Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said this dance was very important to me. Not because it was anything special compared to other school dances. No, in reality it was no different than a typical dance. The thing that made this so special was the fact that this was the only school dance of the year besides prom. Casper High had to cut its budget significantly to pay for all the damage caused by the rampaging ghosts, and one of the first things they decided to cut was the funding for the dances. The budget shrank so much that the students were only able allowed one homecoming and prom a year. Being sophomores, Sam and I weren't allowed to go to prom. This meant that the only dance of the year for me, along with all the underclassmen, was homecoming. That's also why I was determined to make this one of the best nights of Sam's life.

Unfortunately, I never really planned on what to do after asking her out. It just never occurred to me really. Maybe Sam was right when she said I need to think more than one step ahead at a time. Eh, I got this far in life without planning. Besides, it's not like any plan I made would work considering Sam had an innate ability to ruin just about anything I came up with.

After deciding that the suit I had for two years was fading already, my mom decided to buy me an entirely new suit when she went shopping. While grateful for the new clothes, it made me wonder if telling my mom about me and Sam was a good thing. She seemed to be making a mountain out of a mole hill, almost like she was planning our wedding, not realizing we're only fourteen. Still, the stark black jacket and white dress shirt did fit me rather well, if I do say so myself. And, while the purple tie didn't look all that amazing now, it should match Sam's dress and eyes perfectly. Really the only problem was my hair. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get it to stay in place. Who knew hair could be so stubborn?

"You look so handsome, Danny," my mom exclaimed from behind me.

I turned to her and grinned, rubbing the back of my neck. "You really think so? Nothing looks too bad?"

"Sam will love it, I'm sure." She paused for a second, contemplating something. "I don't remember you acting so nervous when you took that Paulina girl to one of the school dances last year."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then you and I must be remembering different times, which would be weird because I only took her once." It was also hard to forget, considering my date was kidnapped by a dragon who just so happens to be the girl I'm taking to this dance.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she replied, smiling at me. "Just remember to be nice to Sam's parents, okay? Don't give them any of your teenage broodiness."

"Parents?" I gulped. "I have to meet them?" Why did they never cross my mind? Sam even mentioned them yesterday!

My mom looked at me incredulously. "You're picking her up at her house, right? Don't be surprised if her parents talk to you beforehand. They already don't like me or your father."

I saw my life flash before my eyes.

It was dark and stormy when I approached the Manson's mansion. The air was frigid, rain never once letting up, and I felt like the winds were going to blow me away. Okay, so maybe the weather wasn't actually that bad. The night sky was actually pretty clear, so clear that you could have seen the stars if there wasn't any light pollution, and only a light breeze blew. The aura surrounding the mansion just made it seem like I had to fight through the worst of storms to get there.

In hindsight, I was definitely freaking out too much. I fought ghosts for a living, and I was scared of a bunch of traditional, suburban parents with cold, calculating eyes, and a demeanor that never showed the slightest bit of affection towards me. Sam mentioned that they talked about me too, arguing with her every now and then about how much of a bad influence I was on her. The whole Circus Gothica affair really put me on their bad side. Good thing Sam wasn't anything like her parents.

Clenching my hands nervously, I knocked on the door.

"Daniel?" Mrs. Manson spoke when she opened the door. "So Samantha wasn't lying when she said she had a date to homecoming."

She considered me to be her date? That had to be a good thing. I mean that's what I saw, but I didn't think Sam would ever say so. "Uh, hi, Mrs. Manson. Is Sam here?"

The older woman crossed her arms and frowned. "She's getting ready now."

We stood there in a silence. Normally this would be the put where she'd let me into the house and we would make small chat, at least that's how it went in my head. Sadly Sam's mom really didn't trust me. I finally decided to speak when I couldn't take it anymore.

"How's, uh, work?" I asked, trying to break some of the building tension.

Ms. Manson was never one to show her feelings towards anyone, especially me, so I wasn't sure if she actually meant to glare at me or not. "It's fine. Are your parents still hunting ghosts?" She shuddered as if just saying the word made her sick, or laugh. In reality I couldn't actually tell either way.

"Yes, ma'm."

