And here is where the title of the story begins to come into play, but only a little. And you thought it was all about the first chapter didn't you? Ha ha! You thought this story was turning exclusively about Danny and Sam didn't you? Well yeah they have this weird tendency to want to take over everything, story hogs. But um yeah, deeper story here people. Mua ha ha ha –shifty look- I like having plots and sub plots and other things going on in my stories. Don't you? Well I hope so.
This is a good time to restate that Danny Phantom and all related characters are the intellectual property of Butch Hartman.
Chapter Nine
"So," Abby said to Sam as she walked in to the studio the next morning. "I thought you were going to call me last night about the problem with my computer."
"Oh my gosh!" Sam said as she put her hand to her face. "I forgot. I'm so sorry Abs."
"She was too busy with her fiancé," Michelle interjected as she looked up from her work. She smiled blissfully for a moment then sighed.
"Tonight maybe," Sam said almost absently as she looked at the blank canvass before her.
"Still blocked?" Abby asked.
"Yeah," Sam answered sheepishly. "I guess I just have too much on my mind."
"It happens to the best of us Sam," Abby said as she adjusted her nose ring. Abby had many piercings. Michelle had twice as many. Sam had none despite their prompting.
"I just need some quiet to think," Sam finally said. Abby nodded her head in understanding and walked away.
Sam didn't think she'd changed much since high school. In some ways it was good. In other ways not. Her signature colors were still black and purple. Her hair well, she got rid of the pointy bangs and weird pony tail thing. Now her hair simply lay in a bangless bob. Tucker had fun saying that when she first mentioned the style. He called her "Bangless Bob," for weeks afterward.
"Why am I thinking about my appearance?" Sam thought to herself as she swirled her paintbrush in black paint. She reached over to the canvass and stopped. Maybe it was time to change things a bit. She was feeling a bit predictable, she even had the sudden urge to completely shave her head to ease the unsettled feelings. It was because she was thinking of the past, of high school.
She cleaned off her brush then squeezed a bit of orange paint and then yellow onto her palate. She swirled the brush around a bit in both colors then reached out to the canvas and brushed a swath across the pristine whiteness. She stood back and looked at the broad brush stroke of yellow and orange. The colors invoked a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach and an itchy feeling from the ring. It took coloring the canvas with swirls of yellow and orange to finally ferret out what the colors represented and why she had such mixed feelings toward them.
"Valerie," Sam whispered. She squeezed another color onto her palate and loaded her brush. Very subtly she brushed edges of the swirls with gray shadows. She bit her lip as she looked at the painting.
"Nice," said a familiar voice by her ear. Sam jumped and spun. No one was there. She relaxed and smiled then looked toward Abby then Michelle who were absorbed in their own work. It would take a lot to break them from their trances.
"What are you doing here Danny?" Sam asked softly.
"I was missing you," Danny answered. "My meeting at Axion Labs ended early. I thought I'd come harass you and beg you to come to lunch with me."
Sam smiled. "I was thinking of getting something weird done with my hair."
"Weird?" Danny asked. "Like dying it blonde?"
"No," Sam whispered as she laughed.
"Hey Sam!" Abby yelled. "Who the heck are you talking to?"
"Her muse," Michelle answered. "Don't you ever talk to your muse Abs?"
Sam laughed to herself. "Why don't you leave and come back through the front door and then maybe I'll let you whisk me away."
"Kill joy," Danny grumbled. "How about I just phase you out of here right now? They'll never even notice. Before she could protest Danny grabbed Sam and suddenly she was gone. If either Abby or Michelle had looked up well…luckily they didn't.
"What are you up to Danny?" Sam asked as they flew out of the building.
"Nothing," He answered. "Like I said. I just missed you."
"You never missed me before," Sam laughed as she watched the world fly by, she never tired of flying with Danny.
"I always missed you before, I just never felt like I could just drop in and kidnap you like this." Danny admitted.
"Are you worried about the ring?" Sam asked.
"Yup," Danny answered. "You?"
"Well yeah!" Sam replied as she laughed. "It is stuck to my finger you know."
Danny sighed. "I've got some kinda bad news."
"It couldn't be any worse than this ring," Sam laughed as Danny landed on their door step.
