FINALLY!

I am SO SORRY! I've been so busy lately...I'm sorry, lame excuse, I know.

But I have been!

Anyways, I was determined to get chapter two out by the end of today since it's my birthday. So as a gift to myself, I got chapter two out of the way (:

YAY!

Phew. K. I don't own Danny Phantom. Wish I did, but I don't.

Hey, Butch! I know what I want for my birthday...!

Relatives

Chapter Two: The Arrival

August 4, 2011 (Happy birthday to me! :D)

At dawn that next morning, the three teens were drifting to sleep in the back of a limo Sam's parents had insisted they take. The chauffer had been kind enough to roll the dividing window up so that the three could have a little privacy. Not that they really needed it.

Sam groaned and stretched. They had only been on the road for half an hour, but already their surroundings consisted of endless rolling pastures and other parts of the countryside. Amity Park was left far behind. She glanced at her best friends, who were still sleeping.

Tucker was curled in the seats at the very back of the limo. His red beret was crooked and covered one eye, giving him an oddly humorous disheveled appearance. His hands were pressed together beneath his cheek, serving as a make-shift pillow. He was snoring rather loudly, his mouth agape. He mumbled something in his sleep before rolling onto his other side.

Danny was laying on the floor of the limo. He had insisted that his friends take the cushioned seats, promising that he was perfectly content sleeping on the floor. Sam smiled softly as she watched him sleep. His head was just below the seats Sam was elevated on, both of their feet beside Tucker. They had fallen asleep whispering excitedly over Tucker's snores. He was still facing her, a smile etched onto his face even in his sleep. His chest rose and fell rhythmically. Sam found herself itching to run her fingers through his hair, or at least, brush his bangs out of his face so that she could see him a little easier. Her hand slowly skimmed across his forehead, pushing the bangs out of his closed eyes. His skin was warm beneath her fingers and his hair was soft and smooth. She loved the way it felt. She continued to run her hand through it, sinking down onto the cushions of the seats with a sigh. Her eyes fluttered shut as she lightly massaged his scalp with her fingers, which caused her to miss Danny cautiously opening one eye to confirm that it was Sam who was touching him.

His smile widened when he saw her curled on one side, her cheeks tinged with a rosy red glow. They laid like that for hours, each sneaking glances at the other. He moved his head upward ever-so-slightly in an attempt to be closer to her touch. But her fingers were slow and sluggish; she was falling asleep.

That is, until the limo blew a tire out and began skidding wildly along the street.

Sam was woken by being sent to the ground, crashing roughly into Danny. Tucker shouted in pain as his head collided with the door of the limo. Danny had the air knocked clean out of his lungs by Sam's weight suddenly slamming into his stomach.

"What was that?" Tucker asked, sitting up and rubbing his head. His beret had provided a bit of cushioning to his extremely sensitive head, but even then, it was still painful.

Neither Sam nor Danny replied. Sam had landed directly on top of Danny, her face inches from his. They were staring at each other, completely in shock at their sudden position. They blushed violently, but neither of them moved as if they wanted to move away. If anything, they got more comfortable; Sam placed a hand on the floor of the limo beside Danny's head, while Danny's hand rested lightly in the curve of her waist. Their faces were inching closer and closer...

Suddenly, the door that Sam had crashed into swung open, revealing the frazzled driver of the limo. "Is everyone alright?"

"Uh," Sam mumbled. The spell that had suddenly taken hold of her broke. She rolled quickly off of Danny, blushing even more violently than before.

"We're fine." Danny said over Tucker's snickers. "Shut it, Tuck."

"We blew a tire out, and I'm afraid I don't have any spares...I hate to tell you this, but it looks like you'll have to walk the rest of the way,"

"How far away are we?" Tucker asked quickly, his eyes widening in dread at the thought of having to walk.

"Not far, I'd say about a mile. You could be there in fifteen minutes,"

"Not carrying all that luggage," Sam said, climbing out of the limo. They had brought enough luggage to last a month, she realized. Way too much to carry.

"I suppose I could drop it off later on, after I get the limo towed. I just hate for you kids to sit around here, especially since your aunt and uncle are expecting you, Sam."

"Okay. We'll just walk. No big deal, bring the luggage around whenever you get the chance," Sam smiled at the driver; she had always been fond of him, more so than the other people who worked for her parents. "Just give us the directions and we'll head over there."

About ten minutes later, Sam, Danny, and Tucker were walking down a shaded street. There were no cars around; trees towered over them, giving them a feeling of being extremely small. The sunlight that filtered through the leaves, combined with the fact that the awkwardness that had suddenly developed between her and Danny had effectively vanished, gave Sam a lighthearted feeling; the rays were bouncing off of Danny's jet-black hair perfectly. She found it hard to keep her eyes off of him.

Danny was struggling to stop himself from glancing at Sam every few seconds as well. She looked absolutely stunning; Danny could barely control the urge he had to grab her, slam her into a tree, and kiss her senseless. Especially after that little episode in the limo.

Tucker, who appeared completely oblivious to either of his friends, had been complaining animatedly about the walk. "We've been walking for three hours now, are we almost there? Why is it so hot outside? Oh my gosh, I think I have a sunburn! Are we there yet?"

"TUCKER!" Danny and Sam screamed at the same time.

"Relax. We're almost there." Sam said, rolling her eyes at the techno-geek.

"Well, sorry! I'm a little freaked out, I left all my electronics in my suitcase. Except my PDA. I'd never leave my PDA!" Tucker declared, fishing the device out of his pocket and planting a passionate kiss on the screen. "I love you, baby!"

"Oh brother," Sam muttered. Danny chuckled, his eyes twinkling. Sam felt her heart leap into her throat.

"Isn't this the street?" Danny asked a few minutes later. They were standing on the corner of a very dark street. You know, the one right out of Scooby Doo. Yep, dead trees, fallen leaves on the ground, seemingly no life anywhere. Everything was a shade of grey, brown, or black. Oh, and the house. The lone house made of rotting wood and peeling paint, with broken shutters handing by a single hinge before broken windows. Oh yeah. Scooby Doo.

"Um..." Sam glanced at the boys. Danny was watching her inquisitively, while Tucker was staring at the house, his jaw on the ground. "I...I don't think -"

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the window. A boy about their age was staring at them. He was the most unusual boy any of them had ever seen (which is saying something, considering they fight ghosts and all): he was tall, thin, and pale. His eyes were sunk deep into their sockets, making him appear dead. He did nothing to acknowledge them, besides stare at them with a distinctly hungry gaze.

"Oh no." Sam whispered.

"What?" Danny asked. He, too, had spotted the boy; his gaze flickered between the boy and Sam.

"That's...that's my cousin, Kyler. This is the house."

"Aw man!"

Chapter three will be up soon (:

Thank you so much for reading! :D

Well...you know what time it is.

That's right.

REVIEW TIME.

Please? It's my 18th birthday! BE NICE TO ME!

:D

- Tori