I noticed I hadn't published in a while so I dug this old story out and edited it. I think more needs to be done with the Dash angel because he has to potential of being evil as much as he does for becoming a good guy. I also wanted to do one where Sam found herself abused. She's a strong woman who could easily, I think, find herself in a tough situation with her stubborn pride.

This story would have been better had it been a Mature plot line, but I'm just not into writing that kind of stuff. Be my guest, however, if you'd like to upgrade this rating.

I don't own DP! On with the Story!

This had been happening for a little over a month and somehow she'd been able to keep it hidden from Tucker and Danny. They'd be beyond pissed off if they found out and she'd never be left alone again if they knew she'd been hiding it from them for so long. She believed she had it under control though, so why bother putting herself through that drama?

She held enough strength to endure the bruising. She had enough agility to evade unwanted advances. She also had the smarts to talk her way out of further trouble, and it only happened Tuesdays before lunch for a worthy cause. He never left anything she couldn't cover up or explain away, so no added hassle either.

"I'll see you next Tuesday," Dash breathed in her ear. She looked away, rubbing her sore wrist while mentally rummaging through her bracelets for something to hide the growing bruise. She detested how he rubbed it in her face, helping Tuesday's steal the cake for worst day of the week from Mondays.

She didn't say anything; she never did as he sauntered off. Once he turned the corner she rushed to the bathroom, washed her skin and mouth, and took deep calming breaths. Then she walked off to hop in line and buy herself a salad before seating herself by Danny and Tucker in her usual seat, adding her snarky comments when appropriate. The day then passed as customary.

She had been so used to her arrangement that she could even maintain her façade when Tucker commented, "Have you noticed that we haven't been picked on, shoved in lockers, or even 'accidentally' tripped in over a month by Dash or his crew?"

"Ya I have and I'm thankful for the break. Don't look a gifted horse in the mouth Tuck," Danny warned, opening the door to the Nasty Burger for his friends.

"Good point. Thanks to this vacation, you've been able to increase your healing abilities and our status at school! I just hope it lasts," Tucker happily commented as they ordered their meals.

Sam stayed quiet through the whole conversation, not wanting to tip them off. She smiled along with them though, happy she seemed to have chosen the right choice. She'd be remembering these words in the following Tuesdays, for sure.

Too bad she didn't know just how much she would be.

The Following Tuesday

He had her backed into a corner, because he liked it rough. He held her arms at her sides, because he liked to be dominant. He smashed his lips into hers because he liked how she squirmed.

But then he decided he wanted more so he adjusted her arms to above her head, making it able for him to hold her down with one hand while the other ghosted across her stomach. She shivered, but not in a good way, as he continued crawling his fingers upward.

"Dash," Sam warned against his mouth, not comfortable with where this was going. She didn't agree to this and it was bad enough she could feel his body reacting to just their kissing. Her comfort zone already stretched to accommodate these meetings just barely and not really if she thought about it. She wasn't interested in pushing the stretched boundaries anymore than she'd dared.

Her warning fell on deft ears as his hand continued further north, so she kicked him and clamped her mouth shut. He growled, unhappy at the loss of control in the situation. "C'mon Manson," he muttered.

"No Dash," she firmly rejected, glaring with all her might.

"Then maybe I should visit Fentina and Foley and—"

"That wasn't our deal!" Sam yelled, her arms slinking to freedom to push him away from her person. It happened to be the wrong move because he grabbed her right arm and slammed her shoulder back into the wall, causing her to wince as she held in her whimper. She refused to show him any extra weakness than she could afford.

"Don't speak to me like that Manson. I'm in control and I just want to go a little farther."

She knew she should continue telling him no. She should probably rush off to tell someone, even if that someone turned out to be a teacher if not anyone else, but the words of her best friends came back on how thankful they were to be let off the hook and she just couldn't bring herself to wreck their ease. Her subconscious reminded her that if you give a mouse a crumb, but… "Fine, but no more," she ground out.

After the events, she'd been more distant than past Tuesdays when around Danny and Tucker the rest of the day. She'd never permitted anyone to touch her like that before and it unnerved her to realize Dash had been first. She'd okayed the kissing because she'd already given her first kiss away on her accordance—to Danny, actually—so it didn't seem as big a deal. But second base, definitely more important.

