Disclaimer: No, I don't own Danny Phantom.
Author's Note: This idea actually came to me a long time ago, but I don't think there's anything in it that contradicts recent episodes. It takes place at an unspecified time after The Ultimate Enemy. It is essential that you have seen that episode to understand everything here.
Girl Talk
Best friends Danny Fenton, Tucker Foley, and Sam Manson were entering Danny's house and about to head upstairs when Sam spotted Danny's sister Jazz curled up on the sofa, reading a book.
"You two go ahead," Sam said to the boys. "I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."
"Okay," said Tucker. Danny looked at Sam a little oddly, but he followed Tucker.
"Jazz?" Sam said then, walking into the living room. "Can I talk to you a minute?"
"Sure," Jazz answered, putting her book down. "What's on your mind?"
Sam sat beside her and realized she wasn't sure how to begin.
"How long have you been keeping Danny's secret?" Sam said at last.
"Quite a while, actually. I figured he'd tell me when he was ready."
"It must have been really hard. I mean, the three of us have always had each other. You had to carry that all alone."
Jazz pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them.
"It has been hard," she admitted. "Even though I've seen the things he can do, I worry. A lot."
"Tell me about it."
Sam met Jazz's gaze, only now recognizing the bond they had secretly been sharing for months.
"If you get a chance, ask him to take you flying sometime," Sam advised. "It's amazing." Her mind wandered as she remembered the sensation of watching the city go by underneath them while Danny's arms were wrapped around, supporting her. When she jerked herself back to the present, she found the older girl's green eyes watching her closely.
"You really like him, don't you?" Jazz asked. "I mean really like him."
The automatic denial sprang to Sam's lips but died, unspoken. There was really no point. Instead, she spread her hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Does everyone know except Danny?"
"Probably."
Sam was a little startled by the blunt response, so she just waited to see if Jazz would explain. Eventually, she did.
"Look, Sam, boys aren't very bright about this kind of thing. If you want to let Danny know how you feel, you're going to have to hit him over the head with it."
"Or someone else will," Sam sighed. Jazz raised her eyebrows.
"It sounds like you've gotten this advice before," she commented.
"I have. From Valerie."
"Valerie? Isn't she a ghost hunter that hates Danny?"
"She hates Danny Phantom," Sam corrected. "She's starting to like Danny Fenton."
"That must be awkward."
Sam laughed shortly.
"It's ironic, really," she said. "Valerie's kind of the opposite of Paulina, who had a huge crush on Danny Phantom but wouldn't give Danny Fenton the time of day."
"You're the only girl who knows Danny's the whole package, and likes him that way," Jazz pointed out. "That can give you a huge advantage, if you choose to use it."
"How do I do that?"
"I can only tell you this much: when you get to the point where you feel like you're throwing yourself at him, he'll just be thinking, 'Hey, maybe she likes me.'"
Sam stared at her.
"You're kidding."
"Afraid not."
Sam pondered that for a moment, then pushed it aside. There was a more important matter she wanted to ask Jazz about.
"There is one more thing. I never used to think it was part of my job, as Danny's friend, to make sure he made the right choices. But having seen what one mistake can lead to…" she trailed off.
"He promised us all he'd never turn into that…THING," Jazz reminded her.
"Yeah, but all he's really got to do to avoid that is make sure he holds onto his human half," Sam dismissed. She was about to go on when Jazz interrupted her, eyes wide.
"He lost his human half? How does that work?"
Sam shivered. Danny hadn't wanted to go into detail about that part of the story, but what little he had told her sounded horrible.
"You don't want to know," she answered. "The point is that there are going to be other temptations out there. Any wrong step could set him on some kind of 'dark path.' Most of us can choose wrong, learn a lesson, and move on. With his powers, though, the stakes are a whole lot higher. How do we keep him going in the right direction?"
Jazz's gaze was steady and understanding, but Sam could see that even she, smart as she was, didn't have all the answers.
"Just love him, Sam," she said quietly. "That's all any of us can do."
"Yeah, I guess."
"Well, you'd better go before they start to wonder what I'm doing to you."
Sam laughed and waved a hand.
"They're probably so deep into a video game by now, they don't even notice I'm missing."
As if on cue, Danny's head poked through the doorway of the living room.
"Sam, what's keeping you?"
Jazz gave Sam an I-told-you-so glance and smiled knowingly.
"I'll be right there," Sam said, standing up. Danny's head disappeared around the corner.
"One more thing," Jazz said, rising also. "In light of our conversation, I'll have to ask that you not go to Danny's room anymore, unless Tucker is with you. Danny is still my little brother, after all."
"I understand," Sam agreed, not really believing, at the moment, that Danny's sister would have anything to worry about in the near future.
When Sam got to the foot of the stairs, she was surprised to find Danny waiting for her.
"What were you and Jazz talking about?"
"Even I need some girl talk now and then," Sam replied, hedging the question.
"Really?" Danny truly looked as though this had never occurred to him before.
"You did realize I'm a girl, didn't you?" she couldn't resist asking. Danny blushed and looked down.
"Well, of course, I mean…" he stammered.
"It's okay, Danny. I was just teasing you."
He really is adorable, Sam thought as Danny's blue eyes lifted back up to her face, and he gave her that little half-smile that always made her breath catch in her throat. It occurred to her that a good Goth girl would probably not use words like "adorable," but at moments like this, she just couldn't help it.
Danny cleared his throat uncomfortably, then pointed toward his room.
"After you," he said with mock-gallantry.
Sam smiled and preceded him into the room. She had a lot to think about, but she thought she could set it aside. For now.
Author's Note: Yes, I know I kind of left that hanging. No, there won't be any more. This is strictly a one-shot.