A/N: I've been taking a break from this story, only because I had no idea what to write, and I was working on my new story. Thanks to dark angel maybe, Boongdaba, Jessica01, locodraco, Jenna Dax, crazyvi, Ghostboy814, Black January, divinedragon7, and Raidon Phantom for reviewing. You all have encouraged me to keep on going with this fic. So, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. I've been waiting for this part to happen ever since I came up with the idea for this fic!

Note: This chapter is dedicated to my good friend luvdaggers, whose internet is too costly right now to keep going. Until the fall, my friend. Then, you can read again! Or I can just wait till the summer, if you save up enough money to visit me again here in America!

The Best Gift of All: Chapter 12: The one we call "ghost"

'Today is the twelfth of October,' the calendar on the wall seemed to announce. It was in the same spot where it was before, but it still seemed to not belong in a sense, and yet, it did. It was a black and gray calendar, in the middle of the wall above the bedside, next to the space rocket poster and the one about the space mission on Mars. It was the one that Danny had received from his best friend, who he used to share a room with. And it would expire in only two more months after this one had run its days. But he knew that he would keep it for memories, to remind him of where he was before he lived in this room, and how he longed for it to be the same again.

Danny felt weird to be in a room of his own. To him, it didn't have quite the same feel as it did when he lived in Sam's walk-in closet, which was really quite spacey. He closed his eyes and almost hoped that when he opened them again, he'd be with Sam, getting ready for school. It had only been one day since he had moved to be with his new family, but it felt like a whole year at least. Maybe it was because he and Sam were so close…nah. He was just used to it, which was all. And it wouldn't take him too long to get used to this one. At least he hoped that it wouldn't…

Yesterday, he had met a few new ghosts. One was called the Box Ghost, and the other, Klemper. They were sure weird, but they were also stubborn, and didn't know when to quit. They also took away his time to even talk to his friends during the breaks and after school. But in his heart, he had a feeling that they were by no means the worst. And he was positively itching today. He only itched this much when Sam asked him to go to the park all those years ago.

'Oh well,' he thought, looking at the clock. 'Time to go to school.'

He quickly changed into his normal garb and slid on his backpack, then ran out the door. He briefly saw Maddie and Jack sitting in the kitchen, but didn't feel like confronting them at the moment. He still didn't even feel comfortable in his new room, for goodness sakes! He looked at his watch as he was walking down the street.

'I don't feel like flying today…it's no fun when Sam's not around. I have time to catch the bus. I hope she and Tucker decided to ride today as well…'

He turned the corner sharply, and then darted to where the bus stop was. He was greeted with the sight of a handful of kids. Just when he arrived, the bus turned the corner and stopped in front of where he was.

'Just in time.'

He stepped onto the bus and looked around. And surely enough, there was Sam, sitting way in the back with her legs crossed, with her boot partly in the aisle. He walked over to where she was.

"It's about time you got here," she said. "For a second I thought that you decided not to take the bus today."

"Walking or flying isn't fun without you," Danny said truthfully, causing Sam to flush crimson.

"Yeah, I could expect that," she said, averting her gaze from his. "Now sit down."

Danny then promptly plopped down next to her. The bus then rumbled faster, and then took off once again. For a moment, it was silent between them, until Danny spoke.

"Sam, where's Tucker?"

"He's sick today. He was kind of sick yesterday, you remember right?" Danny nodded, and then she continued. "Yeah, so he's recuperating. He's probably playing that new game of his instead of recovering in bed though."

"Yeah, that's Tuck for you," Danny said. And then another wave of silence hit them for a moment.

"Danny?" Sam said quietly.

"What?"

"I couldn't sleep without you yesterday."

"I had a hard time myself."

"I mean, it was so weird. It wasn't like insomnia, but stranger. I was so tired, but I just couldn't."

"I understand. It took me until 3:00 in the morning to go to sleep."

"At least you got some."

"Yeah."

"Mind if I sleep on your shoulder for a while?"

"Not at all, go right ahead."

"Ok. Wake me up when we get there, ok?"

"Of course. I wouldn't leave you here."

"Of course you wouldn't."

"What, you mean you don't believe me?"

"I do, I'm just…can I sleep now?"

"Sorry Sam."

"It's ok, I'm kind of cranky."

Sam gently leaned on his shoulder, and then immediately she fell asleep. After the bus made a few sharp turns, she ended up being sprawled against him, causing Danny to turn extremely red.

'Ok…this is a little too close for comfort,' he thought.

He tried to move, but only ended up causing her to hold onto him even tighter. In the end, he gave up trying to separate from her. His face was already threatening to explode any moment now.

