A/N Merry Christmas to everyone, I hope all of you are enjoying the holiday season, I definitely have been so far with my family. I want to reach out to all my readers and reviewers from last week and say how great you've all been. 8 reviews for the last chapter and over 1500 views of the story, thank you so much to all of you. I will still be updating once a week for a while, I just hope all of you understand and still love the story. With all that in mind please enjoy the latest chapter, it has been my favorite one to write so far.
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Both Danny and Ember were soaring in their minds from the most incredible feeling either of them had ever experienced. The feeling of their lips against each other was still lingering and they were eager for more. In fact nothing was actually stopping them from resuming their passionate make out session while their foreheads were resting against each other and they gazed into each other's eyes. Finally one of them broke the silence.
"That was the most incredible feeling I've ever experienced," said Danny, his breathing getting really deep from excitement. Ember completely agreed.
"I know, I've imagined what it would feel like for so long, but I never thought it could feel that amazing," said Ember as her hand came back from behind Danny's neck to lightly stroke his cheek, practically having hearts in her eyes.
They both leaned in for another kiss, albeit much shorter but just as passionate. It was apparent to both of them they would most likely be doing this a lot, and neither of them had any complaints whatsoever about that.
"So, I guess we should figure out what we want to do for our first actual date," said Danny as he let his hands rest a bit, landing both of them on Ember's hips. He couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought of going on a date with Ember of all people.
"Well, it probably wouldn't be the best idea to go to a movie or anything public, or the ghost zone, that would probably draw all kinds of unwanted attention," said Ember trying to keep her voice from squeaking in excitement. "Normally I thrive on complete attention, but if us dating became public knowledge, at least for now, it would probably create way more chaos than we want to deal with."
"I agree, as much as I'd love to shout to the whole city that I'm dating Ember McLain and am so happy about it, I don't think I can do it as Danny Fenton, it'll have to be as Danny Phantom," said Danny as it was just now dawning on him how complicated this relationship could possibly get. He'd been so laser focused on figuring out how to find and talk to Ember that he'd never really thought much beyond that. Now that he was it felt like things had gotten even more complex, and that's without factoring in his enemies in the ghost zone.
"Well if I'm being honest I think Danny Phantom is much more handsome anyway," said Ember batting her eyebrows. "The white hair, green eyes, and skin tight suit, what's not to like?" said Ember trailing her finger down Danny's chest, starting to get her bad girl attitude back now that a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
Danny felt a shiver go down his spine from Ember's forward flirting and got goosebumps. Holy moly this girl was incredible.
"I think you're going to be the death of me, and that sounds so great," said Danny as his legs bucked a bit.
Ember was smirking at his nervousness and wanted to have some fun with it. After all she couldn't give the impression that she was some laid back girl that would make things easy on him.
"Better get used to that feeling baby pop, I'm not some ditzy girl that will be expecting you to do everything for me," said Ember leaning closer to his face. "In fact..." without warning Ember quickly crouched down and swung her leg behind Danny's, tripping him up from behind. While he was floating in the air from the sudden swipe she grabbed his arms and swung him lightly onto the ground on his back. Dropping to her knees she leaned over so she was looking right into his eyes upside down, their faces only about an inch apart again "...let this be a reminder of what I can do to you if you make me mad." With one more smirk down at Danny, who wasn't resisting, she lowered her face to once again kiss her new boyfriend.
Danny's heart was throbbing from excitement. If anything, knowing how fierce and strong Ember was only made him like her even more.
"You're so amazing," said Danny after their lips separated. As Ember took her hands off his shoulders Danny stood back up and took her hands in his again.
Just then while they were enjoying their moment they both heard someone calling out into the open.
"DANNY, WHERE ARE YOU?" called a voice that Danny instantly recognized and made him feel quite concerned. He'd completely forgotten about Sam back at the movies.
Ember recognized the voice and it made her mood do a complete 180. She went from lovestruck to downright pissed.
"Are you kidding me right now?" said Ember as they both walked over to the edge of the building and peeked over. Down below Sam was looking all over and looked quite annoyed herself.
"Crud, I completely forgot about Sam during all of this," said Danny gripping his hair with his free hand that wasn't holding Embers.
Ember however was looking down at the goth girl with flaming eyes. She was very tempted to cause some pain, but she wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was Danny's friend and was a part of his life. But that didn't mean she had to like it, especially when it ruined their special moment. She was still furious that their last moment had been interrupted by her a month ago.
"So is she going to make it a habit to get in the way of us?" asked Ember glaring. Danny however lightly squeezed her hand to reassure her.
