Author's Note: Alright, alright. I got a split decision here about this fic and would appreciate some feedback from you guys. On one hand, one of you guys left me a review with a great idea and I really like it and would like to try typing it out. On the other hand, the current lead choice in my Poll demands satisfaction (despite the fact that not a lot of people elected to vote in my Poll… Which leads me to ask: Do you have to be a fairly-prolific or popular fanfic writer on to get people to do things like polls?) I mean, I'm a man of my word. I say voter's choice, I should go with voter's choice.

Long story short, here's what it's come down to: A) Danny and Ember celebrate Halloween in a kinky way (Credit for the idea goes to "DannyPhantom619") or B) Danny tells Ember of the downfall of the Danny/Sam relationship (leading my little Poll with a mere 2 votes).

After some deliberation, I'm going to do the Poll winner first, followed by the Halloween idea. Perhaps by the time I get done with the Halloween one, it'll actually be relatively timely! :insert canned laughter here:

Disclaimer: I seriously still have to do this thing? Everybody already knows anyway…

Part 8: The Goth Heard Around The World

Ember McLain was not very good at reading people just from facial expressions. No, her visual observational specialty lay in reading sheet music and carefully watching musicians in action when playing instruments. After all, technique is important. It also didn't hurt that she also had a keen eye for knowing where to find rare items of her particular interests quite easily whenever she was on the prowl. However, she ended up beginning to learn to read people's expressions better almost unwittingly, thanks to her one-year-old relationship with Danny.

That didn't mean she knew how to read everyone better, though. Everybody is different in their own way, of course. Such was the case for the present time, a nice and sunny Sunday afternoon, when she was spending time with Danny and Sam. The trio had agreed to a day out on the town, mostly out of boredom. Tucker and Valerie had a date that involved mayoral duties, specifically the opening day of a new Chinese restaurant that only served meat-centric meals. (The rest of Team Phantom had a sneaking suspicion that Tucker himself funded the restaurant to promote his "pro-meat" beliefs, much to Sam's growing anger.)

First, they started with a movie. It started off well enough, the trio easily agreeing on watching "Guardians of the Galaxy" and managing to get good seats in a relatively populated theater. However, as Ember randomly picked her moments to passively flirt with Danny throughout the movie (lightly touching him, leaning into him, intentionally reaching for popcorn at the same time he did so their hands met, etc), she couldn't help but notice something about Sam. She couldn't put a finger on what it was. Probably due to how dim it was in the theater. But she knew she recognized…something about the Goth's expression. It wasn't jealousy, for sure. She had seen enough of that particular emotion to know it anywhere, thanks to Kitty. Still, her mind couldn't help but note it.

Their next activity was something different for most Team Phantom members. Sam had thought it'd be fun to try the miniature golf course. Danny agreed, saying some remark about the weather being good enough to do it. Ember just shrugged and went with them. Of course, mini golf wasn't exactly the most exciting thing for a woman of her caliber of all things "metal". However, Ember would admit that she needed to do something relatively relaxing. Crime fighting had been on the upswing lately…

This had also proven to be an opportunity for the resident ghostly couple to flirt a bit. Ember, who insisted on using her guitar as a golf club, was never one for hitting anything lightly. She had proven this by overshooting the first hole, so much so that it had enough momentum to skip across the nearby large pond like a smooth, flat stone. Enhanced strength didn't seem to work for this game. So Danny, either being the gentleman or taking an opportunity, decided to teach her how to putt by getting up behind her, putting his arms around her. While his hands were over hers, he guided her swing by moving her arms slowly back and forth, demonstrating a light enough swing.