We fell into another, extremely awkward silence. This time I didn't attempt to break it. A few long minutes passed before Sam appeared before us. "What are you doing, mom?"

"Just talking to Daniel, Sammykins," the woman shrugged.

I had to suppress a laugh at her nickname in fear of eating a steel toed boot later on.

"It didn't really look like you were talking," she responded.

Sam's mother waved her off. "You two should get going, don't you think, Sammy dear? Don't want to miss that dance."

I once again tried to suppress my laugh, but this time I think Sam noticed as she scowled at her mother. "Whatever, mom." She grabbed my hand and started dragging me away from the house.

"Wait!" Mrs. Manson said, stopping us in our tracks. "How are you two going to the dance without a car?"

I chuckled at this, letting my eyes flash green for a brief second. "Oh I have my ways, Mrs. Manson."

She only gave me a strange look before shutting the door on us. Maybe I was revealing too much by doing that. Nah, it's homecoming; live and let live.

The glare from Sam told me otherwise though. It reminded me so much of her mother. If I didn't know any better I'd say it was just as cold. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, I suppose, even if it wants to.

I gave a quick glance back at the house, making sure no one was watching, before I turned into my ghostly formed and let the invisibility take over both me and Sam. "Are you ready to fly?" I asked.

She smiled. "You haven't taken me flying in a while."

"Consider this a treat then."

Tucker was waiting for us when we reached Casper High, already grinning like a fool.

"Hey, Tuck," I said as both me and Sam appeared before him. He gave a yelp in response before quickly checking the surrounding area for any eavesdroppers. "What's up with you?"

"It's nothing!" he quickly replied. "Valerie and I were just doing….stuff before you arrived. Anyway, should you really be using your ghost powers like that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I questioned. "Everyone already knows I'm a ghost, or well Phantom is. It would be even odder if I didn't use my powers. The only person I can really upset is Valerie."

"Yeah," Sam wrapped her arm around mine. "Where is she anyway? Shouldn't she be pointing a gun at Danny or something?"

"She's not coming," he answered. "Something about boycotting this dance on principle of allowing a ghost to attend."

"I guess it's better than attempting to shoot me during the dance." This means I was ruining Valerie's night, didn't it?

"Speaking of, how did you get Principal Ishiyama to agree to this?" Sam directed the question at me but I let Tucker answer.

He smirked and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I was starting to feel like a piece of furniture more than anything, though I couldn't say I really mind. "Easy, he overshadowed her. It was my idea really."

Of course I knew doing so was unethical. I didn't need the withering glare Sam was giving me to know that. This was a case of the ends justifying the means.

Walking through the doors into the gym of the school, you could easily see how much it had changed, though not necessarily for the better. Everything was moved to add more room for all the students. A flimsy stage was even set up. I don't think anyone actually trusted it to support them though. Red and white balloons were tied to the tables below them. And a DJ was already playing a few songs, none that I recognized.

I could only stand there at the entrance, not sure what I was supposed to do. Should I talk to Sam? Ask her to dance? What if she was thirsty? Before I even realized it she was guiding me to a table near the corner of the gym.

"You okay, Danny?" she asked me when we sat down.

"Yep," I grinned at her, though I think she knew it was fake. She could always read me so well. "I'm just a little nervous. Last time I went to a dance you kind of turned into a dragon and I spent half the time dealing with my father. Doesn't exactly bring back great memories."

She gave a sheepish laugh and squeezed my arm. "Don't be so nervous; this time everything is going fine, isn't it?"

I nodded my head. Already I was feeling calmer. It was a little strange because if Tucker said the same thing, his words wouldn't have had the same effect.

"You know," she continued, "I think some of the ghosts would get a laugh out of seeing you now."

She was teasing me. Oh, was she teasing me. Admittedly it helped lighten the mood, so I couldn't bring myself to mind. Either way, I didn't give her enough credit as a conversationalist. You'd think I know not to generalize someone, after dealing with Sam. The lesson has yet to be learned apparently. Back then I was annoyed when Dash and Paulina interrupted our conversation because I felt like I finally came up with a witty retort worthy of my ghostly alter-ego. Looking back, it would've blown up in my face and embarrassed me even more.

