1/21/25: Hey! This chapter ended up a little longer than I expected.

Warning: Censored language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, nor do I own "Kissing You" or "Another Love".

–

Chapter 49: Breakthrough

–

Danny had spent a few hours in their room as Jazz taught him the basics of balancing. She helped him figure out where his center of gravity was and how to use that to keep him centered and upright. As for grace and poise, that would only truly come with practice and repetition.

His sister was extremely proud of him. From the outside it just looked like he was practicing really hard to just dance, but really it was the thought he was putting into it, the dedication and determination that spoke volumes. He was slowly coming back to himself and finding his confidence again. She'd even managed to touch him a few times in order to correct his stance and he hadn't even noticed because he was too engrossed in the process.

In the end, he'd been able to go through the dance by himself, not only without tripping up, but also managing to look like he'd danced before. It came at the expense of his pride a little as Tucker was relentless on the teasing. After a while, though, Jazz had smacked her husband. "Dancing isn't only for women, you know. Male dancers are really fit and strong–you could learn a thing or two from it."

The dark-skinned man rubbed the back of his head. "He can dance all he wants, he just looks…pretty, prancing and spinning around like that."

The ghost had rolled his eyes and just let it go.

It was now the next day and Danny and Sam were in the game room. Furniture and games had been moved out of the way to create enough space for them to dance indoors.

As he stood across from Sam, he could feel his eye twitching. Word had spread and the entire population of the house had decided to show up. Tucker had even brought extra chairs and freaking popcorn.

It did NOT help that Sam was wearing that black dress again. It was strapless with a sweetheart shape for the front, but plunged in the back, showing all of her back. It had a thin clear strap across the back at the top to hold it up. It was also the dress that had the really high hip slit and it made Danny's cheeks burn green.

Of course, if he was being honest, he wasn't being fair to her either, as he'd worn the dark blue jeans, white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and the black vest open in the front, along with the black cotton wristbands that had become his constant companion these days. Her cheeks were just as bright as his.

(Random interrupting AN: This dance also has a video so you can see what their dance looks like. You can find it on Youtube if you search "Abbey Clancy & Aljaz Skorjanec Waltz to 'Kissing You' - Strictly Come Dancing 2013 Week 1 - BBC". I am not going to fully narrate this one, especially as it's mostly spins. What am I gonna write? He spun her…and then spun her…and again spun her…wait they spun the other way now!)

Danny took several deep breaths before looking at his mother and nodding. She hit play and 'Kissing You' started.

As the words started, Sam walked towards Danny, and he did the same. When they met, he immediately put an arm around her back, grabbed one hand, and began to spin her. In the video, the woman had reached up and placed a hand on the man's cheek in a sensual way. Sam wasn't sure if she should do it, because of Danny's fear, but she knew she wanted to do it.

She surprised him when she followed the video and caressed his cheek. He felt his core pulse quicken and she could see his pupils dilate. Neither one of them were sure if his reaction was fear or desire.

They went through the dance then, the ghost amazing the goth with his newfound balance and composure. Compared to the last one, he seemed to glide over the floor now, eyes almost never leaving her as he guided her through the steps. They could both feel the chemistry–the pull–as their souls tried to become reacquainted.

Then came the part Danny was most nervous about: he had to spin her, without her feet touching the floor. Aside from that, he was pretty sure the couple in the video kissed at this point, but he knew he didn't yet have the courage for that. He wasn't sure if he was thankful or upset that Sam didn't seem to have the courage to do it either.

As the dance was coming to an end, Skulker showed up with Mark, startling Danny enough that he instantly pulled away from Sam.

There was a round of claps and enthusiastic cheers, which caused the pair to blush brilliantly.

"Hey guys," Dash greeted the newcomers. "Wait, how did you get in?"

"Skulker apparently heard my knock on the door," Mark replied.

"And I was coming to check on the state of Amity. It does not appear to be going well," the hunter added.

"On that note, not that I'm not glad you two are getting along so well, but dancing? At a time like this?" Mark asked quizzically. He didn't seem upset, just genuinely curious.