Ember immediately recognized what his "lesson" really was after feeling a certain something pressing against her backside, despite the clothing, and couldn't help but snicker at his goofy charm. The man could be such a dork sometimes. But as long as he was willing to show affection, she had no reason to complain, nor did she want any reason. However, she again couldn't help but notice the Goth girl that watched them nearby. In the brighter light, she again took note of the look on her face. She had seen that kind of expression before, she was sure if it now. She wondered if Danny's actions were making Sam feel like a 'third wheel'. She herself had felt like that a few times during her occasional hang-outs with Johnny 13 and Kitty whenever they started feeling enticed to sneak off. Perhaps that was Sam's expression? After a moment, her mind rejected that notion. For whatever reason, it didn't seem like a "feeling left out" type of look.

Her musings were cut off when Danny was forcibly knocked off of her. Immediately after, she heard familiar laughter.

"Hey, Happy Gilmore! Nice 'putting'!" guffawed the medieval dragon-prince, Aragon, who had spat a fireball at Danny in a surprise attack, even though he was still in human form. The three heroes glared at him. Then, Danny seemed to realize something.

"Wait a minute. How do you know about that movie anyway? Last I checked, you've been pretty stubborn about remaining in the middle ages."

"Well, that was the case, petulant lout. Until my simpering sister brought back one of your modern Earthly trinkets. I believe they calleth it 'The Net-flicks', whatever that means. Amusing things, these 'move-ees' are." Aragon explained, wearing a triumphant smirk for believing to have gotten one over on his nemesis. Never mind the fact that he still had a lot to learn about modern culture…like the fact that the 'trinket' that Dora brought to him was called a computer…

"Damn." Ember said, eyebrows raised. "That company's everywhere!"

"Tell me about it." Sam added.

"That aside, shall we duel, peasant?" Aragon challenged, his aura suddenly appearing.

Danny instantly shifted to his ghostly persona. "To respond to your little reference: You're gonna die, clown!"

Danny would have said that the battle that commenced made him feel like he was actually in the Skyrim video game, if not for the fact that the game's character couldn't fly. Needless to say, flight made things slightly easier. Well, that and ecto-beams. So, in the long run, it was totally different from Skyrim, except for how tough the dragon itself is. Fighting a dragon is still fighting a dragon…

The smartest move on Danny's part was taking the fight to the skies immediately, something that the owners of the mini-golf course appreciated greatly (as well as everybody in the immediate vicinity). The second-smartest plan was to block whatever molten-fire breath he couldn't dodge with ice powers. Even though he had gotten stronger, Danny couldn't mount any major offensive due to Aragon's natural defense of dragon scales. Unfortunately, Ember couldn't do a lot either, as a dragon's roar seemed to be louder than a superpowered electric guitar, which wasn't good for sound-based attacks… That didn't mean Danny was out of options, though.

As the defensive battle continued, the halfa grew desperate. He had a random thought, one that he believed would be too clichéd-by-media to work. Some media tropes never get their facts checked, right? But at this point, he was willing to try anything. Hearing the telltale inhale of breath, he focused his cryogenic powers into his hands again and flew in toward Aragon's head.

The dragon opened its now-glowing mouth, the inferno waiting to be unleashed.

Danny immediately fired, silently praying that old chestnut about archers hoping that their aim is true.

The ice beam hit Aragon straight in his mouth and down his throat, freezing the inside of his mouth and nullifying the dragon's best weapon. Danny couldn't believe it. The cliché "impenetrable on the outside, weak on the inside" gag actually works! Who'd have thought it?

"Aaaaah! Brain freeze! It hurts!" roared Aragon, somewhat amazed he could still talk with a mostly-frozen mouth. The jaw hanging uselessly open, the dragon couldn't help but hack up chunks of ice, probably what remained of the fire breath he was prepared to unleash. "Shtarting to gohh numm!" he roared, the impending numbness starting to impair his speech.

It was at this point when Danny decided to mercifully suck the hulking royal beast up into a Fenton Thermos to cap the victory. Danny and Ember floated back down to where Sam was waiting, still within the lightly-damaged mini-golf course.

