An end.

Two Weeks Later...

Sam grit her teeth and thought matter-defying thoughts; her pale hand outstretched in front of her, solid. She squinted, trying to think of the Seam— where Danny had no trouble pulling on strings— yet nothing changed.

One more try.

She closed her eyes. Her palms fell flat against her vanity mirror. Intangible, intangible, intang— a gust of wind blew past her, ruffling her bangs, the mirror underneath her hands turning icy. Frost nipped her fingertips. It worked? Alarmed and excited, Sam ripped open her eyes, took one look in the mirror... and slumped.

"Whatcha doing?" Danny's reflection asked her. He cocked his head to the side.

Sam flushed. She spun around and hid her hands behind her back. She didn't know why she was embarrassed, but she felt like a child caught with one hand in the cookie jar. "Just because you can go through doors doesn't mean you shouldn't use them. At least knock."

Danny moved closer to her. "Sorry," he murmured.

"I thought you guys were grabbing food before swinging by," Sam grumbled. Outside her window she caught sight of Tucker's car parked along the side of the road. He was sitting atop the hood, digging into a burger, dark skin gleaming in the late-summer sun.

"Got it to go. There's some tofu-grass-vegan-whatever in the car for you."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

Danny reached out and grabbed one of her hands. He spun it around and peered at the frost that decorated her chipped black nails. "Were you trying to use ghost powers?" he asked mischievously.

"No," Sam snapped. She took her hand back and held it against her chest. A defeated sigh. "Ok, fine. Yes. I just thought, you know, maybe…"

Danny's eyebrows shot up into his bangs. His blue eyes widened. "It work?"

"No," Sam admitted.

"Hmmm." Danny took her hand in his once more and vaulted them into the Fold. Sam's room flipped around and grew ethereal.

Sam gripped his wrist tightly, afraid to let go and get lost in here. Even though she had taken multiple trips through this realm the past two weeks, at Danny's side, it still shocked her. The two of them were gone from her mirror. Her room was empty.

"What do I look like?" she asked. She wondered if her hair was white, if her eyes were glowing. Had she picked up any Phantom-like qualities?

Danny peered closely at her. He leaned in until his nose almost touched hers, until his eyes were huge and overwhelming. He pulled a face. "Huh. That's weird," he said.

"What?" she asked, nervous. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…" he trailed off uncomfortably.

"What?" Sam demanded. She sucked in a terrified breath.

"You look beautiful." He cracked a dumb grin. "Only more… grey."

With a flood of relief, Sam huffed and punched him lightly in the arm. "Jerk."

Danny laughed. He took a step back from her. Sam immediately shuffled forward to close the gap, but he pressed a hand against her shoulder. "Wait. I want to try something." He shook her hand in his. "I'm going to try letting you go."

Sam froze, apprehensive. "Wait. What if…?"

"Ready?" he asked.

Not really, she thought. Danny let go of her hand and immediately the room spun back around and she fell to the floor, no longer hovering, no longer weightless. She grimaced. She had hoped that she'd be able to stay without relying on Danny.

With a snap of light Danny transformed back and yanked her to her feet. "Bummer," he said. "Thought that could've worked."

"Maybe I can just share your world," Sam mused, "but I can't walk through it myself."

He shrugged. "You never know. Ghost powers are unpredictable. I'm still learning about mine. You might grow into them eventually."

Sam said nothing. She rubbed her bare arms up and down to try and regain some warmth, turned her back to Danny, and fought to keep the disappointment from crossing her face. She didn't want him to know just how much she had hoped that would work.

With a small sigh, she gestured at her bed where her clothes were strewn across and a large suitcase sat, unfilled. "I'm still packing. You might as well tell Tucker to come inside. I'm going to need a few more minutes."

Sam smiled to herself as she folded the last of her clothes and shoved them haphazardly into her suitcase. Behind her Tucker and Danny chattered around a mouthful of fries. The three of them together, friends again, in the same room. It was—

"Can you not?" Sam scowled at Tucker, who was spinning around and around in her desk chair. Each time he whizzed around it squeaked maddeningly.

Tucker stopped and instead propped his feet on top of her desk. "Sorry," he said. He grabbed an object and held it aloft. "What's this? Some kind of medieval torture device?"

Sam grabbed it from him. "It's a eyelash curler." She squeezed it back and forth to demonstrate.

"You use that on your eyes?" Danny asked incredulously. He peered up at her from where he was sitting against the wall. His milkshake straw bumped up against the side of his face a few times as he struggled to find his mouth in his shock.

"Boys. Hopeless," Sam sighed. Part of her that wished she had let them believe it was a torture device. She chucked it into her bag and zipped it up. "Done," she announced.