"Sam, are you alright?" Danny asked, concerned at her slight shaking. He'd already argued, and won, about her wearing his sweatshirt on top of her sweatshirt to ward off the chill, so was she coming down with something? She'd been wearing long sleeves a lot lately even when the temperature skyrocketed; minimal skin showing at all time.

"I'm fine," she tried reassuring them, consciously checking herself for any tells that might clue in one or both her boys.

"Are you sure? You've been acting kind of weird. Are you sick?"

"Actually, you've been acting like this on a weekly basis," Tucker pointed out as they headed to their last class of the day. "Something going on in the beginning of each week we should know about?"

"No, there's nothing you need to know. Listen, I'm fine," Sam reiterated. "You guys worry too much."

"We can't help but worry. You're our best friend," Danny said, a slight pink coloring his cheeks though his words were serious. His hormones constantly distracted his thoughts, wondering about what Sam might be doing or how she might be feeling. If he needed to check on her, if they'd made any plans, if he needed to apologize for sticking his foot in his mouth. If he should tell her about wanting to take the next step in their relationship or keep hiding his feelings.

"Ya, as a big brother I need to protect my baby sis," Tucker joked, elbowing her into finally eliciting a grin, even as her eyes continued to sink in despair.

Next Monday

"Dude, I've been thinking and going over my notes in my PDA," Tucker spoke in a hushed tone to Danny as they waited for Sam to return from the bathroom. "Something must happen Tuesdays because those are the days she acts strangest. If we follow her around that day I think we could figure out what she's hiding."

"I don't know Tuck," Danny said, uncertain. Sam hated being spied on but he was starting to seriously worry. "Are we sure it's not just that time of the month or something?"

"It's every Tuesday, recently, Danny."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. We'll take turns watching over her. Besides, the jocks are giving her weird looks and I don't like them." Danny glared at the three most popular guys as their eyes traced Sam's form as she walked towards him and Tuck. He'd seen how the males had taken notice of her a lot more lately, but could he really blame them? She'd blossomed into a beautiful body of a woman. Still, he wasn't so sure it was only his jealousy he could blame these feelings on.

"Hey guys, thanks for waiting" Sam greeted, and then life went on as normal.

That Tuesday, the Following Day

They walked her to school, like always. They brought her to her first class as accustomed.

Nothing.

Danny left his first class early to invisibly watch her go from first period to second since she normally walked it on her own.

Nothing.

Tucker helped her with her books between second and third though he normally dashed off to the computer lab to use as much time with his beloved tech as possible, and she'd seemed a bit more nervous and jumpy but nothing too out of the ordinary. Still, he added it his notes and informed the halfa. She seemed to be readying herself for whatever was to come. Danny then surprised her by escorting her to her locker after second class and then to French, her third hour. He took a tardy but he didn't mind because she looked a bit nauseous, swearing it was from something she'd eaten earlier, but sharing how thankful she'd been for his comforting presence.

It was Tucker who watched her on her way to lunch. He'd actually lost her after she stopped by her locker, having been distracted by seeing a bruise on her forearm where her sweatshirt hadn't covered long enough for the bad feeling in his stomach to roar back to life. He took a picture to document and show to Danny later, not remembering battling any ghosts lately who'd held her hostage. No way could she have accidentally done it to herself either.

Sam had taken his distraction, having seen Tucker following her using a door's glass as a mirror, to scatter and weave her way out of his line of sight. She hated how pleased she'd been when she successfully lost him.

So when he finally caught up to her, he just about upchucked.

Trapped between a tree and Dash Baxter, Sam didn't look to be having a good time. He heard her complain about the bark scratching her skin and how he told her to shut up. He saw her wince when he grabbed a handful of hair to bring her lips closer to his. When he heard her tell him to stop, having seen where his hand had wondered, and Dash didn't, his mind spun into motion and he made the call. He couldn't handle the jock on his own but he'd be damned if he just ignored this and walked away.

"Danny, hurry out door C. Sam's in trouble!" Tucker radioed over the Fenton Phones, positioning himself closer so he could snatch Sam away the first chance he caught.