"Should I risk saying an ice-related pun? I feel like they've all been overused by now." Danny wondered aloud as he glanced around. The area had a wind-swept look due to Aragon's wings when he took off to fight, loose golf balls, used score sheets, and some food-related garbage scattered about. The token Windmill obstacle was blown right off the mill and was halfway sunk into the course's large pond. Talk about a water hazard…

"Your call, Danny. But if you're thinking of saying something lame like 'ice to see you', I'll give you a reason to have chills down your spine." Ember quipped, crossing her arms for emphasis. The couple couldn't help but notice Sam also crossing her arms, smirking in silent agreement with Ember.

"Fine, you two win. Wow, what a 'frosty' reception." the halfa was quick to answer, snickering away at the women's rolling eyes. Sam couldn't help but recall the time Danny was split in two and wondered if "Fun-Danny" had too much influence sometimes. Regardless, the trio decided to end their mini-golf expedition as the scattered debris from the attempted ambush sort of kills the mood.

As they journeyed back to Sam's mansion, Ember stayed close to Danny like always. As they walked and talked, Ember again noticed Sam looking at them in a certain way. Granted, she looked normal enough as the three conversed, but Ember saw it in her eyes. The same as the last two times she noticed. It finally occurred to her what it could possibly be. The feeling of being reminded of something precious having been lost and yet, still wanting it. No wonder Ember recognized it, despite her beginner level of reading people. She experienced that feeling herself before.

She knew from her previous time as a ghostly felon that there was something between Danny and Sam and had heard after the Disasteroid Incident that they had dated for some time. But what broke them up? Until now, she hadn't cared. Couples break up and make up all the damn time for plenty of reasons, as everyone knew. But now she was curious. She had heard of a few cases where couples mutually decide that it's not going to work and remain good friends. So why the sad longing?

Which was why, that evening, she decided to bring it up.

It was apparently game night at Ember's realm. The rock diva had to smirk at Danny's current gaming focus: Completing the Mass Effect Trilogy. She knew that a part of his interest in the venerable sci-fi epic had to do with his career interest in becoming an astronaut, since there was plenty of space exploration to go around throughout the three games. A part of her always wondered if he realized that, technically, he could just fly up to space whenever he wanted to, since ghosts didn't need to breathe. Vlad was proof that halfas could survive in zero-air environments.

As for the other elements of the game… Ember noted that perhaps she should cosplay as an Asari woman for Danny. Blue seemed to be her color anyway!

But that was beside the point…

"Hey, Danny… umm… You and Sam dated, right?"

"Yeah…?" Danny answered curiously, somewhat caught off-guard by her question.

"Not that I don't like where you and I are now, but… I'm kinda curious… What happened to you two anyway? Ya don't see a lot of mutual breakups, you know."

Danny paused the game. This was going to be a little while. "Sigh…"

"Danny?"

"Don't get me wrong, Em. I'm glad I have you by my side. But… I did love her. Part of me still does. I hope you know what I mean." Danny said, putting his controller down.

"I get you. A close bond, no matter what form it is…"

"Exactly. Well… We were happy. We thought it could last. However, there seemed to be a constant problem, a thorn in our side that wouldn't leave us alone. Eventually… hmm… let me explain…"

-Flashback: A couple of weeks after Phantom Planet, Danny's Narration/P.O.V.-

Things started off great. Really great. The comic writers certainly had it right about certain moments when a nemesis finally faces defeat and the hero feels on top of the world. Sam and I both felt like a million bucks together! Never mind the fact that Sam's bank account actually did hold more than a million bucks, but who's counting metaphors?

We'd always hang out after school. Sometimes we'd hit the arcade, other times I'd go with Sam to her Goth café called the Skulk and Lurk, and of course, there's always my duties as a hero. She'd be helpful as always with a last-ditch toss of a Fenton Thermos. Of course, nobody minded that. Sam, Tucker, and I would be away from home after school for a while often enough anyway.