"Well obviously I can't tell her right now about us, that would cause a disaster and I'm pretty sure she would not be okay with it," said Danny looking at her supportively. "But I also can't just completely ignore her, she's been one of my best friends for so many years. Don't worry though, I'll figure something out, I'll just need a bit of time to figure out what."
Ember eased up a bit as she leaned her head on Danny's shoulder while pressing her side into his, not wanting this night to end. It was probably the best night of her entire existence.
"I'll tell you what, while I could stay up here with you all night, how about we both head home, and I'll meet you tomorrow at 5," suggested Danny. "There's a lake not too far from here called Lake Eerie. It's normally only used for summer camp and such so right now it'd be more or less deserted, and there's plenty of spots along the lake that are clear openings. It could be the perfect private space for us to spend time together without having to worry about anyone disturbing us."
Ember didn't like the thought of having to wait a full day to resume this, but understood that Danny still had to go about his regular life. It's not like she could just teleport them to her realm and they never leave. Could she? No, that'd be too far. Though she did find the thought enticing. And the scenario he was describing did sound very welcoming, a whole night of just the two of them together by a lake to enjoy an actual date? Her eyes were shining at the thought.
"You got yourself a date baby pop, I'll see you tomorrow," said Ember. But she wasn't about ready to leave just yet. "But first..." pulling Danny and her away from the edge of the roof she brought his face back into hers for one more searing hot kiss. Pressing their bodies back against each other they leaned into their lip lock, wrapping their arms around each other and falling into bliss.
*Muah
Danny was pretty sure he'd be in a complete daze the rest of the night after this, and that sounded amazing.
"Good night," said Danny as Ember hopped onto her guitar and flew off into the night. Ironically she was heading the same direction he was about to be going to get to the portal, so in hindsight he could have escorted her there. While watching Ember fly off Danny was again brought back to Earth as he heard his name being called once more.
"DANNY," called Sam to the crowd of people that was still gathered outside from the ghost attack. She pulled out her cell phone and tried to call him. Unfortunately it went straight to voice mail since he was transformed.
Danny figured he should probably get out of here. He had no idea what he would say to Sam about why he waited so long to come back, and with his mind still dulled from kissing Ember he was in no position to think up an excuse on the spot. Staying low to the rooftops Danny took off in the opposite direction of the crowd, heading home to Fenton Works with a big smile still on his face.
"I can't believe Ember McLain is my girlfriend, it's unbelievable," said Danny in an ecstatic voice, unable to keep the huge smile off his face.
Sam meanwhile was still looking for Danny, all her happy feelings from in the theater long gone and replaced by irritation.
"Seriously where the hell is he?" asked Sam sounding like a girl that had been abandoned by her date. "If he dealt with the ghost why hasn't he come back yet and why isn't he answering his phone?" Her fists were clenched tight by her side, wanting to have her own shot at that lion ghost that had broken up the moment she was really enjoying in the theater with Danny. In her mind that whole situation in the theater was turning into something real that could have lead to something between the two of them. Now that it was ruined she was livid and wondering what might have happened if that damn ghost hadn't showed up.
Sam stomped around outside for another ten minutes with still no sign of Danny before she gave up and started walking home in a huff. She would have a few select words to say to him tomorrow when she saw him at school.
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November 15, 2004
Danny still had a grin on his face and a look of complete bliss as he walked into homeroom the next morning. He had been dreaming of Ember all night, reliving their kisses on top of the music store, and brainstorming ideas for their date tonight. He didn't even notice Sam waiting for him at his desk with a frown and her arms crossed. Tucker was in the bathroom and hadn't arrived yet.
"Um, excuse me, Earth to Danny, care for an explanation of last night?" said Sam angrily looking right into Danny's eyes.
Hearing Sam's angry voice finally snapped Danny out of his daydream. Being the scatterbrained idiot teenager he was, he had completely forgotten to think of an excuse to give Sam pretty much moments after he started heading home the night before.
"Oh, hey Sam, good morning," said Danny starting to twitch a bit from nervousness, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Good morning, that's it?" said Sam looking even more irritated. "No 'oh Sam, sorry I completely bailed last night after the ghost attacked without a word, that was completely rude of me.'"
Danny was practically sweating as he was completely stumped without a single clue what to say. He was pretty sure saying he was making out with Ember on the roof would not go over too well.
"Well, after I caught the ghost I just wanted to make sure I got rid of it right away before anything could set it free," said Danny shrugging. "I mean, you know how we've caught ghosts a few times only for them to get loose and then I have to do it all over again."
Sam could tell he was lying, Danny was doing a terrible job of selling it, but before she could press the matter any further, Tucker walked in. She reluctantly straightened her face up to hide her anger since Tucker had never even been informed of last night. It would not exactly make her look any better than Danny if her little white lie was exposed.
