Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ Danny Phantom: Bad Breakup ❯ Danny Phantom: Bad Breakup ( Chapter 1 )

Danny Phantom: Bad Breakup

By Aaron

 

The seats and the stage were already set up on the city square. Within a few short hours, the contest to determine the next “Miss Amity Park” would soon begin. Too look at it from the outside, the event seemed ready to go without a problem to be had. But backstage it was an entirely different story as suddenly, the door burst open from one of the dressing rooms and a dozen half dressed women came running outside screaming in terror!

 

It wasn't hard to see why as a second later, Penelope Spectra came smashing through the wall and slammed into the next wall across the corridor, followed close behind by Danny Phantom! A few well placed blasts of blue ecto-energy were all that was needed and Spectra's hands and feet were pinned to the wall by icy restraints. A few seconds later and Spectra's servant Bertand came crashing through the ceiling in his panther form, followed close behind by the ghost form of Sam Manson, who slammed him hard into the hallway floor, driving her knees into his back and knocking him out before floating over beside Danny.

 

“I really don't know why I'm surprised, Spectra” Danny thought out loud, “Leave it to you to target a beauty contest. It's so obvious.”

 

“Yeah,” Sam chimed in from behind, “You on stage with a gaggle of naïve airheads who define social acceptance based solely on their appearance. You must feel right at home.”

 

“I think the bigger `why' is `why' you even care?!” Spectra growled in Sam's direction, “You…of all people defending a beauty contest?! You don't even LIKE these things!”

 

“This is true,” Sam hinted with a hint of self righteous superiority, “But it's not the contest I'm defending. It's the inalienable right every single person should have to make total fools of themselves.”

 

“Eh, whatever helps you sleep at night, Toots,” Spectra said with a shrug before a surge of ecto-energy explode from her body, shattering Danny's icy manacles and sending both him and Sam flying! Without a pause, Spectra burst forward, slamming Danny into the far wall and pinning him by his throat, ready to strike!

 

“Danny!” Sam wasn't about to waste any time either as she sprang back to her feet, her fist blazing in a cocoon of ecto-energy! And Spectra turned around just in time to get smashed across the face with an ecto-powered punch, sending her flying into another wall at the end of the corridor! By this time, Bertrand had recovered from his fall and lunged at Sam, snarling in his panther form!

 

“Sam!” Danny lunged beside her as he threw his arms out, letting loose with two powerful blasts of blue ecto-energy. Already in mid-leap, Bertrand could only gasp as he took both barrels head on, trapping him in a miniature block of ice. Thinking quickly, Sam whirled around, wrapping Bertrand's icy prison in a pair of her thickest Ghost Ray strands and whipping it over her shoulder to send it flying straight into Spectra, who was still recovering from Sam's punch. The ice shattered on impact as Spectra was smashed back into the far wall, and both she and Bertrand were left crumpled on the floor, half-unconscious as Danny and Sam stood triumphantly over them. A few seconds later, and both were quickly sucked into the Fenton Thermos and sealed away.

 

“Huh,” Danny commented, looking around the hallway, now that he finally had a chance to breathe, “You know, before I had a girlfriend, being backstage at one of these things would have been considered a lifelong ambition of mine.”

 

“And now…?” Sam sounded off behind him, a note of annoyance clear in her voice as she crossed her arms. But Danny didn't feel he had anything to fear as he turned around and gave her a warm smile.

 

“Well…I'm already with the prettiest girl in Amity Park.”

 

“Oh, you totally set me up for that one,” Sam still seemed irritated until she pressed her forehead to Danny's and smiled, “You're lucky I'm in a good mood today.”

 

Danny couldn't help but keep smiling as the two looked into each others' eyes before leaning in and sharing a soft kiss. Meanwhile, if they could have, they would have heard Spectra talking from inside the Fenton Thermos…

 

“You know, I think I liked him a LOT better when he WASN'T dating.”

 

… … … …

 

The day Casper High was beginning more or less as it always had. Danny was sorting his locker, pulling out books as he prepared for his first class. Just then, a pair of arms gently folded around him as their hands softly ran up his chest. Danny didn't even have to look behind him to see who it was and he found himself flashing an affectionate grin as Sam pulled herself close.

 

“Hey Baby,” she breathed in his ear, following up with a soft kiss on the cheek. But suddenly, Danny's expression turned from a smile to an irritated frown.

 

“The answer's no,” he said with an annoyed tone, firmly closing his locker door and phasing through Sam's arms as he walked off down the hall.

 

“What?” Sam stood in the hall with a perplexed look before running up behind him, “All I said was…”

 

“Sam, you only call me `Baby' when you want me to let you get away with something. Forget it!” Danny replied, asserting himself.

 

“Danny, please, you are totally overreacting,” Sam argued.

 

“Oh yeah? What about the steakhouse last month?” Danny shot back, “You `Baby'-ed me then, remember? I think one dancing side of beef for one lifetime is one too many, don't you? And your little stunt with the animals in the Biology Lab the week after? The Janitor's STILL afraid to clean the Science Section alone. Man, I'm starting to see what my future self meant when he said to keep an eye on you.”

 

“Aw, Danny, come on,” Sam tried to plead her case as Danny continued down the hall, “I'm just trying to…”

 

“Sam, NO!” Danny snapped at her before taking a deep breath and calming down, “Sam, I'm sorry, but you've got to understand. When you went and got yourself ghost powers, you knew what that meant. You've got to take responsibility for them. They're not for you to wreak havoc with for your causes or your demonstrations or your protests. You didn't like it when I used my powers for myself and I'm not going to let you do it either. Okay?”

 

Sam could have come back with a defense to Danny's last statement. But as she saw the serious look in his eyes as he frowned at her, all she could do was sigh in response as she hung her head and slumped back against the lockers.

 

“I'm sorry Danny. You're right. I know you're right. I won't do it anymore,” she said, conceding Danny's point. Danny couldn't help but feel more than a little relieved and was about to head back to class before Sam grabbed his shirt and pulled him up against her.

 

“But…you're gonna owe me something,” she added, looking into Danny's eyes with an affectionate smile, “Something BIG.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Danny smiled back warmly, picking up on her hint, “Like what?”

 

“Don't worry, I'll think of something,” Sam replied, pressing her forehead against his, “But for now, this isn't a bad place to start.”

 

There was no point in saying anymore as Danny leaned in, softly nuzzling against her before their lips met in a long, soft kiss. Melting into the moment, Sam let go of Danny's shirt, wrapping her arms around his neck as Danny braced against the lockers with a free hand. In a few more seconds, they would reach the point where the whole world faded and nothing would get their attention. But just as the moment was about to happen…

 

“Eeeewwwwww! Loser Love in the hallways!” the familiar whooping voice snapped Danny and Sam out of the moment, turning to see Paulina and her entourage standing just a few feet away, “Can't you dweebs leave that until after school? It's like watching a couple of animals on the Discovery Channel.”