It was the actual evening dates that drew certain objections.

Every time I picked her up… Every single freakin' time… I'd always get glares from her parents. Usually, I'd get glares like that from my parents when I'm in my ghost form, back before they knew it was me! But they'd just ignore me. At first.

Perhaps they had thought that Sam was just "going through a phase of pitying the uncivilized poor" or whatever high-class shit they'd spew. Ya know, hoping that Sam would just not want to be around me after a few weeks or something, since the "novelty" would have worn off. Well, that didn't happen. She and I were still pretty damn happy. So, of course, they started to 'step up'…

I admit, they played some decent strategy. Start off subtle, then work your way up. They couldn't do the restraining order crap again, since they'd already played that. Not to mention, with Tucker being the mayor, he wouldn't allow their crap to fly. Their first tactic was to angrily call my parents and harass them to get me to dump her. Boy, did that get me a strange talking-to. Mom was more annoyed than mad, though. But she still questioned me about what I've been doing with Sam just in case and that was awkward, not that Sam and I did anything we shouldn't have…

Eventually, it lead to Mom and Mrs. Manson getting into over-the-phone shouting matches. Sam wasn't too thrilled about that either. She felt so bad for my mom… I remember shortly after they stopped the phone calls, Sam bought my mom a very nice luxury bathrobe with her name on the back, you know, one of those fancy ones (since she didn't know what to get her that didn't involve ghost-hunting)…and she got my dad a big basket of fudge. Of course… (I see you rolling your eyes, Ember.) My parents would've never thought to blame her at all anyway. Ah well…

Next was Mr. Manson trying to intimidate me with "the talk". No, not the 'birds and bees' talk. No, no-no-no-no… I mean, the "I have a shotgun" talk. You know those graphic t-shirts that say shit like "I have a beautiful daughter, I also have a shotgun and an alibi"? Much more impactful when it's told to you in person by someone that completely hates you… I mean, if looks could kill… Well, I wouldn't even exist anymore, I'd be reduced to mere ashes!

It was almost amusing that his little 'warning' was almost-comically offset by his supposed 'casual-wear' of loafers, a thousand-dollar shirt, and wrinkle-free well-kept pants. I mean, the kinda things he was talking about, you'd expect somebody wearing what Johnny 13 usually wears. But whatever, I mostly tuned him out. I mean, what was he going to do? Hire a hitman? I'm already half-dead and even they knew that.

And so, he rambled on. Blah blah, dump my daughter, blah blah blah, she's too good for moneyless scum, blah blah blah, high class breeds high class, yak yak and so on. What was this, a talk with a potential suitor or a firing of a bad employee? I couldn't tell which! Ha.

I knew he knew that I knew that his little talk couldn't possibly work. As I thought, he didn't bother to hire a hitman. But he did try to perform another kind of assassination. Character assassination. You know that stereotype about how the rich control the media whenever they want to? Well, they certainly didn't fail to prove that true. Soon enough, all the local stations had to run Manson-made Anti-Phantom ads and PSA's claiming that I had "gotten lazy on crime fighting" and "had taken to using his hero status to get away with statutory rape".

I still remember some of the more ridiculous statements. "Did you know that Danny Phantom spends his free time by hovering inside girls' locker rooms?" Jeez, one time… It only happened one time! Ow! Ember, c'mon… Can you really blame me for that back then? It was back when my powers were still relatively new. What teenage boy wouldn't have the urge to use transparency and intangibility powers to sneak a peek? Anyways, thank God that Tucker became mayor. He 'fought money with money' by imposing fines on any station caught playing those ads. He managed to justify it by comparing the Mansons' actions to "yelling at firefighters that save your house from a fire because they got your remaining stuff wet".