Sam chuckled a little nervously. "Yeah, it looks like that, but I promise there's a method to the madness."

"I'm trying to attune to my core," Danny supplied.

"And that does what?" the mayor asked.

"It grants access to a core's full power. It basically unlocks your full potential," Sam explained. She summoned energy swords and started the jian wu dance she was attuned to. "Every ghost and half ghost has a core, and each core has its own frequency, or rhythm, that it pulses to. It may seem obvious what the rhythm is when you concentrate on it, but it's deeper than just feeling the pulses of energy." She swayed with the dance, the familiar glow starting in her chest at her core.

"Each dance also has its own beat, or rhythm. This makes dancing the easiest way to attune to a core. If you were to try and find that perfect frequency on your own, it would take years, or maybe never even happen." Her entire body started to glow, a bright white light emanating from within. "But dancing makes it so much easier. And once you find that dance that matches the rhythm of your core, you'll always be able to access it, even without dancing. But the dance is the catalyst to finding it," she finished just as the dance did and the light faded.

"That's…a beautiful way to describe it," Mark commented, having been enthralled by the dance.

Sam shrugged, cheeks tinged pink. "Ki-oh is the expert, really. I'm just parroting what he told me."

Danny noticed the entranced look the mayor was giving his fiance and growled low before he could stop himself. Unfortunately, the goth heard him and turned around, raising her brow at him. He quickly cut it off and looked away.

She chalked it up to Danny just being Danny, but Shade butted in. 'He's jealous.'

That made Sam pause. 'Of what?'

Shade scoffed, an odd breathy sound in her head. 'Don't tell me you didn't notice the way Mark was looking at you.'

Sam mentally rolled her eyes. 'Mark is married.'

'So? You can love someone and still find someone else insanely attractive,' Shade countered. 'Besides, isn't it a good thing Danny is jealous?'

The goth peeked in the ghost's direction again, but he was pointedly ignoring her. A smile slipped onto her face.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted you. Do you need to finish?" the mayor asked, regaining their attention.

Danny shook his head. "No, I can already tell it's not the right dance."

"Alright, well, while I have you all gathered here, there's something you need to know before the media catches wind of it," the mayor said seriously, tone full of dread.

Those in the room looked alarmed. Danny settled into his 'military persona' as Sam liked to call it–a serious face, back rigid, body poised like a tiger ready to pounce at a moment's notice. "What's going on?" he asked, his deep, rich voice full of command and sending shivers down the goth's spine.

Mark pulled his phone from his pocket and navigated to a saved screen. "It's on the internet already, which means the news will report it at any moment," he explained before giving the phone to the ghost.

Danny took it and Sam stepped a little closer as he pushed play. The gruesome video showed people being hung from stop lights and lamp posts all along the street. Men and women decorated the streets like macabre Halloween decorations.

"Oh my God," Sam said, hand going to her mouth. "Is this what I think it is?"

The mayor nodded solemnly. "They're all dead. From what we can tell it's Mira and her army."

"But why?" Danny asked, gaze lifting from the phone to look at Mark.

"We believe it's part of the 'punishment' for breaking the rules. After carefully combing through CCTV, we can comfortably say all those hanging had, at the very least, broken curfew."

"Wait, she killed people for breaking curfew?" Dash asked, horrified.

Jazz, who was already looking it up, found the video on her phone and turned it on, allowing the others to see it as they gathered around her.

"Dear God…" Vlad breathed as he saw all the people hanging in the streets. "There must be dozens…"

Sam was watching Danny. She could see the panic within him trying to take over–the subtle shake of his hands, the swallowing action of his throat, his chest rising and falling with frightened breaths.

She couldn't hold back Shade any longer, her darker side not only royally pissed that Mira was murdering citizens with wild abandon, but also that it was terrifying Danny so much. "That f*ing c*!" she shouted, startling everyone in the room. "Where the f* does she get off killing innocent people like that?!"

Danny suddenly teleported away.