 

Paulina's friends giggled at her comment. But Danny and Sam clearly weren't as amused as they each gave an irritated look.

 

“`Discovery', huh? That's a big word,” Sam noted acidly, with her arms still around Danny's neck, “You know, you don't sound so dumb.”

 

“Excuse me, Goth Geek,” Paulina retaliated, “But in MY opinion…”

 

“Paulina, you've obviously mistaken me for someone who actually CARES about your opinion!” Sam pulled back from Danny as she fired back, cutting Paulina off.

 

“Sam, come on. Let it go and let's just get to class,” Danny said, putting his hands on Sam's shoulders before taking her hand and walking off. He may have gotten over his crush on Paulina a long time ago, but it still didn't change the fact that nothing was going to be gained by Sam arguing with her. Sam glared over her shoulder as she walked off and Paulina flashed a wicked grin as her friends continued giggling behind her. At that moment, enough was enough. There was no way Sam could just leave it at that as she pulled her hand away from Danny and walked a few steps back towards Paulina.

 

“You know what the really sad thing is, Paulina? Danny's the kind of guy who could have made you really happy if you'd actually been smart enough to grab on to him,” Sam stated with absolute conviction. And Paulina found herself caught slightly off guard as Sam went back to Danny, hugging his arm and heading to class.

 

“Just between you and me,” Sam continued, looking over her shoulder and flashing Paulina a sly grin of her own, “I'm really glad you weren't.”

 

With that, Sam and Danny walked off. This time it was Paulina's turn to glare in frustration as Sam leaned her head on Danny's shoulder and headed to class. And as Danny looked over and noticed a smile crossing Sam's lips, he couldn't help but give an amused grin himself.

 

“You enjoyed that,” he noted with a hollow chuckle.

 

“You'd better believe it,” Sam said with immense satisfaction as her eyes gave an evil glint.

 

It only took a few brief moments for Danny and Sam to get to their first class of the day. There was still another five minutes before classes actually began. Even so, as they peeked inside the classroom and looked down the halls, they couldn't help but notice one person who was quite conspicuous by his absence.

 

“So…where's Tucker?” Sam asked, “Is he not coming to school or what?”

 

“I'm not sure,” Danny replied, “I mean, he SAID he was going to the office today, but if he's THERE…”

 

“Well, I know he's got responsibilities and all,” Sam stated, “And I don't mind bringing him his homework every once in a while. But he'd better start showing up for classes soon. It's not going to be a particularly good shot in the arm if we've got a high school dropout as the mayor.”

 

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” just then, a high pitched shriek came out of nowhere, causing Danny and Sam to whirl around just in time to see Dash Baxter come running down the hall screaming in terror, with his buddy Kwan right behind him, “ALIENS!!! IT'S AN INVASION!!!”

 

Several more students came tearing down the hall in a panic as metallic clanking sound could be heard getting closer. Not wasting a moment, Danny and Sam skidded around the corner to see what everyone was running from. And what they saw only panicked them as well! Lumbering down the hallway, clanging as it went, was a giant black robot, nearly seven feet tall, with a screen in it's chest, a thin red visor for eyes and heavy metal plating! Instantly sensing a threat, Danny and Sam quickly looked around to see if there were any witnesses before they stood their ground, ready for a fight.

 

“WE'RE GOING…!!!”

 

“Hey guys,” Tucker's voice sounded from the robot as his face instantly appeared on the monitor screen in the robot's chest, interrupting Danny and Sam's transformation.

 

“TUCKER?!?!” Danny and Sam blurted out in shock.

 

“Not too shabby, huh?” Tucker announced, sounding slightly giddy.

 

“Tucker, what IS this?” Danny was the first to recover from his shock to ask the question, while Sam still had her jaw hanging open.

 

“Well, I had to start coming to classes SOME-time, right?” Tucker explained, “And since I can't be in the Mayor's Office AND in school at the same time, I had to figure something out. So what do you think…too much? Be honest.”

 

“Oh, I think you passed `too much' about five turns back,” Danny replied with an annoyed tone as his eyes panned up and down at the robot's overly elaborate design. Even Sam was starting to look annoyed, recovering from her astonishment as well.

 

“So…is there ANY of this town's money that you're NOT spending on YOU?” she asked cynically.

 

“Hey, this is TOTALLY for the good of the town,” Tucker argued, “I mean, what ELSE am I going to do, have the limo waiting outside the school all day to drive me to the Mayor's Office and back? At the end of the school year, this thing is gonna end up being WAY cheaper than the cost of a limo service. Besides, I thought you'd appreciate that I'm cutting down on air pollution by not having to be driven everywhere.”

 

“Okay, I've gotta admit, he got you with that one, Sam,” Danny noted with a hint of amusement. But Sam clearly wasn't sharing his humor. And neither were Dash and the other students as they slowly gathered back into the hall to see that Tucker was behind the robot that had been rampaging through the school.

 

“Foley? Is that you?” Dash blurted out, growing angrier by the second that Tucker of all people was responsible for scaring him so badly, “Okay, you'd better hope that thing doubles as a casket, `cause you're dead, Geek!!!”

 

Without even thinking, as was his typical nature, Dash charged forward towards the giant machine, forgetting that it was a robot he was about to throw his fist at and not ACTUALLY Tucker. As Danny and Sam jumped out of the way, the only sounds that could be heard a second later were the low bonging sound of metal and the wet crunching of bones as Dash's fist smashed square into the robot's stomach! A high pitched whine later was all that Dash seemed able to utter until he clutched his hand a moment later and began jumping around the halls, screaming in pain! This dance went on for several moments before he turned around, glaring at Tucker's image on the screen.

 

“Oooooohhh…you've won THIS round, Foley! But I'll be back!” he whimpered defiantly before running down the hall, wailing for his injured hand. Kwan immediately took off after him and the rest of the students immediately dispersed as Danny, Sam and Tucker could only look on in complete disbelief at what Dash had just tried to do.

 

Danny, however, was the first to lose his composure as he started snickering a few moments later. Then suddenly, all three of them burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. It was several long moments before they were finally able to stop themselves. In fact, Danny was laughing so hard, he had to lean against Tucker's robot to stay on his feet, while Sam was doubled over, clutching her sides.

 

“Okay, okay…I take it back,” Sam giggled, having to wipe tears from her eyes because she'd been laughing so hard, “That was TOTALLY worth every cent.”

 

… … … …

 

Floating through the swirling mass of the Ghost Zone, with Bertrand close behind, Penelope Spectra was still seething from the crushing defeat Danny and Sam had handed her just the other day. As she continued to glare and groan and gnash her teeth, she looked like a bomb ready to blow. All it would take to set her off would be just one word uttered in her direction. And as it turned out, that word was supplied by none other than Ember Mclain, who was getting in a little guitar practice as Spectra floated past her.

 

“Well, well, back so soon?” Ember said tauntingly, strumming away, “I guess things at the pageant didn't turn out like you thought, huh?”