"Dash, I said stop," Sam demanded, her panic increasing as he continued ignoring her pleas. He was buzzed and she knew it. She could taste the alcohol in his mouth and had smelt it immediately, but she hadn't expected to not be able to injure him and not run away, yet seeing as he held one hand behind her back and ready to break it, she had to face the facts that her situation escalated each second she couldn't free herself. "Stop right now or I'll scream!"

That hadn't been the smartest thing to announce, though it did stop his fingers from wandering. He slapped his hand over her mouth as his own kissed down her jaw line and then her neck. She tried kicking him but he forced his knee between her legs, rendering them useless.

The beginning of a waterfall of tears trailed down her cheeks as she tried prying his hand away without moving her other arm or her back, as the bark clawed her skin ruthlessly. She felt guilty knowing he'd surely take out a shit load of anger on Tucker and Danny after she officially terminated their deal, but this was no longer safe for her. She couldn't guarantee her escape from this session because it was lunch, and that set off alarms left and right in her mind.

Her friends would understand why she broke it off if she ever told them, right?

As soon as the halfa had been alerted that Sam was in trouble, he dropped everything to go find her. When he pushed open the doors, greeted by the nightmare, he saw everything in slow motion. His body numbed until Tucker called to him over the radio what to do, helping him snap out of his startled, frozen form. "Back off Baxter!" he howled, running towards the Quarterback and tackling him to the ground. Sam cried in aggravation when Dash pulled her arm along with the fall and then Tucker grabbed her the other way, but she didn't believe any long-term injury would result from the save so she shut her yap and let Tucker hide her in the bushes as they waited for Danny to finish.

The two teens wrestled on the ground, Dash shoving quips about Sam in Danny's face hoping to enrage him enough to get sloppy and give him an opening. Tucker held Sam closer as her crying increased in violence, taking glances at the fight every now and then to make sure Danny stayed Fenton and didn't kill the stupid human. He would have loved to sock Dash too, but he didn't want to leave the sobbing Goth. Within ten minutes Dash fell unconscious, Danny leaving the jock where he lay to check on Sam and Tucker.

"No way are we going back to school, and we can't stay here," Tucker said as he stood with their Goth huddled close. She didn't speak, the stress of knowing she was about to be busted adding to the anxiety from the frightening experience she'd just undergone.

"We can go to my house," Danny offered. "I'm by myself this week, remember?" The two boys agreed, Tucker shifting the shaking girl for the upcoming flight. Danny transferred his flying ability to Tucker, who held onto his arm, and held Sam close with her head resting on his chest.

He gently sat her on his bed when they reached his house, immediately setting out to retrieve his mother's first aid kit in hopes of gathering some DNA so they had proof to nail the son of a bitch as Tucker grabbed water and Advil. When each boy had retrieved what they needed they set the supplies to the side and kneeled in front of Sam, her eyes adverted, and Danny asked, "What happened Sam?"

The First Tuesday

Sam had been walking home from Danny's, leaving the two to nurse their wounds alone as she headed back for dinner when he found her. She'd already been in a sour mood since Danny had been badly injured from an earlier ghost fight before suffering through the abuse provided by Dash. She hadn't been able to do anything to help, and it killed her. She hated feeling helpless.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded of the arrogant jock when she first caught sight of him.

"What Manson?"

"Why are you still picking on Danny and Tucker? We're juniors for Christ's sake!" Sam had been ready to launch herself into a lecture and lashing when she took notice to how relaxed Dash stood against the brick wall of some small store. He looked at her differently than usual and she shivered at the wicked glint in his eyes. Her intuition alerted her to the shift in the atmosphere.

"I'll make you a deal," he offered, interrupting her tirade.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, crossing her arms. She didn't like the sound of his voice. "What kind of deal?"

"I won't, or let any other A-Listers, abuse Fenton and Foley if you do me a favor."

"What kind of favor?" she asked slowly, ignoring the little voice telling her to run. This was her chance to save the two people who continually endangered themselves for her—and the town's—sake like the prince charmings their parents' had raised them into becoming.

"Every Tuesday I want a sort of seven minutes in Heaven with you."

