Thanks again to Nom de Plume for catching plot holes and being a great beta-reader.
To all of those who have been so kind to review. I
know you've not received a response from me, I'm sorry. I'll do my best
to catch up and thank you personally for all your wonderful comments.
Chapter Six
Errol muttered angrily to himself as he remained cramped uncomfortably in the Fenton Thermos. He was angry at himself for getting caught and he was angry at Danny for torturing him by leaving him in the thermos.
He listened as Danny talked to his friend Tucker about his jealousy and feelings for Sam and about Sam's feelings for Danny. He growled in disgust. The boy wasn't worthy of Sam; but he was pleased that at least Tucker was looking out for Sam's best interests.
It wasn't until Sam herself showed up and began exhibiting doubts about her relationship with Dash that Errol started to panic. He had to question why he cared so much. His plan was to use Sam and Dash to grow stronger until he could leave Amity Park.
He admitted to himself, as he listened to the girl's voice, that he had grown rather attached to her. He was concerned for her wellbeing. If it weren't for the fact that she was so closely linked to the ghost boy, he'd consider taking up residence in her house, just so he could watch over her.
Errol listened carefully as Sam talked about Dash; when Danny mentioned breaking up with him, he became so alarmed that he fought as hard as he could to get out of the thermos. There had to be a way. If he could get out before he was sent back to the Ghost Zone, he hoped he could retain at least some of his strength. If he could get back to Dash, then very little harm would be done.
He heard the phone and was relieved to learn who was calling. Hopefully Dash wouldn't need much help to maintain his relationship with Sam. He hadn't manipulated the boy's emotions as much as he had Sam's, so he knew the feelings wouldn't wear off as Sam suggested. At least all of his work hadn't been undone. Hopefully, when he could finally regain enough strength to leave the Ghost Zone, he could pick up the threads of Dash and Sam's relationship where he left off…if it hadn't dissolved into ashes by that time.
"Hello," Sam said to the thermos. She looked up at Tucker and Danny, feeling a little ridiculous.
"Can you hear me in there?" she continued.
"Yeah, I can hear you," Errol answered glumly. He didn't want to reveal his plan to Sam; it would be disastrous. It would mess everything up.
"What's your name?" Sam asked as she held her ear to the thermos. Danny and Tucker stepped closer so they could hear as well.
"It's Errol," the ghost answered flatly.
"What's your purpose?" Danny asked. "What are you here for?"
Errol strained not to answer. It was hard for certain ghosts to maintain self control when asked questions about their motives, and he just learned he was particularly weak in that aspect. "I'm here to power up enough to escape the Ghost Zone so I can leave Amity Park and find a nice home to haunt," Errol confessed. He was relieved that he was able to get by without revealing all of his plan.
"Where do you get your power?" Tucker asked.
Errol knew that if he answered they would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was responsible for Sam and Dash's quickly developing relationship. He bit back his answer and held on as hard as he could.
"Tell us," Danny demanded angrily.
"I'm not tell you anything, ghost boy," Errol sneered, using his hatred for Danny to hold back the information the three friends sought.
"Errol," Sam said softly. "You know you want to tell us. Just let us in on the secret."
Errol knew he was stuck. He could fight against Tucker's request and refuse Danny's; but Sam was another thing entirely.
"Guess," he managed to say.
Sam looked at Tucker and Danny. "He says guess."
"Hatred?" Tucker asked.
"Stupidity?" Danny guessed. Both Sam and Tucker gave him a strange look. "Well, Dash is stupid," he defended.
"No and no," Errol answered smugly. He willed Sam not to ask him again.
"Please, release me," he asked, as he tired to distract the three friends. "I'm harmless, really. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to exist peacefully."
"Most ghosts come out to wreak havoc on the physical world," Danny said. "We doubt your motives are any different."
"But they are!" Errol exclaimed. "I used to haunt a house but it was torn down. I had no choice but turn to the Ghost Zone. If I can become strong enough to leave Amity Park, to break my bond to the Ghost Zone, I can leave and find a house to quietly haunt."
"Danny!" Jack Fenton boomed as he made an appearance in his son's room. He looked at the thermos between the children and frowned. The three friends jumped. "What are you doing?"
"Coffee!" Tucker said as he thought quickly. "We were just about to have some coffee."
Jack raised one eyebrow. "Coffee?" He asked. "You kids shouldn't be drinking coffee." He walked forward and took the thermos. "I'll just take this down to my lab."