There was some negative fallout, though. I remember a small band of protestors outside FentonWorks demanding that I become listed as a sex offender for the alleged voyeurism. Kinda funny how out of all the false allegations, the one that some take the bait on is the girls' locker room one. I mean, there was ones about pranking random civilians, stealing, instigating bar fights, bilking reward money out of people I rescue… People, huh? Good thing most of the city didn't believe the campaign. The Mansons wouldn't be the first 'nutjobs' to run ads on Amity's local channels.

Next up came the line of arranged boyfriends for Sam. Sticking to true stereotypical form, all the boys the Mansons brought to Sam were sons of successful business colleagues. Sam had an extremely short fuse that week. Mrs. Manson had a particularly snide sense of humor when she came over to my house and tried to set me up with some businessman's gay son, saying that he'd be 'more my taste' and that it's better to 'start at the bottom'. Double-puns so intended… ("That's gotta be the most anyone's ever gone out-of-the-way to call someone a homo, Baby-Pop." Ember quipped, unamused.) Tell me about it. She brought the guy with him and she said that crap in front of my parents and Jazz. Hoo boy, Mom blew a gasket at that one. I think Jazz said something about Mrs. Manson really needing some psychological help, something about "obsessive hate"… Eh, Jazz would know, since she's the psychiatrist here…

Sam stood her ground, though. She went as far as to start pranking the guys, usually some scare tactics. Most proved to scare easily. I mean, something like a life-size vampire doll on a giant spring coming out of a closet? Easy and flawed jump-scare prank, and yet, there they go. Others were kinda brave, but that's when she just treats them like dirt or goes all "super-Goth" depressing on them. Worked every time. I still get a kick out of seeing her super-Goth mode, with extra mascara on and her hair done in a deliberate dark fashion. Good times…

And so, that failed. A few nights after Sam scared off the final available guy, I went over to pick her up for a date, like usual. Boy, was that a mistake. I should've just had her come over… If there was a time when I needed Spider-Man's spider-sense to warn me of any type of danger, it'd have been then. I knock on the door, expecting Sam to answer. Suddenly, the door gets pulled right open and I barely dodge Mr. Manson's attack. The guy had a freaking metal baseball bat. A grown-ass man, attacking a teenager for no valid reason. The jerk was persistent, though. He kept swinging, I kept weaving in and out, up and down, back and forth.

Now I've had a ton of crap swung at me throughout my superhero gig, so it would seem like common sense that I could actually read and dodge incoming attacks with relative ease nowadays, especially attacks from average humans, seeing as ghosts like you tend to be just a bit faster. ("Damn straight, Dipstick!") Anyways, Mr. Manson didn't hit any homers, however… well… there came a boiling point where I ducked one swing and Mr. Manson ended up accidentally smashing in a window of his own personal limo. Hey, I still stand by my defense of 'he had it coming', because he did. Anybody would agree. But the scream this guy let out afterward…

It was definitely one of those frustrated, over-the-edge "What the hell do I have to do?! I can't figure this shit out!" kinda screams. That got the attention of a few nearby pedestrians, most likely the people inside the surrounding homes, and of course, Mrs. Manson and Sam who both came to the door to see what was up. Mr. Manson threw his bat in the air and just…. came at me. Dude was like a raving lunatic, throwing punches, kicks, he even tried scratching, biting. He even tried to go for my eyes. Made me wonder what the hell average-class people like my family ever did to him and his wife, cause this shit wasn't normal…

Soon, I found myself in a bit of a handicap as 'the missus' herself joined her husband by trying to swat me with a broom while repeatedly saying 'Shoo!' and 'Go away!'. That was… strange. I'm not a bug… Either way, I was chased all over the yard. No way was I leaving without my girlfriend. I couldn't hit back, of course. I mean, self-defense is one thing, but it's still Sam's parents… What would she have thought? Heh, turned out to be the same result in the long-run anyway…

Didn't stop me for poking a little fun at them, though. Ya know the old tricks… Sticking the tongue out, flipping them off, saying snarky comments like "that's all you got?", letting them think for a second that a punch would hit only for me to go intangible so the punch misses, that kinda stuff. Hell, they're obsessed with their hate, so what's the harm of egging them on a little?