"Excuse me?" He had gone on to tell her he wanted to make-out because she looked hot but he didn't want to date her. She'd thought him crazy at first and had immediately shot it down but then she remembered how much pain she'd just left her two friends in. She had the power to stop that from happening again and all she would have to do is kiss the jackass for a few minutes. No one would know either, because he wouldn't tell since he knew Danny would be pissed. Hell hath no fury like an upset, jealous teenage boy.

"So you won't stuff either of them in lockers, trip them purposely, hit them for fun, or any of that stuff as long as I let you kiss me for a little while before lunch every Tuesday?"

He nodded.

"…Deal."

Back to Tuesday

"Did he corner you? Did he threaten you? What happened?" Danny asked, pressing his questions onward even as she tried to hide in herself. She flinched at their touch, backing away until she hit the wall and physically couldn't continue backing up any longer.

"How long has this been happening?" Tucker finally questioned. "I saw a bruise on your arm and it looked pretty old."

Danny blanked at Tucker's accusation and almost lost it at seeing Sam's eyes widen in a deer-in-the-headlights look. "This has happened before? Spill Sam!"

She adamantly shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Can you at least take off your sweatshirt so we can see the bruise more clearly and check out your back?" Tucker inquired. Neither missed the way Sam's eyes began vibrating at a high velocity, her thinking running along all the other bruises and the cuts she currently fostered from when he'd dragged his nails across her lower back, and the hickey's he'd left her with. Maybe she should run for it.

"Samantha Amanda Manson, you better not even think of running." Danny knew her so well. And she knew him, correct in believing he'd be furious if he ever found out.

She had not a clue what to say to get her out of this but decided on, "This is none of your damn business so back off." The minute she said it she knew she'd taken the wrong approach. Her boys hated when she cursed, especially at them and especially Danny. Her glare turned into a cower at Danny's narrowed eyes and Tucker's disappointed look.

"Damn it Sam!" Danny yelled, his hand snatching her sweatshirt to intangibly remove it himself. What he saw turned his world red and Sam tried her best to shrink into her corner. Her arms were littered with small bruises that, if one looked closely enough, replicated finger markings. And the new ones didn't cover the old ones as her top did nothing to hide the bite marks across her shoulder. Her stomach had one large bruise with its ending wrapped around her torso, telling those who saw that her back probably looked similar to her front.

Abruptly, Danny left the room before he did something he'd regret. Tucker sat stunned speechless, and as seconds turned to minutes he gulped in fresh air before setting on the task of coaxing Sam into giving him the DNA Danny had requested. She hadn't wanted to at first but eventually he wheedled it from her. He could sense how terrified she felt at the moment and pitied her, but he also felt enraged at her decision, even more so when he remembered who he was dealing with. Sam never did anything without a justifiable reason, at least in her mind.

He gave her the Advil and glass of water shortly after as they waited for Danny's return. He didn't know if she passed out from exhaustion or simply fell asleep, but by the time Danny re-entered his room she wasn't conscious. "Dude," was all he could muster, his saddened eyes not leaving her form.

"How was she able to hide this from us?" Danny asked quietly so as not to disturb her sleep. "How did we not see this?"

Tucker shook his head, unable to come up with any explanation until he felt his PDA rub against his thigh from inside his pocket. He felt sick as he asked, "Do you think this has anything to do with the break we've received from the bullying?"

"You think the son of a bitch blackmailed her?"

"Or something like that. It's definitely a possibility."

When Sam woke up a couple hours later it was dinner time. They'd already called home for her and told her folks she'd be staying the night as they handed her a salad even though she denied being hungry. The looks they gave her were enough to tell her she better not fight them on this as she stuffed a forkful down her throat to appease their focused eyes.

"Okay Sam," Tucker said, breaking the uncomfortable silence when she set her empty plate down. "Start from the beginning. We won't say anything and we'll try to keep an open mind."

She wanted to fight him but Danny warned, "If you ever hope for any fucking privacy again you better spill Samantha." When he used her full name she knew there was no beating him. When he swore she knew she'd dug herself into deep shit. When he used them together…she gulped.

"D-Dash made a deal with me that would stop the bullying…I accepted, but today it got out of hand."

"When and how did it start?" Danny asked without emotion. She gave him an are-you-really-going-to-make-me-tell-it look and he answered with a you're-damn-right-I-am glare.