 

That was all Spectra needed to hear as she exploded into her shadow form, glaring at Ember with blazing hands!

 

“DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT STARTING WITH ME, YOU TONE-DEAF LITTLE…!!!!”

 

“YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?!?!?!” Ember screeched back, brandishing her guitar and ready to blast a few chords!

 

“UPUPUPupupupup! Let's all play nice,” Bertrand threw himself between them Spectra and Ember, turning Spectra around and slowly pushing her away in a feeble attempt to diffuse the situation, “Now, come on, let's just move along. Everything's fine. Nothing to see here.”

 

In a rare moment, Spectra conceded to Bertrand's wishes as she allowed him to lead her away. After all, she knew it wasn't Ember she had the problem with. But even that moment of clarity wasn't enough to quell her frustration as she continued floating aimlessly through the Ghost Zone. After a few moments, she completely forgot that Bertrand was with her. She didn't even notice that Ember was actually following behind them now, looking on curiously.

 

“This is absolutely ridiculous!” she ranted, getting the attention of other ghosts as she floated past, “As if things weren't bad enough when it was just that scrawny punk kid we had to worry about! Now his little girlfriend is running around with ghost powers too! And ever since they teamed up, they've been mowing us down, one after another! How are we supposed to get ANYTHING accomplished as long as THOSE two are together?!”

 

Just then, the familiar roar of a guitar blasted off behind her, causing Spectra to turn around in a rage! But her expression immediately turned to surprise as Ember stood just a few paces away, along with a group of other familiar faces who'd been drawn in by Spectra's commotion.

 

“Well, if them being together is the problem…we'll just have to make sure they're not together anymore,” Ember stated menacingly as she and the other ghosts flashed sinister grins. And as she picked up on their hint, Spectra couldn't help but flash an evil smile herself.

 

… … … …

 

First period had gone by fairly uneventfully. Or at least, as uneventfully as could be expected once everyone had more or less adapted to a giant robot lumbering in and out of the classroom. “Tucker” had already moved on to the next class and Danny was waiting outside for Sam, who was still getting her books together. Not surprisingly, Dash and a bunch of the school jocks were dragging their feet in preparation for the next class. A perfect opportunity that could not have been asked for better as Ember floated invisibly out the window.

 

“Okay, Danny-Boy,” she said and she tuned her guitar to a familiar heart-shaped symbol, “Let's see how much you like dating the school's brand new guy magnet.”

 

Smiling wickedly, Ember went into action, blowing a silent chord through the classroom. Silent enough for Sam not to notice, but effective enough to touch the simple minds of Dash and all the other jocks still dawdling behind. And suddenly, as they looked over at Sam, they all instantly became enchanted. Sam still hadn't noticed anything at first, but as she heard the sounds of movement behind her, she turned around to see all the guys just a few steps away, staring at her in an infatuated daze.

 

“Uh…hello?” Sam responded, raising a suspicious eyebrow, “Is there…something you want?”

 

“Aw man, you're hot,” Dash murmured as he and the other jocks behind him sighed in unison.

 

“Eeewww? Did you just…come onto me?” Sam replied, wincing in disgust. And she only felt even more nauseated as Dash reached out and started stroking her hand.

 

“Hey Babe, want to go out and do something tonight?”

 

“Back off, Dude! She's mine!” Kwan interrupted, tearing Dash's hands away.

 

“Oh yeah?!”

 

Within seconds, all the guys in the room were going at it in a heated shoving match. This was more than enough reason for Sam to make herself scarce. But not before she grabbed a wet nap from her backpack and began furiously wiping down the hand Dash had just been touching.

 

“Okay, this is enough weirdness for right now. And you guys were weird enough,” she stated, throwing the wet nap in the trash, “I've gotta get to my next class now.”

 

“SAM, NO!!!” all the guys shouted together as Sam made a mad dash out of the classroom.

 

“Sam?” Danny exclaimed as she ran right past him, as fast as her legs could carry her. The jocks were all out the door seconds later, hot on her heels. All except for Dash, who stayed behind just long enough to grab Danny by his shirt and slam him into the wall!

 

“Back off Fenton! She's my girl now!” Dash yelled threateningly before dropping Danny to the floor and joining the other jocks in the chase.

 

“Okay…what was THAT about?” Danny thought out loud, although he was every bit as annoyed as he was confused. Acting fast, he dove into the far wall, phasing through to the hallway on the other side so he could grab Sam just before the jocks rounded the corner. Phasing her into the lockers, Danny held her close as the jocks ran straight past them down the hallway, each of the desperately calling Sam's name.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked, still holding her tightly. Sam, meanwhile, was feeling far too panicked to enjoy the closeness.

 

“Danny, I swear, I have no idea what happened!” she blurted out, trying desperately to avoid a misunderstanding, “They just all started acting crazy!”

 

Just then, a cold chill passed through them both as they each felt their breath turn icy on each others' lips. And once the familiar feeling of their Ghost Sense kicked in, Danny's face instantly formed an angry scowl.

 

“Oh, I think I'VE got a pretty good guess.”

 

Still floating overhead outside Casper High, Ember was feeling her own irritation as she noticed the jocks out in the schoolyard, each of them looking around tirelessly for any trace of Sam. All she could do as she looked on was groan and shake her head.

 

“Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. They lost her ALREADY?!” she thought out loud angrily, “Oh, why are the cute ones always so stupid?”

 

“Hey!! Now THAT'S not fair!!” Danny called out behind her, causing Ember to turn around just in time to receive a pair of Ghost Rays in the chest, sending her flying! Shaken for a moment, Ember managed to stop herself in mid-air as she reached behind her and brandished her guitar, itching for a fight. But it wasn't what Sam was about to give her as she whipped out a pair of Ghost Ray strands from behind Ember, lashing around her guitar and holding it fast. Instantly taking notice, Ember turned to Sam, her eyes glowing in anger, which was enough of a distraction for Danny to make his move, firing a bolt of blue ecto-energy and enveloping Ember in a chunk of ice. And before Ember could even think of breaking free, Danny pulled out a Fenton Thermos and quickly sucked her in, bringing the fight to an end.

 

“I mean, come on,” Danny added, “My girlfriend's cute. And SHE'S got a pretty good head on her shoulders.”

 

“Hey, I could say the same thing about you,” Sam replied with a warm smile before she leaned in and shared a soft peck on the lips with Danny. With that, the pair landed behind a tree and quickly changed out of their ghost forms, walking out just in time to see the jocks snapping out of Ember's spell.

 

“Eeuuh, hey…what are we doing out here?” Dash asked in a daze as he and the other jocks shared confused looks. After a few shrugs and shaken heads, the group turned around and began lumbering back inside.

 

“Well, that takes care of that,” Sam commented before taking an uneasy glance at the Fenton Thermos, “But…I don't get it. This isn't really Ember's style.”

 

“I know,” Danny agreed, looking at the Thermos himself before exchanging a bewildered glance with Sam, “I mean, what did she think she was trying to do?”