'Stupid hormones. Only at these kind of moments do I wish that I had never grown up.'

The bus ride after that seemed longer than ever.

-----T----T---

"Today was sure a long day…" Tucker said. It was after school. Tucker had decided to come to school in the middle of third period.

"Talk about a long day, you were only here for half of it!" Sam stated angrily.

"Calm down Sam," Danny said.

"What are you talking about? I have a right to be cranky."

"Come on Sam, lighten up."

"Ok…" She said, and then sighed.

"Oh yeah, Danny? Didn't you say that Jazz was going to pick you up today?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, but she's gotten a new boyfriend, so I'm not going to account her for it." Danny replied.

Upon saying that, a car came speeding by. In the car were Jazz and another guy.

"Her new boyfriend sure looks ghastly," Sam remarked.

"Yeah, and that's plain weird," Tucker said.

"Guys…" Sam said, strangely ecstatic all of a sudden.

"Yeah…" Danny and Tucker said.

"You guys are still going to go with me to the mall, right? So we can go protest at the perfume shop for selling products that were tested on animals?"

"Yeah, Sam." Tucker said in a monotone.

"Even Maddie said yes to that."

"Good," Sam said, extremely pleased. Then, she grabbed each of their hands. "Come on!" She then tugged them to the mall.

T--T--T--T--T--T--T--T

"Here we are, boys," Sam said, her hands on her waist.

"Don't you see that the only boys that are here were dragged by their girlfriends?" Danny pointed out.

"Yeah…Same for the men in the lingerie store, except for the perverted ones."

"Except Sam, neither me nor Tucker or your boyfriend."

"Boy-friend. That's fine enough. By the way, where did Tucker run off to?"

They looked around them. Tucker was apparently nowhere to be seen.

"Oh well," Sam said, sighing. "I'll kill him tomorrow."

Just then, an old couple was walking by. They turned and pointed to Danny and Sam.

"Look," the old woman said. "They're such a cute couple; it reminds me of when we were young, right Howard?"

They walked right on past, not noticing that they caused both Danny and Sam to turn into beets.

"Come on Danny," Sam said, pulling his hand, and then stopped.

A blue mist escaped his lips.

"Now?" They both said at the same time, and then blushed.

"Come on," Danny said, then they ran into the next door sporting goods store, and Danny darted behind a stand of a deer and heavy artillery before going ghost. He then turned intangible and started looking around, and so did Sam to the best of her ability.

'Now where is that stinking ghost?' Danny wondered.

A middle-aged man with his son was studying the knives in a showcase.

"Wha' are thos, papa?" The little boy said.

"That's a dagger, Henry."

"A…draugur(1)?"

"Yes that's right, a dagger…ahh! It's a ghost!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, then grabbed his son's hand and ran away.

"Yes, fear me! For I am the world's greatest hunter, whether in the ghost zone, or on Earth!" A heavily armored ghost said loudly, laughing heartily.

"Fear this, tin head!" Danny Phantom said, firing an ectoplasmic blast at him.

'Ok, that banter was really lame…'

"Is that the best you have, whelp? If so, this fight won't be long at all!" The ghost gloated.

"Who are you anyway?" Danny asked.

"I am Skulker, the greatest hunter ever! Now run as you might, for even if you are made of gingerbread, I can always catch you! No really I can, I ate him last week!"

"Lame!" Danny said, then fired an array of blasts, which successfully knocked him back.

"I knew I should have fully charged my suit…" Skulker muttered.

"Now it's time for you to…Darn, I forgot the thermos!"

"For what, your soup? It's not lunch time, you know."

"Well what does this indicate?" Came an unsuspected voice, then the whiz of a knife.

It cut through the air and pierced Skulker's armor on his right side. A spark emitted from the area that was hit.

"Never again will I be so careless!" Skulker cried.

"Now you are the new target, Skulker, not the other way around," Danny said, then powered up his blasts before shooting dead on.

The onslaught continued for a few minutes, until Skulker's armor was ragged and sparking.

"I'll be back, whelp. And next time, I won't forget to recharge my armor." Skulker said, then pushed a button on his suit then disappeared.

Danny turned back to normal, then turned to face Sam.

"Well, that was easy."

"Too easy, if you ask me."

"Well, tomorrow's Friday the thirteenth."

"Oh joy. Well," Sam said. She grabbed Danny's arm and looked at his watch. "It's too late to go to the protest. Walk me home…?"

"Sure Sam, anytime."

They smiled, then took the short route back home. But first, they would stop by the Nasty Burger. Well, at least nothing else had changed, for now…

5 more reviews until I update! Have a nice day everyone!

1.draugur: ghost in icelandic.