"Wait!" Danny said as he went after his father. "Dad…" Tucker and Sam watched as Danny went after Jack then looked at each other.
"I'm sorry about that crack I made earlier," Tucker told her.
Sam shook her head, then rubbed her face with one hand. She was feeling very tired. What she really wanted to do was go home, take a bath, and go to sleep. She yawned and laid down on Danny's bed.
"So do you really like Dash, or is it just an illusion?" Tucker asked as he sat and watched his friend's face.
"I don't know," Sam said as tears rolled from the corners of her eyes. "I mean if the whole thing between he and I was just because of that ghost, then…" She stopped and sighed. "I feel bad, but I do have feelings for him, Tuck; but I don't know if he was so nice to be around because the ghost was manipulating us, or what.."
"So you're going to try and find out?" Tucker asked as he watched Sam trying hard not to cry. He wanted to comfort her somehow, but he wasn't sure what to do. He thought maybe he should leave that job to Danny.
"I want to find out," Sam said. "Because even though I think I'm out of the ghost's influence the feelings I have for Dash are pretty strong, and if it's gone on his side, I know I'll be hurt."
Tucker frowned. He didn't like the thought of Sam with Dash any more than Danny did; but he'd watched her hide her feelings for Danny for so long, as she watched Danny pursue Paulina and then Valerie…maybe it was better if she moved on.
"Are you sure your feelings are because of that ghost?" Tucker asked.
"How else can I explain everything that's happened?" Sam replied.
Danny came back into the room, without the thermos. He looked at Sam, who by now was half asleep, then at Tucker.
"Where's the thermos?" Tucker asked in alarm.
"Downstairs with my father," Danny answered glumly. "I was able to put Errol back into the Ghost Zone before anything else happened."
"So I guess we're not going to find out all his motivations," Tucker sighed. He examined Sam and shook his head. She was sleeping soundly now.
"She's really hurt, Danny," Tucker said. "But at least we know, if he was under the influence of a ghost, it wasn't Dash who was playing a game. He was serious. We really don't have any proof that Errol has to do with Sam and Dash."
The sick to his stomach feeling returned to Danny with a vengeance. Part of him had been thrilled to realize that Sam's relationship with Dash may have been manipulated; then he felt bad because Sam was hurting; and now it looked like Sam's relationship with the jock would continue.
"Do you think it's possible?" Danny asked as he and Tucker walked downstairs.
"What?" Tucker asked. "For things to develop normally for Sam and Dash?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe." I hope not, Danny thought, then was assailed with a horrible sense of guilt.
Sunday dawned as a rainy day, which suited Sam's mood perfectly. She didn't want to hang out with Danny and Tucker. They had both called her begging her to come over to Tucker's house and play video games, but she told them that she didn't feel well.
Sam had just finished all but her math homework when the doorbell rang. It took her a moment to remember her parents weren't home. She sighed deeply, headed downstairs, opened the door and was greeted with a very wet Dash Baxter.
"Hi," he said almost breathlessly, then looked over his shoulder. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Sam said as she stepped aside for Dash then closed the door behind him.
"I escaped," he told her joyfully. "I've never done it before. He's going to kill me, but I did it!"
"Did what?" Sam asked in bewilderment.
A bright smile flashed on Dash's face. "I escaped family day," he said jubilantly. "And I'd never have the courage to do it if it wasn't for you, Sam."
"Aren't you going to get in trouble?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Probably," Dash answered. "But I don't care." He smirked at her. "You are a bad influence, Sam."
Sam half laughed. "Come inside and dry out, you big jerk." She took his hand and led him downstairs. Dash looked around in awe as he surveyed the video games and the theater. Wisely, though, he said nothing, imagining the voice in his head telling him to hold his tongue; his normal reaction would have been to yell out that she had a way cool set up here.
He sat down beside Sam and wondered what he should say. Since the voice in his head had left, he was worried. He didn't think he could do or say the right things; the voice had been so good at guiding him. Now he felt nervous. He hated feeling nervous. It made him feel weak, and being weak was terrifying.
"I think it's sweet that you ditched your family to come see me," Sam started. "But I really don't want you to get into trouble."
"It's all right," Dash said. "I mean, I need to stand up for myself sometime, right?"