"Hey Tuck, how was the PDA reprogramming last night," said Danny quickly, wanting to get the focus off of himself.
Tucker raised an eyebrow at Danny's question. Yes he had been doing geek related stuff last night but reprogramming his PDA was not part of it.
"Um, what are you talking about, I was playing Doomed all night last night," said Tucker confused.
Now it was Danny's turn to look confused but before he could question the whole thing himself, Mr. Lancer walked in and told everyone to take their seats, bailing Sam out.
'Phew, that was close, I need to keep last night from coming up again,' thought Sam as she took her seat.
Once Danny took his seat and thankfully got away from Sam's questioning, his mind once again drifted straight to Ember. He was even more infatuated and distracted than he had been during all the time he'd daydreamed about wanting to find and talk to her. Now that he had and done much more than talking his distractions were multiplied tenfold.
Throughout the whole first period Danny barely even registered what Mr. Lancer was saying at the front of the room. He also was completely oblivious to Sam and Tucker trying to make plans together for the three of them later.
"So I'm thinking tonight the three of us could head to the mall and check it out, maybe around 7," whispered Tucker. Danny barely even heard him whispering and had no idea what it was about.
"Yeah I'm definitely in, what do you say Danny?" Sam whispered to her side with a mixture of both eagerness and still some anger.
Wha, oh, uh, yeah, yeah, sounds awesome," said Danny, not having a clue what he was saying yes to. He wasn't even fully registering that he was talking right now as his mind still had a clear image of him and Ember kissing the night before.
After forty five minutes, first period ended with the bell ringing. Danny, Sam, and Tucker all grabbed their things and headed out of the classroom to their next period, Tucker looking like everything was normal, Sam relieved that her white lie didn't come up, and Danny in his own world thinking about his date tonight and what he and Ember would do. He'd come up with a few ideas while he wasn't paying attention to class.
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Ember was currently sitting in front of her mirror applying her eye liner. She wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary as far as her appearance and makeup were concerned, but she was being a tad more cautious than she usually would when applying this time. She had spent some time going over outfit ideas and what she could wear, but in the end she decided to go with her regular look. After all since Danny had suggested meeting at a lake that wasn't exactly ideal for something like a dress. Besides she was a hard core rock and roller anyway, not some fancy pants dressy girl that wore ballgowns every night. Also she was making sure the rose behind her ear was still perfectly positioned. All day she kept glancing at the clock in her realm, eagerly waiting for it to be 5 so she could see Danny again and have her first date.
"Only one more hour and I'll be having my first date with my boyfriend," said Ember to her reflection. Hearing her say it out loud made her feel so amazing inside. "My boyfriend, I can't believe I'm actually calling him that."
She was wearing possibly the biggest grin on her face she'd ever had and the muscles of her face didn't want to budge.
While carefully applying her makeup and usual purple lipstick, her mind was having a flood of thoughts about what they were going to do. Danny had been the one to suggest meeting at a lake so it seemed he was going to be taking charge on what they did, at least for their first date. Maybe if it went well she'd be able to decide what they did next time. Ember quickly started shaking her head at that last thought.
"No, don't think like that, I know this is going to go well, it's different this time," said Ember to her reflection again.
As much as she didn't want to flash back to the last time she thought she had a date, her mind wasn't letting her block it out as that disastrous night resurfaced in her memories. The endless waiting, being stood up, crying in her room, falling asleep and never waking up.
"Stop, there isn't any reason to compare that to this. Danny is an amazing boy and I already know how crazy he is about me," said Ember smiling at her reflection before closing her eyes. "It's different in every possible way, it's so much better. And if anyone has thoughts of getting in the way of that I'll skin them alive."
She was going to have her date with Danny, it was going to be amazing, and there would be many more in the future, she was willing to bet on it. Opening her eyes again she nodded to her reflection, winking at herself before she stood up and straightened out her usual crop top. With one last check over everything and grabbing her guitar, Ember touched the rose behind her ear with a pleasant sigh before opening her realm door and flying off towards the human realm, and to Danny.
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Danny was sitting in his room and had been pacing back and forth for the last fifteen minutes, running so many thoughts through his head. He wasn't doing it on purpose, but his mind was actually trying to plan out how the date was going to go down to the last minute. Not at all realistic as he would later find out. But he'd never been on an actual date. His only other "date" was when he went to the dance with Paulina except he later learned that wasn't even real, just Paulina being a shallow girl trying to make Sam mad. But for his upcoming night with Ember he was infinitely more nervous and his mind was a complete mess.
