Links in the Chain
By Lacey52
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
A note: I dunno'…I think I like it…I think I really like what I did to Vlad. And I think that I am seriously gonna' shock a few of you guys…Muwahahaha! Hey, did Kael guess it this time? Hmmm?
Heheheee
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!
EDIT! I wrote 'pedophile' which is an adult who is sexually attracted to children, when it should have been 'ephebophile' an adult who is sexually attracted to teenagers. Major props and kudos to Trevor the Enchanter for pointing this out. Thank you Trevor!
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
Chapter Fifty Three: Reparations
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"Man," Danny shook his head as the brisk March wind yet again kicked up his hair and tried to steal Tucker's hat, "He avoided us all week…then all day today at school. He didn't say anything…he sat at that other table with Star and Kwan…he's gonna' flip and say something, I just know it."
Tucker thought a moment as he resituated his hat before answering his distraught friend, "It's a lot to take in, Danny. I mean, if I hadn't been there when it happened to you, I probably would be wiggin' out right about now. He'll get over it."
"Yeah, he'll get over it," the halfa hung his head as they headed down the street, the Nasty Burger coming into sight, "Just as soon as he reveals my secret to the whole town and I get hunted down…"
"It's cool, Danny," Tucker frowned, noting how worried Danny was over Dash, "He won't talk. He's probably too afraid to."
If Danny could have had a light bulb appear over his head and light up, he would have been a very happy halfa. Without the strange imagery, however, it was just Danny's face that lit up, "What if he's afraid and that's why he's avoiding us? He was watching all of us at the park with this really weird face."
Opening the door to the fast food joint, Tucker let himself in, being a considerate enough friend to make sure that Danny at least caught the door before it met his face, "I was halfway joking…but I guess it could be true. Dash isn't the bravest person when it comes to ghosts anyways most of the time."
"What do you think Sam?" Danny slid into the booth beside the girl who had been impatiently waiting for the boys to get done with their 'after school detention' with Lancer and meet her at their usual hang out, "You think that Dash is avoiding us because he's scared?"
"I don't know," Sam shrugged her shoulders, "but if I were in his place I wouldn't really want to see any of us right now. I wouldn't want to deal with it, and I think I made it worse when I told him everything in a nutshell while you were fighting Vlad."
"Huh?" was the eloquent reply of both boys.
"I told him that you were Phantom, we still had our link, and Valerie was the ghost hunter," Sam sighed as she laid her head on the cool tabletop, "I think I fried his brain with too much information…plus all that sensory info he was getting…he probably blew a bolt trying to process it all."
"Okay," Danny leaned over to look at Sam's face from the side, "So, is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a yes," Sam sighed again, "in a roundabout way. I think that he deserves to know why that all happened and how."
"Really?" Tucker pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose nervously, "You think it's a good idea to just tell him everything about the past couple of years…I mean, we haven't even told Valerie about it, and she's known that Danny is the ghost boy for way longer than Dash has."
"Well," Sam sat up and shifted uncomfortably, "I guess that means we should tell her too. Really, it's up to you though Danny. This is your secret."
"I dunno'," the halfa shrugged, then frowned before he truly answered, "It's kinda' our secret, ya' know? The three of us. We've been in it together since the beginning, so I think we should all agree to whatever we decide on."
"When did you get so wise?" Sam gave her halfa the once over, 'He's so serious sometimes…I wish I could help him more than I do. Just relax Danny…that's it…'
"I told you, when I stand on air I feel Zen," Danny teased back as he felt a bit better about everything, the levity coming back into their conversation, "It's all that practice I got floating over you the other night…"
Poor Danny, he let his mouth run away from him again and set Tucker nearly falling out of the booth with laughter as Sam blushed an attractive cherry red. He, himself was blushing and trying to backtrack but nothing was working as Tucker teased them more and more about Sam being forced to stay over at Danny's house until her parents came home.
"What were you two doing that had Danny floating over you?" Tucker got out another one-liner designed to have them blushing before he fell back into laughing. His eyes were watering and his sides were aching by the time he got himself back under control, "Man, are you guys getting serious or what?"
"No," Sam ground out as she tried her hardest to ignore all the emotions running through Danny's system at the moment and push down her blush, "We were just talking and Danny likes to float when he thinks. God Tucker, do you ever give it a rest?"
"No," Tucker took off his glasses and wiped his moist eyes, "It's just so easy to tease you two."
"Whatever," Danny sat back slightly, still trying to recover from the emotional onslaught he had received from Sam as Tucker teased them, 'Does she like me then? Maybe I'm interpreting it all wrong…why is this so confusing?'
"So what are we deciding to do?" Sam brought the conversation back around, "To tell or not to tell?"
"I say tell," Tucker began to play with the straw in the drink that Sam had ordered for him as she had waited, "It's easier to just get everything out of the way. With Valerie too, she really deserves an explanation."