"Phantom, dude what's up man!" the jock said, shouting from across the gym. "I didn't think you would show, man." The pair walked up to us at our table, and I could already feel people from the surrounding area watching us.

Now there's one thing me and Sam share in common. Neither of us like being the center of attention. No, that wasn't it exactly. I was uncomfortable when I was treated as some sort of role model. Going from the bottom of the metaphorical food chain to teen superhero wasn't an easy process. This resulted in me slightly squirming in front of everyone. Fortunately Sam's hand on my arm was able to calm by a fair bit.

"So, Ghostboy," Paulina said in a sweet, almost seductive voice. If I hadn't known her, I probably wouldn't have realized how fake it really sounded. "How'd you end up going here with….her?" She gestured towards Sam, but by the way she finished her question I wouldn't be surprised if she forgot her name.

"Yeah," Dash added. "We all thought that she was Fenton's girl. Who knew two nerds could have such a big fight, right?" The jock tensed and went quiet when he realized that talking about a girl's love interest wasn't a good thing to do in front of her date. Of course this only caused me to laugh on the inside. I think Sam noticed too because she was holding back a smile of her own.

"So, uh, what's this Fenton guy like?" I feigned ignorance, suppressing the smirk that was forcing its way onto my face. Dash gave me a weird look, but I don't think he suspected anything.

"He's a total geek. I wouldn't waste my time worrying about him."

Paulina snaked her way in between me and Sam and wrapped her arm around my back. "Why don't you, like, get some punch with me, Ghostboy?" Paulina batted her eyes at me and gave me what she probably thought of as her best smile except it looked more predatory than anything . It made me feel like a piece of meat. She started nudging me forward, not even in the direction of the punch bowl.

"I'd rather not." I answered, shaking her hand off of me and moving closer to Sam. "I have a date and all."

"Oh, right. I forgot," she said innocently. Once again it was almost believable if she didn't narrow her eyes at me and Sam. This girl was even more manipulative than I thought.

Once again my attention was focused on the wrong place. Sam clenched her hands and glared dagger at Paulina. "You shallow, evil, vile bi-"

"Sam!" I rose my voice to drawn out the last word. She quickly shut her mouth and looked away but I knew I was going to get it when we were alone. And here I thought her parents taught her not to swear. Well she was considered rebellious for a reason.

Paulina and Dash both looked at us, unable to decipher what Sam was going to say. It was almost comical how dense they could be sometimes. Still, I put on my best winning smile and pointed in a random direction. "Me and Sam have to do something over there. It was nice meeting you," I said as I dragged a growling Sam off.

"You should've let me at her," She muttered when we reached the other end of the gym. I decided it was best to keep her and Paulina on opposite sides in order to prevent them from fighting. Knowing my luck, it was a doomed strategy.

"Sam, you are supposed to be having fun here. As your date to the dance it is my job to make sure you have a good time. Clawing out Paulina's eyes and being ejected from the school is not a good time."

She looked down at the floor and mumbled, "It's fun for me." I thought the conversation was over, but she looked up at me with a raised brow. "You know you do seem to be more confident as Phantom. Makes me wonder why that is. Is all the power going to your head or something?"

"Are you going to psychoanalyze me like Jazz? She's been working on me for about a year now and still hasn't gotten anything worthwhile."

"Nah," she said before looking away. "By the way, I expect you to actually dance with me before the end of the night."

"How about right now?" I asked.

She laughed at my suggestion. "Not now of course. Only when the time is right."

"And if the time doesn't come?"

"Just go get some punch, Ghostboy." She teased, faking Paulina's accent. Is it odd that I found that sexier coming from Sam than Paulina?

"Whatever," I said, walking away. "The punch has probably already been spiked anyway." Huh, this does open up the opportunity for a little experiment of sorts. Maybe I should take a sip just to see what the effects of alcohol has on a ghost. It would give me an excuse to get drunk. On second thought, this should be tested in a more controlled environment. I don't want any embarrassing videos popping up tomorrow morning. That would ruin the little good reputation I have as Phantom.