She put her hands on her hips and looked once around the empty room. A tinge of sadness ran through her. It was still painted a deep violet. Her sheets still smelled of lavender, and her curtains still blocked out the sun. Her parents had— for once— respected her wishes and kept her room the same while she had been away. On her desk, photos of the three of them sat covered in a thin layer of dust. Nostalgia gripped her.

"Tucker, can you hand me that?" she asked.

He spun around in the chair and glanced at them. "Which one?" he asked. His hand hovered down the line. One of her grandmother, one of her parents, before he hit the one of the three of them in line for that Zombie horror movie.

"That one."

Tucker tossed it and she snatched it from the air, wrapping it inside a sock, placing it in the middle of her luggage. That photo would do good to sit by her bedside table.

Danny crossed his legs at the ankles and leaned his head back against the wall as he peered up at her. "You ready?" he asked. "It's almost one."

Sam nodded. It was time. Summer was officially over and Sophomore year kicked up in a week. The break hadn't felt like much of one. It had flown past with wild abandon. Although the last two weeks had been… Sam's eyes trailed over to Danny and found he was already looking at her, as if he had known she was thinking about him. More and more that seemed to be the case. They were linked now.

Danny pulled himself up off the floor, tossed the burger wrappers, and grabbed ahold of her luggage, lofting it atop his shoulder as the three of them made their way to Tucker's car.

Sam climbed into the passenger seat and stuck her head out the window to watch Danny shove around the other suitcases in the trunk.

"For someone that wears only black, you sure have a lot of clothes," he observed.

"Not all of us wear the same tee and jeans everyday," Sam retorted.

Danny managed to fit her suitcase and slam the trunk shut. "Hey, I've branched out. I wear sweaters now," he pouted as he slipped into the backseat. He plucked at his shirt. "This one is teal."

Sam addressed Tucker. "Look. Danny's all grown up and wearing non primary colors." She wiped away a fake tear. "I'm so proud. I bet he does his own laundry now too."

"Actually—" Danny began.

Tucker interrupted by turning the car's engine over. It sputtered and belched to life.

Music blasted through the stereo. Without hesitation Tucker and Danny started singing in two-part disharmony as Tucker whipped off the curb down the street. Sam tried to feel annoyed, she tried to glare disapprovingly at the two of them, really she did... but her grimace caught somewhere along the way and twisted into what some might consider a smile.

Tucker glanced sidelong at her, "You look like you're in pain, but you're happy about it."

Sam cleared the expression off her face. "You're going the wrong way," she said. "The freeway is left."

Tucker turned down the volume. "We're stopping by Danny's first."

"We still have to pick up your stuff?" she asked, craning her head back to peer at Danny. As soon as she said it her face fell. Why would they have to pick up Danny's things? Tucker and Danny had the whole morning to pack before they swung by to pick her up. The plan was to drop him off at the airport on the way. Danny should have had his stuff already in the car. He should have said his goodbyes to his family. Sam didn't even need to look at his face to know: he wasn't coming with them.

She spun around and leaned into her seat, hard. "Oh," she said.

The headrest dipped as Danny grabbed the back of her seat and pulled himself between the two of them. Sam stared stubbornly forward, even though she knew his face was right there. She could feel him hovering.

"I'm taking a year off. I need to be at home, with my family," he said.

Sam tilted her head and caught his eye. "You'll still visit, though?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "Duh. I'll be in Amity Park, bored out of my mind, kickin' it with my parents, with nothing but the Box Ghost to keep me entertained." His gaze softened. "Of course I will. Visit, that is. If you want me to."

She wanted him to.

Sam peered out the window. "I mean, who knows how this heart sharing business works. You should probably visit at least once a month or something, just to be safe."

Danny cuffed the top of her head. "Alright."

When they pulled up to Fentonworks Danny's family was already outside sitting on the stoop. As Tucker pulled into the driveway each of them got up off of the steps to greet them.

Jazz swooped forward and yanked Sam into a tight hug. Sam didn't have much say in it. With a few wriggles, she realized pretty quickly there was no escape.

"Going to miss you," Jazz mumbled.

Sam patted her on the back a few times. Who would have thought that Jazz would be considered one of her closer friends? Three years ago, she would have laughed at the idea. "Yeah, well, you can always call me. Not at eight in the morning, though. I mean it." Her eyes darted over Jazz's shoulder to where Danny was saying goodbye to Tucker. "Just, watch out for him, alright?"

Jazz let her go and took a step back. "Don't you already have that covered?" she asked with a wink.

Sam opened her mouth, expecting some sort of denial to fly out— something along the lines of that they weren't together and that he wasn't her problem— but her brain betrayed her and nothing came out. It would've been all lies anyway.