 

… … … …

 

It was several hours later and lunch hour was just about to begin. Sam had already loaded her plate with all the vegetables and soy she could get her hands on and was patiently waiting for Danny to join her. But after a few moments, what she got were some unexpected table guests as Paulina and her friends suddenly appeared and towered over her.

 

“Yes?” Sam noted with an irritated tone, “And what exactly do YOU want?”

 

“Oh, nothing much,” Paulina replied with an air of smugness, “Just to tell you that your so-called `perfect boyfriend' is nothing but a wandering-eyed lothario.”

 

“Excuse me…Danny? MY Danny? Hey, I don't think so,” Sam said dismissively, actually fighting the urge to laugh. That is, until Paulina and each of her friends slapped a piece of paper on the table in front of her.

 

“Read `em and weep, dweeb,” Paulina stated. Picking up one of the sheets, Sam scanned over the words for a few moments as a confused expression began to cross her face.

 

“Excuse me, I'll be right back,” Sam said, as she ran out of the lunchroom, followed by the giggles of Paulina and her friends. Little did they know that Sam meant what she said about being right back as she phased back up through the floor, invisibly grabbing her tray and unceremoniously dumping her food on their heads. As Paulina and the others screamed in disgust, Sam went back to her search for Danny, who was out in an adjoining hallway with Valerie Gray and Tucker's robot.

 

“So what do you think?” Tucker spoke through the monitor, referring to the red beret and the thick glasses now on the robot's head, “Does this make him look less conspicuous?”

 

“WOOOOW-TUCKER. IT'S-LIKE-I-CAN'T-EVEN-TELL-YOU'RE-NOT-REALLY-HERE-AT-ALL,” Danny replied in a sarcastic monotone, causing Valerie to laugh out loud.

 

“Alright, alright, you've made your point,” Tucker said, clearly annoyed. It was at that moment that Sam came running down the hall.

 

“Hey, Sam,” Danny greeted, “I was just on my way to the lunchroom now.”

 

“Forget that. It can wait,” Sam replied with concern, “Valerie, have you received an e-mail from Danny today?”

 

“I don't see how,” Danny replied, “Considering I never sent her one.”

 

“Just check, please?” Sam asked. The tone of her voice made it clear to Valerie how important it was as she pulled out a PDA and went online.

 

“Hey, you're right,” she replied a few moments later, “There IS an e-mail from Danny here.”

 

“How did that happen?” Danny thought out loud, “I never sent any e-mails today.”

 

“Just read it,” Sam replied, “Trust me, almost every other girl in school has.”

 

Opening the message, Valerie took a few moments to look it over as her eyes widened in bewilderment.

 

“Hey Baby. It is I, Danny Fenton, the Sultan of smooches, the He-Man of heartthrobs…?” Valerie started to read out loud before turning over to Danny, “Okay, setting aside my disgust for the moment that you would send something like this when you've already got a girlfriend, I have to say…PEEE-EEUUWW. You actually WRITE like this?”

 

“No…he doesn't,” Tucker replied seriously, looking over at Danny through the monitor.

 

“But we know someone who DOES,” Danny scowled as he exchanged knowing looks with Tucker and Sam, “Tucker, tell me this monstrosity of yours has Internet access.”

 

“Full satellite AND Wi-Fi hookup,” Tucker announced proudly.

 

“Good, because we've got some surfing to do,” Danny announced as he and Sam jumped behind the robot and transformed. Danny would take Sam's hand a second later before preparing to overshadow Tucker's robot.

 

“Okay, this is going to feel a little weird at first, but you'll get used to it,” Danny explained before they both phased inside. Within moments, Sam found herself for the first time in the actual electrical bustle of the digital world.

 

“Whoa,” she blurted out, unprepared for the sensation, “It…kinda tingles a bit.”

 

“Are you okay?” Danny asked out of concern, seeing as how Sam had never done anything like this before.

 

“I'm cool. Let's just do this,” Sam replied, sticking to the task at hand. And within moments, the two were blasting through the worldwide web at lightning speed. Within moments, they reached Danny's e-mail account, and weren't the least bit surprised to find none other than Technus himself messing up the works, sending out e-mails as his shrill nasal laugh rang out.

 

“Excellent! Excellent! Soon, the ghost boy's love life will be completely on the rocks, because I, TECHNUS, Master of…what? AAAAHHHHH!” Technus' gloating was cut off as he was wrapped up by one of Sam's Ghost Ray strands and yanked away. Suddenly, Tucker's robot began to shudder and quake and Valerie found herself feeling a little uncomfortable to be around it. That is until Technus was blasted from the robot's frame and sent flying down the hallway screaming.

 

“You've got a LOT of nerve pulling a stunt like this, pal!” Danny shouted menacingly as he and Sam emerged from the robot, glaring in Technus' direction.

 

“Ah HAAA! You are far too late child!” Technus began to gloat again, “Because I, TECHNUS, have…!”

 

“SHUT!!! UP!!!” Danny and Sam yelled out as Danny blasted Technus full force with a pair of searing Ghost Rays. And Sam immediately followed up by wrapping Technus up in a Ghost Ray strand before yanking him towards her and nearly taking his head off with an ecto-powered punch in the face, putting him flat on his back. A second later, Danny pulled out the Fenton Thermos and sucked Technus up, bringing the fight to a quick and most welcome end.

 

“I don't believe this! Twice in one day!” Danny exclaimed as he and Sam changed back, “First Ember gets all the jocks chasing after Sam and now Technus has me e-hitting on every girl in school!”

 

“Man, you'd think they were trying to break you guys up or something,” Tucker replied thoughtfully. But no sooner did the words escape his lips than Danny and Sam looked at each other in shock. At that moment, it was so obvious what was going on.

 

“Danny, I think he's right.”

 

“I know.”

 

“They ARE trying to break us up!!!”

 

… … … …

 

School had just let out and Danny and Sam were sitting on the roof of Casper High. All they could do was stare down at the school grounds with a look of annoyance at the sight that greeted them. Just when they thought they'd seen it all, who should be down in the schoolyard but the Box Ghost dressed in clothes that looked like Danny's, trying to pick up every girl who was passing by!

 

“Hello pretty lady. Would you like to go out on a date with me…uuuhhhh,” the Box Ghost paused as he had to check a flash card in the palm of his hand to remember who he was trying to pose as, “Oh, yeah, me…Dan-ny…Fen-ton? BEWARE!!!”

 

“Ewww! Get away from me, Loser!” the girl snapped back as she slapped the Box Ghost hard across the face.

 

“Ow! I am no loser!” The Box Ghost retaliated, “You will tremble before me, for I am The Box…no wait…uuuhhhh, oh yeah…Dan-ny Fen-ton! Hey, there, other pretty lady. Would you like to go out with me…uuuhhhh…”

 

“Dweeb!” the next girl shouted.

 

“Ow!” The Box Ghost shouted as he was slapped again. Meanwhile, Danny and Sam could only look on, both sighing in unison.