"Where did he go?" Mark asked, perplexed.

"He panic-poofed," Jazz replied.

The goth raised a brow. "Panic-poofed?"

The redhead shrugged. "Don't look at me, it's what Danny called it."

Sam sighed. "As you know, he and Shade don't really get along," she answered Mark in exasperation. Then, "Danny, she's gone. It's me," she said loudly.

The ghost poofed back in, eyeing her warily.

"I'm sorry. She's getting cabin fever from being locked down for so long," the goth apologized. "It's getting a little harder to reign her in."

"Maybe you need to let her out now and then. You know, like a pet," Tucker suggested. He instinctively ducked at the goth's glare.

"You c* sucking–"

"Shade!" Vlad yelled.

Sam managed to shove Shade down and cover her face in embarrassment. "Please don't antagonize her," she pleaded.

"Let's get back on topic, shall we?" Bruce suggested, adjusting his glasses.

"I'm not sure what you want us to do with the government breathing down our necks," Danny commented.

"That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about," Mark replied, giving the ghost a guilty look. "I shouldn't be here, but I needed to warn you."

The ghost could feel the adrenaline kick in, his limbs getting tingly. "Warn me of what?"

Mark's eyes met his. "The President is going to declare Mira and her gang terrorists and he plans to deploy the military to Amity Park."

"What?" Sam asked, shocked.

"That's awfully drastic, don't you think?" Vlad inquired.

Mark tilted his head and gave the billionaire a defeated look. "That's not even the most drastic part."

"What could be more drastic than martial law?" Jazz asked incredulously.

The mayor pinched the bridge of his nose. "They're going to conscript Danny into the military," he answered before dropping his arm and looking at the ghost. "And no, they're not giving you a choice."

Sam had expected fear from her fiance, not the righteous anger that flared in his eyes. "I won't become a dog of the military," he growled.

The mayor looked sad. "Then they'll reinstate the charges on Sam."

"The government can't blackmail me," the ghost responded with derision.

"Damnit, Danny!" Mark snapped, startling everyone. "I've served in the military, I know exactly what the government is capable of. They will give you a chance to join of your own free will. But if you don't, " he took a step forward but kept a respectful distance as he pointed at the ghost to try and help get his point across. "they will take Sam away. There won't be a trial–no argument presented to a panel of her peers–she'll just be gone. And once they have her, she'll have no rights." He gave Danny an imploring look, begging with his eyes for the ghost to believe him.

"The Guys in White are dying to get their hands on one of the half ghost's, especially one as powerful as Sam. If you don't cooperate, what do you think will happen to her?"

Danny's green eyes widened. He felt frozen in place, terror reaching up from the depths of hell, through the floor, and gripping his ankles with its black, withering hands. "Then what would make them different from Mira?" he asked softly.

Mark sighed. "In my opinion, nothing. But they won't see it that way. To them, you're a tool–a means to an end. You aren't even human, so they feel like they're extending a courtesy by at least asking you to join first."

The mayor looked away and shifted his weight. Finally he shook his head and looked back at Danny. "I tried to reason with them, but I have no power. The ones against you are the ones with power, and they have the President's ear, not me. I shouldn't even be here; if they find out I'll likely be forced to resign. But I felt I had to at least warn you it was coming."

Jazz stood when it was obvious Danny was barely holding it together. She went over to Mayor Roswell and placed a hand on his upper arm. "Thank you for coming to tell us," she said sincerely.

"Do you have any idea when they'll be coming?" Sam asked anxiously.

Mark shook his head. "Not exactly, but likely not long after this video hits the local news stations. The government is going to want to assure people that they're on it, and they can do that more effectively if they can tell the public that Danny Phantom is leading the charge."

"I won't be leading shit," Danny suddenly said, angry. "You know for a fact that the government will be calling the shots while keeping me on a very short leash. I've been there, done that with the whole master thing, and I gotta warn you, it didn't go so well."

"Trust me, I've already relayed all this information. But the government is the government and once they set their mind on something, it's next to impossible to change it."

