Disclaimer: Danny Phantom—copyright Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon. "Some Hearts"—copyright Carrie Underwood and her record company.

A quick note: I know, you guys are probably wondering why I'm not putting the lyrics in anymore, but it just got really annoying. Don't ask me why because I honestly don't know.

Reviews: I'm afraid I lost them somewhere... Still, thanks for your support!

Some Hearts

He stood at the window, crystal blue eyes gazing out at the stars. He sighed then ran a hand through his raven hair, lowering his gaze to the floor. He felt so alone in his dark room; everyone else was asleep, but he couldn't sleep until he'd done his nightly ghost patrol. A familiar blue ring appeared at his middle before splitting into two. A black jumper replaced his pajamas, white boots covering his bare feet. White gloves covered his hands, and a white belt wrapped around his middle. Black hair was replaced with snow-white locks, blue eyes reopening to reveal a glowing lime green color instead. He flew through the glass, taking to the sky.

Sometimes he wondered if he would ever find someone to love him. He wondered a lot about things like that now that he was almost nineteen. He wanted a family, but he was afraid of how the ghost blood in him would affect a child. Would a possible wife accept a half ghost like him? These were all questions he pondered at night as he flew over the town. He knew there was one that would accept him no matter what, only one that wouldn't care what his blood did to their children, but she was forbidden territory. The number one rule of relationships was "never date your best friend," and he knew why: if the relationship didn't work out, it wasn't easy to go back to just being friends.

He had often considered asking her; Sam was always one to go against the system anyway, so how would this be any different? But he loved her too much to lose her even if that meant just staying friends. He flew higher, shooting through the clouds. He closed his eyes and fell back into a free-fall, listening to the whistling of the air in his ears, ruffling his hair. He caught himself before he fell too far, flying toward his best friend's house. He promised he'd check in with her after every ghost patrol; it had been her idea. She said it helped her sleep easier knowing he was okay, and when he didn't check in, she'd call him, which ended up in a load of confusion between he and his parents as they wondered why Sam would be calling him so late.

He flew to her window, allowing himself to simply hover before it. She was already asleep, her raven hair fanned about her slender face and upon her pillow. Her black comforter covered past her waist, revealing the lavender nightgown she always wore to bed. He flew through her window, floating beside her bed. She stirred and shivered at the temperature drop, and he smiled and pulled the comforter up to her chin. Her shivering ceased, and she curled her fingers in the comforter, curling up underneath it. She always looked so peaceful when she slept, and he hated to wake her to let her know that he'd checked in.

He returned to human form, dropping down lightly at the foot of her bed. He sat cross-legged, resting his hands in his lap as he just watched her sleep. He knew he could never tell her how he felt about her; she deserved someone that wasn't a freak like him, that could be there for her without getting interrupted by ghost attacks. He sighed, lowering his gaze to his hands. He could see the blood flowing in his veins, never revealing his little-known secret that it was also mixed with ghost ectoplasm. He almost wished that he and Sam had never met. He wouldn't have ghost powers, and she would find someone that could make her happy.

"Danny?"

He looked up at her soft voice, smiling as she sat up sleepily. "Hey, Sam," he said softly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's okay." She yawned, rubbing sleep from her lilac eyes. "I don't mind your interruptions as much anymore," she teased.

He looked down, his smile fading. "If it weren't for these powers, I wouldn't have to interrupt you in the middle of the night," he whispered.

She sighed. "Danny," she said in a slight warning tone. They had had this conversation before… many times before. "Your powers make you unique. They make you who you are." She got out from under the covers, moving to his side and hugging him as she set her head on his shoulder. "Danny Phantom is part of you, not just some powers that you use."

"Sometimes I wish it wasn't a part of me," he admitted, still staring down at his hands. "I can't get close to anyone because of what I am."

It was a new twist on the whole "I don't want these powers" conversation, but Sam answered without hesitation.

"Yes, you can, Danny." She ruffled his hair, raising her head to look in his eyes.

He avoided her gaze. "No, I can't. What if you were half ghost? Do you think your potential husband would understand? And what about kids? They could end up being freaks like me."

"You're not a freak, Danny. You're a hero, and your potential wife would understand."

"No, she wouldn't," he whispered, playing with the loose strings on his pajama pants. "I mean, look at how Valerie reacts to Danny Phantom and the rest of the town."

"But look at the people who do know!" Sam argued. "Jazz hid the fact that she knew your secret from your parents and even you until you were ready to tell her. Tucker and I were the whole reason you got these powers, and you haven't seen us running away screaming." She smiled as he laughed a little.

"I guess not," he admitted, "but you're the only girl I know that knows my secret and accepts me," he whispered, still not looking up at her.

A pink tint rose up in her pale cheeks, but she pushed it down. "Well, Paulina fell in love with you after she realized you were Fenton and Phantom," she said. "Maybe you should tell her. You could marry her."

"Sa-am," he gave her a look, "I can't just walk up to her and reveal my secret to her." He returned his gaze to the loose strings on his pants. "And I don't want to marry Paulina."

"Okay, that's new, but then who do you want to marry?" she asked. "You already excluded Valerie yourself by saying how she reacts to Phantom. Who's the lucky girl you have in mind that you're afraid of getting close to."

He hesitated. "I-it's not that she wouldn't understand. She probably would, b-but I think she deserves someone who will be there for her, not someone that's off chasing ghosts all the time."

"Isn't that her choice though? If she can't understand that you have to leave sometimes to catch a few ghosts, does she really understand?" Sam asked. "I mean, come on, Danny. Look at me and Tucker. We're you're best friends, and we're always out there fighting the ghosts with you. We understand when you have to leave because of ghost problems."

"You guys have gotten annoyed with me before," he mumbled.

"That's because we're your friends, Danny. The understanding between a husband and wife would be greater, I would think," she said, "and why haven't you ever mentioned this girl before? Are you two dating?"

"No, but I wish we were," he said softly. He took a deep breath then looked up. "It's you, Sam."

It was her turn to look down under his intense gaze. She had been giving him advice on the situation through what she believed she would do if she was his wife, and now he'd started the entire conversation because he was having doubts about her reaction? She was his best friend and had been there with him when he got the powers. Of course she would understand! That's when she realized just how deep his doubt was. He had believed himself unlovable because of the powers that made him unique, that made him who he was.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Danny, I'm surprised at you."

The boy beside her winced then looked down. "I guess I shouldn't have said that," he said quietly.

"That's not what I'm surprised at." She set one hand on his shoulder, using the other to raise his head so she could gaze into his eyes. "I'm surprised that you should doubt me so much."

He blinked, obviously surprised. "I… but…"

"Danny, I've been there since Day 1, and I'll be damned if I'm going to treat you any differently if we got married. So, yes, Danny, your potential wife would understand, and no, she does not deserve someone that won't be running around chasing ghosts." She playfully glared at him. "Were you planning on dooming me to a boring life of a house wife until I died? I'd be out there fighting with you, and I don't care if our kids came out half ghosts or whatever. As long as you wanted kids, we'd have kids."

He smiled, eyes alight with a sparkle that had been dulled for many months now. "I guess it's too late to propose then, huh?"

And that sent them both into a fit of laughter. They went back to bed after that, and for the first time in a long time, Danny felt loved holding the woman that loved him as they slept.