"Tucker's talking about moving out again." Danny said as he let go of Sam and they both reappeared.
Sam groaned. "Why?"
"He says he feels like a fifth wheel around us, and that we seriously cramp his style." Danny answered.
"What style?" Sam asked. Danny smiled and shook his head.
"I have more bad news." Danny said as he sat down at the table. "I know it's not going to go over well in the wake of the ring situation."
"Well you never know unless you spill the beans," Sam said as she walked over and sat in his lap.
"Skulker says that it's against the laws of the Ghost Zone for a ghost to marry a human." Danny said then winced expecting an explosion.
"Okay," Sam said slowly. "And that's bad news how? You're not a ghost. Don't you dare tell me they say you're a ghost."
"All I know is what Skulker said." Danny answered. "He said I'm ghost and I can't marry a human."
"Oh great," Sam groaned as she laid her head on Danny's shoulder. "What's next? A big meteor crashes through our roof?" Danny looked up as if he expected just that to happen.
"I'm going to ask Walker," Danny said as he wrapped his arms around her. "There's no one more obsessed with laws in the Ghost Zone than him."
"And what if he confirms what Skulker said?" Sam asked.
"Well then," Danny replied. "Will you spend the rest of your life with me knowing that the whole of the Ghost Zone is against us and will never give us peace?"
"Wow," Sam said then took a deep breath. "Do you expect me to say no?"
"I expect you to think that it's another sign against us yes," Danny answered.
"I'll wait to see what you find out before I make any judgments," Sam replied. "But it's not looking good." She combed her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes.
"I don't want to not be with you," he said after awhile as he opened his eyes and pierced her with his vivid blue gaze.
"Well then we'll just shack up forever like your father fears we'll do." Sam said as she laughed. "Who says we have to be conventional and get married?"
"I do," Danny answered seriously.
"It doesn't matter to me," Sam told him as she placed a kiss on his jawline. "I don't care what anyone thinks. I don't need a ring or a dress or a piece of paper to know that I love you for always."
"But I want to give you the ring and the dress and the piece of paper…and my name." Danny said gently.
Sam chuckled slightly. "You already gave me the ring," she said. "And look what a disaster that was." A wicked look crossed over her face. "Will you still love me when I'm missing a finger?"
"That's nothing to joke about," Danny said suddenly feeling very nervous.
"I thought you were taking my name?" Sam said suddenly as she pulled back and looked at Danny. Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Hmm" he said, "Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom. Danny Manson." He shook his head. "It doesn't sound quite as poetic."
"So, how are we going to keep Tucker from moving out again?" Sam asked changing the subject of marriage, but it didn't make her feel any better. "I don't think the same threat as last time is going to work again."
"I don't know," Danny said. "But I think he wants to be able to feel comfortable with having Jazz visit him. I think they really like each other and…"
"He feels uncomfortable showing his feelings for her when you're around." Sam stated and Danny nodded.
"We can change his room into a studio for me!" Sam said almost excitedly. "And your room we can turn into a nursery."
"You're talking about having children?" Danny asked. "Wouldn't you rather move into a house first? Finish with school?"
"Sounds good," Sam said. "We'll shack up in a house together and have five kids. Half will look like you and half will look like me."
"What about the fifth one?" Danny asked in confusion trying not to laugh.
"Oh my!" Sam said in mock shock. "You're much better at math than you used to be. She'll look like me naturally. Of course we won't be married though," Sam laughed.
"Why not?" Danny asked feeling worried.
Sam wiggled her finger in front of him. "Because I won't have a finger for you to put the ring on!" She answered then laughed so hard she nearly fell out of Danny's lap.
"You are warped woman," he said trying not to smile at her.
"Your fault," Sam declared. "All your fault." Then she kissed him.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Jazz brushed her hair and then put it up in a ponytail then adjusted her lab coat and pinned on her i.d. She turned to Tucker who was sitting on her bedroom floor looking through old pictures and laughing.
"I can't believe you have all of these," Tucker said in wonder. "You have almost as many as I do." He held up one in particular of Danny mid transformation. "This is awesome Jazz."
Jazz smiled as she sat down on the floor next to Tucker and looked picked up a pile of photos and leafed through them. "I hid in the shadows a lot," she said. "Even after I told Danny I knew about his powers. I just figured it was easier, besides I knew I was disrupting the trinity."