"So maybe ten minutes of this, five minutes of that, and then maybe next we can...AHHHHHHHH," shouted Danny gripping his hair with both hands and falling face first onto his bed.
With his face buried into his blankets Danny heard a knock on his door.
"Cmmmmmm nnnnnnn," he shouted out with his voice muffled, not even lifting his face from the bed.
The door opened up and in walked Jazz, looking very puzzled at Danny's current state.
"Um, Danny, is everything okay in here, I heard you shouting?" asked Jazz tilting her head to the side as she closed the door behind her.
Rolling onto his back Danny was now staring straight at the ceiling and wondering if he'd set himself up for a disastrous failure.
"Well, remember a while ago when I asked you for some advice on a girl?" asked Danny, knowing his super smart sister would no doubt recall every last detail, probably even better than himself. Sure enough Jazz's interest perked up immediately as her face grew into an excited smile.
"Of course I do," said Jazz walking over to sit on the opposite side of his bed. "You do seem to be quite a nervous wreck, did you actually manage to talk to her and make a date with her?"
Danny rolled his eyes unsurprised. Yup, just as he though, instantly piecing it together like the genius that she is.
"Oh yea, I definitely talked to her, and I have a date with her tonight," said Danny trying to hide his grin from the memory of last night. "But now that I've actually made a date with her my mind is a complete disaster. I can't help but worry that the night will go terribly wrong, and I want it to go well so much."
Jazz chuckled a bit at her little brother freaking out, he was so adorable. But she did love him and wanted this to go well for him too. With all the stress he no doubt faced from ghost fighting, he definitely needed and deserved a great date with whoever this girl was.
"Danny, just close your eyes and take a deep breathe," said Jazz going into phycologist mode, perfect since Danny was laying on his back.. "It's clear how much you like this girl, and I'm going to go out on a limb and guess she feels the same way. Yes a first date can definitely create a lot of nerves, but it doesn't have to. At the end of the day you like her and she likes you, it really does just need to be that simple. I don't know how much you know about each other yet, but a first date is always the perfect opportunity to talk and get to know each other better. So rather than trying to plan some crazy night down to the minute, just spend time with her and talk. Communication is often the best way to a healthy relationship. You don't have to learn everything about her right away, but let tonight be the beginning of it. Spend quality time with her, talk to her, get to know her, and let her get to know you. Where are you meeting her?"
Danny stayed still like he was meditating, his eyes still closed but taking in every word Jazz was saying.
"I'm meeting her in the park at 5," said Danny, tweaking some of the details as a cover. Peeking at his watch, it showed the time to be 4:40.
"That's actually perfect for this," said Jazz smiling. "Sitting together on the hilltop, watching a sunset, just getting to know each other, maybe sharing an ice cream, a great first date."
Danny was breathing a bit slower and suddenly a thought occurred to him that almost made him shoot off his bed. Spending time together, talking, getting to know each other? Those were the exact same thoughts he'd been having last night while watching Noah and Allie together from The Notebook. He was about to mentally slap himself for not realizing this sooner. Jazz had just advised him to do the same thing he'd been wondering about less than 24 hours ago.
"Jazz, I don't think you realize how much you've just helped me, thank you so much," said Danny standing up and feeling more confident now. "So is this therapy session going to set me back much?"
"No, just make sure you have a great time," said Jazz with another chuckle as she stood up and gave her little brother a grin to reassure him before walking out the door. "Good luck Danny."
Feeling much better now Danny took one more deep breathe before looking out his window into the city, the sun almost finished setting. With a quick brainstorm he grabbed a couple items from his room before standing in front of his window.
"Here goes everything, I'm going ghost," said Danny lightly, changing into Danny Phantom and fazing through the wall to flying towards the lake.
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Ember was riding on her guitar as she flew through the ghost portal of the Fenton basement and straight up out of the house. Seemed a little bizarre that she was here for a date, and she was going through the house of the boy she was going on a date with. I mean assuming he hadn't left yet she could fly right into his room and they could just make out some more like they did last night for crying out loud. This was definitely not your typical set up for normal people. But she didn't want to dwell on the weird details of this new relationship, she just wanted to get to the lake and see Danny.
Quickly flying through the sky she was moving her guitar as fast as it would carry her. Just as the sun was starting to set over the horizon she was flying over the forest and saw the lake come into view that Danny had mentioned. As soon as she entered the clearing and flew over the lake she spotted him. Danny was floating over the middle of the lake waiting for her. As soon as he saw her coming he smiled at her, which she returned while approaching him.
"Hey, I'm so happy you're here," said Danny blushing again as Ember now floated right in front of him.
Ember felt her insides dancing as she blushed too, feeling overwhelmed that this was actually happening. She was officially on a date with Danny Phantom, the most incredible boy she'd ever met.