Sam looked at Dash and tried to imagine him needing to stand up for himself. He was self-assured, confident, and not to mention most of the time a pretty horrible bully. She suddenly wondered what Dash's father was like.
Dash smiled at Sam. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but he imagined that the voice in his head would warn him against it, so he simply sat beside her and watched the emotions wash across her face.
Sam bit her lip as she looked into his eyes. She smiled a little and acknowledging that the warm feeling was still there, even though it wasn't as powerful as before. She reached up and smoothed the wet hair off of Dash's forehead. He caught her hand and pressed it against his cheek for a minute before releasing it.
"I shouldn't stay," he finally said as he stared into her mesmerizing lavender eyes. "I just wanted to see you. I kinda thought maybe you'd change your mind about us."
"If I did," she asked, "what would you do?"
Dash looked at her in surprise. He didn't know what he would do. "I guess I'd let you go," he said. "I'd be sad though."
"Me too," Sam said honestly. "I haven't changed my mind, but I think we need to take things a lot slower."
"You're talking about what happened in the park, huh?" Dash asked, a flood of regret filling him; but then if Sam said slow down, they'd slow down. He wanted to be with her more than anything right now. She made him feel like he wasn't such a loser, as if he had nothing to prove.
"Yeah," Sam said shyly. "I'm not really like that you know."
"Oh me either," Dash said quickly. He blushed and Sam looked at him in amazement. "I don't know what came over me. I mean, I've kissed girls before, but, I don't know…yesterday seemed crazy, and I actually care about you. You're not like some random girl, you know?" He looked at Sam for a moment and misread the look on her face. "Not that I don't really, really want to kiss you again, because I do."
He paused as if he was thinking over what he had said. "And it's not like I'm going to go kissing random girls now or anything, either." He looked a little frightened, knowing what he had said sounded bad, but he didn't know how else to tell her. Sam laughed, and he felt deep waves of embarrassment engulf him. Damn that stupid voice in his head for leaving him.
"Let's just keep things slow," Sam said, then smiled at the confused look on his face. She didn't know why, but for some reason she found his awkward admittance endearing. At least she knew the ghost hadn't made up something that wasn't there.
The jock stood. "If I'm lucky," he said quickly, mostly to himself, "Dad might not have noticed I'm gone."
Sam walked with him to the door. "The pressure a little much for you, huh?"
"Yeah," Dash said sheepishly. He looked at Sam tenderly, and she sighed; it almost made the ache in her heart fade.
"I'd kiss you goodbye," he started. "But, you know..."
"I know," Sam laughed as she opened the front door. "I'll see you tomorrow." Dash nodded his head then took off running. Sam watched as he sprinted across the street and down the sidewalk. She shook her head and closed the door. She was glad he had come to see her; it had solved a few of her issues, and at least she didn't feel so bad now. She began to doubt that a ghost had affected him at all, he seemed completely unchanged from how he was before. Maybe she, Danny, and Tucker were so used to ghosts interfering in their lives, that it was an automatic assumption when strange things happened.
Sam was sitting at her desk trying to do her math homework, but thinking of Dash's visit that afternoon when a knock sounded at her window. She looked up to meet Danny's green eyes, and smiled.
"Come in," she told him as she looked back down at her homework.
"We missed you today," Danny told her as he floated around her room.
"I'm sorry," Sam said. "I just needed some time on my own to think." She looked down at the math problem she was working on and sighed.
"What are you here for?" she asked. "To help me with my math homework for once?"
Danny laughed. "Only if you want to fail," he answered as he looked over her shoulder. He shuddered at the problem, then looked at Sam.
"Sammy," he said softly.
"Danny," she responded as she put down her pencil and looked at him tiredly.
Danny froze. He wanted to tell her how he felt, how jealous he was of Dash, how much he had realized he cared for her. But the moment he met her lavender eyes, he chickened out. He thought maybe winning her heart back, if he ever had truly had it, would be easier without words.
"Do you want to go flying with me?" he asked hopefully.
Sam's expression turned to one of excitement, which faded as she looked back at her homework. "I really need to get this done," she said. "I shouldn't have put it off, but…"
"I know," Danny said. "You've had a tough weekend."
"Kinda," Sam replied. The truth was, she was having difficulty even concentrating on her homework.
"Are you sure you don't need a break?" Danny asked hopefully.