"Alright," Danny nodded his head, "I'm agreeing with Tucker, they both deserve to know everything."
"Fine by me," Sam took a sip of her soda, "just be careful when you tell them."
"About that," Danny turned slightly in the booth and began to rub the back of his neck, "Would you mind if you were with me when I talked to Dash? You explain things better than I do and I get the feeling this is gonna' be a touch and go kinda' thing."
The pleading blue eyes did her in as Sam relented and nodded to the young man beside her, "What about Valerie? Want me then, too?"
"Nope," Danny stood up and stretched, and felt Sam's anxiousness and insecurity, much to his surprise, "I'm heading over there right now to talk to her. I think it'll be fine."
"Alright," Sam said quietly as she glanced back down at the table, having very mixed emotions about what he was going to do, "Just be careful."
"I always am," Danny grabbed his drink, "Talk to you two later, and thanks for the soda."
"Yeah, bye man!" Tucker called out before looking back to the young woman across from him, "What's wrong Sam?"
"Nothing," she shot him a smile that didn't fool anyone, "Let's eat before it gets any colder…"
"Alright," Tucker let it drop, 'Valerie again. Sam, why don't you just tell him?'
Outside and over head a rather distraught Danny Phantom hovered with a concerned frown, 'Why's Sam so upset…she's even a little…jealous? About what? I just don't get it.'
With a final sigh, and a slightly heavier heart than he usually had, Danny turned towards Valerie's home, hoping that she was there so that he could get the impending conversation out of the way. He wasn't looking forward to it, but Sam and Tucker were right. The sooner he got it done, and all of his secrets out of the way, the better it would be for all involved.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"Valerie?" Danny knocked on the door as he called out his friend's name, hoping that it was she who answered the door, and not her father, "Hey Val, are you home?"
"I'm coming," the muffled reply sounded as Danny took a step back from the door and it opened seconds later, "Oh hey! What's up Danny? Wanna' come in?"
"Sure, thanks," the halfa stepped nervously into her home, then began looking around him and enjoying the comfy, homey feel of it all, "Nice place."
"Thanks," Valerie led him to the kitchen, "Want anything?"
"Nah, I brought my own, I hope you don't mind," Danny held up his soda from the Nasty Burger, "I kinda' dropped by to chat for a minute if you've got the time…if not we can do this later, and I'll just go ahead and go…"
"I've got time," Valerie sat at her table, motioning for him to do the same, then saw him nervously looking around the room, "and I really got the time now. You're actin' really jumpy and it's gettin' me curious. So spill."
"Me and Sam and Tucker just had a talk," Danny sank into the chair across from her, swallowing hard and trying to keep it all together. The tiny wave of caring and pride and a few other things washed over him and calmed him a great deal, 'Sam always knows what to do…what would she say…'
"See," Danny took a deep breath and started again, his confidence growing, even as he felt Sam start to become jealous and anxious and unsure, "we talked about Dash finding out and how he's been avoiding us."
"He's been avoiding me too," Valerie nodded as she ran her fingers over the lines of her tablecloth, "We talked once, though he wouldn't even make eye contact with me today. It was like he was…not afraid, but really cautious. Do you think he thinks we'd hurt him or something?"
"I don't know," Danny admitted as he shook his head, curiosity at Sam's emotions starting to grow and making it harder for him to focus on the talk with Valerie, "it's just weird. That's not really why I'm here though."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, uh," Danny reached up and rubbed his neck nervously before tugging on his shirt's collar once, "We thought that I should tell you everything. From when I got zapped in my parents lab up to when you found out."
"Why?" Valerie leaned over the table slightly, a puzzled frown showing her thoughts clearly, "Not that I don't appreciate it and all, but you don't have to."
"I want to," Danny stated more to himself than the young woman across from him, "When I was fourteen at the beginning of our Freshman year…my parents made a ghost portal, a gateway into the ghost zone, only it didn't work. Tucker and Sam were there and somehow I wound up in a white with black trim jumpsuit and inside the machine."
"Isn't your jumpsuit black with white trim when you're in the other form?" Valerie looked at him quizzically, trying to piece the information together.
"Yeah," the halfa nodded, "See, when I went in the machine I didn't know it was plugged in still…and I accidentally hit the on switch. Something happened and it turned on, and wham, I'm out cold and the next thing I know I've got white hair, green eyes and no clothes on under my reversed suit…really freaky stuff."
"So it was an accident with your parents' invention that gave you ghost powers?"
"Yep," Danny gave a slight smile, "I'm what the ghosts call a 'halfa'…half human, half ghost, and there were only two of us. Vlad Masters being the other one, and twenty years my senior. He had been working on a project with my parents in college before they were married and had a huge crush on Maddie, my Mom."
"Ew," Valerie remarked quietly and wrinkled her nose, much to the amusement of Danny, "That is so wrong on so many levels…just ew."