"Hey baby pop, I'm so glad to see you too," said Ember as she floated right into him. They both embraced each other in a soft hug and lingered for several moments, enjoying the closeness of each other and how happy they both were to be here together.
"It feels pretty surreal that this is happening, I almost still can't believe it," said Danny as he took Ember's hands in his own just like last night.
"Well you better believe it because I've waited long enough for this and don't want to delay it any longer," said Ember smirking at Danny's sweet smile.
"Well come on over here with me, I want to show you something," said Danny pulling her lightly towards a spot on the side of the lake that had an opening for a little beach.
Landing on the ground next to a few trees Ember felt her whole body burn up with amazement as she saw a picnic blanket laid out. On top of it was a bag that looked like it came from a bakery, but she couldn't tell what was in it. Danny sat on the blanket and gestured for Ember to join him. Ember slowly stepped over and sat down next to him, getting goosebumps all up her arm.
"I wasn't sure what you would like and also I've never found out whether or not ghosts actually eat, but I got us these brownies," said Danny opening the bag to show about a dozen delicious looking chocolate squares inside.
Ember again was feeling so overwhelmed from processing all this. Every single moment that this continued made her emotions skyrocket and felt too amazing to be actually happening. She'd lived a life of being lonely and spent two decades being a lonely ghost, now here she was with Danny who was being so sweet and thoughtful, not only now but that day in Skery City as well. She was on the verge of tears of pure joy as she looked into his gorgeous eyes.
"Well technically ghosts don't need to eat, but we can and do still have a sense of taste, and I do really love brownies," said Ember reaching in to take one, her eyes never leaving Danny's. Taking a bite, it was quite possibly the most delicious thing she'd ever had. So moist and chewy and the chocolate lingered on her tongue.
"I'd like to say that I made them, but I know about as much about baking as I do about math," said Danny chuckling a bit as he took one himself. "I made a pit stop on my way here to pick these up."
Ember leaned closer to him, putting her head on his shoulder and enjoying the closeness.
"They taste amazing, thanks a bunch baby pop," said Ember taking another bite.
Now that the ice had been broken and they had gotten comfortable, they settled in and were able to start talking. They just enjoyed the fact that they were here together and getting to know each other better, exactly like Danny had been hoping for. They both talked about their respective interests outside of what they already knew such as Ember being into music. Danny told about how he was fascinated by space and had dreams of being an astronaut, logging countless hours playing a space shuttle simulator on his computer. He shared how school life for him was like both before and after he got his powers, regularly dealing with meatheads like Dash. Since Christmas was only about a month away he told about how his parents would fight every year about whether or not Santa existed. Ember got a pretty good kick out of that one and said he was more than willing to come to her realm around that time if he wanted to escape that madness, something that got Danny pretty excited and saying he just might accept that offer.
Ember told him all about the talent show she was in and how amazing it felt when she won it, one of the rare highlights of her living life that she remembered fondly. She told him about all the rock bands she used to love listening to during the 70s, which she called the golden age of music and daring anyone to name another time in history that had better music. She gave firsthand knowledge of what it was like to actually be a kid during the birth of the disco era, something Danny thought was a pretty entertaining story. She also explained the meaning behind the guitar pick Danny had found in her personal belongings box at the burnt house. Suddenly Danny understood why that had been there.
"Okay now I get why it was in there, when I found it it just looked like a regular guitar pick," said Danny raising his hand in realization. "I figured there was something special about it when I found it but I didn't have any way of knowing what it was."
"Yeah, I spent countless hours strumming my guitar with that pick trying to get better at playing," said Ember, who was now leaning her back against Danny's chest and holding his hand. They'd eaten most of the brownies and had gotten completely lost just talking to each other, enjoying every last moment of it, no idea how much time had passed.
"I've actually started reading a beginners guide to guitar playing," said Danny excitedly. Ember quickly turned her head to look at Danny as he said this. "Listening to your music so much has gotten me so intrigued that I checked out a beginners book from the library and have been trying to teach myself how to play."
Ember's mouth dropped slightly at this knowledge. Danny was actually inspired to try to learn to play the guitar from her music? This was so amazing.
"Oh wow, what have you learned so far? I could definitely teach you if you'd like," said Ember anxiously. Her mind was already flooding with images of them playing music together and her teaching him how to shred a guitar to melt someone's face off. Hard core.
"Yeah, that sounds great, I'd love for you to teach me," said Danny as they took a moment just to admire each other's eyes again with a smile. "And then the last thing I found in the box was your old diary. I remember reading what was in it and..." Danny quickly realized what he was saying and slammed his mouth shut, not wanting to bring up that particular topic. Unfortunately he'd already said enough to make it become weird.
