Holy shit. Hi guys.

Let me be honest, after posting the last chapter, I basically descended into madness. I was not doing well mentally and emotionally. It took me a long time to be stable again and I started healing just this past year. I honestly never thought I would get back to this but I realized how happy writing and interacting with you guys makes me so I'm back :) Unfortunately, any and all notes I wrote for this story are gone because I usually write a few chapters ahead but now I'm basically just winging it so bear with me please if you can.

By six o'clock in the morning the next day when Sam woke up, she felt like she got hit in the head with Thor's hammer. She didn't want to get out of bed at all but the sudden wave of nausea forced her into her bathroom. She had the toilet in a chokehold as she emptied her insides, regretting every decision she made that led up to this, even if she didn't quite remember. Last night was a blur.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally flushed the toilet and immediately brushed her teeth. In an attempt to pull herself together a little bit, she forced herself into the shower. Afterwards, she dressed in shorts and a t-shirt then dragged herself back into her bed and checked her phone. Tucker had sent her a bunch of messages. Half were asking if she was okay, and the other half was him making fun of her for getting blasted. Classic Tucker. She was about to close her eyes and try to sleep when she heard a knock on her window. Already knowing who it was, she pushed the curtain back and motioned for Danny to come in.

"What are you doing here so early?" She asked.

"Making sure you're alive," he replied with a lopsided grin. She moved to her bed to sit down and Danny followed.

"I'm alive. Barely," she groaned, putting a hand to her head. "How embarrassing was I last night? Be honest. I don't remember."

"I don't know. I was with Valerie for a while," he started, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You what?" She blurted the words out before she even had a chance to think about what she was doing. "I mean, why don't I remember that?" She added quickly in an attempt to redirect.

"Nothing happened. We just talked," he clarified. "I didn't want any bad blood between us and yesterday was the only opportunity for that." If she didn't remember that, he guessed she probably didn't remember anything else from last night. He assumed that included what she ended up saying to him when he put her to bed and what he said to her. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful or not. Either way, he decided to move on from the subject. "But Tucker said you were apparently drinking in the kitchen with Derek."

"Who the hell is Derek?" She asked with a confused and puzzled look on her face that made Danny laugh.

"I don't know. Some guy you went to high school with. But I'm glad you didn't die. How are you feeling?"

"Like I died." The response made Danny laugh again and she couldn't help how much she loved when she was able to do that. "But I'll be okay."

"Good. I'm gonna go before my parents wake up. Get some rest because I'm seeing you tonight," he informed her as he walked over to her window.

"You are? Why?" She asked.

"For fun," he said matter-of-factly with a shrug and a smile. "Dress warm," he added before transforming into his ghost half and disappearing into the sky.

"Dress warm?" Sam said to herself, wondering what exactly he had in store for them. Unbeknownst to her, Danny had big plans. Talking with Valerie made him realize that the way she made him feel at one point wasn't even comparable to what he felt when he was around Sam. There was something with Sam that just made him feel accepted and welcomed, and it had been that way since their very first encounter. Being this close to her made him discover just how much they got each other. It was like they could read each other's minds at times. He didn't want to miss out on having something special with her, and tonight he was going to tell her.

"Tucker, wake up." Tucker was startled awake and fumbled trying to pick up his glasses from his nightstand before putting them on and seeing Danny in front of him. He looked at the clock to see it was only seven in the morning.

"Bro, what the hell? I just got to bed a few hours ago," he scalded.

"I know, but we need to talk." Tucker groaned and fell backward into his bed.

"Proceed," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Last night, Sam admitted she liked me." Upon hearing that, Tucker shot up.

"She did?"

"Yeah, but she was wasted. She doesn't even remember anything about last night." Tucker scoffed at his remark.

"I figured that. You going upstairs with Valerie really set her off the rails."

"It did?" There was a guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach after hearing that. That wasn't his intention for her to feel that. "Well, nothing happened. And I told her that this morning. Aw, man..." He hung his head down in shame, somehow blaming himself. "If I knew Sam liked me, I wouldn't have even done that!" Tucker held his hands up in defense.

"I tried not to say anything because she didn't want me to. But, bro, how clueless are you? You can't tell she likes you?"

"I mean," he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "I had a feeling she did, but I wasn't sure." Tucker snorted.

"Yeah, for you to realize a girl likes you she literally would have to write it on her forehead." Danny gave him a deadpan look.

"That's not helping."

"And how am I supposed to help this situation?"

"Well, I want to ask her out tonight and I was thinking of getting her something."

"You're asking her out? Finally! Took you long enough," Tucker exclaimed. "And Sam isn't a very materialistic person, so I can't help you there. Unless you make her something-"

"That's it! I know the perfect thing! Thanks, Tucker!" Danny interrupted before transforming and flying away, leaving Tucker mid-sentence.

"You're welcome?" He said to himself before shrugging and laying back down to try to sleep for another few hours.

