Author's Note: I want to start by sharing a deep thanks to EMBUR101 for being my very first reviewer for this story, I wasn't very confident at the start but you motivated me to keep going. So thank you for that.

Not sure how long it has been since my last update but I hope it wasn't too long of a wait for everyone. The same thing happened again like last time, I planned on making this chapter a bit longer but if I kept on going it would have felt like too much of an info dump. So, I split the chapter again but for sure, I know my next chapter will be longer with more dialogue.

Well then, enjoy and see you on the other side!

Finding their seats wasn't challenging for Danny and Sam; they chose the middle seats in the middle section of the theater. It was just right—neither too close nor too far from the screen. The theater quickly started to fill up with enthusiastic people, predominantly teens, many of whom they knew from school, not long after they took their reserved chairs.

This made Sam start thinking of Tucker; Danny was unknowing of this, but Tucker turned down her invitation to come along with them because he wanted Sam and Danny to enjoy their alone time together and didn't want himself to serve as their go-between. The three of them were always together and Tucker thought it was time to separate for a short time, so they could get their relationship started. Sam initially felt guilty that Tucker may be missing out on this occasion, but he reassured her that he wasn't interested and that he could always see the movie with them when it was released for purchase.

After the last few people came in and found their spots, one by one the lights started to go out. When the cinema darkened completely and movie trailers for the upcoming films began to play, Tucker was put to the back of her thoughts. It was too early to put her plan into action so, for now, she will pay attention to the previews. As she watched Sam was intrigued by a couple of them, particularly certain fantasy and horror films. She glanced at Danny and noticed that he didn't appear to care about the movie previews; instead, he just wanted the movie to start, and after a brief wait, it did. When the story started, he was literally on the edge of his seat. Sam found it charming and couldn't take her eyes off him. The happiness he emanated was contagious.

He was right to pay close attention to the movie because she was equally engrossed in the story. The film opens with a young man living in the early 1990s, with brown hair and eyes. The actor didn't resemble the actual Danny at all, and he didn't use his real surname, but that was to be expected given that nobody is aware of Danny Phantom's identity. They see the actor Danny living his life of going to school, hanging out with friends, and having family events. Not too different from the real Danny's life all things considered. Then a terrible event occurred; a house fire broke out, and as he was making sure his family was outside, he was engulfed in the flames. She was on the verge of tears due to the actor's performance in the distressing sequence, but she didn't want anyone to see her crying even if they were in the dark. However, she did hear other people sniffling around her. Danny was astounded by his on-screen counterpart; he was amazed by his acting as it nearly led him to believe that this was how his real-life transpired, that it was a fire that made him into a ghost and not a ghost portal.

"This is it, isn't it?" Danny asked, leaning over to Sam's ear. "That is how he turns into a ghost. Wow, it seems like everyone believes I am a complete ghost and not a half one."

"Well, you can't blame people for not getting their facts straight. You should give interviews or something, although I don't know how well that will go with your secret identity situation."

"I would give an interview if anyone bothered asking me, rather than having people run away in terror from me. I got a lot more amazing stories I could tell them, I would like to see some of that in a movie."

"What? Don't consider the ghost portal accident to be dramatic enough?"

"No, it was. Hurt more than enough, without a doubt." Danny reached over to the bucket and took some popcorn for himself. Sam passed him the bucket instead; she was getting a bit full of it. They turned back to the screen to immerse themselves in the story.

In the film, Danny's family was mourning his passing when he awoke already a ghost. There he discovers his motivation for staying on Earth as a ghost rather than crossing over to the other side: to save and shield others from experiencing the kind of tragedy he experienced. Sam thought the actor portraying the ghost Danny Phantom was quite faithful. He possessed the same gleaming platinum locks and luminous green eyes as the real Danny Phantom, as well as the same outfit. Although Sam thought the actor was very appealing, the actual Danny Phantom possessed an ethereal beauty that no ordinary person could match. Danny has become even more attractive throughout the years, and his ghost half highlighted this.