"That's how me and Jazz feel about it," Danny gave a chuckle and ran his hand over his eyes and through his hair, "Anyways, they had built a ghost portal then too, only when it backfired, Vlad woke up with an extreme case of ecto-acne and everyone made fun of him. He had twenty years to practice being a halfa, and kept trying to off my Dad to win my Mom over. I've been stopping him for the past couple of years, but just barely…"
"Now I don't have to worry about it that much," Danny smiled, "I guess I really owe you a lot for that. He's out of the picture as a halfa, and I can sleep a little easier. Thanks for helping me out, Val, you didn't have to but I really appreciate it all the same…"
"Yeah I did," Valerie smiled, "I mean, we're kinda' in this together…protecting the town and all."
"About that," Danny cringed and prepared for the worst, "I'm probably the one that let all the ghosts out in the first place. If I had never activated the portal, they would never have escaped."
"So?" Valerie watched as Danny comically tried to make himself smaller, 'Probably so there's less of a chance that I'd hit him…he really doesn't like to fight I guess…'
"So?" Danny squeaked as he echoed her statement back, "You aren't trying to kill me for ruining your life?"
"Danny," the hunter frowned at the halfa, "We've both grown up a lot since ninth grade. I'd like to think I'm a little more mature, and all the stuff that's been happening lately with you being Phantom and Vlad being Plasmius…it really made me think. So you opened the ghost zone? It would have happened soon or later, right? Vlad would have found a way to do it, or your parents would have figured out how to start the portal."
"I guess," Danny gave her a small smile, "but I should really tell you the rest of everything. You didn't know everything that happened, even when you were fighting me, and I think you deserve to know."
A kind smile spread over her face as she looked at her friend in a new light, "Thank you, seriously. It's nice to know I'm trusted enough to be told. And sorry about that whole 'trying to kill you' thing…I've been trying to not jump to conclusions anymore…"
At her sheepish grin, Danny just laughed, "It's cool. You remember that first ghost that showed up at school? Man, she was a pain in the butt, and all because Sam wanted a day without meat…"
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"They sure are hunky-dory now," Sam sighed as she watched Danny and Valerie chat at her locker. He'd been spending the past couple of days just hanging out and talking with Valerie, and Sam was having the hardest time keeping herself from demanding his attention be diverted back to her and Tucker, 'Was this how he felt when I spent time with Dash? God, I am so jealous right now, and I really shouldn't be. Their friends and we're friends and we're all friends, and I can't stand it!'
"Sam," Tucker waved a hand in front of the seething teen's face, "Techno-geek to Goth-girl, are you there? Hellooooooo…"
"Oh knock it off," Sam frowned and smacked his hand from in front of her face, upset as she came back to reality and found herself glaring at the amiably laughing and chatting Valerie and Danny, "What do you want?"
"Just checking to make sure you're okay," Tucker shrugged as he watched Sam viciously stuff a folder into her backpack, "You've been pretty upset lately with the whole Danny spending time with Valerie thing. Don't think I forgot the conversation we had that one time you invited her to come and watch movies with us."
"Tucker," Sam rested her head against her locker door after she shut it, "It's not…I wasn't thinking straight when I talked to you…"
"You were too," Tucker smiled as he received a sideways glare from the much shorter girl, "I remember you saying something about feeling like you're going to loose Danny. I gave you a hug and was going to tell you something very important right before we were so rudely interrupted by said, same halfa."
"What were you going to say?" Sam asked, partly humoring the boy beside her, and partly curious, "Something like, 'You worry too much,' or something?"
"Nope," Tucker chuckled as he leaned back against the lockers beside his friend, "but that's pretty close. I was just going to tell you that you're never going to be able to get rid of Danny. You two are like this."
As Tucker crossed his fingers to demonstrate his meaning to Sam, a rather loud peal of laughter came from the other boy, girl pair standing at the lockers down the hall. Sam sighed and tore her eyes away, only to come face to face with a highly amused Tucker, "What now?"
"Nothing," Tucker laughed as he backed away slightly, "I just think you're jealous…"
"I am, nitwit," Sam blushed furiously at being called at it, but decided to just get it out, "but it doesn't matter because Danny already knows…it just feels like he's ditching us or something."
"Aw come on Sam," Tucker leaned his head slightly to the side, "he'd never do that. Besides, he talked to you about getting jealous over things. You should do the same. Maybe it'll help you out, 'cause it sure seemed to help Danny keep it under control."
"That's the thing though," Sam said with a frown, "I thought he was just getting jealous because of how possessive his ghost side is…"
"His ghost side…possessive?" Tucker tried to keep the grin off his face, but couldn't, "Seriously Sam, where'd you come up with that? Danny's always been protective and possessive of you, ghost side or no."
"It's a theory I have," Sam felt affronted by her friend's behavior, "All the ghosts have their obsession right?"