 

“O-kay,” Sam commented dryly, “This has officially got to stop.”

 

“I know,” Danny groaned in agreement, “But what are we going to do? I mean, let's face it, they all look pretty determined. They're not about to leave us alone unless we ACTUALLY break up.”

 

“Maybe…Or at least until it LOOKS like we actually broke up,” Sam replied, looking over at Danny with a thoughtful gaze. Danny looked back over to her and immediately became concerned, picking up on her hint.

 

“Sam…you realize what you're asking, right?” he said.

 

“I know,” Sam answered, showing that she was taking the idea seriously, “But what choice do we have? They're NOT going away, Danny.”

 

“Well…I guess it's worth a try,” Danny said, taking Sam's hand in his, “But if we do this, we have to be 100 percent together on this one, because we're going to have to be completely on the same page every step of the way.”

 

Danny and Sam took a brief moment, looking into each others' eyes before they moved in and shared a long, soft kiss. But unlike their previous kisses, THIS one, they KNEW had to be savored. It was probably the last one they were going to get to have for a while. After letting it last as long as they thought they could, their lips finally parted. And with that, they turned their attention back to the Box Ghost's antics in the schoolyard.

 

“So,” Sam wondered, still irritated, “How much longer do we let him get away with THIS sickening display?”

 

“Aw, let him get smacked around a few more times,” Danny replied.

 

“Ow!” The Box ghost could be heard yelling as yet another girl slapped him across the face.

 

… … … …

 

“You know, in some way, I can't help but feel that this is partly MY fault,” Spectra stated in an annoyed tone as Bertrand, Ember, Technus and a freshly battered Box Ghost floated behind her over Casper High, “I just assumed that when you all came to me with this idea, that you had, you know…AN ACTUAL PLAN?!?!?!”

 

“Hey, who knew breaking up a couple of hormone driven kids would be so tough?!” Ember retaliated, “YOU'RE the misery expert here! Why don't YOU cook something up?!”

 

“I don't want to hear it anymore Sam!” Danny's yell interrupted Ember and Spectra's argument as the group looked down to see another argument taking place as Danny walking out of the school with Sam right behind him.

 

“Hey, it's not like this is MY fault!” Sam shouted back, “They're YOUR enemies! Why can't you do something about this?!”

 

“Hey, don't even THINK about passing the buck onto ME here, Sister!” Danny argued, “You've been picking fights with them too, you know!”

 

“Yeah, well you've known them longer!” Sam argued back and the two of them turned their backs to each other in a huff before having one of their odd unison moments.

 

“SOMETIMES I JUST CAN'T STAND BEING AROUND YOU!”

 

“OH YEAH?!?!?!”

 

“WELL THEN, MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T BE TOGETHER ANYMORE!!!”

 

“FINE!!!”

 

“BE THAT WAY!!!”

 

And with that, the pair stormed off in opposite directions, leaving the group of ghosts floating in the sky, all of them more than a little bewildered.

 

“Well…that was convenient!” Technus announced as Danny and Sam stomped away. Spectra, however, could only look on with a suspicious gaze.

 

“Yes…`convenient' is EXACTLY the word for it,” she replied with a frown, “We'd better check into this.”

 

Keeping a mad face on as she trudged home, Sam walked up the steps and stepped inside, only to lean against the door and breathe a sigh of relief. Hopefully, that little act she and Danny put on outside the school would be enough to get their would-be saboteurs off their backs.

 

“Hello Samantha. So, how was school today?” Pamela Manson greeted her daughter with her usual chirpy air. Just then, Sam could feel her ghost sense kick in as Ember peered at her invisibly through the wall beside her. Instantly getting back into character, Sam decided to really pour it on as her bottom lip suddenly quivered.

 

“I don't want to talk about it!” she sobbed as she ran upstairs, wailing, leaving Pamela and Jeremy Manson to look at each other perplexed. Running into her room, Sam slammed the door and jumped onto her bed, crying into her pillow. Something Spectra was quick to note as she peered through the wall of Sam's bedroom. It all seemed legit, but she couldn't help but give a suspicious shrug as drew her head back and disappeared. With her spies sufficiently ditched, at least for the moment, Sam turned away from her pillow and gave a light smile of satisfaction.

 

… … … …

 

Walking into one of the boys' bathrooms, Danny ran a quick scan of the area to make sure absolutely no one else was inside. Once he was sure he was alone, he walked into one of the stalls and latched it, crouching on the toilet seat before rattling off a quick number on his cell phone's speed dial.

 

“Coast clear,” Sam's voice whispered on the other end.

 

“Yeah, at least for now,” Danny replied quietly. And as soon as he hung up, Sam phased through the wall beside him. Feeling intensely relieved, they hugged each other tightly before sharing a much needed kiss.

 

“Are you okay?” Danny asked warmly, softly caressing Sam's cheek.

 

“I'm holding up,” Sam replied, trying to put up a tough front, but definitely sounding drained, “Danny, it's been two days and they've still got us under a microscope. I don't think they're buying it.”

 

“I know,” Danny sighed, “But let's just try and give it a little more time.”

 

“That's easy for you to say,” Sam replied, “At least YOU'VE got the Ghost Shield so you can give yourself a break once in a while. I've had to spend the last two days having temper tantrums and crying fits at the drop of a hat. I never realized that pretending to break up with someone could be so exhausting. You know, I'm starting to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.”

 

“I'm starting to think you're right,” Danny agreed, “We never came up with an exit strategy for this. Of course, we never actually thought we'd need it.”

 

“Well, I'd better get back,” Sam noted with a shrug before actually looking around at their surroundings, “You know, this bathroom really is a dump. Are all the boys' rooms like this?”

 

“Why? What are the girls' rooms like,” Danny asked curiously.

 

“Oh…sorry, trade secret,” Sam said with an amused smirk before she reached out and softly started caressing Danny's hand, sighing as her mood turned somber again, “I really don't know how much longer I can be apart from you like this. I miss you, Danny.”

 

“I miss you too,” Danny answered solemnly as the two leaned in, sharing another soft kiss before Sam retreated back through the wall. And as the two walked outside at the same time, their Ghost Senses instantly kicked in as Spectra and the others spied on them invisibly. Getting back into their roles, they both glared at each other before walking off separately in a huff.

 

… … … …

 

“Danny, wait up!” Tucker's voice called out, pausing Danny's trudging as his limo pulled up beside him. Tucker and Valerie would pop her heads out of the sun roof a second later.

 

“Danny, can we talk to you for a second? It's about you and Sam,” Valerie stated. Just then, Danny's Ghost Sense kicked in as he felt his tails on him once again. And sure enough, floating just overhead, were the Box Ghost and Technus, keeping themselves invisibly concealed.

 

“I don't want to talk about it,” he said dismissively, starting to walk away.

 

“Dude, it's been two days,” Tucker chimed in, “I don't know what you're fighting about, but it's not like you guys have never had a fight before. You're usually making out like, an hour later. Look, why don't the two of you just…?”