Walking over there proved to be difficult due to the huge blob of fans between me and the punch bowl. It wasn't so bad until Nathan all but fainted at the sight of me. I hope it was out of shock and not fear like I suspected. Letting out a sigh, a grabbed a spoonful of punch and dropped it into one of the plastic cups.

"You left her all alone," Tucker stated from behind me. "Are you sure that's the best choice?"

I turned to face Tucker and the many dancing couples on the gym floor. "She can handle herself, Tuck, I don't need to babysit her."

"I know; I'm more afraid of what she'll do to whoever annoys her. She'll probably tear them apart," He shivered at the thought, making me truly wonder if he was joking or not.

"Why?"

He gave me a weird look. "I'm assuming Sam never told you she hates going to dances?"

"What?!" I must have said that louder than I thought because a bunch if people began staring at me. They eventually looked away when I glared at them.

"Yeah," he said. "She told me during the last dance when you were hanging out with Paulina. Something about how this reminds her too much of her parents parties I think. She was probably happy that she turned into a dragon during the last dance since that ended it early. Although," he looked at me with a sly grin, "she looked pretty content when she was dancing with you last year."

I began to rub my temples as a minor headache set in. It could've been all the blood rushing to my head, but I suspected that punch. There was definitely something weird in it for it to have such an odd taste. "Whatever, Tuck. I should probably make sure Sam's okay."

"Wait," he grabbed my shoulder before I could move. "Just remember that even though she hates these things, she said yes to going with you. There has to be something there between you two for her to agree to this, right?"

"If you're going to give me advice," I replied, "I'm going to give you some. You should probably go check on Valerie. We both know she's pretty pissed about no going to homecoming because of me. It'd be best if her boyfriend was there to support her."

He gave a hesitant nod before smiling. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Who knew you'd be helping me with my relationship for once."

"Also don't drink the punch." I said while walking away. "You'll regret it."

I found Sam sitting at another table all alone with her head down, seemingly scowling at something I couldn't see.

"You okay there, Sam?" I asked next to her.

"Never better," she grumbled. Yep, definitely scowling.

"Come on," I nudged her, offering my hand. "Let's dance."

"I told you I wanted the moment to be special," she said, frowning at me as her head rose to meet me.

Unfortunately for her I wasn't one to back down. "Sam, stop being such a hopeless romantic and just take my hand."

She looked into my eyes, searching for something in them. I guess she found what she was looking for because she final accepted my hand.

"So," I said as we fell in step with the other couples on the dance floor. "You're currently dancing with the most infamous person in the entire state. How does that make you feel?"

She smirked before leaning in closer against me. "Well for one so infamous, he can dance surprisingly well."

"I blame it on all the ghost fighting."

We continued to dance in silence, only the slow, soft song playing provided any distraction.

Finally Sam spoke just as the song was ending. "Rumor has it that a certain ghost kid likes a certain goth girl. You know, not just like but more than like."

Even if it was a bit immature, I couldn't help but laugh. "It sounds like we're back in middle school right now. I thought everyone was passed the whole 'like-like' stage."

A new song started playing and we changed our dance to match the tempo. Some people were starting to watch us from the corner of their eyes. I didn't care though.

"So what would you call it then, Mr. Hero?" she asked.

"Call it was it is, a crush." True, I would be lying if I still called what I felt for Sam a crush, but that's not something she had to know yet.

"Isn't this where the guy is supposed to say that he is madly in love with the girl? Then they're supposed to living happily ever after or something like that."

She had to have noticed the heat radiating from my face as it no doubt started glowing red. I tried changing the subject to ignore my embarrassment. "I don't think I'll have much of a happily ever after. At least not now. With ghosts still coming through the portal almost nonstop and Plasmius planning who knows what to take my mom, I won't have a happily ever after for a while."

"Besides," Sam said, "I still don't think we know what love truly is, we're just teenagers."

"Are you going to get all philosophical with me? Is this really a therapy session or something?" I joked.

She laughed at that, showing off her beautiful smile. "Just an observation really. I mean someone can't really say they love someone else when they never really kissed-"

"Even though we have. Twice."

"Those weren't real ones. Even if we both liked them, which I did, they only happened for a cover. We also never went beyond that."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I all but shouted without thinking. "Let's not go there," my hands flew every which way to help prove my point.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Sam glared at me. "Seriously, is all guys think about sex?"