"Yeah, I thought about that too and started to study it…usually whatever they're attached to in life, that's their main focus in death."
"Well, I got to thinking," Sam tilted her head as she started to postulate her ideas to the young man beside her, "Maybe Danny thinks of certain things as his, people or places included. Maybe that's why he acts the way he does and gets jealous of other guys being around me…"
"Does it only happen with guys?" Tucker asked knowingly, then shook his head in mock despair at her nod, "Sam, Sam, Sam…you're as clueless as Danny is. That's just a normal guy thing for him to do. He likes you."
"I…I know that," Sam blushed and turned to hide her face, 'I really like him too…really, really, really like him.'
"Look, it's only natural. You like him, he likes you," Tucker stood up straighter, "He got jealous when you started spending more time with Dash, you get jealous now that he's spending more time with Val. Classic reaction to a loved one being with the opposite sex."
"It's not like that," Sam blushed more as she grabbed her bag and headed towards her next class, "You're reading too much into it Tucker."
"Whatever you say, Sam…" Tucker trailed off laughing.
"Oh shut up," she said tiredly, then turned her gaze back towards Danny, 'I know I said I was going to be more honest with myself at New Years…and I am. I know I like Danny…I know I love him, I've known for a while, but that doesn't mean that anything is going to happen between us. There's too much that can get in the way, and I don't want to risk it. If he's happy with another girl, then that's fine. At least he'll be happy. Oh, who am I kidding? I want him to pay attention to me!'
Feeling her control over her tightly guarded emotions slip, Sam watched as Danny stopped in mid-sentence to look straight at her and give her a thousand-watt smile. The emotions of care and affection and so many other things swept back over her in return as she smiled sadly back to him.
As she headed off for her next class, she never noticed Danny's grin fade as he started to worry for his best friend. Still, he had to focus on what Valerie was saying…something was up and there was a new ghost in town that she couldn't seem to catch. This was going to need a lot of attention and he was sure that Sam would understand.
It was his obligation to take care of the town and its inhabitants after all.
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
"Are you ready?"
"Not really, but does it matter?"
"Well, yeah," Sam leaned over slightly so she could see her halfa's eyes, which were hidden beneath his bangs, "If you don't want to do this yet, we can wait."
"No, we need to get this out of the way," Danny straightened and smiled at Sam, "Thanks for doing this with me. I don't think I'd have the guts to do it by myself."
"You'd be fine you big baby," Sam smiled as she hitched up her backpack, then nodded towards the row of lockers, "He's there. C'mon, let's get this over with and make nice."
Laughing as she rolled her eyes, Danny grabbed her hand and pulled her forward with him, dropping it after he gave her a slight squeeze, 'Please let this turn out alright. I don't need any problems right now with everything else going on…'
"Hey Dash," Sam smiled easily at her friend, who stiffened slightly at her voice, "I haven't seen you around lately and was getting worried. Is everything alright?"
The concern in her voice was genuine, as Danny could feel, and he had to suppress the urge to turn her attention back to himself, "Yeah, we were worried that…well, I was thinking that maybe something I did…uh, upset you?"
"Dork," Sam smacked the back of his head, as Dash looked on in confusion, "No more question-like statements, how many times do I have to tell you that?"
"What?" Danny was confused as the glaring face he was seeing was completely discredited by the feeling of the enormous amount of sadistic pleasure Sam got out of teasing him, "I didn't do anything wrong! It's the way I speak, I can't help it."
"Whatever," Sam smirked and shook her head, "I know you do it just to annoy me."
"I do not," Danny stated indignantly, frowning down at his best friend, but feeling giddy all the same just being able to banter with her, "Trust me I never try to annoy you, Sam."
"Oh you do too," Sam shot back, fighting to keep the smile off her face and loosing.
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"You callin' me a liar?" Danny winked at her, completely forgetting that he had Dash as an audience. The other boy already knew his secret, so Danny didn't give it another thought when he made his eyes turn green. He also didn't notice Dash's eyes widening in slight shock, and the jock moving towards the bickering pair.
'What is he doing?' Dash thought as he moved closer to Sam, 'Is he getting mad at her…I can't let him do anything, but what would I do against a ghost? I don't think he'd hurt her but his eyes…'
"Yeah, I am," Sam smiled and winked at Dash, which halted him dead in his tracks, "So what're you gonna' do about it?"
"I'm gonna' do this," Danny advanced on her menacingly with mischievous glowing green eyes, "Boo."
Sam started laughing as she leaned forward on the once again blue-eyed boy for support, "You are such a dork, I swear."
"Uh," Dash cut in, utterly confused by everything that had just happened, "Did you guys want something?"
"Oh, yeah," Danny turned after gently easing Sam off of him, "I just wanted to talk to you about what happened. Sam thought I should talk to you about it, and I think it's a good idea. Tucker thought it would help too."