 

“I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!” Danny snapped at them before storming off down the block, leaving a perplexed Valerie and Tucker at the side of the road.

 

Walking upstairs to his bedroom, Danny dropped his backpack by the door and flopped onto his bed. Forced with the thought of facing another day without Sam, he had to wonder just how much more he could really take. And having to keep their friends in the dark wasn't making him feel any better. Looking over at all the framed photos of him and Sam together lying face down on his bedside table, all Danny seemed able to do was let out a mournful sigh. Just then, his Ghost Sense took hold once again and he found himself rolling his eyes in aggravation as he knew he had to get into character again. But suddenly…

 

“Hey Danny!” came Danielle's cheery voice as her head popped up through Danny's mattress!

 

“WHOA!!” Danny cried out, almost falling out of bed, “Danielle, what are you doing here!”

 

“I thought I'd come over and surprise you,” Danielle replied as she floated upward and started happily jumping on his bed, “So…you and Sam want to do something tonight? Go find some ghosts to bust? Come on, it'll be fun!”

 

Just then, Danny felt another chill of his ghost sense as Bertrand peered invisibly through the walls. And suddenly, his attitude turned every bit as cold.

 

“Hmph! Sam? Sam who?” he said with an irritated frown as he turned over, away from Danielle.

 

“What?” Danielle asked curiously, starting to feel less chipper even though she was still jumping on Danny's bed, “Did you guys have a fight or something?”

 

“It's none of your business,” Danny replied, feeling down more out of shame than acting at that point. As if he wasn't being unfair enough to Tucker and Valerie by not telling them the truth, now he had to drag Danielle into this as well. Danielle, meanwhile, had stopped jumping up and down and slumped to her knees on the bed, feeling her joy being slowly stripped away.

 

Just then, a familiar cold chill passed through her body as well. Even though her molecular structure had been stabilized and strengthened with Jack Fenton's Ecto-Dejecto, Danielle's Ghost Sense still wasn't as developed as Danny's, so sensing Bertrand's presence took her a few more seconds. As Bertand phased through the upstairs floor, Danielle poked her head through the floor as well and caught a glimpse of him heading down the hall to the Fenton Portal in the basement. And at that moment, her face took on a determined frown. Meanwhile, Danny was able to sense Bertrand's departure and felt a need to make things right.

 

“Look, Danielle, there's something I have to tell you, but you have to promise not to tell…Danielle?” Danny looked around as he noticed Danielle had curiously disappeared. Assuming that Danielle had left, he could only hang his head in guilt for not being able to tell her the truth.

 

Flying to Sam's house at top speed, Danielle was already coming up with her own theories as to what was going on. And sure enough, once she got there, she saw Ember McLain flying from the scene and peered inside to see Sam curled up on her bed, hugging one of her framed pictures of her and Danny together and sobbing uncontrollably. The sight of Sam crying only made Danielle angrier as she started coming up with a plan of action. But if too many ghosts were involved, she wouldn't be able to do it alone. She'd need help. And it wouldn't be long before she found it as she spotted Valerie walking home for the evening.

 

“Psst, Valerie,” Danielle's strangely familiar voice whispered in Valerie's ear as she turned towards a nearby alley to see Danielle emerge from a row of garbage cans.

 

“Hey, you're Danny's cousin, right?” Valerie noted.

 

“Right,” Danielle answered, “Danny told me a while ago that you found out about his ghost powers, so I'm not so worried about talking to you like this. Look, it's about Danny and Sam…”

 

“Yeah, about that,” Valerie stated, feeling somewhat uncomfortable to talk about it, “Look kid, they're…kinda going through some problems right now.”

 

“Yeah, I know. And I think I know why,” Danielle explained, “Do you know anything about some ghosts hanging around their homes?”

 

“Well, I know a couple days ago, a couple of them tried to…” Valerie cut herself off as she started putting two and two together for herself. Looking at Danielle for a moment, her shock quickly faded as she glared in anger.

 

“We need to see Tucker. Now.”

 

… … … …

 

Bertrand was floating through the Ghost Zone, feeling very pleased with himself at how things had gone. After three days of constant surveillance, he was starting to feel that Danny and Sam's breakup was indeed on the level. And even though he had nothing to do with the actual breakup itself, he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of accomplishment, nonetheless.

 

Just then, a Ghost Ray came streaking out of nowhere, hitting Bertrand from behind and sending him flying into one of the many boulders littering the Ghost Zone! Before he could recover from the attack, Danielle came speeding in, slamming into Bertrand hard and pinning him to the boulder with her arm across his neck!

 

“Alright…Danny and Sam…I don't know how you did it, but I know you were in on it!” Danielle stated threateningly as a blazing hand was aimed point blank at Bertrand's head, “Now where's your boss?”

 

… … … …

 

“A toast! To the age old tradition of Divide and Conquer!”

 

Penelope Spectra had every right to feel boastful as she raised a glass in victory. As soon as she felt certain that Danny and Sam's breakup was mutual, she had gathered a celebration on behalf of Danny's enemies. Skulker, who had willingly offered the hospitality of his island for the party sat with his arm around Ember, who was at the head table with Spectra, Technus and even the Box Ghost. Johnny 13, Kitty and Shadow were in attendance as well. Even Youngblood and Desiree, the Wishing Ghost had shown up. And they were all feeling more than satisfied with the results of the last few days.

 

“So…why are you still dressed like that?” Ember noted as she noticed the Box Ghost still dressed in Danny's clothes.

 

“I feel comfortable this way!” the Box Ghost replied and Ember could only roll her eyes in annoyance.

 

“Speech! Speech!” came sudden calls from the crowd. And Spectra was only too happy to oblige as she rose to her feet, once again holding up a glass. But she stood a moment longer, savoring the adulation for as long as she could before she began to speak.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very exciting time! The time of getting back a level playing field after months of getting the shaft! Yes, from this day on, things are going to be al…!”

 

Just then, a small explosion cut off Spectra's words as Bertrand smashed into the ground in front of their table! Struggling to get to his feet, his twitching body looked as though it had just been stampeded by a herd of elephants.

 

“What happened to YOU?!” Spectra exclaimed, only to look around to see that everyone else was one step ahead of her, looking up into the sky. And as she looked up as well, Spectra was not happy to see Danielle floating over the celebration, her eyes glowing in rage!

 

“I'll give you one guess!” Danielle shouted back down.

 

“You again,” Spectra muttered under her breath before he voice rose to a yell, “Just who ARE you anyway?!”

 

“Danny Fenton's my cousin! And Sam Manson's my friend!” Danielle announced. And as if her presence wasn't surprise enough, she was quickly joined by the armored form of Valerie Grey and Tucker's glaring face from the monitor of his giant robot!

 

“Anyone who messes with them…!” Valerie stated.

 

“…messes with US!” Tucker finished as his robot's hand flashed out, firing a massive laser blast that blew away the entire setup for the ghosts' party!