She sighed. "He approached me on my way home from your house one day…" she began, telling the whole story without looking up from her hands, "…Today he was buzzed and I should have stopped him before anything happened but I just kept hearing the words you spoke at the Nasty Burger a couple weeks ago, about how relieved you were that he was off your back. I felt so guilty for wanting to stop that I ignored my rational thought. After he didn't stop the third time I asked him to I started fighting, but he caught me off guard and held my arm so if I squirmed wrong I'd break it. I tried yelling but he silenced me and then you showed up and Tucker grabbed me and here we are now. It's been going on for almost three months."

"Sam, you didn't need to do that," Tucker said, feeling guilty himself. She had gone through that for their sake and health. He'd willingly take any shiners or twisted ankles if it meant she'd never had needed to go through that hell.

Danny had no clue how to react. He knew she cared for him and Tucker, but to willingly go through abuse because they complained about a few injuries they received from the jocks shook his core. Had he known it would have escalated this far he would have used his ghostly strength to stop Dash's attacks a long time ago. "Sam…" he sighed. "That deal is over, okay?"

She nodded, having already decided that earlier when they'd saved her. The trio remained seated thinking a minute more before Tucker stood to brush off his pants announcing, "I got to go home, but I'll be back tomorrow morning. Since there's no school, we'll have all day to work this out and talk."

"Alright," Danny agreed, showing Tucker out after he hugged their girl goodnight. When Danny went back to his room his sense of smell was assaulted by Dash's cologne, causing his eyes to glow softly. "You can take a shower now if you want. I'll grab you a towel and some night clothes."

It took her thirty minutes to shower and her skin felt raw afterwards from her copious and aggressive cleaning, her cuts stinging and bruises numb. She slipped on one of Danny's t-shirts and tied the strings to a pair of his shorts as tight as they could go. She left her hair down in case she needed to hide behind it and slowly opened the door to peek inside his room. She didn't see him so she turned back and faced his mirror.

Her arms looked horrible and she could see dark circles beneath her eyes now that she'd cleaned her face of cover-up. She looked frightened and weak. She scowled at her reflection, disgusted with herself. She was Sam Manson, an independent woman who didn't take crap, yet here she stood acting like a helpless damsel in distress, skittish around her best friends.

A breeze drifted through the window, barely cracked open, and it caught her attention. She suddenly felt the urge to run. She didn't deserve to stay here with Danny after her actions caused him so much anger and stress. Maybe she could camp out in the park for the night? Her rational side of the brain warned that she might fall ill and Danny would probably worry and it screamed bad idea, but she continued to ignore it as her denial chased it away. She refused to pity herself any longer, hating how she felt like a little kid waiting for her punishment as the room quickly began feeling claustrophobic.

She had the window open in five seconds and climbed out, clutching onto the rail as she made her way to the gutter. If she fell and died she had no doubt Danny and Tuck would hunt down her ghost and kill her again. She slid down the gutter like a fireman pole, taking a second to just breathe on the ground before hopping over Danny's fence.

"Why am I doing this again?" she muttered to herself, checking Danny's window as she backed up to see if he looked out. "C'mon Manson, you're acting stupid."

She jumped a foot in the air when a voice agreed behind her. "Exactly what I was thinking," Danny said, arms crossed as he floated a little ways down the sidewalk. He did not look amused. Sam placed a hand over her heart, throwing her head back, but that urge to run hadn't weakened so she sucked in as much air as she could, gave Danny a sheepish and apologetic grin, and sprinted the other way. She couldn't take him looking at her like that anymore. It drove her crazy.

He let her run for a few minutes, waiting for her to calm down and rid herself of the extra energy making her so jumpy. When she looked back and didn't see him, slowing her pace, he rounded the corner before her and threw her over his shoulder before her mind could hope to register what was happening. She stayed quiet, only a few groans as he flew them back to his house.

He set her on his bed again, closing all his windows and locking them. She'd plopped onto one side in defeat as he closed his door. He changed back to his human form, his own pjs already on, and crawled into bed beside her after shutting off his light. As he pulled up and the blankets around them she suspiciously asked, "What are you doing?"

"Going to bed." He grabbed her around the waist and brought her closer, snuggling his exhausted face into his pillow.

"What am I doing here then?"