"And what about Valerie?" Dash gulped, a little nervously Sam and Danny both noticed. Being so in-tune with their own, and one another's, emotions was leading them to be more in-tune with the emotions of those around them, simply by reading body language, "Did she say anything about me?"
"Well," Danny frowned in slight puzzlement as he looked to Sam, only to receive a shrug and frown in return, "I talked to her the other night, but she didn't really mention you, other than the fact that you were kinda' weirded out by it all."
"Yeah, about that," Dash made sure his back was to the lockers and there was a clear path to a door, not that that would do him any good, "Valerie wanted me to tell you what I did."
Danny's face couldn't have grown any paler in that moment, as Sam nervously grabbed at his hand, but whether to comfort him or hold him back she wasn't too sure, 'Danny, just calm down, I'm calm…you just relax, c'mon Danny…he's our friend and it's probably not as bad as you think, stop overreacting…'
Taking a deep breath, the halfa registered Sam's hand in his and the feelings of calm and ease washing over him. Shaking his head once and regaining some of the color in his cheeks, Danny swallowed nervously as he asked the dreaded question, "Did you tell anyone?"
Silence fell between the three as Dash looked down for a moment. Danny nearly turned away, but Sam held him in place, noting that he hadn't answered yet, "Did you tell anyone Dash?"
Her voice must have broken him from whatever trance he was in as his head immediately snapped up and the equally tall boys locked eyes over Sam's head, "I did…"
Sam was in shock to hear his answer, shaking her head slightly, 'No, he wouldn't have. Dash doesn't do things like that…at least, I didn't think he would. He's been so close to us lately.'
"I did, but," Dash took another deep breath, "they laughed at me…thought I was trying to play a joke on them or something. Paulina and Star were just laughing about how it couldn't be true, and Kwan tried to give me a high five for such a funny joke…then Valerie heard what I was trying to say and pulled me off to the side."
"What did Valerie say?" Sam met his eyes and frowned, "It's obvious she told you not to tell or something, so just spit it out already."
"Yeah," Dash nodded, surprised at Sam getting upset with him. She hadn't for a very long time, "She told me that I couldn't tell anyone, and that I needed to tell you," he looked at Danny then, "so you would know…"
"Why?" Danny finally managed to get out as he leaned closer and splayed his hands in the air in front of him, "Why in the world would you tell someone, are you trying to get me hunted down and killed?"
"No!" Dash finally reacted and got upset, nearly grabbing the boy to slam him into the lockers, but thought better of it, "I just had to tell someone…do you know how frickin weird this all is? It's insane! I just thought that since Kwan and Star were starting to get along better with you guys, and since Paulina is in love with Phantom that it wouldn't be such a big deal!"
"Do you know what could have happened?" Sam asked gravely, her face clearly showing how she felt at the moment, "Even if they had been cool with it, that's three more people that know would know. And then they tell someone, and then that person tells someone else, and soon the whole town knows and Danny is running to keep safe. His life pretty much hinges on keeping this a secret, Dash!"
"Look, I'm sorry okay," Dash got in both their faces, "I just had to talk to someone about it. I was trying to not freak out the whole damn time at the park, and do you know how wrong that is? Dash Baxter does not freak out!"
"Why didn't you talk to one of us?" Sam asked in hurt, as Danny pulled her back to his side knowing that she was hurting because Dash didn't trust her enough. Trust was a big issue for Sam…
"I don't know," Dash finally deflated, all the indignation of their hurtful statements leaving him as he watched Danny try to comfort Sam by giving her a half smile and letting her lean against him, "I just…you all are in that together and you all have your own role. I was so out of place the whole time."
"How do you think I felt when it happened to me?" Danny shook his head and appeared to be observing the ground, "I came to tell you how it happened, because we all thought you deserved to know."
"I guess I blew that," Dash said coldly as he turned to leave, "You don't have to worry, I got the message loud and clear. I tell, something bad happens. You don't have to worry about me."
"Dash," Danny said sternly as he laid a hand on the other teenager's shoulder, "It isn't like that. I'm still gonna' tell you. You have the right to know what happened at the park."
All it took was one glance at the still hurting Sam as he glanced over his shoulder for Dash to stop and listen to the half-ghost behind him. He frowned as Sam kept her gaze averted and then felt even more foolish about how he was acting as he realized how many times Danny had actually saved him. How had he repaid the town's hero? By almost announcing his secret to the world…
"I was in an accident in my parent's lab when we were fourteen…the beginning of Freshman year," Danny took a deep breath, "I got ghost powers after getting fried in my parents' ghost portal and have been fighting the ghosts that come out ever since then."
"I haven't had a day off in a while, though it's been relatively calm lately…well, with the exception of Vlad," Danny smiled wryly as he thought of never having to face Plasmius or worry about his scheming again, as the man was currently institutionalized at the Riverdale Mental Ward in Wisconsin near his home and beloved Packers.