 

“Whoa,” Valerie commented in awe of the robot's firepower, “You really tricked that thing out, huh?”

 

“What can I say?” Tucker replied, feeling a little smug, “It helps to expect the unexpected.”

 

“Enough talk!” Danielle interrupted as the three looked back down to see the ghosts standing in the dust and rubble of Tucker's attack, their eyes burning with anger. Not wasting another moment, Danielle, Valerie and Tucker yelled out as they charged into battle!

 

… … … …

 

Hugging his knees as he sat up in bed, Danny couldn't help but still feel guilty for dragging Danielle into his and Sam's little scheme. She didn't deserve to be lied to like that. And neither did Tucker or Valerie, for that matter. And on top of everything, he'd been forced to spend three days away from Sam. The more Danny thought about it, the more he was starting to realize that this plan of theirs was turning into a huge mistake. By trying to pretend the bad guys had won, he and Sam were the only ones losing. Just then, he felt the chill of his Ghost Sense creeping up on him again.

 

“Oh man, not again!” He thought out loud, feeling more than a little irritated. Just then, a swirling green mass appeared just from the foot of his bed and into his room stepped an all-too familiar figure!

 

“Frostbite?!” Danny exclaimed, “What are you doing here?”

 

“Great One, this portal to your realm only lasts a few moments, so I must make this brief,” Frostbite replied, his voice showing concern as he clutched the Infi-Map tightly in his hand, “I have heard whispers in the Ghost Zone of your relation, Danielle.”

 

“Danielle? Why? What happened?!” Danny immediately hopped out of bed in response.

 

“The rumors speak of her and two of your servant friends,” Frostbite continued, “It is said they are rampaging through the Ghost Zone on quest of revenge. I fear they will be in grave danger if they are not stopped soon.”

 

Danny didn't need to hear anymore, having a pretty good idea what this so-called “quest of revenge” was really all about. Not wasting a second longer, he quickly transformed as he looked at Frostbite with a determined glare.

 

“We need to get Sam.”

 

… … … …

 

Within seconds, Skulker's island had turned from a hunting ground to a battleground as Danielle, Valerie and Tucker, controlling his giant robot, raged against Danny's rogue's gallery. The element of surprise had worked well for them at first, but considering that they were outnumbered and outgunned, the tide of battle was quickly turning against them.

 

“Of all the things to get bent out of shape over!” Spectra called out as she unleashed a pair of Ghost Rays, “You need to seriously get your priorities straight, brat!”

 

“This IS a priority!” Danielle shouted back, unleashing a barrage of her own from behind a nearby rock, “You had no right to do what you did to them!”

 

“They'd finally gotten together! They were happy!!” Tucker yelled through his robot's monitor as it fired lasers at anything that moved!

 

“Oh, now you're just getting mushy!” Ember taunted as she jumped right into the line of fire, blasting a volley of giant fist chords form her guitar.

 

“No we're not!” Valerie argued, swiftly dodging Ember's blasts with her rocket sled, “A lot of people SAY they're made for each other, but those two really ARE! OR at least they WERE, until you all started up and…AAAHHH!”

 

Valerie's rant was cut off as a well placed Ghost Ray from Youngblood sent her flying off her rocket sled. Acting quickly on it's programming, the sled managed to jet back down and catch her before she hit the ground, but not in time for her to get away as a barrage of Ghost Rays were coming straight towards her, Danielle and Tucker's robot! But just as the Ghost Rays were about to hit, Tucker's robot quickly got behind Valerie and Danielle and threw up a ghost shield just large enough to protect them all.

 

“Wow,” Valerie found herself surprised again as the Ghost Rays exploded harmlessly outside the shield, “You really are ready for anything, aren't you?”

 

“Well, not quite `everything'!” Tucker replied uneasily from the robot's monitor, “This Ghost Shield was only designed for minor cover protection! Ten seconds per use, at the most!”

 

“Oh, you've gotta be kidding,” was all Valerie could say in response as she rolled her eyes. A moment later, the Ghost Shield went down just as another wave of Ghost Rays tore through the sky and exploded around the exposed trio!

 

Everything was quiet as the dust began to settle. Danielle was keeping her arms in front of her face, but after a few moments, she began to realize she hadn't been blown up yet! Looking back, she, Valerie and Tucker could only look in disbelief at the 10-foot pillar of ice that was suddenly standing in front of them! Spectra and the other ghosts could only look on in shock too, but it was the images of Danny, Sam and Frostbite each glaring in the settling haze that demanded their attention more! And before any of them could react, Danny was already taking a deep breath and unleashing his Ghostly Wail, sending every one of them flying before settling once more into silence.

 

“Hey guys,” Sam greeted as she and Danny turned to Danielle and the others with a smile.

 

“Danny? Sam?” Danielle was overjoyed as she came flying out from behind the ice, hugging them both around their necks.

 

“You okay, kiddo?” Danny replied as Danielle wasn't about to let them go. Meanwhile, Tucker and Valerie were showing equal expressions of relief, but for somewhat different reasons.

 

“So…what? You guys are back together now?” Tucker asked, his voice sounding hopeful. It was at that point that Danny and Sam both rolled their eyes and sighed.

 

“We were never broken up,” Sam explained, “But WE thought if THEY thought we were broken up, then maybe they'd stop…trying to break us up.”

 

“We were fighting so those losers would get off our backs,” Danny said simply.

 

“And…you didn't tell us…why?” Valerie stated, sounding annoyed as she was getting the distinct impression that she'd just been roped into a wild goose chase.

 

“Well, we wanted to,” Sam replied, trying to sound apologetic, “But they were eyeballing us 24-7. So we…never had the chance.”

 

“So…you guys are still together?” Danielle asked, feeling much more at ease.

 

“Joined at the hip,” Sam answered as she and Danny looked at each other before leaning in and sharing a warm, soft kiss. Meanwhile, Tucker and Valerie could only smile, both of them too touched by the tender moment to complain.

 

“I wanted to try and tell you earlier,” Danny added, turning to Danielle, “But you took off before I had the chance.”

 

“Oh…sorry,” Danielle looked away, realizing she'd jumped the gun. But just then, she felt Sam softly patting her head.

 

“No kid, WE'RE the ones who should be sorry. This was the wrong way to try and get them to leave us alone,” Sam replied. It was at that moment that they all looked over to see the ghosts starting to recover from the effects of Danny's Ghostly Wail.

 

“WE SHOULD'VE JUST KNOCKED THEM DOWN UNTIL THEY STAYED DOWN!!!” Danny shouted! And before any of the ghosts were back on their feet again, Danny and the others charged in with a unified yell!