"I need to make sure you don't run again. Good night." And that was final.

That Wednesday, the Next Day

Sam woke up early when she felt the bed move. She didn't open her eyes, she kept her breathing steady, but in her mind she was freaking out. It took a minute for yesterday's events to wash over her and she started. Luckily, Danny had already fallen back to sleep. She'd had no idea he'd even gotten out of bed and distantly wondered what time it was.

She must have laid there for an hour listening to Danny sleep, breathing in and out, before she also fell back to sleep. The next time she woke up it was to Tucker's voice, but she wasn't ready to face the day, so she rolled over and stuck her pillow over her head muttering, "Five more minutes."

The boys chuckled but gave her the five minutes anyways. "Okay, up and at 'em," Tucker called, to which she reluctantly sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes open. "I think we should take pictures first," he told Danny.

"Pictures?" she repeated, now alert.

"We need proof in case we take this to anyone," he answered. "We've already recorded the video footage."

"Video footage?"

"From the security surveillance from school," Tucker informed as Danny held his hand out to help her stand. He would be taking the pictures and with a sigh she took his hand and held her arms out, turning from time to time when he asked. She lifted her shirt to show her stomach, still toned but marred, and pivoted to show them her back. They didn't say a thing until the sleeve fell from her shoulder and revealed a nice little tattoo.

"Is that a real tattoo?" Tucker questioned, chuckling.

Sam whirled around, blushing. "So what if it is?"

"You got my symbol?" Danny questioned, turning her to see it again. There, outlined in black and colored in a sparkling white stained his Phantom symbol, just small enough to hide with her usual tank top straps but large enough that one could easily identify it.

"I did create it, and the story behind it is a good one," she explained. "This is a big thing in our lives and something I'd never regret putting on my skin. It was my sweet sixteen gift from my Grandma."

Danny traced it with his fingers, ignoring the goose bumps he left in his wake. "It's like a sign of property!" Tucker joked, causing Sam to stomp over and kick him in the shin.

"I belong to no one, thank you very much."

"That's debatable," Danny muttered, low enough to go unnoticed by his friends. He'd accepted a long time ago that as a ghost he had to claim what was his to ward off other ghosts from taking it away. Without his friends' knowledge, Danny did just that with both of them and Jazz, along with a few other people, objects, and places around town.

He really liked the tattoo and the way it made him feel to see her marked as his, but he gave himself a mental check as he downloaded the pictures into the same folder Tucker saved the video. Now was not the time to try and work through those thoughts.

"So…" Tucker started, the time for joking ending.

"I don't think we can go to anyone with this," Sam said as she sunk back onto the bed rubbing her arms. "It was a deal that I agreed to. Can he get in trouble for that?"

"In the last video, of yesterday, we can hear you tell him to stop though," Tucker pointed out. "Even if he slips through on the other stuff, which he shouldn't because it could classify as blackmail, after you told him to stop multiple times its cause for sexual harassment. All we need to do is give it to Mr. Lancer and he'll take care of it. It'll be up to your parents if they want to sue or something more."

"Do we, uh, really have to tell?"

"Sam, this is not okay. He needs to face the consequences so he doesn't do it again," Danny said, not even able to spit his name out. "We can't let him get away with this."

"…Alright…"

The Following Monday

When she told her parents she'd felt extremely humiliated. Her mother didn't want to believe it at first, but after seeing the proof she hopped on the same page as everyone else. Surprisingly, both parents pretty much threatened Danny and Tucker to stay by Sam at all times possible, completely forgetting they weren't supposed to want their little darling around such strange and 'poor' influences. The boys happily obliged since they'd already planned to do so anyways.

Sam felt eternally grateful that her parents didn't blame the two when she explained her reasoning for accepting Dash's terms, minus the ghostly points. Perhaps their eyes fully opened to see just how much Sam cared for her friends for what she'd willingly put herself through to protect them.

Her parents sat waiting for her in Lancer's office, Sam not wanting to walk in with them. When she did walk through the front doors, she figured the trio would have to take care of a few things first. And she was right. Dash was with his parents in the office already, but his friends had been waiting. Her boys pushed her behind them, serving their positions as body guards. "Back off guys," Tucker warned.