Turns out, plenty of harm.

The 'old man' finally played smart. Feinted left when he was really going right… Well, right and a lot farther south… Ever see a rich snob bother to kick somebody in the crotch? No? Thinking that they'd have a butler do that for them or something? Well, let me tell you… it happened. Looked like he was going for a left hook, so I ducked. Saw a foot come up a little too late. Field goal right in the crotch. Damn, that hurt… Some of those fancy shoes must be made outta real solid material or something. Next thing I knew, while I was bent over, I got a knee to the face.

Worst nosebleed ever. So I'm on the ground, clutching my nose and thinking that it's broken. I heard Sam call my name but couldn't think much of it at the moment. I thought they were gonna curb stomp me but instead I see Mr. Manson join the ground next to me, knocked over.

I take a look around. Sam had shoved her father down. Probably would've been a punch to the face, but I suppose they are still her parents… Man, even I had never angered her as much as she looked right then. I think her rant went something like this…

"Look at yourselves! You turn this whole town upside-down with your phony ads and your business partners and now… Now you're two grown adults assaulting a teenage boy… For what?! Wanting to date me? I can't believe you two. Money is NOT everything! For the last…damn… time… I will NOT be some snob's trophy wife! I am my own woman and if I date somebody, it'll be someone that likes ME, not my money! If you two can't see that, I might as well move out and make a fresh start somewhere else, where you can't use me for building your damn 'empire' or whatever! Get some damn help or something! You two make me sick!"

It was about that time that the cops showed up. It seemed Sam had called 911 when she saw what was going on. Fortunately, they knew exactly who to arrest, despite the scene looking like Sam had beaten some people. After all, money talks, bullshit walks, and two could play that game.

In the end, thanks to Sam's awesome grandmother, Mr. and Mrs. Manson avoided jail time, but in exchange, they had to undergo lengthy, in-depth psychological care to try and get to the root of their apparent hatred of average people. I'm just glad that those two weren't in charge of anything that could majorly impact economic society or something! So far, those two haven't been completely cured. Probably never will be. Whatever's going on, it's very deep in there…

Which led to the hardest talk Sam and I ever had to do.

It was understandable. Psycho-snobs or not, they were still Sam's parents and she cared for them nonetheless. I guess it would do them good for me not to be around to agitate them further… Out of sight, out of mind, right? But more importantly, she and I had a couple of dates since that incident. I guess I could understand what she ended up telling me, as she seemed distant throughout. At one point, when we kissed, she seemed miserable. When we had our 'talk', she told me that… well… let's just say that she can't help but think of the incident whenever we try to get romantic…

Ironic that Mr. and Mrs. Manson would get their one wish anyway…

But I understood. Hey, how couldn't I when I have a sister that keeps droning on about how things affect the mind, right? And I couldn't stand to think of the idea of me making her miserable. She deserves to have a guy whose very presence won't cause her to bring up bad memories…

So we split and agreed to be best friends again. To cut the fat: Time passed, her parents got better (well, mostly anyway… They're still quite anti-poor-people.), Sam felt 100% comfortable around me again, but we both moved on. Well, at least I did. Part of me will always have a soft spot for her and I think the same goes for her about me… You never forget your firsts. But we've had our time. She's her own woman and I eventually found someone new…

-Back to present, normal P.O.V-

Ember had laid herself down, her head resting on Danny's lap as she listened to his tale. Nonplussed would be a good way to describe her facial expression as Danny finished his tale. Danny glanced down at his lover as he waited for a response, any response.

"Damn… And here I thought some of us ghosts were the worst examples of obsessive insanity. But it's easy to forget where that insanity originally came from, huh?" Ember mused thoughtfully. Danny nodded, opting to rest his voice after all that talking.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry you two couldn't work through it. Some might call your Goth a little weak for letting the 'rents get to her like that. Part of me kinda thinks so… I mean, you two were in the right. Screw thinking about their problems!"