As the years passed and he continued to devote himself to this cause, a particular girl caught his eye. He was more than content to simply observe her as she went about her everyday routine. However, her life was in danger when she was about to be in a terrible car accident. She was along a sidewalk when two cars collided, and one of them bounced off and was headed straight for her. When she believed her life was about to end, she screamed until Danny Phantom swept her off her feet and turned them both intangible, allowing the wreckage to pass straight through them.

Not long after he had saved her, they kept running into one another and eventually started falling in love. They were initially quite passionate with one another and believed that nothing could stand in the way of their love, but they were feigning to be unaware of the fact that he was a ghost, and she wasn't. In other words, the girl will continue to age while her partner is dead and never aging, frozen in time.

Sam was truly moved by this; she wished they could find a means to be together and felt sorry for their dire circumstances. After all, she is a hopeless romantic at heart, or she read too many romantic gothic novels.

In certain scenes when the two characters were getting passionate on the screen, Danny couldn't help but give Sam a sidelong glance, his imagination running on without him.

"Oh, I hope their relationship survives." Sam murmurs to Danny, oblivious to what she is saying.

"Yeah, me too."

Danny didn't waste any time reaching out and grabbing her hand, his fingers interlocking with hers. Sam looks at their hands before turning to face him, her face displaying amazement. After spending so much time fretting over how to start a romantic connection with Danny, he goes ahead and does it first. She was so absorbed in the movie that she momentarily let her guard down, allowing Danny to surprise her.

Instead of stopping there, Danny continues to inch his body closer to her and lowers his head on her shoulder. His nose moves toward the recess of her neck as he takes an extended inhalation. His body heat was intensely searing as it moved from the point where they touched to the rest of her body, especially to her face and ears.

"You are so soothing; your smell makes me feel like I'm in a meadow right now" Sam felt a smile forming on his lips as he spoke.

"Oh yeah, how do I smell?" Sam seized the opportunity to return the favor and angled her head so that it rested against his, giving him closer access to her heck and aroma. She felt his nose tickling her collarbone.

"Lavender, rosemary, and just a hint of eucalyptus." To better enjoy the aroma, Danny closes his eyes. "You've had a chance to spend some time in your greenhouse today, didn't you?"

Sam offered a slight nod to confirm that she had spent time with her plants today. She finds it to be quite therapeutic, notably whenever her mind wanders to Danny, which they do rather frequently.

She didn't know what spurred this reaction out of Danny, but she was happy to know that it was mutual. It was clear from the way he had been behaving affectionately towards her that he desired her just as much as she desired him. Given that they have long harbored an unspoken attraction to one another, it may be time to finally express it. This is something she has yearned for. Since neither of them is still paying attention to the movie at this point, she decides to swallow the lump in her throat and begin thinking of words that would be adequate to clarify her feelings for him.

"Danny?"

"Mmm," he hummed, letting her know that he was listening.

She tightens her hold because it feels so natural to have his hand in hers and says, "I'd like to understand this a bit more, what are we doing here? What is it specifically?"

"You want me to define it for you?"

Sam nodded, whatever definition Danny might give them, she was sure she could take it.

Danny opens his eyes and raises his head then stares into her eyes with his stunningly blue ones. "I'm a pretty simple guy, Sam, and I never want to complicate things for you," For them to see it more closely, he drew both of their hands up to their faces. "This is what I call handholding, and I call this, a kiss,"

Danny caressed her right cheek with his other hand, moving her face closer to him so that his lips would land on her silky flesh. Sam scanned the area to see whether anyone had noticed their brief interlude in the shadows as Danny cuddled up to her more, feathering her cheek with soft kisses. Each time he kissed her, he would raise his lips off her cheek and come back down into it with another kiss. She would allow him to keep on going but she didn't want anyone to misinterpret the situation and accuse them of acting inappropriately.

