When Danny called Tucker up that night, to tell him, essentially, to take a hike the following day, Tucker had less than no problem with it. He simply made a few kissy noises ("yeah, real mature, Tucker," said Danny), said it didn't matter, he had plans anyway. He was awfully mysterious about it, as if trying to make Danny ask what was going on. Danny didn't ask – he guessed, and got it right on the first try.

"You're going to ask Valerie out, aren't you?"

There was a moment of bewildered silence, before Tucker said , "Damn, man! When did you get mind reading powers?"

In truth, though Danny didn't know it, Valerie had developed a hunch as to the real identity of Danny Phantom, and had since both weaned herself off (at least a bit) of toasting Danny (Phantom), if only by subconscious decision, and had also subconsciously weaned off attempting to court Danny (Fenton) (when the four became friends, the flirting became far more obvious, even if it was rare), and she and Tucker seemed to be getting along quite well lately. Danny supposed there was even a chance she would say yes. He told Tucker so, and that was all the encouragement he needed.

"Thanks Danny. Gotta go, bye!" and quick as that, he was gone.

Jazz seemed to know to keep her distance, and would be out until five thirty. Danny had wanted to prepare a picnic, before his hopeless romantic side was overruled by the common sense notion of "fifty degrees out – not good picnic weather," and was now stuck between abject panic ('Wheretogowheretogowheretogo!' being his thoughts, as he paced frantically), and daydreaming about Sam (dazzling smile, eyes like the moon, the works). About an hour before she was supposed to be there, he came up with the idea. He packed their lunch, and went downstairs to test his theory. When she arrived, he brought her down to the Fenton portal.

"Okay, here we are!"

"The basement…it's…well, I've kind of been here about a hundred times, and, to risk a pun, it's no picnic."

He smiled at her joke, and went over to the Fenton portal controls, guiding her by the hand, saying nothing.

"Danny, your not serious, are you?"

He nodded serenely, and released his power into the portal gate. The gateway changed from a swirling green to match the sky blue of his eyes. Before Sam could ask any more questions, Danny pulled her through the portal, and into a world of warmth and beauty beyond parallel, with her own beauty in Danny's eyes being the only exception to the rule.

When she opened her eyes, Sam found herself warm in the sunlight of a summer afternoon. It was neither too hot, nor cool. It was just that weather that fit perfectly. It was walk down the beach with a summer breeze propelling you forward weather. And as she examined her surroundings, she saw that the sun was taking a holiday. In the stead of sunlight, there was an overwhelming sense of rightness. There were no birds twittering, yet an odd sort of ethereal music hung in the air, just beyond earshot. Forgetting the boy beside her for the moment, she walked on, in wonder and awe of the place. Here was a field of flowers in full bloom, there, a footbridge surrounded on two sides by bamboo, the stream that came down under the bridge coming to a delightfully tranquil little waterfall. After crossing the bridge, she walked on to a field of wildflowers, where a pleasant spot was laid out for a blanket, perfect for picnicking. She turned, and saw Danny's tranquil smile, and hugged him.

"Danny… it's so beautiful here." Then her curious mind went back to work. "Where is here, by the way?"

His smile never faltered, and he said, "This is my world. Just between here, and there, the human world, and the ghost zone. As far as I can tell, it's a piece of my mind. When I was younger, and my parents would leave me with jazz, to go ghost hunting, I would read a book, and find my mind here. Now that I'm half ghost, I guess this place manifested as an escape, when things went too rough. I found it, when I disappeared last summer… to learn to control the touch."

"But I thought you said you found a forest, and stayed there?"

"I'm sorry I lied to you, it's just that I thought this was the kind of secret place you didn't show people, and also, I didn't know If I'd be able to return until I tested it a few minutes before you came, so for my own sake, I figured I should try to forget about it."

"How long can we stay?"

He knew what she meant. Going here himself was no problem, although after two days in ghost mode, he started to feel the strain when trying to return to human form, and was thrust out of paradise, to go find food. With Sam here, the strain might be harder. He shrugged it off though.

"I wore out my welcome after two days. Having another living person here should cut that in half, as far as my intuition says, so a few hours shouldn't be much trouble."

His carefree attitude was contagious. It was good to see him like this – unafraid, untroubled, and she felt the same. They sat, and ate their meal amongst the flowers, (this reminded both of them of a song called "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", which, as a rule, must be sung in an absurd falsetto by a man with a big nose, and they burst out laughing at the same moment, having said not a word on the topic) When they were finished, they had one of those awkward moments during the cleanup, one's hand going for the plates, the other's falling into place on top, but the awkwardness, in such a place, was impossible. Here, it was just too damn comfortable to be awkward. It was sort of like eating a tub of iced cream with a friend who is doing likewise. The pounds afterward don't matter, as long as one savors the moment. They looked into each other's eyes, and as their eyes drew each other's in, their heads subconsciously closed the distance, until they could feel each other's steady breath on their faces. The odd thing being, Danny's breath was cold. As it rose before there eyes, they saw the blue mist of his ghost sense. Danny, for the sake of the moment tried to dismiss it, but it brought them both back to the real world a bit. At least some of the awkwardness had returned, and they couldn't go through with the moment. Besides, Danny wasn't finished showing her around. He got up.