"Ember!" Danny protested, but was immediately silenced when Ember placed a finger on his lips, warningly shaking her head slowly.

"Let me finish, Dipstick… I get it, though. Family… Guess that's important to most people, no matter what bullshit comes through. Heh, I just hope she sticks to her guns about dating anybody she wants." Ember said, taking the finger off his mouth when she finished speaking.

"Knowing Sam, she will. Believe me." Danny answered with a knowing smirk. Ember lifted herself up from her comfortable position and stood up. Danny watched her as she moved over to her instrument rack, looking like she was musing over her options of instruments.

"Ember?"

"You know what could help us feel better? I feel like a song… And I think I know a good one and where to play it." Ember answered. Danny had no trouble recognizing the tone of voice she used. Time for trouble, apparently…

10 minutes later, Danny and Ember materialized in a blue wall of fire onto a familiar street. Sam's street… Sure enough, a few houses down from their position was the Manson mansion. Danny gulped, not used to the idea of sudden public displays like what Ember had planned. Was it worth possibly being busted for disturbing the peace? Maybe. Didn't stop him from being shy about it, though.

"Relax, Baby-Pop. Don't think about it as 'freaking people out'. Consider it 'showing our mutual friend our support'."

"Support?"

"Yeah. Did you notice the way she looked at us when we went out today? I have a feeling she hasn't completely moved on… Not jealous or anything, more like she wishes things turned out differently. I just wanna show her that she can still rock on and find someone." Ember explained as she quietly tuned her guitar.

"And what happens if she notices us jamming together and takes your 'support' as 'us rubbing her nose in our relationship'? I mean, come on. This seems a little out-there." the halfa griped, absently tuning his own Ember-made guitar. He wasn't the best at the electric guitar, but he was learning.

"Well then, that's what happens." Ember shrugged. Danny shook his head. His current girlfriend could be just as stubborn as his former love. Perhaps Danny had a thing for independent women? Seemed like it. "Besides, I got a good song for this. It's a good point and it shows that no matter what trouble goes down in life, you gotta keep rocking. Know what I mean?"

Danny was briefed on the song choice and it seemed agreeable, if a little heavy in lyric. He wasn't sure how good he could follow along on his guitar, though. Still, his biggest issue was causing too big a scene, which was odd for somebody that continuously makes waves by fighting crime… One would think Danny would believe himself to have earned the right to make at least one surprise public spectacle.

With a sudden hit of a guitar riff, Ember decided to start the local show. She grabbed the mic. Speakers seemed to appear out of nowhere, even though Ember had actually summoned them from her stash of equipment back home. A nifty skill to have for setting up… "Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may take your attention away from your monotonous evening activities please! My name is Ember McLain, rock star, and out of the badness of my heart, I have decided to give a free performance to this nice little neighborhood! One song though, so get the wax outta your ears!"

She started to float down the street, hovering high enough so that cars could just drive on underneath her. Danny quickly followed until he was hovering aside her. "Anyways, I'm sure you know my partner-in-music here. After all, he saves your asses every day. Danny Phantom, everyone! So you got no reason to bust me for anything, we're here to rock, nothing more!"

Meanwhile, Sam watched the two specters floating along her street, having been roused from her activity by Ember's yelling. She wondered why the musical ghost suddenly wanted to play here of all places. As it stood, people began exiting their homes to check out the 'free show'. After all, if Phantom was around, who would hurt them?

"As to why we chose this quaint area, well, I'd like to dedicate this song to a friend of ours. Well, actually, a really good friend of Danny's. I couldn't help but notice she seemed a little down and I thought a song might cheer her up a little. So, HEY SAM! I hope I chose well, 'cause this one's for you!"