Ember's smile had started to fade from Danny accidentally bringing up her diary which contained content from the worst night of her life, also the last night of her life. She suddenly lost the ability to speak as those memories were now forcing their way into her head, putting a bit of a wet blanket over the amazing time they'd been having together. Danny wanted to get away from that quickly and correct his mistake.
Gently cupping the side of Ember's cheek he turned her face to look back at him, his eyes glowing with affection for Ember as he gave her a light smile. Leaning his face into hers he gave her a soft kiss on her lips that Ember started to return after a couple seconds.
"We don't have to talk about or remember anything like that," said Danny as their lips separated and he took her hand in his again. "We're here now, we're together, and that's all we need."
Ember's smile slowly returned to her face at how Danny was being so sweet. She knew he hadn't brought that up on purpose and the fact that he wasn't forcing that info out of her made her feel so appreciative towards him. Leaning into his body she kissed him this time, lingering longer as Danny cupped her cheek again.
As their lips separated they heard some sounds in the woods. It sounded like an owl was hooting and some crickets were chirping. Danny looked at his watch for the first time since getting there, it was now 8:00. They'd been there for about three hours.
"Wow, I can't believe how much time has gone by already," said Danny with a bit of a groan, neither of them wanting this night to end.
"Do you need to be getting home?" asked Ember reluctantly. She hated that she was as free as a bird but Danny had a curfew.
"Unfortunately yes, I still have to go to school in the morning," said Danny as Ember leaned back into him and he hugged her against his chest. "However, I did have one more thing I'd like to do before we go. If you'd like to that is."
Ember had no idea what was coming but whatever it was she was excited as long as it kept the night from ending. Smiling big she nodded her head.
"Okay, give me one moment," said Danny as he stood up and floated into the tree above them.
Ember couldn't see what he was doing but he slowly came back down after only a handful of seconds. She was looking up to where he had been but couldn't see anything.
"So, I recently saw something that I thought was really amazing, and I thought I'd ask if you'd like to do it with me," said Danny smiling nervously.
Ember was a little confused but suddenly she started hearing the sound of music. A light note that was slightly getting louder without a break. As it reached it's peak a soft drum started to play a smooth beat along with a light guitar strumming. After a moment Ember recognized what was playing and her mouth completely dropped, looking at Danny in realization of what he was doing.
"That...that's Foreigner," said Ember in a shocked voice as Danny stepped right up to her while the instrumental intro was still playing.
"Ember, I don't know where we'll end up in this relationship, but I wanted to make this a night that we'll never forget. So, will you dance with me?" Danny asked offering his hand to her.
Ember wasn't even sure she could see straight as her hand moved on it's own, taking Danny's and letting him pull her into his chest, his hands going around her waist and hers around his neck. Danny rested his chin against her shoulder and Ember did the same against his, still in shock over what was happening and how overwhelmingly wonderful it felt. They started to slowly rotate on the spot as the lyrics started.
Sooooooooooooooooo long, I've been looking too hard
I've been waiting so long
Sometimes I don't know what I will find
I only know it's a matter of time
When you love someone
When you love someone
Ember simply couldn't believe that this was actually happening. This felt like something out of a dream, yet here it was really happening. She was being romanced by Danny, her arms around him and his around her, dancing together. She could almost swear that her heart had come back and was beating again as her eyes started to water up from overwhelming emotions, rendering her hardcore personality completely powerless.
It feels so right so warm and true
I need to know if you feel it too
Maybe I'm wrong
Won't you tell me if I'm coming on too strong
This heart of mine has been hurt before
This time I wanna be sure
I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you a love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive
Yeah waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
Danny had been really nervous about how this move was going to look, but he trusted his gut and went for it, and he was so glad he did. Seeing Noah and Allie dancing in the movie last night had made him want to dance with Ember, and now it was actually happening. Earlier he'd used the internet to research love songs that would have come out when Ember was alive, and when he found this one it was just so perfect. The song title was exactly how he felt about Ember, and the romantic rhythm was perfect for them to dance to. So as he was leaving his house he'd grabbed his portable speakers and MP3 player after downloading the song, setting it up in the tree before Ember had arrived. Now it was turning into possibly the greatest moment of either of their lives/afterlives.