"Yeah," Tucker sighed as he remembered how annoyed he used to be by Jazz, but that was because he felt threatened. He worried about her taking his place in the group.
Jazz looked at her watch. "I need to be getting into work."
Tucker laughed. "You should have kept your week free. Then you could go apartment hunting with me."
"Danny and Sam are going to completely freak when you move out you know. I don't think they know how to function without you." Jazz said as she began putting pictures back in the box.
"They'll need to learn sometime. I have to live my own life too you know." Tucker said almost sounding upset.
"Are you going to be able to afford to live on your own?" Jazz asked softly. "I know you haven't had to pay rent because…"
"I'll be fine," Tucker interrupted as he put up his hand he smiled wickedly. "Of course you could always move in with me."
"What?" Jazz gasped in shock.
"You know," Tucker said. "Be my roommate. No more. No less." He blushed. "I'm not asking you to you know…shack up with me, but if you want to I'm good with that."
Jazz laughed. "Danny would hunt you down and have your head," she said. "You know that right?"
"I can handle Danny," Tucker said hoping he sounded more confidant then he felt.
Jazz gave Tucker a long look. "You're not kidding with me are you?" Tucker didn't take his eyes from her face as he shook his head.
Jazz smiled then said. "I can't believe I'm considering moving in with Tucker. Tucker Foley. TechnoGeek." She sighed then said. "Let me think about it. I still think Danny and Sam will talk you out of moving out."
"They don't need me there," Tucker said. "I don't feel comfortable there either. They've been engaged for three days and the romance and mush level has gone off the scale. You have to rescue me Jazz."
"You want to give my father another heart attack don't you?" Jazz accused lightly. "Because he absolutely will have a heart attack if he thinks…" She watched an expression of sadness wash across Tucker's face.
Tucker's look of sadness became thoughtful and he looked up at Jazz and smiled jokingly. "Well you could always marry me and.."
"What?" Jazz shrieked. "You didn't just ask me that!" She started laughing and the hurt expression on Tucker's face deepened.
"Yeah," he said softly as he looked down at the picture he held of Sam, Danny and himself. "You're right. It's crazy. Danny and Sam and their romantic mumbo jumbo must be poisoning my brain."
Jazz shook her head and smiled as she watched Tucker. She wanted to hug him and laugh at his unbelievable sweetness. "Tuck," she said softly. "I just think it's too soon for you and I to make such a commitment. I mean we've been in a sort of relationship for what three days? Three days after I ran away from my own wedding. I'm used to thinking things through a before making such decisions."
Tucker lifted his eyes and looked hopefully at Jazz. "But look where that got you with Todd." He said. "Sometimes it's good to leap and not look."
"You're serious?" Jazz asked again.
"Yes," Tucker answered. Jazz narrowed her eyes at him then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.
"I'm going to go to work," Jazz told him softly. "While I'm there I'll consider your ummm" she searched for the right word.
"Proposal," Tucker said.
"Proposal," Jazz repeated. "I'll put some thought into it and we'll talk about it tomorrow."
"I work until five," Tucker told her and she frowned.
"Okay tomorrow evening you meet me for dinner at the hospital and…I'll have an answer for you." Jazz leaned into Tucker and he put his arm around her and squeezed her tight.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Vlad smiled as he walked into Jack's hospital room. He wasn't sure how Jack recovered so quickly. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or peeved. The fact was, that Jack had dumb luck.
"V-man!" Jack said happily as Vlad walked into the room and sat down beside his bed.
"When do you go in for surgery?" Vlad asked as he eyed Jack laying in the hospital bed.
"Tomorrow," Jack answered then leaned forward. "And to tell you the truth I'm kind of nervous about it. Scary stuff being cut open and letting those crazy doctors fiddle around in there."
"Where is Maddie?" Vlad asked.
"She went to get some rest," Jack answered. "I'm so glad you're here." He bent toward Vlad with an almost wild look. "I'm going mad in here V-man. There is nothing to do. Plus they give me cardboard to eat! Cardboard!" Yes Vlad was very familiar with what being cooped up in a hospital was like.
"I'm glad you've pulled through Jack." Vlad said as he leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his lap. "You gave me quite a scare. I don't know what I would have done had we lost you."