And so, the two ghosts began to jam out to Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World". An odd choice, considering the tragic verses of anarchy and social problems. But the chorus was Ember's main point. Sometimes you just gotta 'keep on rockin' in the free world'. Besides, to Ember's credit, she thought the song would appeal to Sam's rebellious interests…

Sam couldn't help but smile, it was a good song to play. She watched Danny humorously try to improvise some 'rock star' poses and movements as he played with Ember, but of course, he couldn't hold a candle to the expert rock diva. Still, the boy always did tend to put in an effort on things… The superhero skills and instincts didn't instantly come with the powers, after all. She had to snicker when she heard her dad bellow out a window for the specters to "turn that awful garbage down". At least he didn't snap again… No, he was better now.

"Having fun, Sammy?" a voice said from behind her, specifically the direction of her bed. Sam's smile remained.

"Yeah. I'm feeling better now. And don't call me Sammy…" the Goth answered, not taking her eyes off the rock show floating along the street.

"Danny always did know how to cheer people up." Sam's companion answered, moving up behind Sam to get a glimpse of the free concert.

"I get the feeling Ember was the mastermind here. Danny never did like the idea of randomly drawing attention to himself." Sam said, smirking. Her friend put arms around her from behind.

"Yeah. Being bullied a lot in school will do that to someone. At least that's what I hear." said the companion.

"Ah, well… I should thank those two next time I see them. Decent song choice, considering it's Ember… Guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought." Sam said, heaving a sigh. Truth be told, she honestly did miss having Danny as a boyfriend and there were times she wanted him back. But such is life. She moved on too, for the most part.

"It's alright." the friend replied, sounding chipper. "No harm in still loving him, Sammy. It's not like it was either of your faults for breaking up. Life just happened to be the way it is. That's all."

"Yeah. I'll give ya that. And what did I say about calling me that?" Sam said, mockingly shaking off her companion's lingering hug. This was certainly an interesting situation… But there would be time for proper explanations to Danny, Ember, and Tucker later. Sam resolved to just enjoy the show and keep on rockin' in her free world.

Author's Note: And there it is! The fate of Danny/Sam. At least it's a mutual break-up, as opposed to some of the more-common reasons for not having D/S. Also, I thought it'd be cool to see what would happen if Sam's parents really got aggressive about breaking up Danny and Sam. Guess my mind thinks the snobs would eventually go crazy. Oh well. I hope this chapter's good. I kinda have a little reservations about it, thinking that I could do a little better. But I think it's the tale to tell, so I'll leave it to you reviewers out there!

Also, I apologize for not typing out the lyrics of "Rockin' In The Free World". I was trying to not make this a songfic, although there's nothing wrong with that. Even so, I recommend you check the song out on YouTube or something. It's a pretty good classic rock tune. If anybody thinks that I should make this a songfic and type out the lyrics, let me know and I'll consider making the necessary edits and repost this.

As for Sam, I have a thought. I obviously hinted that Sam had possibly found someone new (or did she?). Here's my conundrum: I was toying with the idea of having this series also have a Dani/Sam lesbian pairing. Yeah, I know. Odd, right? But here's my logic. 1) Dani was originally intended to be a clone of Danny, right down to the gender, right? But she came out a girl. So, with everything else about her being Danny-like, wouldn't it kinda make sense for her to have the same feelings for Sam that Danny did? And 2) Well, at least this way, Sam still gets to be with her best friend. It's just a very strange, roundabout way of it. Not to mention, Dani seems like a likable girl anyway.

So I will create a totally new Poll asking whether to actually make Sam/Dani happen, keep her straight by pairing her with another guy, or just leave her single (and say that her companion at the end of this chapter was just Dani sleeping over as a friend). If you want, you could add in your thoughts on my idea in your review (along with what you thought about this chapter, of course).

Speaking of which, please review! Please?

Next up: Ember gives Danny a hell of a Halloween surprise! What happens? Wait and see.