A/N: I was informed the last chapter was a little uneventful. Can't promise anything yet. I don't want to speed. I'm trying to get as much as possible into the next few chapters. But I don't want to speed.

Chapter Seventeen

Sam and Danny sat in the room on the floor. A plate was in front of each teenager. Sam's contained a hastily made salad and Danny's a simple sandwich.

"I still think I could have handled this myself," Danny mumbled.

"Yeah right, you nearly cut your finger off!" Sam objected. They were talking about the salad. Danny had tried to cut the vegetables but ended up nearly slicing his finger off. Good thing Sam was there or else he'd be one finger short.

"Did not," Danny protested. "I was perfectly capable of cutting up vegetables."

Sam snorted in a little bit of amusement and sighed. She shook her head.

They ate in silence. There was nothing to say. Nothing to do. Where was a ghost attack when you needed one? Danny sighed. Of course there wouldn't be a ghost attack when you needed one. But then again he didn't very much want one either. He hated the fact of leaving Sam alone for any ghosts to harm her.

Sam observed him carefully. He looked as if lost in thought but yet totally conscious of what was going on around him. His glance was downcast so hair fell over his face a little bit. He looked so cute like that. Almost as if he was just a little boy. She remembered him perfectly, how he used to look. He hadn't changed very much from when he was younger. But his character had. He used to be so care-free. So dim even.

He never got anything Tucker said. I guess it may be because Tucker used to always talk in ways so he wouldn't understand. She'd known Tucker for a very long time. He used to be very protective of her. She remembered that he used to get so mad when he found she'd told Danny something before him. or even when Danny and her would just for some odd reason ended up partners for some project. He even got mad when Danny and her would hang out. But all the years of Danny's trying to make friends with him must have softened him up a bit. Made him a little less wound up.

Sam smiled at the thought of Tucker being jealous of her and Danny's friendship. It'd happened so easily. As if she'd known and trusted Danny for a very long time.

Danny was well aware of her stare, but said nothing about it. He merely looked up at her, only just barely lifting his glance and moving his eyes to meet hers. He said nothing. Did nothing other than wonder why she was smiling like that. She began to chuckled lightly. Danny brought his glance up all the way. He cocked his head to one side and looked at her questioningly.

She looked down and shook her head. She looked at him. She smiled at his expression. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the first time Tucker was genuinely jealous," she laughed.

Danny blinked. He didn't speak for a few seconds. "Jealous?" he asked.

Sam gawked at him playfully. "Don't tell me you don't remember!" she said. Danny shook his head. "It must be the most vivid memory in my mind," she stated. Danny only looked at her. "Want me to remind you?"

"That would be most appreciated," Danny said. Question filled his voice. Sam laughed again and began the story...

FLASHBACK:

A seven year old Danny Fenton was playing in the sand-box of his elementary school. He, for some reason, was alone. He yawned. School could get boring sometimes. Looking around, he quickly wiped his hands on the legs of his jeans. He was about to walk off onto the rest of the playground when his ears caught sound of the softest footstep on the sand.

He stopped dead in his tracks and quickly spun around just in time to catch a small glimpse of Sam before she pummeled him to the ground. He gave a small yelp of surprise as he fell.

"Surp-" Sam started as she had just barely pounced Danny. Her arms were around Danny's shoulders. They fell, their faces colliding. Sam blinked. She felt her lips press against Danny's before she could get the rest of her words out.

Danny hit the ground. The semi-kiss continued for just a few more second when Danny sat up abruptly. He wiped his mouth. "Ugh, gross!" he said. "Sam, why'd you do that?"

"Sorry, I was just gonna surprise you," Sam said.

"Don't ever do-" Danny had begun as he wagged his finger at Sam. His eyes, however, wandered past Sam towards the totally surprised Tucker at the opposite edge of the sand-box. He stood with his eyes wide, mouth opened a little bit, totally still.

"Tucker!" Sam exclaimed happily. She was still seated in front of Danny on her knees. Danny was just sitting down in the sand, leaning back on his arms. His expression matched Tucker's.

Tucker's expression, though, quickly changed. "Why did you do that?" he questioned angrily.

Danny only watched as Tucker walked over to him and pulled him to his feet by the front of his shirt.

"Hey!" Danny shouted, grasping Tucker's hand and pushing it to one side. "Stop that!"

"You just kissed Sam!" Tucker shouted at him, pointing at Sam slightly.

"No, I didn't!" Danny objected. "And stop pointing at her like if she's somehow invisible to me!" Danny crossed his arms over his chest. Something he'd picked up from other kids on the playground and glared at Tucker. His eyes never left Tucker's. Danny was good at that. Staring people in the eye until they felt so uncomfortable they had to leave him alone.

And it worked. Tucker's glance quickly left Danny's and wandered towards Sam. "Yes you did," he said, glancing back at Danny.

"Prove it!" Danny challenged. Tucker seemed startled by the sudden out-burst. Danny was usually a little quiet. He never stood up for himself with words. He just stared his opponent down until they felt so small they left him alone.

Tucker glanced from him to Sam, and back.

Sam couldn't take it. Danny was being blamed for something that was her fault. As a matter of fact, she didn't even know why Tucker was so mad. He'd never been so mad and so scared at the same time.

She looked at Danny. He looked totally confident. A small smirk was tugging at his lips. He was fighting to keep it back. He'd only ever seen Tucker mad at him. For once in his knowing of Tucker, Danny actually had the upper hand. Tucker gulped. Sam noticed it.

