hope, and…was that something close to desire?
"Danny I have no doubt in my head that you are here," Sam folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes with a frown, "You either get out of my room right now or get visible or I'll kick your butt the next time I see you."
There was a moment of silence before the sound of feet touching down on her carpet alerted her to his whereabouts. A nervous chuckle and the feeling of a familiarsupernatural being standing close to her told Sam that it was indeed her halfa.
"But uh," his voice sounded nervously from beside her, "technically the next time you see me is when I 'get visible' and I really don't want you to kick my butt."
"And I really don't want to have a peeping-tom who can get into my room anytime he wants no matter what," Sam opened her eyes and turned towards his voice, "Look, I don't mind you coming into my room, but when I'm changing or something, I really don't appreciate it."
"It wasn't like I was trying to spy on you," Danny melted back into sight, green eyes averted, "I just flew in when you went over to your dresser. I didn't think you'd be changing!"
"I wasn't expecting you to show up until later. Why are you here so early anyways?"
Danny scuffed a boot nervously on the floor, "I uh, just wanted to talk?"
"And there go the question-like statements again," Sam said in frustration as she allowed herself to fall back onto her bed, arms covering her eyes, "You're so frustrating Danny, why won't you just say what you're thinking?"
'Because if I say what I'm thinking about you in that robe you'd probably hit me right now, but it might be worth it. Here goes nothing,' Danny sighed to himself before answering, "Because I'm a perverted, teenage, hormonal boy who thinks with his pants and there's a wet, robe-clad girl laying on a bed right beside me."
Sam's arms came off her face as she lifted an eyebrow. Danny just shrugged, "What? You wanted me to say what I'm thinking right?"
"You're such a guy," Sam rolled her eyes, gentlykicked his leg,and staredup at her ceiling, "I swear you and Tucker can't get any worse."
"Well, maybe if we had stayed at that Halloween party a little longer we could have. You know, we would have started cracking those perverted, guy jokes and making really lame innuendoes at the girls and all."
"You're not helping your case Danny," Sam chuckled and then noticed that Danny was still standing awkwardly beside the bed with a blush on his face, "You weren't really spying were you?"
"No," he answered with a tiny guilty look on his face, "but I uh…I didn't mean to um…I would have turned away when you started to change."
"Uh huh," it was Sam's turn to blush, "Well you mind going outside so I can change and we can quit being so awkward around each other?"
"Right, I'll just go invisible and stand in the hall…." Danny bit his lip and glanced at Sam, 'She probably thinks I'll just watch her change or somthing.'
"Knock it off Danny," Sam stood and pushed him towards her door, "I trust you. I know you won't peek and I'll open my door a crack when it's safe. Now get out there so I can change."
"Okay, okay," Danny laughed as she felt him turn intangible and her hands were touching air, "I'm gone, see?"
The door opened and then shut and Sam laughed to herself for a second at how weird it looked. Her house was legitimately haunted. Danny's parents would just love to have that little bit of information. Danny, with his mischievous side, could even be considered the much sought after 'poltergeist.'
'Oh they'd love that,' she laughed and pulled on her shirt and night pants, 'Their own son a trouble making, chain rattling ghost.'
"It's safe," Sam whispered, lest her parent's hear her, as she eased the door open a couple of inches.
"I know," a shiver raced down her back as a blast of cold air was whispered into her ear, "You opened the door and I came back in."
"So why are we still whispering?" Sam straightened and closed her door, "Afraid of ghosts and bogeymen?"
"Nope, I'm afraid of something much worse," Danny mockingly answered her, "They're the Vengeful Father and the Overprotective Mother."
"Oh ha, ha," Sam mocked right back, "and they're the worst you've ever seen?"
"Definitely," Danny answered back seriously, "If they don't like me I don't get to see you as often and that would suck. Keep the parents happy, keep myself happy. Simple."
"So seeing me makes you happy?" Sam caught him with a simple logical statement that would usually have a teenage boy tripping over himself and accidentally confessing something.
"Of course," Danny replied coolly, much to her chagrin, "You know, this whole 'psychic connection' and all."
"And just last week you were freaking out about it, Mr. Fenton," Sam sat at her desk and Danny, in his human form, hovered lightly beside her, "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I dunno'," he reached over her and logged onto his messenger service before she could type in her own password, "There's just been a lot going on….and well, Mr. Lancer is helping us out, and Tucker's looking out for us, and not everyone at school is out for our blood…"
"Maybe I wanted to get online to chat?" the girl tapped her nails on the keyboard, "You know, talk with other people, check my email, all that jazz."
"Jazz is my sister," Danny winked at her, "and you usually chat with me and Tucker, and I'm here and I'm going to be talking with Tucker."
"Your logic astounds me," and yet Sam yielded and scooted her chair over so Danny could see the screen better, "Seriously though, you're okay with the link being back?"
"I suppose," Danny started slowly as he cleaned out his email box and then bumped her shoulder, "You do your email now, so I don't get in trouble."
Sam smiled as Danny laughed and then began talking again, "I'm okay with it now because of you and Tucker really. Tucker doesn't think it's that big of a deal and neither do you, and you both seem to think that if anyone starts anything I can finish it…like I'm some sort of super-hero or something."
At the saucy wink and cocky grin shot her way, Sam laughed and gave up on trying to be serious. It appeared that Danny was in a silly mood and wanted her to lighten up as well, 'At least he answered my question and I didn't have to drag it out of him for once.'
They both finished cleaning out their email boxes and chatted amiably with Tucker for a while, who poked fun at Danny being over there yet again. Sam and Danny just poked fun at him by brining up old memories and teasing the boy about not minding 'getting pretty' as Jazz used to call it.
'Tucker in a dress,' Danny laughed as he shut off the computer at half past midnight and stretched, 'has got to be one of the funniest memories I have. Though I'm sure he laughs at the time I got stuck in that costume during Sam's protest. Oh well…'
"Guess I had better get going," Danny sighed as he didn't get an answer and turned, "because you're already asleep and you're head didn't even make it to the pillow…"
Gently picking up the girl, Danny tucked her in and leaned over to kiss the top of her head, "G'night Sam. I hope you have sweet dreams tonight," and he was off to get his own night of rest.
The dreams of Sam Manson though, were to be bittersweet ones that night. Nostalgia of younger, more innocent days and recently made memories and worries lured her dreams to a memory long lost. And as Sam slept that night, she dreamt of lights and colors. Of sounds and tastes. Of feelings and knowing her best friend in a way that no one else in the world could.
Sam's bittersweet dream was of a bittersweet day that would change both her and Danny's life.