She probably took my silence as a yes. Honestly I wouldn't ever be able to defend myself in this situation. What was that saying about girls always being right?

"We should probably talk about something else," I said. "Something definitely not related to, uh, that word."

Of course she would roll her eyes at my wording. I probably would too. Still doesn't mean I want to say it in a gymnasium full of at least a couple hundred hormonal teenagers. That would be social suicide. Then again, I didn't have a social life outside of Sam and Tucker.

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Sam resting he head against me. "This is nice," she whispered. "Thanks for asking me; helps get my mind off of things."

I coughed nervously, the back of my neck itching. "Heh, I probably shouldn't say this in fear of inflating Tucker's already large ego, by he was a big help. I guess I owe him something. Do you think he likes puppies?"

She laughed once more. "I think he would be more satisfied with some new piece of hardware." She looked thoughtfully at me before sighing. "I'm probably going to regret this, but you could always organize a date with him and Valerie. Tucker's not the most romantic guy out there, so both he and Valerie would definitely be grateful for it."

I nodded. It would at least be a better way of saying thanks than just buying him a present.

"So," Sam said as we fell back into our normal rhythm. "Do you know much about Roman mythology?"

I blinked at her. That was a weird transition. Actually it was just a weird topic to begin with.

"You probably don't" she answered for me as she shifted her weight through the dance. "In Roman mythology there was a god of choices, named Janus, who was known for giving heroes the choice of walking through two doors. The first of the doors would be one more step toward their objective, the second to their eventual downfall."

"Okay," I said, still not understanding where this was going.

She gave me a pointed look before tightening her grip around my shoulder and leaning her head closer to mine. "Right now, think of me as Janus. It's obvious that you like me and I like you back, so what are you going to do about it? The first choice is to stop this relationship before it goes any further. It's the safest choice really because our friendship with remain intact."

As she spoke I couldn't help but realize how little emotion she put into her evaluation. She was thinking purely logically at that point. Normally I would've been offended by this but I recognized it as Sam's natural defense. She was trying to block her emotions so she wouldn't get hurt.

The second choice," she continued, "is to take this to the next level and see where it goes. It may lead nowhere, or it may lead us to something great." I could feel her breath on me by now, doing my best to not let that cloud my mind and failing miserably.

Sam may not have wanted me to say I loved her yet because she didn't believe it, but I thought differently. For years we have known each other. For years I have befriended her, learned about her interests, her faults, and even how she thought. Heck, I could tell you how she kissed. Well that one was debatable actually. While we have kissed before, it wasn't out of any sort of passion.

With that being said, I would love to say that I didn't hesitate in answering her. I gave a determined yes and was whisked off to a happily ever after. Sadly that wasn't the case. This wasn't just some decision that didn't have its consequences. Even if everything went perfectly between me and Sam, which I doubted it ever would, every couple had their share of problems no matter what, she'd become a bigger target with my ghostly enemies and she'd be thrown into the public eye, something I knew she'd never want. There's also the fact that Paulina would try to seek her retribution some way too. No doubt the Hispanic girl could come up with something horrible if she wanted. She didn't become the queen bee of the school for nothing. At the same time, Sam and I definitely wouldn't have the same relationship as we do now if I said no, and I didn't want it to be obliterated just like that. In fact I wanted this to progress and see where things took us.

While my brain was working faster than it ever had before, I realized Sam never said anything after that. Either she was being unusually patient with me, or she was facing a similar dilemma.

"So," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming my brain down as best I could.

"So," she repeated.

I looked down into her eyes and noticed a certain spark there. A spark I haven't noticed previously, because I wasn't being observant enough or even because it didn't exist there before. This spark made her eyes shine even more brightly than they already were. It was so hard to look away, one of the hardest things I ever attempted to do in fact. They were just so full of life. Even when I finally was able to look away, their image was forever trapped within the confounds of my brain.

Love. Sam doubts I can feel it so soon. She says it's impossible to feel so early on. I'd like to refute that claim. It was once said that you don't choose love; it chooses you. At the same point, you don't choose when you get to be in love. It can happen at any time or at any place.