"No, Danny, stop." Sam released his hold on her hand so she could gently push him away. He intended to keep kissing her but appeared a little wounded and perplexed by her sudden rejection of him.

"You didn't like it?" Danny inquired, concerned that he had done too much.

"No, don't get the wrong idea, it's the exact opposite. I liked it too much, but we can't do that here." They had almost forgotten about the movie when Sam said, "We ought to speak after the movie ends. It shouldn't be too long now."

So much for her plan to tell him how she felt about him; she didn't think the question would pique his interest enough for him to kiss her. He has never been much of a verbal communicator; instead, he prefers to express himself through actions. She genuinely appreciated his lips on her cheek, and she was confident that her lips would have followed, but they couldn't do that in this setting. Given that there was still plenty of time, it was preferable that they ended their date and resumed their brief liaison later.

But Danny didn't seem to be persuaded; he wasn't even glancing at the screen in front of him. She found it difficult to concentrate on the movie because his body remained facing her.

"You're right, we can't do anything here," Danny bent over to speak once more in her ear. "However, I'm not waiting for the movie to end—let's go."

Regaining her hand as he stood up from his chair, Danny motioned for her to accompany him out. Sam would have protested straight away, but the other participants were muttering and grumbling at their interruption. It was better for them both if they got out of their way as soon as possible. They had to push their way through the row of people because none of them were even getting out of their seats to allow them to pass. When they finally emerged from the line of irate moviegoers, Danny was dragging her down the long tunnel leading out of the auditorium and up the stairs.

The sound of the movie became completely muted once Danny shut the door behind them.

When Danny saw that Sam was ready to say something, he held up the tip of his index finger to his lips to silence her.

"No, not yet. There are still people around, and I want to be alone with you."

Sam nodded despite herself; she was becoming a little intrigued, pondering what Danny had in mind. Did he want to discuss the situation more or just pick up where they left off? Both options were acceptable in Sam's eyes because everything was working out more smoothly than she could have expected.

Danny continued to lead her back into the brisk autumn night after bringing them out of the theater and past the main entrance. He led Sam up to the bench where she had been waiting for him earlier. As soon as they both arrived there, he rapidly swung around on his heel and embraced her. Sam didn't want to hold back any longer either, as her worry about PDA was alleviated, She permitted herself to wrap her arms around his torso. She clutched onto his back while pressing her nose on his chest.

"That was a major surprise move back there; are you sure you won't regret missing out on the movie," She only wanted the statement to be made; she wasn't asking.

"It's just a movie, and I think we should be talking about something else more important right now. Or did you have another idea in mind?" He snickered.

"Hey, this is uncharted territory for us; don't blame me if I'm fuzzy about the details of how we should map this out." Sam raised her eyes to him. "Besides, aren't you going to ask me anything else?"

Like asking me to be your girlfriend, she reasoned.

"I believe you know what I'm after right now." With their noses in close alignment, Danny lowered his face to rest on her forehead.

"I know what I'm looking for, but I still need to learn more about you. So, Danny, make things simple for me again please."

"With you, nothing is simple; you leave me feeling just as disoriented as I seem to make you. But I love the feeling, it feels like something strong I can hold on to and never let go. I want to take things slowly with you or fast if that's what you want. We can map out the terrain together and go wherever it leads." Sam could feel Danny's illuminant, icy breath as he moved his lips slowly closer to hers.

Her realization that his breath wasn't normal and that it was his ghost signal came as they were about to close the distance between them.

"Danny!" Sam shouted to alert him to the presence of a ghost in the area, but as they both watched, a crowd of yelling people spilled out of the theater's entrance.

Author's Note: I really would love to hear any thoughts, comments, or concerns on this chapter. As always, I await any predictions on how things may unfold next. I like my reviews and followers to be a part of the story as much as I am.

Thank you everyone and see you on the next one!