Sam closed her eyes. She felt so torn. She couldn't explain why, but with every minute she spent with Dash, she felt like she was betraying Danny. She couldn't find any rational explanation as to why she felt this way, but figured it was probably because her feelings for Danny were still alive and well. And on the flip side, she felt she was betraying Dash, too.
"Sam," Danny said as he took her hand. "Come on. It's just a flight around town. Nothing big."
"I can't, Danny," Sam said. Her feelings were completely one-sided, she reasoned. Danny's just my best friend. She thought about flying with him; it necessitated being held closely by him, and then there was the romantic atmosphere, albeit unintentional. She decided, for the sake of her already-confused heart, that she just couldn't go.
Danny could read her expression; he knew her well enough to know when her mind was made up. Once she came to a decision, it was next to impossible to change her mind. He shuddered in fear. Had she made up her mind about dating Dash?
"Okay," he said sadly. "But will you do me a favor and wear this?" He presented the Specter Deflector to Sam and she gave him an irritated look.
"You put Errol back in the Ghost Zone," she said. "He's not going to be coming back for awhile, besides we're not even sure he has anything to do with Dash and I."
"I'd just feel better if you wore it," Danny told her. "Just at night if you want, for now."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Have you ever tried sleeping with the Specter Deflector on?" she asked.
"Agh no," Danny answered, then laughed. "I'd die. Seriously."
"I bet it's uncomfortable," Sam laughed.
"For me, yes," Danny said. "For you, no. I bet you'll forget you even have it on."
"Fine," Sam said as she took the belt. She put it on her desk, then turned to Danny.
"So I'm going to be going," he said awkwardly. "I'll catch you in the morning before school."
"Okay," Sam replied. "Sleep well."
Danny nodded his head then pointed to the belt. "Promise you'll put that on, otherwise I won't, you know, sleep well."
"I promise," Sam laughed.
Danny narrowed his eyes at her. "So you're saying if I sneak over in the middle of the night to check on you, you'll be wearing it?"
Sam raised her eyebrows. "If you come over in the middle of the night to check on me, I'll make you wear it," she told him. Danny laughed nervously as he floated to the window.
"You'd have to catch me first," he said. He wondered what Sam would say if she knew how often he came to check on her in the middle of the night, or in the wee hours of the morning. If things were normal between them, he would have told her, but now there was this terrible tension between them. It was like a huge brick wall he couldn't pass through. He hated it.
"Goodnight, Danny," Sam said as she sat back down at her desk.
"Goodnight, Sammy," Danny replied then flew away. Sam smiled after him, then tried again to concentrate on her homework.
The three friends didn't talk much as they walked to school together. Danny was half afraid that Dash would show up and tag along with them. He looked at Sam; she seemed to be in a much better mood, and he was glad. He hated seeing her so sad.
He and Tucker, had gone into the Ghost Zone on Sunday looking for Errol, but the ghost was nowhere to be found. They'd asked a few of the other ghosts about him, but no one really knew anything—or if they did, they weren't talking. Not that Danny had expected them to; he wasn't very popular in the Ghost Zone.
Sam had just opened her locker when a pair of arms came around and hugged her. Dash let her go before she could even protest. She blinked at him in surprise as he leaned against the locker next to hers, ignoring the student waiting to enter it.
"Good morning, sweet pea," he said, grinning.
Sam raised one eyebrow at him. "Sweet pea?" she asked, trying not to laugh.
"Honey?" Dash questioned.
"Sam," Sam answered. "Say it slowly. Saaaaaaam."
"Baby," Dash teased.
"No," Sam said as she squeezed his face so his lips puckered. "It's Saaaaaam."
"Angel," Dash continued with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.
"Jerk," Sam growled jokingly as she finished exchanging books. She closed her locker then looked at Dash.
"It is still okay if I walk you to class, right?" Dash asked doubtfully. Sam thought about it a minute, then offered him her hand. He smiled and off they went. The student standing waiting for his locker grumbled something about jocks and geeks and the world being turned upside down.
"Did you get caught yesterday?" Sam asked as Dash put his arm around her waist as they walked.
"Yeah," he sighed. "But it's all cool. My dad sorta wants to meet you though."
"Sorta wants to?" Sam asked. "I don't know, that's kinda still moving too fast."
Dash sighed. "He says he has to know my friends. You know, sort of approve everyone I hang out with."
Sam looked at Dash a minute. "You know he's not going to approve of me, don't you?"
"I don't care," Dash replied. "I care about you." Sam smiled and resisted the urge to hug him.
