Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is so short, the next one's are longer I promise! Soon we'll be getting to the good part so hang in there everyone! I hope you all enjoy chapter sixteen. Thank you for your continued support!

Chapter 16 (Sam's POV)

"Great form Chey! Try to aim a little bit higher on that kick and you'll have that move down." I smile distractedly at my crushes' growth in close combat skills, mind still stuck on what might be happening with Danny.

"Sam! Watch out!" Tucker's shout drags me from my thoughts, allowing me to duck just in time to miss the ectoblast heading my way. We really need to put some safety measures in place…

"Thanks, Tuck!" Moving back to my fighting stance I try to focus my mind on the present, dodging two more shots before coming up next to Valerie.

"How're you doin Val?" her barely noticeable agitation seems to fade when she looks over at me, an embarrassed grin coming to her face.

"I didn't realize how out of practice I've been. There haven't been much in the way of ghost attacks recently, so I haven't had to fight much. I'm glad I get a chance to do this with you guys." We share a small smile before moving back to avoid another blast.

"It's surprising how much skill you can lose by not keeping a regular training schedule. A lot of fighting is muscle memory, but there's a grace that can only be gained from regular practice." I roll my eyes at Tucker's snort when he hears me repeat Danny's explanation back when he installed the training room. Across the room Cheyenne lets out a short yelp after narrowly missing a small projectile. Quickly running over, I turn off the program and check for injuries.
"Are you okay?" I can hear the faint panic in my voice as I ask the question, Cheyenne smiling softly at me.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit rattled is all. Thanks for checking in." Her reassurance helps me calm down before I notice the small gash on her side. It's barely there, but still big enough that I can tell it will leave a small scar.

"Wait, don't move. I need to patch that up so it doesn't get infected." She looks at me questioningly before noticing the blood slowly dripping down her shirt.

"Oh shit! How did that happen?"

"Don't worry. It's just a small cut. It should heal up pretty quickly with the proper care." Walking over to the side wall I press the button to activate the material generator. I can't believe I let another person get dragged into this life…

The material generator is kind of like a 3D printer. The biggest difference is that it uses advanced ghost technology, a product of the Far Frozen, to create all kinds of materials at an atomic level. Tucker came up with the designs himself, and Frostbite and Danny helped him make it a reality. It's use is limited to medical and emergency equipment right now. Though I haven't seen it myself, Danny says Frostbite is working on creating one that can generate more common use things, like food and water. Typing what I need into the screen I grab the newly created gauze and antiseptic and walk back over to the small group where Tucker is giving Cheyenne advice on dodging long range attacks.

"Here we go! Let's get you all bandaged up." I can't help the blush that comes to my face when I gently lift her shirt up. On the bright side, Cheyenne goes a bright red too. "Here, hold this up a bit." When I hand her the edge of the shirt I glance up to see Tucker and Valerie sharing a look. As badly as I want to roll my eyes, I focus back on the task at hand.

"This might sting a bit, I just need to clean it before wrapping it okay?" She nods, so I continue my work. A grimace and a hiss of pain before I'm finally putting the gauze over the now barely bleeding cut. Securing it with tape I smile up at Chey. "All done!"

"Thanks. I need to work on dodging more apparently…" Tucker puts a hand on her shoulder as he speaks.

"Don't worry about it too much. You're still new to this. It all comes with practice, right?" He looks at me and Valerie for confirmation, getting a nod from me and Valerie's spoken, "Absolutely!"

Out of the corner of my eye I see the ghost proximity alert go off in the corner of the room. Danny must be back!

"Hey, I think Danny is back, we should head towards the main room to check." Tucker beats me to the punch alerting the others. Heading to the controls for the room, I take a minute to reset the training program and turn everything off.

"Uhm… you guys can head down without me, I uhm… I really need to find a bathroom…" Chey nervously speaks from behind me.

"This place is a bit of a maze, I'll show you the way okay? Then we can head back to the living room together." She sends me a bright smile at the offer so I grab her hand and start heading out the door. Behind my back I hear Tucker whisper quietly to Valerie

"Lovebirds…"

Though I want to roll my eyes at Tucker's comment I can't help but agree with him. At the thought my chest feels heavy with a sadness and fear I haven't felt since dating Danny. Chey coughs and grabs my attention, giving me a chance to notice her bright red cheeks.

"Uhm… what did Tucker mean by that…?" It takes me barely a second to understand what she's talking about. Immediately I can feel my cheeks heating.

"Well, it's kind of a long running joke in our friend group. For the longest time me and Danny had a thing for each other so Tucker always called us lovebirds behind our backs. He tried to be sneaky about it sometimes but we always heard him. Turns out me and Danny weren't really… right together, so to speak. I actually like girls now… but anyway. Tucker is just saying it cause he knows… uhm… he knows how I… feel… about you…" My voice got quieter and quieter as I tried to finish my thought. I wasn't sure if Chey could actually make out that last part. I noticed I was walking alone when I took my eyes off the ground. Stopping and turning back to see Cheyenne with wide eyes looking at me. I guess she heard me…

"How you… feel? About me?" I can't meet her eyes, already knowing what I have to say. Not ready for the look of hurt on her face.

"Yeah. I have feelings for you. But… it can't mean anything. I just… I can't…" I let out a heavy sigh, trying to loosen the weight on my shoulders, "It wouldn't work out…" I hear her let out a small "oh" as she walks to stand next to me. I can't look her in the face, even though I can tell she wants me to.

"We should hurry up to the bathroom." When she sucks in a sharp breath I feel my heart break just a little bit. But she nods, and we walk the rest of the way to the bathroom in silence. Yeah… Lovebirds…

Oof, this was a bit heavy. but don't worry! It gets worse! Hehehe... See you next time!