Vlad Masters had started to rant about his plans going awry as soon as he woke, but those around him were taking notes and observing. Several highly qualified psychologists had been called in to help him deal with being overshadowed and forced to do such grievous things, but began to worry as he kept insisting that they visit and watch sixteen year old Daniel Fenton, who supposedly was half ghost.
As soon as he began to give them a detailed list of the places they would find him and exact times that he would appear there on certain days, they had him declared mentally unstable and shipped off. No one wanted to deal with a mentally deranged ephebophile…
"Vlad's been my archenemies for a long time," Danny heaved a sigh, "He wanted my Mom, and was determined to kill my Dad to get to her. I've been the only thing standing in the way of his plans since their school reunion."
"So that thing in the park…"
"Was another halfa," Sam finally chimed in, "He was in an accident too, when he was younger. What Danny is, is called a 'halfa'. It's halfa' ghost…"
"…and halfa' human," Danny chuckled as he finished Sam's sentence and watched Dash raise an eyebrow at their speaking in sync, "Kinda' catchy ain't it?"
"A halfa," Dash repeated before he looked at the pair, "You told me that you still have your link. I thought you two had given it up or were claiming it was all a big prank or something."
"We are claiming it was all a big prank," Sam sniffed as she moved to lean against the lockers beside Dash, "but we do still have it. It recently reappeared. You know, I think it started almost a year ago exactly…"
"Hey, now," Danny cowered slightly under Sam's sharp glare, and slightly annoyed feelings, "I told you I didn't mean to. It was an accident."
"You have a lot of these 'accidents' Fenton," Dash folded his arms as he started to relax a little more, but not by much.
"Yeah," Danny rubbed the back of his neck, "The way we got the link was an accident too. I guess you wanna' know about that too."
Dash nodded as he looked from Danny to Sam and back again. They looked slightly flustered by something, but far be it from him to ever be able to guess what the two were thinking, even when they had been friends back in third and fourth grade.
"See, we were down in my parents' lab and started to mess with this little machine thingy," Danny started, then Sam took a deep breath and finished for him, "It went off and we got stuck in this force-field thingy, and our minds were, well, linked."
"So it really isn't a psychic connection," Dash looked between the two again, "I know you told me that, but it's still freaky. Not that you two are freaks or anything."
Danny just shrugged, "I've been called worse, trust me."
"I'm sorry that I didn't," Dash struggled to find the words to what he wanted to say, not used to apologizing for his actions, before giving up and finishing lamely with, "I guess for not standing up for you or something. I was an asshole."
"You were a fifth grader," Sam leaned forward to look at his face as she talked, "like any of us could have really stood up to four other people pressuring us. Peer pressure sucks when you're young."
"It doesn't matter now does it?" Danny asked as he extended his hand for a peace offering, "It isn't going to happen again. We won't let it."
"Right," Dash cautiously took and shook the halfa's hand, "It won't."
"Just, uh," Danny chuckled dryly, "don't tell anyone else about me…or about me and Sam. We don't need anymore rumors about us than we already have. Did you hear the one about us making up after school in the janitor's closet on Valentine's Day? That one was embarrassing…"
"Yeah," Dash smiled tightly as he shouldered his backpack and got ready to go, "I bet it was. I'll see you guys later, I've got to go."
"Bye," Sam said as he walked out of sight, "Why do I get the feeling that he isn't really going to see us later?"
"I dunno' Sam," Danny shrugged as he leaned his forehead against her shoulder, "I really don't know, but I hope that he doesn't try to tell anyone again."
"He may be a jerk and a conceited, preppy jock," Sam gently ruffled the young man's black hair, "But Dash Baxter is a man of his word. He isn't going to say anything."
"Yeah," Danny smiled as he stood and the two started towards the doors, "You're right Sam. How is it you're always right?"
"I'm a girl, doofus," Sam laughed as she gently hit his shoulder, "We're always right, you should know that by now."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
It was two days later and Sam's prediction had held true. Dash never approached them, but welcomed their company readily enough. Thinking it over, Jazz postulated that he was probably no longer sure how he fit into their group and it would just take a while for him to readjust to all the changes he was experiencing.
Danny just nodded his head.
At school he had relayed the small speech that Jazz had given him, even though he wasn't totally understanding what Dash was adjusting to. Sam just flicked his ear and told him to shut up. A small feeling of jealousy snuck into her stomach as Danny thought she was defending Dash and Sam got upset and started to talk with Tucker about their current situation.
As Valerie joined them and once again began to chat with Danny, Sam herself felt the ugly emotion that she had been trying to keep at bay tearing at her restraint, begging to get out. A funny look sent her way by the halfa was enough for Sam to go dry in the mouth in nervousness that he was figuring out that she lo…liked him.