By the time it was eleven o'clock, Danny had already flown to Sam's to pick her up and were sitting at his mystery location; a private beach that was in the area. Sam no longer questioned why he had told her to dress warm. For a November night, the temperature being in the forties wasn't too bad, but the hoodies they were dressed in along with a blanket Danny had brought in a backpack kept them warm. It looked like every single star in the sky was visible from their spot on top of a rock barrier and the sounds of the waves crashing were peaceful.

"This is nice," Sam commented as she kept her gaze up at the sky. "How'd you find this place?"

"When I first started sneaking out I would just fly around to places I hadn't been. Surprisingly, I found this place recently. I know it's a private beach but what's a little fun without some rule-breaking?" He replied with a smirk which she returned before looking at the ocean.

"I haven't had a night like this since..." her smirk faded and she didn't finish her sentence.

"Since Gregor?" Danny asked, causing her head to snap towards him.

"How did you... Tucker told you, didn't he? What did he tell you?"

"Not much, just that in high school you dated a guy named Gregor. Is he the one you told me about when we first met?" She sighed and looked down at her hands where she started to fiddle with the edge of the blanket she was holding. Considering Danny told her his biggest secret, she thought it was only fair she told him about this.

"Yeah. I was a junior, he was a senior. He said he was a foreign exchange student from Hungary. He had the accent, knew a bunch of accurate information about the country so... I believed him. We had the same style, liked the same music, and had the same interests so we started dating. After a while, I started to get suspicious because we always hung out at my house, never at his house. I hadn't even met his family and he had met mine. One day we got into a big argument about it and all of a sudden, his accent dropped." She chuckled out of spite and turned to Danny. "Turns out he didn't have one. Turns out he wasn't from Hungary. He was from fucking Michigan. His name wasn't even Gregor. He lied because he liked me and he wanted me to like him. And I fell for it like an idiot. It's so embarrassing," she finished, getting the skeevies just thinking about the whole situation.

"You're too hard on yourself. You were young and there was no reason to believe he was lying," Danny said, trying to make her feel better.

"It was just scary. I mean, I loved him. Then to find out I didn't know him at all? It was a little traumatizing relationship-wise."

"I understand. None of us are perfect, but you've learned since then. Your judgment has evolved, just like you." She choked on a laugh before looking over at him.

"Thanks. Really."

"Of course." As the wind hit them, she shivered against it and pulled the blanket tighter around her. "Cold?"

"A little." Without hesitation Danny put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, almost making her heart stop.

"Better?" He asked, and she found it almost pathetic that she couldn't even make a sound. She just nodded in response and he smiled. "Good... Also, about the party, I feel really bad." She gave him a puzzled look.

"Why? It's not your fault I got drunk. I shouldn't have even drank to begin with."

"I know the whole thing with Valerie upset you." It was like her entire body went into shock. So much so that she didn't feel cold anymore. She stayed silent as Danny went on. "And I'm so sorry. I mean, nothing happened but if I knew it would upset you so much I wouldn't have done it. Hell, I would have even ignored her if you wanted me to." She didn't know if she should confirm or deny these allegations, but she did want to ask one thing.

"Why does it matter so much what I want?"

"Because I'd do anything you want me to do. I'd do anything for you, period. And I don't just mean in a friendship way. I really like you, Sam. I have since the moment we met and this feeling only grows stronger with each passing day... Now I need you to say something before I start nervously rambling," he finished with an anxious smile. Sam almost couldn't believe what she was hearing and she couldn't stop all the feelings that were stirring inside her. She'd been fighting these feelings for so long and for what? Because she was scared? Was she really going to let one stupid guy from the past get in the way of what she and Danny could have? Not anymore. She wouldn't be running away this time.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that to me," she finally answered, and Danny practically sighed in relief.

"Yeah? Since when?"

"Basically... since I laid my eyes on you." He smiled and only held her closer.

"So... do you want to kiss me as bad as I want to kiss you?" She answered by closing the gap between them and put her lips on his. The shock from before was gone and now all she felt was fireworks, even if it did sound corny. When she pulled away, he was smiling wide and bright, and she was probably doing the same. "So is that a yes?" He asked jokingly, causing her to roll her eyes playfully.

"That was a yes," she said with a laugh.

"Oh, I made you something. Close your eyes and hold out your hands," he said as he pulled the backpack out from behind him and reached his hand in.

"A present for me?"

"Yes, now close your eyes," he instructed. She obeyed and shut her eyes before she felt something with weight behind it get placed into her hands. "You can open them now." Upon opening them, she saw what looked like a clear crystal of a heart with both their names on it. "I used my cryokinesis to make this. It will never melt, just like my feelings for you." She didn't even know what to say. She could feel her mouth opening, but no words were coming out. "Wow, I've never seen you speechless before."

"Shut up! This is... this is beautiful, and thoughtful, and amazing and... I love it. Thank you." She kissed him again and told him to keep it in the backpack for now until they got back to her house. "Wow, Tucker is in for a long story," she said, making Danny laugh.

"Yeah, so is Jazz."

"Let's not keep them waiting then."

It feels so good to be back :) I'll go back to doing review replies when I return. Until then, see you next time :D