Heads turned and people began talking as they continued to walk down the hall. It was unheard of; Dash Baxter, king of the A-list, was walking down the hall with the weirdest girl in school. They stopped at the door to Sam's class and Dash hesitated. "I guess I'll see you in third period," he told her.
"Okay," Sam answered, still feeling amused by the situation.
Dash started to walk away but then turned and whispered in Sam's ear. "See you later, sunshine."
Sam laughed. "No. Just Sam," she called as he walked away quickly.
"Whatever," he yelled back at her cheerfully.
Sam smiled and turned, coming face to face with Danny. His expression was…well, Sam couldn't quite read it, but the best term she could come up with at the moment was 'distressed'. The smile on her face faded.
"So it didn't wear off, huh?" Danny asked as Sam took her seat.
"No," Sam answered with a smile. "He came to see me Sunday. Maybe this has nothing to do with a ghost. Maybe, maybe he really just likes me."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Danny asked almost angrily.
Sam gave Danny an annoyed look. "I didn't know I was supposed to keep you informed on my visitors," she said dryly.
Danny's voice dropped as he said, "Considering the situation, I thought maybe you would."
"The ghost was taken care of, Danny," Sam said. "That doesn't change the fact that Dash and I are…" she paused. "I guess, dating. I like him, Danny."
"Sam," Danny started. "I just don't think…"
"Fenton!" the teacher interrupted. "If you're finished talking with Miss Manson, I would like to start class now." The class laughed and Danny looked embarrassed. He shot a questioning glance at Sam, who shrugged her shoulders.
Errol slipped quietly out through the Fenton Portal and looked around. He was relieved to find that Danny's father was nowhere to be found.
The ghost had spent most of the previous day in a type of seclusion, doing everything he could to regain energy. He still didn't prey on the smaller ghosts—though if he had, he'd be in better shape. It would take a few days of sneaking in and out of the Ghost Zone, but hopefully he would be able to regain strength quickly.
Sam was foremost on his thoughts. He knew Danny was in school, so he wouldn't be detected. He made his way to her house and sat in her room for a few minutes before wandering around the house. He couldn't help but feel that it would be a good place to haunt. There was lots of space and lots of entertainment.
He wandered out of her house and down to the park, to the very bench where Sam and Dash had sat and kissed. Errol could have kicked himself for making such a stupid mistake and leaving Dash, but he had been so worried about Sam.
Remembering her gathering the little ghosts fearlessly into the thermos made him concede that Sam was good at taking care of herself, besides what could he have done? There was no way he could have rescued her faster than her friend Danny. The little ghosts were worried; they thought they were protecting him. He couldn't blame them. Of course, Danny had hurt them…did he really need to be so cruel?
The mere thought of Danny set Errol aflame with anger. He'd never experienced such an intense feeling of hatred before. He decided that besides making sure Sam was happy with Dash, he would make sure that the evil ghost boy would stay out of her life for good. Of course it would hurt her in the beginning, he understood that she had feelings for Danny, but it was for her own good. Right?
Danny's sadness grew as the week progressed. Rather than the relationship between Dash and Sam dying out, it seemed to blossom and grow. Danny thought it was sickening.
Tucker pointed out that Sam seemed extremely happy. Danny only growled in response, causing Tucker to shake his head. He thought it was kind of funny how roles had reversed between the two. Before, it had been Sam in love with Danny, who was utterly clueless. Now, Tucker observed, Danny had finally caught up, but Sam was the clueless one. The techno-geek felt bad for his friends, and he wondered if they'd ever sync up or if they would continually have their wires crossed. He hoped not; watching the situation gave him heartburn.
So it was that Tucker left Danny sitting on the bleachers after school, watching Sam and Dash running around the track together. He knew Dash was trying to get Sam to join the track team, not that there was a lot of time left in the school year—but there was always next year. Danny felt that if Sam conceded and join the team, she would be lost to him; after all, the Sam he knew and loved wasn't a joiner.
He was just about to leave when someone sat down beside him. He looked up into the soft hazel eyes of Valerie Gray.
"Hi Danny," she said sweetly. "What are you doing?"
Danny laughed nervously. "I'm just hanging out."
"You're waiting for Sam?" she asked gently.
"No," Danny denied. "I'm just enjoying the sun."
