Thanks to all my reviewers- if it weren't for all of you, I either would cease writing the story or not update it nearly as often. But the nice comments and constructive criticism have inspired me to try to post at least a chapter a day, sometimes two.
The story is starting to wind down a bit, and I expect to cut it off at ten chapters at the most, although that could of course change in the near future.
Disclaimer: I'm sure all of you have this memorized by now, but I'll put it anyway. I do not own Danny Phantom or its characters. Nor do I own Musiq's songs or lyrics.
Without further ado, here is the next chapter.
Danny got home just in time for dinner. After he ate, he went down to the basement and prepared to enter the Ghost Zone through the portal there. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the button, and the doors slid open to reveal a swirling mass of ectoplasm. He changed into Danny Phantom and entered, the doors closing behind him.
As he floated along, Danny was on constant alert, as he was the most wanted "criminal" in the Ghost Zone. However, many of the ghosts were still willing to help him, pointing him in the direction of Johnny's home. Danny found Johnny tinkering with his motorcycle.
"You!" Johnny shouted. "What are you doing here! You already stole my girl; what else do you want from me?"
"I didn't steal any girl from you, not intentionally anyway. I came to ask you to take Kitty back, because she escaped again and overshadowed my best friend."
"And why should I give a damn?"
"Because you still love her. I know you do. And the only way to get her back into the Ghost Zone is for you to convince her to return. She still loves you, too, you know."
"So what? I've moved on; it's not my fault she won't."
"You seriously don't get it, do you? She's using my best friend to get to me and make you jealous, just like she did with Paulina. And if you don't talk to her soon, you may lose her forever."
This last comment peaked Johnny's interest. "What are you talking about, loser? You love her or something?"
"No, but my other best friend has been particularly enjoying her company lately. If I were you, I'd come get her right away, before it's too late."
"Fine, fine, whatever. But don't think for a moment I'm doing it for you. I'm only doing it because I love Kitty, and I'm tired of that Ember chick."
"Yeah, okay, just get on with it already. The sooner you find her, the better."
With that, Danny Phantom returned to the portal and existed the Ghost Zone, hoping that he'd gotten through to Johnny. He returned to human form and went upstairs to his room to actually do his homework. As he was reading a short story for English, his cell phone rang, interrupting his thought process.
"Now what?" he sighed, but his annoyance melted away when the caller ID revealed it was Sam. "Hey, Sam, what's up? I thought you were in bed for the night."
"I couldn't sleep. I was too busy worrying about... you know what."
"Well, I think I made him see the light, so don't worry. In fact, by this time tomorrow, things should be back to normal, whatever that is," Danny acknowledged. "Now you know it is past your bedtime, young lady. You need a good night's sleep if you expect to get well," he teased.
"Yes, father," Sam replied sarcastically, clearly feeling much more like her old self. "Good night."
"Good night."
Sam watched in awe as Danny Phantom once again sucked Technus into the Fenton Thermos. But she quickly came back to reality when she gazed at the computer screen before her and realized that her paper had been erased.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath, forgetting for a moment that she had stored a copy on Tucker's laptop, just in case. Fortunately, he had left it at home that day, for whatever reason, so it had been spared from the complete erasure of files. Unfortunately, many of his other electronics hadn't been so lucky.
Putting away the thermos, Danny noticed that Sam had turned off the computer and was now looking around the room, as if attempting to assess the damage.
"You okay, Sam?" he asked, concerned that she'd gotten hurt during her small struggle with Technus just prior to his arrival.
"I'm fine, Danny," she reassured him. "Just a little sore where he grabbed my wrist is all."
Danny took the slightly bruised wrist in his hand and, before he really knew what he was doing, kissed it gingerly. Sam drew in a breath, surprised by his action. It was one of the awkward moments of tenderness often shared between friends of the opposite sex, in which they both feel that they can be more than friends, but let all the implications associated with that realization convince them it will never work. Sam knew that this tenderness had existed within him all along, but he rarely expressed it, at least with her.
Her mind whirled as his soft lips traveled up her arm. She gazed into his green eyes as they changed to blue, indicating he was once again Danny Fenton. He at last broke eye contact with her, only to kiss her cheek. A moment later, his lips met hers, completely eclipsing them in a short, but sweet kiss.
She could sense that he wanted more, but he backed off after she recoiled instinctively, having been caught off-guard by his forwardness. Seeing his concern that he had gone to far, she grinned at him to convey her pleasure, appeasing him. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever before being interrupted by the computer instructor, who had come in to investigate all the commotion. He nearly fainted when he saw all the damage.
As the instructor launched into a series of questions, trying to avoid using an accusatory tone, Danny and Sam looked at each other; his secret was still safe. They made a point of providing vague answers, yet somehow the teacher seemed satisfied with their explanation. But that didn't mean they would get off that easily- both were assigned to a month of detention, temporarily replacing their study hall period.
Danny returned to his fifth period class, while Sam was sent to the school nurse as a precaution to have her wrist examined. Danny was permitted to escort her there before going back to class, and as he left the office, he smiled at her, his bright blue eyes glittering mischievously. And then he was gone.
"No, Danny, don't leave me," Sam found herself crying. "Don't ever leave me..."
Pleasereview if you want me to keep churning out the chapters frequently! Thank you in advance.