"Or what?" Dash's right hand man asked. "Is that a threat Foley?"

"Yes it is. You guys won't be bothering Sam again or you'll be answering to me," Danny answered, a growl bitten back.

"O really?" The poor jocks asked for it when they reached to push the two out from in front of Sam. Danny grabbed the hand and twisted, the jock's cry calling all attention to their show yet somehow the teacher's didn't hear it and stayed inside their rooms grading papers and worksheets undisturbed.

Danny kicked him to the ground before moving his other foot to trip the A-Lister trying to sneak up behind him. He finished that one off with an elbow to the gut. Tucker gave the other one a black eye before pushing him against the lockers. Ghost fighting had done him well too. A couple others tried to help their fallen friends but it was useless as Danny and Tucker easily beat them down.

The hallway stayed frozen, officially impressed with their skills and how easy it seemed for the two geeks to take down the very guys who'd bullied them for the past couple years. Gossip quickly spread but all were silenced when Tucker cleared his throat and Danny called, "You will answer to us."

They watched as he placed his hand on Sam's lower back and led her to the Vice Principal's office, Tucker's arm slung across her shoulders. They were lightly teasing her, trying to get her to laugh and succeeding.

They were allowed to sit in during the conference, thanks to the Mansons, and by the end of it Dash had been suspended from four football games, four basketball games, and he now had a record at the police station. Pamela had a restraining order written up but Sam was able to plead her parents down enough that they dropped the charges. She didn't need any more publicity around town.

The bruising was fading, the scratches closing. Life seemed to be ready to go back to normal with the exception that she hung out with Tucker and Danny a lot more often. But before everything could return to the norm, Danny asked to talk to her alone and she feared he found out something else, though nothing came to mind.

"What is it with you and this tattoo?" Sam teased as she felt his fingers trace it again. He'd been fixated on it whenever he caught a glimpse of her ink, often zoning out and staring at where he knew it lay during class. He'd even asked for her to wear a sleeveless shirt one day so he could see it again and succeeded in talking her into buying a new swim suit—a bikini—for summer.

And that was only the start. He liked to play with her hair, forcing her to wear it down half the time because she'd grow tired at having to keep fixing it every few minutes. His arm could be found around her waist or shoulders more often than not as days continued to pass by. His leg always touched hers when they sat together, at lunch or the Nasty Burger or just sitting and hanging out.

Now, as they sat on a hill overlooking the town with one lone tree behind them, they laid back with his arm cushioning her neck and nudging her to roll over to rest her head on his chest. "I really like it," he answered with a shrug.

"O? I never would have guessed," she joked, sarcasm as strong as ever.

After a few silent minutes he spoke again. "So I've been thinking a lot these past few weeks about you and me."

"Us?"

"I'd like there to be an us." He turned his head to give her his infamous lop-sided grin. He told her about what he'd been thinking, trying his best to explain his feelings. He told her about what he hoped would happen, and then he asked if she wanted to wear his promise ring so everyone would know she belonged to Fenton and not just Phantom. She punched him in the shoulder for his cocky comment but accepted happily none the less. She confessed what she'd been feeling for a while too, longer than he'd thought. She told him about the meaning to his nickname, Clueless, and then she shared that they should probably tell Tucker and set up a double date.

"Double date? Who's Tucker dating?" Danny asked.

"You really haven't noticed have you?" she asked after a pregnant pause. She laughed when he shook his head 'no' and stated, "It's not my secret to tell, though they didn't try hiding it at all Captain Clueless. Just promise me you won't kill Tucker because I'm pretty sure she asked him out first."

He almost regretted his promise when Tucker showed up hand in hand with Jazz, his sister. But when Tucker pointed out that Sam was pretty much his sister and Jazz reminded him that she was the older sibling, he had no choice but to sulk. He didn't enjoy himself until Sam pointed out it was probably best she dated Tucker, someone he trusted and respected already rather than some creep he didn't know at all. That had made him feel a lot better, Jazz a lot happier, and Tucker a lot safer from retaliation.

And then Sam kissed him and all was perfect.

I hope you appreciated the different type of story this was! I'm currently writing a story about Dan and a time twist but I still have a long while to go with the rough draft before I can start posting chapters. I promise to stay in touch! Love, crazyreader11