You're so good-when we make love it's understood
It's more than a touch or a word we say
Only in dreams could it be this way
When you love someone-yeah really love someone
Now I know it's right
From the moment I wake up till deep in the night
There's nowhere on Earth that I'd rather be
Than holding you tenderly
I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
I've been waiting for a girl like you in a love that will survive
I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive
Yeah waiting for a girl like you to come into my life
As the song moved into the conclusion Danny and Ember pulled their heads and gazed longingly into each other's eyes. Ember couldn't stop a tear from running down her cheek, she was happier than she'd ever been in her entire existence and didn't have the will power to hold back her emotions. To hell with her hard core personality, this was amazing and she was leaning into it. Danny noticed the tear running down her cheek and brought his thumb up to brush it away, smiling into the eyes of his beautiful girlfriend.
As the song was fading both of them were moving on autopilot and leaned in for the most passionate kiss they'd shared yet. Their lips felt so soft and amazing as they attacked each other hungrily. Suddenly Danny felt something brush against his lips and almost jumped from excitement. Ember was trying to slip her tongue into his mouth and she was persistent. Recovering from his shock Danny parted his lips to give her access, his own tongue starting to brush against hers. Their shared passion kept growing and growing while they kissed and lost themselves in each other, not giving a damn about the rest of the world or what anyone would say about them being together.
Unfortunately there was one creature that didn't give a damn that it was about to ruin their moment.
*MEOWWWWWWWWW
Hearing the loud growl both Danny and Ember separated from their lip lock and looked just in time to see a tiger ghost coming right at them. Reacting quickly, Danny tackled Ember to the ground out of the way as the tiger ghost landed on the ground, just missing them both as they rolled. Getting to his feet Danny was ready to defend Ember and make this overgrown kitty cat pay for interrupting them.
"Oh you are so gonna..." that was all Danny got out, for Ember had her own thoughts about this.
Ember was so infuriated that the best moment of her existence had been interrupted that she was on a complete rage filled attack. Lifting her guitar over her head she swung it as hard as she possibly could, slamming it into the tiger ghost and practically spattering it's ecto brains all over the forest. Winding her guitar up like a baseball bat she swung it again, slamming the tiger into a tree and almost making the tree snap in half. Putting her guitar down she now launched herself right at the ghost like a missile, grabbing it by the throat and punching it again and again and again.
"YOU DAMN BASTARD, IF YOU WEREN'T A GHOST I'D KILL YOU WHERE YOU STOOD," screamed Ember in complete fury as she kept punching.
Danny was in shock watching his girlfriend unleash her rage on this tiger ghost. It kept going on for several more punches until the ghost was laying motionless on the ground. Finally letting it go, Ember stepped away, still with fire in her eyes, and appeared to be on the verge of tears again as she looked away from Danny.
"Catch that overgrown stuffed animal in your thermos," said Ember without any emotion.
Slowly getting his senses back, Danny pulled the thermos out and sucked the tiger ghost into it. Securing the cap he walked over to Ember and put a hand on her shoulder, worried if she was okay.
"Ember, are you alright," asked Danny supportively. Ember's response was to just turn around and bury her head into his chest, hugging her boyfriend tightly.
"Why can't the damn world just stop interfering with my happiness," said Ember trying to hold back any more tears. "I've been through so much shit waiting for the greatest guy in the world, and now even after I've found him, the damn world still mocks me and has to ruin the most amazing night of my existence."
Danny lightly pulled Ember into the warm hug, rubbing her back gently as he kissed her forehead.
"I know you've been through horrible things and I hate that that tiger showed up too, but I'm still here, everything is okay," said Danny.
They both stood there just hugging each other for a few more minutes, just reassuring each other that they were together and happy to finally be together. But unfortunately it was getting late and Danny had to be getting home. Despite wanting to stay with Ember so badly, their complicated situation made that undoable right now. But he would at least be able to escort her to the ghost zone this time. Taking each other's hands they both took off into the sky, heading towards Fenton Works to conclude one unique first date.
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Sam and Tucker were walking home together on the sidewalk, Tucker looking like he'd enjoyed his night but Sam looking annoyed once again.
"Tucker, he didn't show up and completely blew us off, this is getting so out of hand," said Sam gesturing with her hands wildly.
"Maybe he just got held up fighting ghosts and went home," suggested Tucker shrugging. It's not like it would be the first time that ever happened.
"Well then why didn't he contact us to help him, we haven't heard from him or seen him since school ended, and he sure seemed in a hurry to leave when the bell rang," said Sam crossing her arms.
"Hey all I know is that I had a blast, you could have too if you'd have just loosened up a little bit and had a little fun," said Tucker while logging his scores from earlier into his PDA. "I wanted Danny there too and miss him hanging out with us lately just like you, but he lives a different life than we do."
"That's no excuse to just blow us off without any kind of explanation," said Sam pulling out her phone. "In fact I'm gonna call his house and find out what he's been up to, if he's even there."