It was still too soon to think about even telling Danny that she liked, let alone loved, him, 'It's probably safer if I don't think it either, that way he doesn't feel it and figure it out…'
As lunch passed and she enjoyed Danny and Tucker's company, Sam decided that enough was enough and that their last talk about jealousy hadn't done it's job. She was going to have to have that dab-blasted embarrassing conversation all over again.
Finally catching Danny right after school, Sam decided that it was now or never, "Hey Danny."
"Oh," the teen peeked out from behind his locker door with a smile, then moved back in to grab the last book he'd need for homework, "what's up Sam?"
"Just wanted to chat for a minute," she smiled lovingly at the back of the boy's head, knowing she was safe in doing so for a moment as he was distracted, "Haven't really gotten the chance to lately and I wanted to talk to you about what's been happening with our link…you know, us getting jeal..."
"Oh crap!"
"What's wrong?" Sam peeked around the locker door, her slight worry over what Danny the klutz might have done overriding her annoyance that he had cut her off.
"I'm really late," Danny slammed his locker shut before throwing on his backpack and looking around him, "I'm goin' ghost. I gotta' get over to the park and meet with Valerie."
"What?" Sam pulled back slightly in puzzlement, "Why are you meeting Valerie at the park?"
"There's some new ghost out and I haven't seen it yet, and Valerie can't catch it," Danny shrugged as he floated into the air, "We gotta' talk about 'obsessive' ghosts. This one's apparently a lot like the Box Ghost, but a little smarter. Kinda' dangerous, huh?"
"Yeah," Sam clenched her teeth and fought to keep herself composed, "real dangerous."
"It's always bad when they're super obsessive over something," Danny frowned and then hung upside down to tug on Sam's hair and try to cheer her up, "See? Obsessive ghosts bothering people are pretty bad huh?"
"Yeah," Sam closed her eyes for a second to keep herself from smacking the boy, "obsessive, evil ghosts…"
"You alright Sam?" Danny landed in front of her, the emotions she was trying to keep in managing to edge into the corner of his mind and the pit of his stomach.
"I'm fine," she forced a smile, "but if you're late you better go. Don't want Valerie to be mad at you for missing your date."
As Danny watched his best friend stalk away from him only one thought echoed in his mind, 'Date? Who said anything about a date?'
Floating up through the building and heading for the park, Danny felt the hurt and worry and fear and jealousy take over Sam, and began to worry even more. She had been trying so hard to hide her jealousy for the last couple of days, that Danny was convinced that it was unhealthy, 'Okay, we really need to talk about this….just as soon as I get done talking to Valerie about this ghost.'
With a wince at how he was brushing off his worry for Sam, Danny touched down in the park and walked up to the resident ghost hunter.
"Rough day, Phantom?"
"Yeah," he sighed, "but we have to take care of whatever this problem is first. I'll deal with that later."
.o.O.o.o.O.o.
At the Nasty Burger Tucker sat with an overly animated Sam, who had been chatting for the past thirty minutes about nothing and everything and annoying the heck out of the teenage boy. Picking up his and her trash and throwing it away, Tucker got ready to leave with Sam hot on his heels.
"Are you finally ready to tell me what's wrong?" Tucker asked as he opened the door for her and let her pass first, being the gentleman as always, "Or do I have to listen to you ramble for another thirty minutes?"
"I didn't talk that long," Sam said indignantly as she folded her arms crossly, "and I wasn't rambling."
"Talk," Tucker ordered, with folded arms of his own as he stopped walking and leaned against a low brick wall.
"Fine," Sam pouted as she joined him, "I'm just upset at Danny."
"I figured that," Tucker rolled his eyes, "Now tell me what's wrong."
"I'm just getting really…"
"Hey guys," the halfa appeared in front of them, trying his best to not get upset that Sam was having another little moment with Tucker, "What're you talking about so seriously? Is there another ghost out or something?"
"Nope," Tucker smiled as he started to walk off, "but Sam needs to talk to you about something. Is that Valerie? I think I'll go say hello…"
Watching Tucker leave and cursing him for leaving her like this with the object of her affections, Sam sat fully on the low wall, grumbling under her breath, "Stupid boys…"
"So, uh," Danny nervously sat beside her, already knowing where this was going to go, "you needed to talk to me earlier too. So what's up?"
"Look," Sam turned to face him with a stern face, "Before I get interrupted again, or you run off with someone on another little date, I have to tell you that I'm getting as bad as you about the jealousy thing, and I blame you for it."
"You blame me for it?" the teen blinked as he looked his best friend over, then put a hand to her forehead, "Nope, no fever. You aren't possessed are you? What's my biggest fear?"
"No, I don't have fever, no, I'm not possessed, and your biggest fear used to be ghosts and probably still is," Sam pushed his hand off her face, "I'm being serious Danny. The link is affecting me I think."