"We're not finished here. There's more to see, you know."

She smiled serenely. That just seemed like the best kind of smile, given the situation. "Show me."

Danny went ghost, and the world was enveloped in a beautiful twilight atmosphere. He lifted her up, and they flew.

They landed at the entrance to a small Shinto style Japanese pagoda. Danny took her to the small porch like structure that surrounded it, and there they sat, without speaking. There was no need for words. This was the psychic connection everyone said they shared. It was more of an emotional connection, but it served an equal purpose. When their minds were at ease, their thoughts flowed freely between them. They stayed for another hour. When the hour was up, Danny opened the portal back to their world, and they stepped through.

'finally.'

As soon as they were through, the overwhelming force of Danny's ghost sense hit him. This time, it was paralyzing. The feeling of icy cold was beyond ice. It was death. When he went down, Sam screamed, and that was the last thing he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness. Upon awaking, even with his cold-numbed senses and dulled and fuzzy mind, he cried out for her.

"Sam!" He had to know she was safe. Whatever it was that had knocked him out was almost certainly very powerful, and very evil.

"She's safe, for now."

The voice was fitting. As cold as were his surroundings. As his vision cleared, he attempted to get up, and look around, but the cold had seeped through his bones, and he was still unable to move.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Sam!"

This time, he went ghost, hoping the ethereal state would hold him against the cold. He was right. The ghost in him was immune to this cold, and, in spite of still feeling like he was frozen, he could move. As he rose, he found he was standing inside the pagoda within the portal of his mind, and yet, he was not. This place was dark, and unwelcoming.

"Where am I? This can't be my mind. This place feels evil, and I'm the good guy, so this can't be my mind." 'Right?' he thought.

"Oh, but it is, Danny. And you are."

As he spoke, the being that had brought him here stepped out of the shadows. Danny was face to face with an older, far more evil version of himself. Nonetheless, the obvious question with the even more obvious answer rolled off his tongue.

"Wh-who are you?"

"Danny, Danny, Danny. Cant even recognize yourself, can you?"

"Y-you're me? No. you can't be me!"

Dan leaned forward, until his slightly taller frame met the height of his younger self's. Their eyes met. Death ice blue, with glowing neon green, and fearful.

"Doubt it not, Danny. I am you, and though you are not yet me, that is only a temporary dilemma."

Danny suddenly remembered something Yoda had said in one of the new Star Wars movies. "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side." The foreboding sentiment coming from the little green man in his head helped him lighten his fear with a little humor, and he was able to steel himself against his terror. He regained his confident air, and rose in stature from cowering to his full height.

"And what if I don't want to be you?"

Dan leaned back on his haunches, and laughed outright. It was a cold, dead sound, and it did everything to add to the current atmosfear. (A/N I misspelled that on purpose...yeah, I wouldn't recommend doing that. While quite amusing, it seems amateur-ish...)

"You don't have a choice. Look around you. This place is as much yours as it is mine, yet I control what goes on here. You are powerless. When what comes to pass occurs, you will be powerless then, as well."

The steel in Danny became molten, as he became angry. This being, whether it was him, or not, was here to do harm, and he wouldn't allow that. His eyes glowing so hotly there seemed to be gold in the green orbs, he expanded his ghostly aura, and forced all of his energy outwards. Two rings spiraled about him, and then expanded, to reach the borders of the pagoda, and exploded outwards, destroying the walls. As the rings sped out in all directions, the air became summer, the night flowers bloomed, and the world was warm once more. Dan was astonished for a second only. He then chuckled, held out a hand, and turned it over. The cold spread from him, and overtook the rings in seconds, destroying the warm calm.

"That was impressive, Danny, but, am I right that it expended all of your energy?"

Danny answered by collapsing to the ground.

"Tsk tsk. We can't have you stuck in here, now can we? That would never allow for you to become me."

At the same moment, Dan wondered if his tampering in the time stream might even prevent his creation altogether. He looked down at one icy hand to reassure himself. It was still there, so he had nothing to fear.

"NO!" Danny awoke to the warmth with a painful shock. He was in his room, and he was human. He wasted no time once he got his senses back. He called Sam. When she picked up, he sighed with relief.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, Danny. But why are you wasting your minutes? I'm right downstairs with Jazz."

He rushed downstairs, saw her, and hugged her.

"I am so glad you're okay. When that ghost came, I tried to fight him, but he was me, with all my ghost powers, just a whole lot stronger, and I didn't stand a chance."