*Ring ring ring
"Hello," came the sound of Jazz's voice on the other line.
"Hey Jazz, it's Sam, is Danny there, I need to talk to him," said Sam with a frown. She was about at her wits end with Danny's newfound neglectful personality.
"Oh, I figured Danny would have told you and Tucker, but he's not here, he said he had a date tonight," said Jazz happily. Sam however almost dropped her phone hearing this.
"WHAT, DANNY HAD A DATE TONIGHT," screamed Sam pretty loudly, making Jazz's ears ring as she wasn't ready for the shouting. Tucker also jumped in surprise, both at Sam's volume and from what she said.
"Wow, Danny was on a date, no wonder he didn't show up or say anything, way to go man," said Tucker proudly to his best friend even though he wasn't there. Sam however was about to crush her phone with her bare hands, her thoughts landing on one particular person. If he was with who she suddenly thought he was with she was going to erupt like a volcano.
"Jazz, did Danny say who his date was with?" asked Sam eagerly, dreading the answer would be who she feared.
"No, he didn't say. Just that he'd been developing feelings for a while now towards her and tonight was their first date together," said Jazz casually. She for one was happy that her little brother was (hopefully) having a fun night.
"Thanks Jazz, tell Danny I called when he gets home please," said Sam through clenched teeth as she roughly hung up her phone, shoving it into her pocket, not gently. She started walking away by herself without even acknowledging Tucker. Tucker quickly hurried to catch up to Sam.
"What's wrong with you, why is it so bad if Danny is out on a date?" said Tucker though he added a slight mocking tone to his words, knowing that Sam was undoubtable jealous. He'd always suspected they liked each other but were too nervous to act on it, Sam more so than Danny.
"It's a big deal and a big problem because I have a hunch who he could be with and why he didn't say anything, and I also don't think he's actually on a date," said Sam as they rounded a corner.
As soon as she did though she walked right into another person she wasn't at all thrilled to see or even know, both of them falling backwards onto their butts from not realizing the other was there.
"Um, excuse me, but could you possibly pay attention to where you're going," said Paulina standing up and wiping her clothes off. "I don't need goth funk ruining my clothes and flawless skin."
Sam was feeling a new wave of frustration now that Paulina was here and once again talking down to her. She was so not in the mood for this.
"Take a hike Paulina, aren't you due back in kiddie pool," said Sam mocking the shallow girl. Paulina just brushed it off.
"Oh please, as if I could be offended by two people from loserville," said Paulina closing her eyes smugly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find someone more worthy of my time, like the cute ghost boy." Paulina's voice turned very dreamy at the end of her sentence, causing Sam to groan and Tucker to chuckle.
"As if the ghost boy would ever fall for someone that's more...WHAT!" screamed Sam looking into the sky with eyes so wide you could see where they started to round out.
Tucker and Paulina looked into the sky where Sam was staring and in turn also gasped, though not nearly as loudly.
Right there, flying in the air hand in hand, was Danny Phantom and Ember McLain. They were pretty high in the sky, but there wasn't any mistaking them with Ember's flaming blue hair and Danny's black suit and white hair shining in the moonlight.
Silence filled the air as the three teens looked on in pure shock, each of them processing their own thoughts.
'What is my handsome ghost boy doing with that has been artist?' thought Paulina.
'Holy cow, is Danny actually on a date with Ember?' thought Tucker.
'I'M GONNA TEAR THAT BITCH'S HEAD OFF FOR WHATEVER SHE'S DONE TO DANNY,' thought Sam very violently.
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A/N Hope everyone loved this chapter just as much as I loved writing it. I know I'm definitely making Danny seem way more mature and romantic than any 14 year old should, but I'm having way too much fun to stop myself, lol. The reason this was my favorite to write so far is that the dance scene is actually from my personal life. In late 2004, coincidentally when Danny Phantom was first airing, I was starting my senior year of high school. I was in the early stages of seeing this girl I liked, but things were a little rocky. I wanted to show her how much I liked her, so I set up my CD player and portable speakers in a spot that was a little secluded so I could ask her to dance to Waiting For A Girl Like You. Unfortunately the day I attempted this had some obstacles get in my way and I never actually got the opportunity to ask her, so the gesture ended up being a bust. But I always remembered it and it came to my mind as I was thinking of ideas for Danny and Ember's date, plus it lined up with what I had Danny see while watching the Notebook. Once I pieced all that together I just went with it and I felt so much joy from writing it, almost like having a second chance to use my gesture. I hope everyone enjoyed it along with the rest of the chapter. After all now we have to find out what Sam is going to do, DRAMA! Merry Christmas, I'll see you all next week, and please remember to leave a REVIEW as my Christmas present :)