"Or maybe you're just jealous that I'm hanging out with a different friend," Danny raised his eyebrows as he stated this knowingly, then gave a half smirk, "That's what my Mom told me when I started getting jealous that you were hanging out more and more with Dash over winter break."
"I," but Sam stopped as she thought it over, 'I guess that's true. Well, I know I'm jealous because I don't like him being with other girls, and I don't want to have to give him up. I just can't help it…'
"You know, I was jealous this time too," Danny cut into her line of thought, tucking his hands under his legs as he shifted on the wall, "I kinda' always get jealous when you and Tuck have your little 'moments'."
"Moments?" Sam asked in confusion, feeling slight regret wash over her from the boy at her side, "We don't have 'moments', Danny, we were just talking."
"I guess," he began to swing his feet, "but you guys were hugging last time and…"
"…and I already told you that he was just trying to make me feel better," Sam leaned over and caught his gaze before she continued, "I was just worried that you were going to ditch us for Valerie. I mean, she hunts ghosts and you hunt ghosts, you liked her for a while, and she liked you too…"
"Yeah I liked her," Danny shrugged as he looked at Sam's saddened eyes, "but we don't like each other that way anymore. I was just talking to her today because of that new ghost. He's really slippery and neither of us can seem to catch him. I'm not ditching you Sam."
As Danny pulled her chin up, Sam's breath caught for a second as they stared into one another's eyes. It was like one of those gushy movies that she had seen, and in a panicked second as she thought where this might be heading, Sam leaned in closer, not to kiss, but to hug the halfa in front of her, "I know. I'm really sorry for getting so jealous. I know I shouldn't."
"It's okay," Danny hugged her back and answered her muffled reply, gently running his hand through the hair that was trailing over her shoulders, "Everybody gets jealous. Besides…it's kinda' nice that you'd get jealous of another girl for me."
"I didn't say that," Sam buried her face into his shoulder to hide her blush as they both started to laugh, "You're such a dork, but you're my best friend, so I guess I have to forgive you."
"Of course you do," Danny gave her another squeeze, "You know ya' love me."
Before Sam could even reply though, Tucker and Valerie both popped up behind the wall between the seated pair, "Aw, that was so cute…so do you love him Sam?"
"Valerie!" Danny and Sam both shouted as they nearly toppled over, before Danny finally just made them both float in the air. After Danny set them back on their feet, the pair both turned in unison with bright blushes, "What are you two doing?"
Turning to Tucker, Valerie completely ignored the fuming pair on the other side of the small wall, "I see what you mean, they are really fun to interrupt."
"Oh yeah," Tucker nodded happily, currently residing on cloud nine at having found a partner in his Sam and Danny teasing, "You should see them after they've done something really embarrassing though…"
"Get back here Tucker Foley!" Sam shouted as she jumped the wall and gave chase to the already running and laughing boy, "It's time you had a date with my boot!"
"Ouch," Danny remarked as he watched Sam actually catch up to Tucker and fulfill her threat, "That had to hurt."
"My shins ache just watching," Valerie winced, "Remind me to never make her mad. Those boots look painful."
"Trust me," Danny smiled back at Sam, who was helping a laughing Tucker up and giving the halfa a shy grin all at the same time, "They are, but she'd never hurt you too bad."
"Why's that?" Valerie turned with her hand on her hip expectantly.
"Because I think Tucker kinda' likes you," Danny smirked wickedly, "and she'd never hurt someone Tucker likes…who likes him back…"
"Daniel Fenton, take that back!" Valerie took off after the teasing boy, who was heading straight for Tucker. She cut him off though, and had him hiding behind Sam.
"Sorry, Val, it's true!" he peeked his head from behind his best friend, his own silly happy mood causing her to join in his mirth.
"What do you think he did now?" Sam asked a smiling Tucker, ignoring the boy holding her waist and ducking behind her.
"You got me," Tucker's grin widened as he enjoyed the show and noticed Danny getting ready to tickle his shield "but I think he's about to be in even more trouble."
"Get off!" Sam shrieked as Danny began to attack her sides, then ran and started to laugh as she took off after him, "You have no idea how much trouble he's in. Danny! Get back here!"
"I'll help you get him," Valerie joined in, and soon Tucker was drawn in as well, trying to keep the two girls from Danny for as long as he could.
"GAH! They're gonna' get me! Noooo!"
"Dude, I wouldn't be complaining if two girls were running after me…"
"Yeah, I wouldn't either if they weren't determined to hurt me."
"Get back here!" two female voices called out in their mirth, and the four continued their play until they couldn't run anymore. It was a great end to a trying and stressful day, and as they reclined on the grass in the park, all four of them could only hope that things would keep getting better.
But you know what they say. Things can only get worse before they get better, and life hadn't finished throwing curves at Danny quite yet. There were still a few unresolved issues for him, and his friends, to work their way through. Only then would the universe be satisfied and maybe give Danny some time off.
Maybe.