 

Bertrand and the Box Ghost were the first ones out, frozen by ice beams from Frostbite. Skulker tried to retaliate, but Tucker's robot blew away his missiles before its fists came down hard, pounding him into the ground up to his chest. Johnny 13 and Kitty tried to make a break for it, but were brought to a screeching halt as a pair of lasers from Valerie's rocket sled blew Johnny's bike out from under them, sending them both flying! Meanwhile, Shadow found himself sliced in two by one of Sam's Ghost Ray blades before she burst forward and took out Desiree with an ecto-powered one-two punch! Youngblood tried his best to get back into the fight, charging at Danielle, but a pair of Danielle's Ghost Rays sent him flying headlong into Technus, killing two birds with one stone. Getting back onto their feet, Ember and Spectra tried to launch a last-ditch offense, but Danny was quicker on the draw, unleashing two waves of ecto-energy which knocked them both off their feet and flat onto their backs.

 

But Danny and Sam weren't done yet. Flashing each other a knowing glance, they both took off into the sky. Danny didn't waste a moment as he threw his arms out as Sam reached around him, holding his wrists as they both charged their ecto-energy to the max. But once she saw what they were doing, Danielle couldn't resist getting in on the action herself as she flew up in front of Danny, reaching up and holding his wrists as well before charging her hands. And within seconds a giant pair of bright flashing lights appeared in the sky, looking almost like miniature green suns.

 

“Tucker! Valerie!” You might want to bail! This is probably not going to be pretty!” Danny shouted. And Tucker's robot and Valerie were quick to leave the area at top speed, dragging Frostbite behind them as Danny, Sam and Danielle all let out a yell, unleashing the full force of their combined power! What happened next could only be described as a salvo of ecto-energy missiles which directed themselves at the downed ghosts, exploding around them all! With that, the battlefield was eerily silent, lost in a veil of smoke and dust.

 

“Okay,” Danny commented as they slowly landed back down, “That…was very cool.”

 

“Wait a minute,” Tucker asked, “You mean you didn't KNOW that was going to happen?”

 

“Well no, we were just winging it,” Sam replied with a shrug, “But…it worked.”

 

Danny and the others looked around a moment longer at the results of the battle, hearing the groans of the defeated ghosts. After three days, Danny had to admit, it felt good to get rid of a little aggravation.

 

“Well,” I guess now we know where we stand now, huh?” he asked with a confident grin.

 

“QUESTIONS?! COMMENTS?!” Sam yelled out threateningly. A unified groan from the ghosts seemed to be all the answer that was required as she and Danny held each other, sharing one more long overdue kiss before taking off with the others, leaving the ghosts in their new smoldering craters.

 

… … … …

 

A new day had given way to night and Danny and Sam hadn't wasted a second making up for some sorely missed tenderness. They had even gone out that evening to enjoy a little flying together eventually landed on a rooftop in the middle of town. And Sam wasn't going to wait another moment to put her arms around Danny and kiss him softly.

 

“Mmmmm, I really needed this,” she said, offering up a soft smile.

 

“I know what you mean. I mean, another day and I probably would have gone crazy,” Danny replied, pressing his forehead to hers. It was at that moment, however, that Sam seemed strangely distant as her eyes looked away. And it didn't take long for Danny to notice.

 

“Sam…are you okay?”

 

“Huh? Oh…yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. It's…it's nothing,” Sam replied, but her answer seemed unclear as she pulled away from Danny and walked over to the edge of the roof.

 

“Sam?” Danny asked again, “What is it?”

 

“It's nothing,” Sam tried to dismiss it again before sighing and hanging her head, “It's just…last night, before you and Frostbite came and got me, I was looking at one of the pictures of us that I've got framed. And I know we were just pretending to be broken up, but I couldn't help thinking…what if…you know?”

 

“…Yeah…” Danny said. He started to look away, but he found himself turning back a soon as he heard what sounded like a sniffle coming from Sam's direction.

 

“I…I didn't even notice it at first,” Sam continued, “It…wasn't until about five or 10 minutes later that I finally realized…”

 

Sam paused for a moment, turning Danny. And he could do was see the tears in her eyes and hear her voice crack as she finally finished her thought.

 

“…I was actually crying.”

 

“Oh Sam,” as Danny stood there and looked at her, seeing the pain in her eyes, he could feel his chest tighten and a lump form in his throat. At that moment, he was sure he could feel just a taste of what it must be like for someone to feel their heart break.

 

“I mean…I know it's stupid,” Sam sniffled, trying to bring herself under control without much success, “I know I shouldn't think like this. But I…I just couldn't help it, you know? And…”

 

“Sam, look at me,” Danny rushed over and gently held Sam's face in her hands, lightly wiping away the tears as he tried to show her the resolve he was feeling at that moment, “I am not going to break up with you.”

 

“Danny…Danny no. I know that,” Sam cut him off as she placed her hands over his and held them tight, “You don't have to tell me that. I know that. It…just happened, okay? I'll get over it.”

 

Danny couldn't think anything else to say as Sam seemed to be gradually getting ahold of herself. But as she paused and looked up at him again, her eyes seemed to hold a look of pleading.

 

“Just…for right now…could you just…hold me?”

 

Danny didn't need to answer Sam's question as he folded his arms around her and pulled her close. And Sam found herself leaning her head onto Danny's shoulder as she lightly put her arms around him as well. For several long moments, the two of them savored the warmth of each other, neither one caring how much time was passing. But eventually, Danny found he had to ask the question.

 

“So…is this helping?”

 

“Mmmmm,” Sam responded, snuggling into Danny's shoulder as she felt a gentle smile starting to return to her lips, “If I said no, would you hold me a little longer?”

 

“I'll hold you as long as it takes,” Danny whispered back. At that moment, Danny felt Sam pulling away slowly as she looked at him and smiled, gently running her finger along the bridge of his nose.

 

“That's all I needed to hear,” she replied, leaning and giving Danny a soft peck on the lips. A moment later, the two walked hand in hand to the edge of the roof as they sat down. And Danny softly put his arm around Sam, who let out a sigh as she leaned her head onto his shoulder.

 

“You know, I could really use a distraction right now,” Sam noted, sounding a lot more content than she was a few minutes earlier. Just then, the two of them looked over to see none other than the Box Ghost flying down the street, strangely enough, still wearing Danny's clothes!

 

“Oh, these are so comfortable. The relaxed fit feels so…OOOWWW!” the Box Ghost's comments were cut off as a laser blast struck him in the back, sending him flying down the street! A moment later, Tucker's giant robot appeared on the scene!

 

“Wow! This is WAY cooler than any video game!” Tucker commented from the robot's monitor.

 

“Think you can keep up?!” Valerie called out as she tore past the robot on her rocket sled, heading after the Box Ghost! Tucker simply laughed as the robot blasted off behind her! Meanwhile, Danny and Sam could only look on in bewilderment.

 

“Well…I didn't plan that…but will THAT work?” Danny asked with a shrug. A second later, Sam looked over and gave him a warm smile.

 

“It's a start,” she replied softly, sliding her hand down Danny's cheek. And as they both leaned in and softly kissed, the sounds of laser fire and the shrieks of the Box Ghost could be heard echoing into the night.

 

THE END