"This means we need to attune your core as quickly as possible," Sam said, glancing at Danny.

He sighed and tilted his head towards her, though his eyes were cast down. "Yeah," he replied before looking up, gaze settling back on the mayor. "I'm sorry for my outburst. I'm angry, but not at you."

"Honestly, I'd be shocked if you weren't angry," Mark said. "I'll see myself out and let you get back to it."

Once the mayor left the others started talking all at once.

"What does it mean?"

"They can't really make you join the military, right?"

"What about your kids?"

"Are you gonna let them–"

"Enough!"

Danny's outburst startled everyone, his deep, booming voice rattling their eardrums. "The decision is out of our hands. The only thing we can do now is prepare."

"You could refuse," Sam chimed in.

His dark gaze met hers. "Like hell."

She nodded and crossed her arms. "Alright. So what do you want to do?"

"We need to take things step-by-step. First, I need to attune to my core. I'm going to need the extra power when we face Mira, regardless of whether or not I'm the government's dog."

"I've already picked the next dance to try: swing," Sam responded.

"Ooh, that's a good one," Jazz noted, giving them an approving look.

The goth pulled her phone out and pulled up a video before handing it to Danny. "I think we should try this one. It's a different tempo and completely unlike the other dances."

The ghost pushed play and Sam watched his eyes widen when they started dancing. "Damn, right out of the gate, huh?"

She smiled. "Yeah, but you're strong," she chuckled.

His brows furrowed then as he concentrated on the video, watching the chemistry between the dancers and how well they meshed. "I'm not worried about my strength," he remarked absently. "You aren't exactly heavy, anyway. But you're expecting me to pretty much throw you around and my depth perception is way off."

The goth shrugged. "So, you can practice throwing someone else around first. I vote for Dash."

"Excuse me?" the blonde asked, color draining from his face.

Sam watched a small smile play across Danny's face at her joke, though his eyes never left the screen.

"Aww, come on, Dash. I can't drop a pregnant woman," Danny ribbed lightheartedly.

The jock made a face. "I think I feel a week-long migraine coming on."

The ghost chuckled, looking up when the video ended and handing the phone back to Sam. "We can try that one, but I'm definitely going to need practice before possibly dropping you on your face."

–

The group separated not long after. A little bit after that, Danny found himself getting more lessons from Jazz, though he wasn't going to practice throwing her either, considering she was also pregnant.

Instead, they practiced the movements of the dance, as well as a simple game of catch to help Danny's new hand-eye coordination issue. Thankfully, it didn't take long for him to begin to adapt, as if his brain was learning to compensate naturally.

He spent several hours pouring over the dance, going over the details and learning how to counterbalance himself when going through some of the lifts. Of course, without someone to lift, it was mostly internet searches on the subject, but still.

It was evening by the time the pair were ready to try this new dance. Danny was already in the game room waiting on Sam. He was trying to hide his annoyance at once again having an audience, but there was no keeping Tucker away from this. He was just waiting for Danny to drop Sam.

Finally, Danny looked up to see Sam walk in. She was being escorted by Vlad, who was holding her hand in that gentleman-y way male dancers tended to. As they approached, the billionaire spun her once, before letting go of her hand. "Your fiance," he said as if he was handing her over. Sam giggled at the show.

Danny raised a brow at the theatrics. "Okay…"

"He is who I was practicing with," Sam explained. "I should've asked him before now. He's actually really good."

"Really?" Danny asked, glancing at the other ghost who nodded.

"I took some dance lessons back in my day," he replied before finding a seat.

The young man looked back at Sam, noting she was now in black leggings and a black crop top. "No dress this time?"

She shook her head. "This isn't really the kind of dance for a dress."

"Especially not with where his face is going to be," Tucker snickered.

"My virgin ears!" Dash yelled as everyone else made a face or laughed.

"Jesus, Tucker!" Danny snapped, cheeks blazing green.