"Danny, what ghost? I passed out just after you did, and I didn't see any ghost. Jazz found us when she got home, and brought us upstairs to your room. That was an hour ago."

Jazz, realizing that now clearly wasn't a good time for them to discover that she knew Danny's secret, left the room.

"Sam, I know this sounds strange, but when I passed out, I awoke back inside the portal, except the place was cold, and desolate, and then, I saw myself, but it wasn't me! It was evil, and dark. I tried to set things right, to put things like they were when we were in there, like in summer, but he just pushed things back to winter, and I – "

He was cut off, as she hugged him. This was what she had feared. He would lose himself, and she would lose him for it.

"Danny… it's ok. You don't have to go down that path. You don't have to be that person. You're a hero – my hero. You don't have to leave that behind. You don't have to let that cold take you."

Danny slowly wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't sure if she understood what he meant or not, but she was right. He didn't have to become that person. The evil he had faced, no matter that he lost against it before, he would overcome it, this time. With her help, he could overcome anything. He closed his eyes, and embraced the inner calm she gave him. Both of them, lost in each other's embrace, hardly registered the warm, gentle breeze that surrounded them – the shining white rings that surrounded them. Jazz, however, who decided to check up on them did see the rings, and was filled with a sense of calm and inner peace. She could do nothing but smile, as Danny's typical ghost form came over him, still in Sam's embrace. When they opened their eyes, Sam found herself staring into a pair of glowing azure orbs. They closely resembled Danny's, but the peaceful confidence of his ghost realm resonated from within them.

"Danny, your eyes, their different. What happened?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"Go look in a mirror."

Without missing a beat, Danny floated up, still holding her, phased through the ceiling, and into the bathroom. When he looked into the mirror, he totally lost the calm he had formerly felt.

"No… its him! I'm becoming him!"

"Danny?"

He stepped away from her. "You have to keep away, Sam. This is what his eyes were like… only colder. I'm becoming my future self. You have to keep away… keep safe."

He had backed himself into a corner, now.

"Danny! Look in the mirror again."

He didn't want to look again, but the tone of urgency in her voice led him to look anyway. when he did, his eyes were back to their normal glowing green. It did little to assuage his feeling of fear. But he put on a good face for Sam. Sam, his shield, – here we go again – his friend, his protector. When he turned to her again, his eyes had turned blue again. Sam said as much. He looked again, this time in time to watch as his fear turned his eyes back from blue to green. As he stood there, Sam put a hand on his shoulder.

"Danny, I don't think it's the same. I think whatever is happening to you must be some different transformation, which means you're not turning into that evil."

"At least not yet, you mean."

Sam sighed in frustration. He could be so stubborn sometimes.

"What were you thinking about when you changed?"

A moment of dumb silence.

Danny was thinking of her, to be honest, and how she made him feel, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He composed his thoughts, but took a little too long to do so, looking rather agitated as he did, so Sam automatically knew something was up. It only served to make matters worse when Danny did open his mouth, and stammered out a totally incomprehensible response.

She cut him off halfway through the babble, and said "Was it a positive thought, or a negative one?"

"Positive."

"And when you did it the second time, how about then?"

He thought for a moment, then gave the thumbs up sign.

She dragged him by his shoulder over to the mirror. "Now, think exactly as you did when the transformation happened."

"Sam, I –"

"Just do it, Danny."

He first thought about good things, other than Sam. He had an odd aversion to finding out he was in love, and therefore avoided the topic, and instead thought of flowers, in alphabetical order. He got to L for Lilac, before he lost it. All he could now think of was the undeniably purple smell of lilacs, and how Sam's hair had that scent. He lost track of the mirror, shaking his head to try and clear his mind, and when he looked, he found his eyes glowing blue again. A closer look led him to a conclusion.

"These aren't His eyes. His were cold, and ugly, like an ugliness of the soul. These may not be green, but they're definitely my eyes. It must be some sort of new power, I guess."

And he knew it was. The longer he stayed that way, the better he felt, the more comfortable in that form. Relief passed over him, and he turned to Sam with a smile.

"If this is a new power, why don't we test out what it can do?"

Sam nodded, relief that he was okay and she was right flooding her, as well. With a speed that was uncanny, even for him, Danny swept her up, and they were outside the house in seconds.

Dan observed all this with a sense of agitation. This was not the way his past played out. Clearly his interference had caused a slip in the time stream. No matter. This even had potential to worsen the situation for Danny, and make Dan even stronger. If, that was, Danny's strength didn't surpass his future self's. Ah, well. Once more, he'd cross that bridge later. As Dan flew off, determined to observe his past self and the object of his past self's affection, (this being the point where Danny might correct himself, saying Sam was no object to be owned, but this was Danny no longer. This was darkness, and darkness could care less), he was unaware that the two were under observation from yet another ghostly source.