"Tucker, it really wasn't, Danny," Sam spoke softly. She didn't want this to get any further. "I surprised him and stuff."

"But...I saw..." Tucker mumbled.

"You saw wrong," Danny pointed out. "I didn't want to kiss Sam. Besides, even if I did, I wouldn't do it in front of you!"

Tucker glared at Danny but sighed in slight relief. "Fine," he said. It sounded more as if he wanted to stomp his foot and call both Danny and Sam bull. But he didn't. He merely didn't look up and glared daggers at the floor. He hated being wrong, Danny noted.

:END FLASHBACK

Both Sam and Danny, now back in the present, were laughing at the memory. "How could I have forgotten that?" Danny laughed.

"I don't know!" Sam exclaimed. They were practically rolling on the floor laughing. Danny was leaning back on his arms, one knees pulled up towards his chest a little bit and the other around and beneath it. Sam was on the floor, on her back, one leg pulled up and her arms out-spread.

"I couldn't believe I actually had the upper-hand on him," Danny laughed, hand on his chest as he felt his heart slow down after so much laughing.

Sam turned to him, moving her head only and then propped herself up on one elbow, turned onto her side. She shrugged. "Tucker was a little over-protective back then," she said.

Danny got a devilish grin on his face. "I bet he liked you, I've always thought so. Well, not since fifth grade, but..." Danny said. He allowed his voice trail off to allow annoyance fill Sam's expression.

"He did not!" she said. Danny laughed, him falling down completely, hands on his chest as if afraid of laughing to death. "Danny!" Sam exclaimed. "Oh, if I had a pillow, or a hammer for that matter, I'd hit you on the head right now!"

"And I'll phase right through," Danny said, still laughing.

"I'll give you something to laugh about," Sam said, getting onto her knees and shuffling towards Danny. Danny didn't have time to do anything. Not even go intangible before he was in Sam's clutches.

"No, Sam!" Danny said, trying to swat her hands away. But she had a hold of him before he could keep evading her attack.

"Still think it's funny?" Sam asked, tickling Danny everywhere she could. She knew everything about his ticklishness. She knew every single tickle spot and how to keep him laughing without stop until his eyes cried.

"Sam!" Danny choked between laughs. "No! Stop!"

"Give up yet?" Sam asked. Danny squirmed and tried to get a hold of Sam's hands, but she was too quick in evading this.

"Not yet"! Danny said. He made a quick grab for Sam's hands and finally met his target. Sam was so astonished by this move she collapsed on top of him. They stared at each other for a long moment. Each was breathless. They blinked.

"Well, this brings back memories," Danny noted, trying to slow his breathing patter and heartbeat. Sam nodded feebly.

"Yeah," she said. "It does."

They both looked towards the door at the sound of it opening. Jazz peeked in.

"Jazz!" they both exclaimed.

"Am I...interrupting something?" Jazz said, hiding a giggle.

Danny and Sam both caught glance of each other and Sam quickly scrambled off of him and sat down on the floor next to him. Danny only propped himself up and leaned back on his arms.

"No, nothing at all," Sam said.

"Uh huh," Jazz said sarcastically. "Well, mom just called she said dad and she might got to the convention place safely and that they may not be back until the day after tomorrow because of something about their plane tickets."

"Oh," Danny muttered. "Did they say anything else?"

"Not really," Jazz said. "Mom said she had to cut the conversation short because of it being long-distance and all. It was a little weird."

Danny nodded and began to sway his leg from one side to the other just barely, thinking.

"Well, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for it," he said.

"There is one for everything," Jazz agreed. "Well, I'll just leave you two to whatever I interrupted, I'll be in my room!"

"Jazz!" Danny gasped at her as she quickly rushed out the room. He glared daggers at the closed door, then looked at Sam. She was gazing at him. He felt the blood rush to his face. No, no stop! Don't blush! It's just not right! he pleaded himself. But it was too late Sam looked away, a small blush matching his on her face as well.

Danny half-sighed, half-laughed. A yawn worked its way out his throat. He shook his head an sat up entirely. "That's weird, I'm tired," he noted, hand on his forehead. He was surprised. He wasn't usually tired until way late into the night. Sometimes he didn't even have time for sleep.

"Then go to sleep," Sam said. Danny shook his head. He felt a little light-headed now.

"I guess," he said. He looked out towards the window. It was dark outside already. Must be near at least seven o'clock. Sighing, he stood and collected the half-eaten food and plates. Sam stood as well.

"Oh, I forgot, I left my stuff downstairs," she said suddenly.

"I'll bring it up on my way back to my room," Danny assured her.

"Thanks, Danny," Sam said. "It's just a black duffel bag. I don't have much in it." Danny nodded and started out the room and down the stairs. Walking into the kitchen, he quickly scraped the uneaten food off the plates and into the wastebasket. Then he put the plates in the sink and made his way out. He'd take care of the dishes later. Or Jazz would. Whichever comes first.

Danny walked into the living room and found the duffel bag. To his surprise, it was extraordinarily light. It barely weighed anything. He was tempted to look inside but decided against it for fear of what he may find. Sighing, he took the bag and started up the stairs.

He was only half-way up the stairs, when he heard a scream. He quickly snapped to attention and, without realizing, grasped the banister of the stairs and raced up the remaining steps. He met Jazz on the top step. It wasn't her who screamed so...

"Sam!"

E/N: Another flashback. I hope you guys liked the flashback. I had one person ask about a flashback with Tucker liking Sam or something? Well, it took me awhile, but there it is! Jealously 101. Please don't hate me!

--Airamé Phantom