(Another random interrupting AN: This also has its own video. You can go to Youtube and search for "Thibault and Nicole Ramirez - 1st place showcase - the open swing dance championships 2024" and it should come up. This is the dance Danny and Sam are doing. They start dancing at just after the 0:44 mark. I will partially narrate this one as it's an important one, though many of the moves are very hard to describe. It would be worthwhile to watch the video with it lol.)

Sam was trying–and failing–to not laugh. She decided to cut the poor ghost some slack and started the song, "Another Love", before getting into position. Danny followed her, standing behind and to the side of her.

She could hear his nervous breathing but didn't bring attention to it. She could also feel the chill coming off him in waves, a perfect juxtaposition to the heat she was radiating.

The goth synced her breathing with his and counted in her head. Finally, she moved, Danny doing so as well with impeccable synchronicity. Sam did one spin before they immediately went into a lift, Danny grabbing her leg and lifting her above his head. Her legs spun around his neck before he took over the movements. He then let her drop, but not completely, holding her with an arm around the front of her to her back and spinning with her, her legs never touching the floor.

This move earned a few claps from their audience, but Danny had already tuned them out. As they went through the dance, he found his focus solely on Sam–the way she moved, the graceful lines of her body, her delicate–but deceptively strong–muscles as they flexed in time with the movements.

Something about this dance just felt right. Not only did he feel like he was beginning to understand the rhythm of his core, but it was like he was learning the rhythm of Sam as well; like he was attuning to her soul.

Sam, for her part, felt the same as Danny. Though, she could not understand why it felt like she was attuning her core again. It shouldn't be possible, but it was the same feeling she got when dancing to jian wu.

The lyrics started and they continued through several more spins and dramatic walks across the 'stage'. Then, Danny supported her as she flipped forward, bringing one leg over first before the other. Her hands never touched the ground until she completed the flip, then rolling backwards and bringing her legs up, flinging them forward as Danny pulled on her arm to get her upright again.

They then moved across the floor while Danny helped her spin repeatedly and quickly. He was genuinely impressed with how balanced she was with not a single indication of getting dizzy. She stopped spinning and stepped back, Danny following her.

The song played, "I wanna kiss you, make you feel alright." At this part, the man in the video puts his hands on the woman's neck, coming in close like he might kiss her.

Danny surprised Sam when he not only performed this move, but got close enough for their noses to touch. He didn't kiss her, but he was so close that the only things in her field of view were his eyes. The deep neon glow that emanated from them suggested a well of power hidden within, as well as emotions that ran so deep, she knew she could never reach their depths. He suddenly grinned at her, his eyes lighting up in a way that sent shivers through Sam.

Both could feel their core's awakening.

They continued through the dance, Danny even doing his own little spins. Then came one of the parts Danny felt would be the hardest for him and his depth perception.

They pulled back from each other, Sam taking a few steps away. She then gracefully bent forward, hands on the ground, and swung her legs up over her head towards Danny. He had to duck a little for her legs to land where they should, but then he picked her up and literally threw her into the air above him as she spun.

He caught her perfectly as she came down, helping her right herself in an elegant cartwheel. They could hear cheering from the group, but ignored it for now, continuing through the dance. They did more spins and fancy footwork.

It was when the beat and tempo picked up–the drums joining the song–that their core's began to glow. They went faster with the beat, the spins a little quicker, the movements a little more animated. As they danced, the glow increased, spreading from their chests outward to their limbs.

"Is that attuning?" Dash asked, wonder in his voice.

"They're doing it, they're doing it!" Jazz said excitedly, a large grin on her face. She slapped her husband's good arm in her enthusiasm.

The pair couldn't keep their eyes off each other now. The world fell away and it was just them and the music. Their breaths were in sync and, as they danced and remained in physical contact, they could tell their core frequencies were in sync as well.

They moved effortlessly across the floor before performing another complicated lift where Sam essentially twisted herself up and around his body before he let her down in a near split. As the music slowed, he pulled her up and brought her around to face him, his gentle hand caressing her cheek as they moved around the floor. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes briefly.

