Thanks to all my reviewers. A special note about this chapter: Sam's grandma does not known that Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom are two facets of the same being. She just knows that Danny Fenton somehow pops up in time to save Sam (almost) every time she is in trouble.
And now for the disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of its characters. Nor do I know any of Musiq's songs or lyrics.
Sam awoke with a start from her dream, a flashback to her kiss with Danny the previous Friday. She actually caught herself smiling as she recalled the kiss. It was so spontaneous, just part of why it was so passionate, brief and innocent as it was. In spite of herself, Sam longed to feel Danny's lips on hers again.
The young woman sighed as she slowly sat up, contemplating what to eat for breakfast. At that moment, there was a soft knock on the door, one attributed to her grandmother exclusively.
"Come in!" she called.
Her grandmother opened the door, holding a tray loaded with whole-wheat toast smothered with grape jelly, a bowl of oatmeal, and a glass of soy milk. She carried the food over to Sam and handed it to her. Sam patted the bed, and the elderly woman sat next to her.
"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked.
"A lot better. My head doesn't really hurt anymore, and I haven't felt dizzy since yesterday afternoon," Sam responded. "Thanks for bringing me breakfast. At least someone in this house still cares," she sighed, referring to her parents only dropping by her room to nag her about something trivial.
"You're welcome. And you know your parents love you. They just don't quite know how to express it. They forget they were once kids themselves, and quite rebellious ones at that. The things you have done pale in comparison."
Sam raised her eyebrows at this. "Really? What kind of stuff did they do?"
"Well... let's just say they weren't always the uptight, conservative businesspeople you know. Your father went through his punk rock phase in the 1980s, and your mother loved the whole leather, lace, and runny eyeliner look. The two of them together could have gone through an entire case of hairspray in a week or two, depending on how many entertainment venues they attended."
Sam chuckled at the thought of her mother and father as teenagers in the 80s, and her grandmother couldn't resist joining her.
"Now, dearie, how are things with you and that Fenton boy?" the older woman asked out of the blue.
Sam nearly choked on her toast. "Uh, fine, why do you ask?"
"I may not have a college education, but I've been around long enough to know young love when I see it," her grandma explained, causing Sam to blush. "You kissed him, didn't you?"
Well, it's easy to see where I get my blunt nature from, Sam thought. "How did you know that?"
The older woman smiled knowingly. "Again, I've been around enough to figure out these things. And the color in your face betrays you."
"Yes, we did kiss," Sam confessed. "But it doesn't matter. He likes someone else. He probably just caught up in all the emotions, especially because I played the submissive role and let him rescue me for once," she explained, lying through her teeth about everything but Danny's crush on Paulina.
"Now, we both know that's not true. I see how he squires around you. He is such a lovely young man; I doubt he would play with your emotions like that."
"But even if he does like me, it's not like he'll ever tell me."
"Sam, dear, do not let that belief fool you. You may think his kiss was meaningless, but it said more than any words could. It may sound cliché, but actions do indeed speak louder than words. And perhaps he fears that if he were to say anything, he will not elicit a positive response from you. As much as I love you, I must say that you can be quite standoffish at times. That can work in your favor, but is quite the obstacle when it comes to love."
Sam sighed longingly. "Okay, I will admit it. I like Danny.. a lot. Maybe I even love him. But even if he feels the same way, is it really worth risking our friendship for such a frivolous endeavor? We're only fourteen, but even in our teenage logic, we know deep down that puppy love doesn't last."
"But love is tricky; all the logic in the world cannot always explain it. You must think with your heart, not just your head. I know you are afraid, Sam, but if you don't want to lose him, you must make a move. It seems easy to let him come to you, but you have always been a young woman resistant to conventional methods. You must keep in mind that he may be a brave, strong young man, but he is only human. Even heroes need rescuing sometimes."
With that, Sam's grandmother left the room to let her finish her breakfast. As Sam ate her oatmeal, she thought about what her grandma had told her, especially what she said last. She's right, the young woman thought. I can't expect Danny to do everything for me. I'm always ragging on him and Tucker for treating females like weaklings, so the least I can do is own up to my feelings for him, instead of doing the damsel-in-distress thing when a ghost comes along. I may not have ghost powers, but I know how to operate a lot of his parents' ghost-hunting gear.
Sam's thoughts were interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Picking it up off the nightstand, she saw that it was Danny.
"Hey Danny."
"Good morning, sunshine," Danny greeted her. She could tell from his voice that he and Tucker were probably laughing as he said it. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better. Hopefully I'll be back to school in a couple days," she responded. Normally she'd make a snide remark, but the conversation she'd just had with her grandmother had made her finally see Danny in a different light, as someone with whom she could actually see herself romantically involved.
Sam's heart went aflutter at the thought of dating Danny, and her face was again awash with crimson. She started to zone out, thinking about their kiss and what it would be like to be kissed by him again...
"Hello? Sam?" Danny's voice echoed in her mind, bringing her back from the far reaches of her imagination to the present.
"Uh, yeah, I'm here. Hey, shouldn't you be in class now?"
"When's the last time you saw the clock, Sam? It's snack break already. I didn't wake you up or something, did I?"
"Oh, no, you didn't. I guess I just slept a lot later than I thought."
"Well, anyway, I just wanted to see if you're okay, and ask if you need anything."
"I'll be fine. My grandma checks on me a lot, and I can always call my parents at work. Not that I'd want to," she snickered, "but I can if I need to."
"Okay, well, Tucker and I will drop by after school to visit you and give you your assignments. But right now I have to get going. The bell just rang, and you know how Mrs. Selva is about tardiness."
"Okay, thanks for calling. See you after school. And tell Tucker I said hi."
"Sure thing, Sam. Hope you feel better."
"Thanks, Danny. I love you. Bye."
Thanks in advance for reviewing!