Jack nodded his head then sighed. "Listen Vlad," he said seriously. "If something happens to me. Promise me something."
"Anything," Vlad said.
"Take care of Maddie for me," Jack told Vlad. "The kids would be just fine, but Maddie well…we've been each other's whole lives and…"
"I understand Jack," Vlad said quickly not wanting to hear more. "Should something happen to you, you can rest assured that I personally will assure Maddie is very, very well taken care of."
"You are a good friend," Jack said then his eyes lit up as he noticed Jazz standing in the door with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.
"What are you doing here Vlad?" Jazz asked as she walked the rest of the way into the room.
"It's all right Jazz," Jack said not understanding the reasoning behind Jazz's question. "My doctor said I could have lots of visitors now." He smiled lovingly at his daughter. Vlad cast a pleased look her way.
"Does Danny know you're here?" Jazz asked as she ignored her father.
"Well Jasmine," Vlad said in an acidly sweet tone. "Since I don't inform your brother of my movements. No. He is not aware that I came to visit my dear friend, Jack."
Jazz glared at Vlad for a moment then turned and smiled at her father. "Are they making you comfortably Daddy?"
Jack smiled at his daughter. "As much as possible," Jack answered kindly as he took Jazz's hand. "Now I don't want you to worry. Everything is under control. Vlad is here to reminisce with me and you can just go off and do your doctor thing."
"Well seeing as I have no choice," Jazz said as the beeper on her side went off. "I'll go. But Vlad. I'm watching you." She kissed her father's cheek then left the room.
"Protective little thing isn't she?" Vlad said thoughtfully.
"A little spitfire," Jack said proudly. "Just like her mother."
"Yesss," Vlad said as he smiled, his eyes twinkling with thought. "She is a lot like Maddie."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Sam stood and looked the painting she was working on before Danny kidnapped her for lunch. Danny had been right, Abby and Michelle never noticed she was gone. And the painting waited.
"Valerie," Sam said again as she looked at the swirls of orange and yellow and little shades of gray in between. Valerie was a subject she hated to discuss. The other girl had hurt Danny and though Sam tended to be very open minded and mostly tolerant, the one thing she couldn't do was forgive Valerie Grey for what she did to Danny oh so many years ago.
The whole scene had played out senior year. Danny had been dating Valerie often and on, much to Sam's dismay, but she wasn't one to stand in the way of Danny's happiness. Sam's biggest reservation about Danny's relationship with Valerie was that Valerie hated Phantom and Danny was Phantom.
Sam never understood how Danny worked out the relationship in his head. One moment he was holding hands with Valerie at the movies, then ten minutes later he was fighting for his life, trying to simultaneously protect the ghost hunter and escape from her as she tried to kill him.
It was of course fruitless for Sam to fight with Danny on the subject. She contended many time that he had enough trouble in his life to add one more complicated situation, but Danny was determined to make it work. He even decided one day that Valerie liked Fenton enough that if she found out he was Phantom, she would understand.
"Big mistake!" Sam said as she dabbed some red onto the canvas angrily. "Big big big mistake."
Luckily Danny had chosen to break the news to Valerie with both Sam and Tucker present. Valerie erupted into screaming rage and it was Sam who managed to step between Valerie and Danny to keep the ghost hunter from what ever she intended. Whether it was to kill Danny or merely hurt him, Sam wasn't sure. She just knew that she wasn't going to let Danny be hurt if she could help it. She couldn't protect his heart, but she could protect him in other ways.
Sam rubbed her shoulder which still ached on bad days. A somewhat large scar served as a reminder of the painful ectoplasmic beam Sam had been shot with in Danny's place. She scarcely remember the firestorm which followed the pain of the beam. She knew it was bad though. She closed her eyes and focused hard to remember what was simultaneously one of the worst and best days of her life.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Okay, so yeah I am ending the chapter right here. Right before a big flashback. Nice huh? Thanks. So lots and lots going on in this story. Slowly but surly I'm going to have Jazz take over, it's just not easy. :-)
Please please review. Don't make me get down on my knees and beg. If this isn't any good let me know. 154 page views 8 reviews. Is there nothing to say? Is it that boring of a story? Ok if it's boring let me know. I'll stop.