Then, as the music began to pick back up, Danny helped Sam spin on one leg, going a little faster each time. Their glow reached its peak now, making it difficult for the others to actually watch the dance.

Danny and Sam didn't care. Their eyes only left each other's when they were forced to during a spin or dance move. They glided across the floor, spinning, sliding and dipping in perfect harmony.

As the song was coming to an end, the ghost grabbed both of her hands as she spun before she bent over backwards. Danny grabbed her leg and helped her go over, the goth landing softly on her chest and rolling up. Danny then swung his leg around her and pulled her with him so she was now under him, arms holding his legs. He grabbed her legs then and swung them up pulling her up and over him so her back rested on his shoulder. Sam then brought her legs around his shoulders before coming down and wrapping her legs around the front of him. He put his arms around her back and she fell backwards, hanging from his hips. Finally, he pulled her back up and she slid slowly down his body, face just an inch from his.

The song ended, their glow faded, and the group erupted.

"That was so cool!" Tucker cheered.

Jazz didn't even give them time to settle down after the dance before she ran over and smothered Sam in a hug the second she let go of Danny. "I knew it! I knew it would work!"

"Can't breathe, Jazz…" Sam croaked out.

Danny surprised his sister by actually touching her. He gently grabbed her arm and pulled her off his fiance before taking his hand back quickly.

"That was a beautiful performance, you two," Maddie said sweetly.

"I couldn't have done it better myself," Vlad added with a smile.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, thanks. Now what?"

Sam shrugged. "Now that you're attuned, you should simply have access to your full power. It came naturally to me when in a fight, so it should probably do the same for you."

"Right," he said absently before he glanced at her with a confused expression. "You were glowing, too. Did you attune?"

"Yeah, it's odd," she started, looking puzzled herself. "I am already attuned to jian wu, so I don't understand why I attuned to this one as well. They aren't the same frequency."

Bruce spoke up, then. "Have you ever considered the possibility that you can attune to two different dances because you are two people?"

The goth gave him a skeptical look. "We're not really two different people though."

"Are you sure?" Vlad asked this time. "Concentrate on your core's pulsing right now–get the feel of the rhythm."

Sam closed her eyes and did as asked, smiling softly at the gentle warmth this frequency emanated.

"Now allow Shade to take over and do it again," the billionaire suggested.

Danny was proud when his core pulse only quickened a little bit at the mention of Shade.

His fiance gave him an apologetic look before allowing her darker half to take over and then focus on her energy pulsing. After a moment, her eyes popped open. "You're right, it does feel different."

"I think you need to start looking at you and Shade as two halves of the same coin. You're essentially one object, but neither side is the same. You each have your own way of thinking, way of speaking, way of fighting, and that translates over to how your core pulses depending on who has control," Bruce explained.

"I agree," Jazz chimed in. "I'm also positive it's Shade who attuned to jian wu, and Sam who attuned to this one. You said you did the dance with Vlad, right?" she asked Sam, who nodded. "But your core didn't light up?" Sam shook her head.

"Then I think you guys could only attune with each other. I don't think it ever would have worked alone or with someone else."

The goth glanced at Danny, noting that his cheeks were as bright as hers probably were. She could also tell he was getting over stimulated, his breathing kicking back in subconsciously, as the group surrounded them.

"Well, I for one, think it's awesome," Tucker said with a grin. He gave Danny a reassuring smile. "See, today didn't turn out to be so bad, huh?"

The goth watched the ghost go rigid as if he was reminded of something painful. "What's today?" she asked.

Jazz winced, before lightly slapping her husband's good arm. "March 21st…" she responded.

Sam's eyes widened. She hadn't even noticed the date. Her gaze went to Danny and, even though his eyes were downcast, she could see him struggling. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

He visibly swallowed before giving her a hollow smile. "Yeah," he lied. "But I think I'm gonna turn in now." He teleported away.

Jazz slapped Tucker again. "Dang it, Tucker! You ruined it!"

–

1/22/25: Rollercoaster of emotions. Sorry! Hopefully you liked this one.

Shade has a potty mouth…