Love is…..difficult, but also extraordinary in its own way.

Before I could let my mind process what I was about to say, I gently lifted Sam's chin, bringing her gaze towards me, and said, "Sam, I love you." In all honesty I didn't think it was all that bad of a confession. It came from the heart and my brain didn't make my muddle it up. Once again though, I should've considered Sam's reaction. She looked like she wanted to punch me again. This relationship, if you even want to call it that, is starting to sound a little abusive.

Sam roughly grabbed my arm and started dragging me away from the dance floor in an effort to give us some privacy. No doubt the bystanders were highly amused to see the most infamous ghost being dragged by a teenage girl. "Danny," she growled, tightening her hand around my collar, "I so want to hit you right now."

I could only offer her an anxious grin in return. Going intangible would've been my best bet at this point, but Sam would catch me one way or another. There was no true way for me to escape what was going to happen, whatever it was.

"Didn't I just go on a tirade about how people shouldn't use the word love so soon? And then what do you do? You say you love me! Sometimes I wonder if you even listen to me."

We were behind the gym outside in complete seclusion now. A perfect area for Sam to yell at me.

"Do you like me Sam?" the question might as well have been rhetorical because Sam already gave me an answer, yet I asked anyway.

"Yes."

"Then," I replied, plopping myself on the grass and looking at the clear night sky. "I'll still say I love you."

"B-But why?" she sputtered. "You can't possibly know what love is. I don't even know yet."

I glanced up at her before returning my attention to the darkness. "Who's to say I don't know what love is? I've fought creatures that people don't even know exist, much less fought themselves. I've done thing previously thought impossible to humans."

"Well you're not exactly human."

"Whatever. My point is that I can, in fact, know what I'm talking about when I say I love you. It's not like there's some way to know if what you feel for someone is love or not, even when you're an adult."

"Fine," she sighed, sitting down next to me. "Say you love me, for all I care."

I raised an eyebrow at her antics. Did she just give in and admit defeat? That's new. Normally her pride would last longer than that. "You're the only person I know who would take offense to someone confessing their love to you. Everyone else would take that as a compliment."

"I live to make things complicated for you, Danny." Sam's hand closed around mine as we laid in the grass.

"Who needs sweaty school dances anyway?" I asked jokingly. "Sitting down and watching the stars with you is so much better."

She shook her head, smiling. "You can be so cheesy, Danny," More silence fell between us, but I didn't mind. This was the most relaxed I felt in a long time.

"About the whole decision thing." I eventually said. Sam looked at me, the spark still in her eyes. "I'm willing to give our relationship my all if you are."

She beamed at me and at that moment I knew I made the right choice. There wasn't any doom waiting for me. "Looks like I'm the girlfriend of the most infamous ghost in all of Amity Park then."

I would've replied, but Sam was leaning in to me stopped me in my tracks, and I soon felt soft lips against my own. She was kissing me and it was… indescribable really. It was easily the weakest and at the same time strongest I've ever felt. A part of me was being lost forever, replaced by something else, something more. Finally Sam pulled away and I was able to look back up at the stars. Yep, definitely the best decision I could've made.

After a lot of waiting the second half, or two thirds really, is finally finished. So what was the purpose of this part? Well the concept of love. I began writing this planning on denouncing the concept of confessing one's love when it's obviously too soon in a couple's relationship, before they can possibly even know what love is really, but then I started thinking about it and came to a different conclusion. It's all based on perspective, though I'll still say that it's overused to the point where readers have become desensitized to the meaning. There are cases though where it is possible for two people to love each other without formally dating.

Another part of this deals with jealousy to a lesser extent. Jealousy is the most annoying of all the "romantic" tropes for me. It doesn't help that is almost always leads to a misunderstanding that's annoying in of itself. It can be used effectively sometimes, but most of the time the characters become to overprotective, jealous, and just annoying. Once again, that's just my opinion.

Thanks to Sorenalice for beta-ing this chapter.

Reviews:

Coin: My response would only cause an argument so I'll just say that I'll respect your views if you respect the views of my readers. Also, why even read the story in the first place when you know you won't like what's in it?