Valerie nodded her head and looked toward Dash and Sam out on the track. Dash was chasing her while Sam, yes Sam, shrieked in laughter. They could hear her voice rising up, demanding that Dash not even think about tickling her. Danny closed his eyes as Dash caught Sam and spun her around in his arms, then kissed her cheek. Danny would have laughed and thought the whole scene was sweet if it was anyone but Sam and Dash.
"They seem to get along really well," Valerie remarked. "Star and Paulina think it's disgusting."
"So do I," Danny muttered as he continued to watch Dash and Sam playfully flirting with each other.
"So," Valerie started slowly. "That stricken look on your face wouldn't have anything to do with her, would it? Or does sitting in the sun always make you look this depressed?"
Danny shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it." He stood and started walking down the bleachers and away from the field. Valerie followed him.
"It's like I told Sam once," Valerie said as she walked beside Danny. "If you don't make your move, someone else will."
"You said that to Sam?" Danny asked in surprise.
"More or less," Valerie replied. "The thing is, you waited too long. You should just be happy for her, Danny. I hate seeing you this miserable."
Danny frowned. "I'm not miserable," he denied. "I just don't trust Dash. If he hurts her…"
"You'll what? Beat him up?" Valerie asked. "You couldn't hurt a fly, Danny, no offence."
"You'd be surprised what I can do," Danny told her.
Valerie looked at him for a minute then sighed. "I need to go to work. If you need a friend to talk to…"
"I've got Tuck," Danny said, then paused at the hurt look on her face. "But thanks for the offer. I'll remember that." Valerie patted his arm then left.
Danny started walking home slowly. Usually on a Thursday afternoon he and Tuck were at Sam's house, either studying or playing a game. His heart ached and he missed her terribly. She had even promised that things wouldn't change, that she wouldn't abandon them, but not even a week had passed and already things were different.
He was just about to turn the last corner to his house when his ghost sense went off. He looked around quickly, scanning the sky for any signs of an escaping ghost when he caught sight of Errol. Finally, he thought as he changed to ghost mode, something to take my aggression out on. He had a serious bone to pick with that stupid ghost.
"This time," he said out loud, "I'm going to find out everything." If he found out the ghost was responsible for anything between Dash and Sam, he'd keep the ghost locked up in a thermos forever.
Sam laughed as Dash spun her around and around. She had to admit she was having a lot of fun; of course he did say some really stupid things, but after hanging out with Tucker for as long as she had, she found she had a pretty high tolerance for stupid comments.
The Goth girl hadn't been aware of Danny watching her on the bleachers; if she had been, it would have marred the beauty of her afternoon. She was at peace with her feelings for Dash, and as the week progressed she began to feel less and less guilty about Danny. Of course it did help that she spent most of her time with Dash and avoided Danny. She tried not to think too hard about missing her friends and just enjoyed her time with Dash.
"So, Sweetness," Dash said as he put her feet down on the ground but kept her held close to him. "I wanted to ask you if you would like help me study for our big Social Studies test tomorrow."
"You're just asking me now?" Sam asked as she looked at the time on her watch. Usually on Thursdays Danny and Tucker were at her house to study for big Friday tests.
"I know," Dash replied in an embarrassed tone. "I guess I just was afraid to ask. I didn't want you to think I'm with you so I can get good grades or something."
Sam smiled as she stared into Dash's eyes. She sighed heavily then said, "Okay, but it's not going to turn into a big make-out session or anything."
Dash's eyes widened. He smiled a little then gave her a serious look. "Of course not. Studying is serious business."
"Liar," Sam accused as she walked to the edge of the field where her backpack lay. Dash picked it up and helped her put it on, then picked up his own book-bag. She took his hand and they started walking home.
"What do I get in payment for helping you study?" Sam asked.
Dash paused. He didn't know what to say, everything that popped into his mind was either cheesy or inappropriate. "Whatever you want," he finally said.
Sam looked at him with a devilish gleam in her eyes. "You're going to regret telling me that," she said.
Dash was just about to reply when he caught sight of Danny Phantom streaking across the sky. "Whoa," he said as he put his arm around Sam protectively. "We should get to your house quick. It's not safe out here if there are ghosts attacking."
"I'm not afraid of ghosts," Sam said as she made Dash slow down. She looked back in the direction Danny had flown and worried. She hoped he would be okay. If not, he had Tucker. That was enough, right?
Believe it or not, I have still have no A/N for you. Just review.