Maddie sidled up next to her. She looked like she intended to draw Sam into a hug, but thought better of it. Instead she rested her hand atop Sam's shoulder for a second. "Bye, honey. Be safe. You still have that ectogun?"

Sam tensed and gave a slight nod. Was she about to get scolded for essentially stealing it?

Maddie nodded. "Good. Keep it. You might need it considering…"

Considering there was a piece of her missing. That rushing noise was still there, so persistent, that Sam had to try hard to notice it anymore. She was changed, but how, no one was certain. So far ghost powers eluded her, but whether or not she was a portal? Unknown.

"Hey," Danny greeted.

Jazz's smile widened. She took hooked her elbow around her mother's arm and spun around on her heel to rejoin her father where he was clapping Tucker on the back a few yards away.

Sam stared down at the tops of her boots and took note of the different cracks running in the pavement. "So, I guess this is goodbye."

"For now," Danny agreed.

A pause.

Sam glanced up to see him running a hand through his hair, several times. "How about I swing by in a few weeks? See how you're settling in," he asked.

"Sure," Sam breathed, feeling relieved. It was nice to have concrete a plan of when she'd see him next. After everything that had happened this summer, the thought of leaving him made her nervous. She was happy that Danny wasn't going back to Berkeley. Then guilty for being happy about it. She could tell herself it was because she didn't know would happen if they were that far apart— heart buddies and all— but if she was being completely honest with herself she didn't want to see him go.

Danny sucked in a quick breath and fished around in his pocket. "I know I messed everything up. I've spent the last month trying to fix it. You didn't give up on me. So…" He held his palm out, class ring glinting in the sunlight. "You're my best friend, and I know friends don't give friends class rings, but I always lose this thing so I was hoping you could hold onto it for awhile. For safe keeping."

Sam stared at it uneasily. "Danny—"

"Just think about it," he interrupted. "You can always give it back when I see you next."

Sam plucked the ring out of his hand and turned it over. She traced the date and the raven's beak, waiting a full minute just to make him sweat, before she slipped it on. It didn't feel weird or bulky. It felt like it belonged. "I don't really know what we are anymore," she admitted.

"I guess I was kind of hoping that we could start over," he said tentatively. "But that's up to you. You don't have to tell me right now. Either way, friends?"

Sam spun the ring around a few times with her thumb. She dropped her hands to her side and looked up at him, squinting at the sun pouring from behind his head. It was bouncing off that gaudy Fentonwork's sign, illuminating his hair, making him glow. "I can tell you right now," Sam decided.

Danny's face fell. "Oh," he said, voice thick. He held his hand back out for the ring, but Sam wound her hands behind her back.

"I think I'll keep this ring for now," Sam told him. "Because I kinda like you. I maybe even more-than-like you."

His hand froze. He stared at her. Sam could see the little gears in his head whirling around, trying to figure out what she meant. She split into a grin. He was probably going: Wait. What does 'more-than-like' mean? What comes after like?

Sam held up a finger. "But, starting over sounds right. So for now" —she leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek, ignoring his dumbfounded expression— "That's all you get, ghost boy, demon, cambion… whatever you are..."

A shy smile. Then a pause. "What's a cambion?"

"An half-human half-demon that sucks the life from sleeping people," Sam explained matter-of-factly.

"Damn. You really know how to ruin a mood," Danny noted.

"It's my specialty."

Danny feigned outrage. "Careful, girl. Do you think it smart to insult the cambion that holds half your heart?" he teased, in a mockery of Vlad's voice that sounded nasally. "Hearts are such fickle, fragile things."

"Oh please, you wouldn't even know where to start," Sam sniffed. "Besides, it's half yours too."

"Fair point." Danny dropped the act and let out a groan. "Guess I'm stuck with you."

"How do you think I feel?" Sam countered.

Danny leaned in close and sniffed. "Pleased," he concluded. His lips quirked.

Sam shoved him away, grumbling to herself, but Danny simply looped an arm around her and tugged her to his side into a quick one-armed hug. He pressed his nose into the top of her head. "Bye," he murmured. Then he let her go.

Sam watched him spin and start to walk back towards his house. She dimly realized that his family had already gone back inside, that Tucker was back in the car. Something bothered her though. "That's it?" she called in disbelief.

He paused and spun back around. "What?"

"That's it? 'Bye?' After all that? You're not going to tell me to be careful or call you if I see any ghosts or that you'll worry about me or anything?"

Danny blinked. "I'll worry about you," he promised. "But I've spent years trying to protect you from everything, including myself, only for you to barge in and save me. You're, like, the scariest girl I've ever met. I know you can take care of yourself." He paused and considered her. "But if you ever need a hand give me a call, okay?"

Sam nodded. "Okay."

Her chest felt warm, giddy even. It felt good to hear him say that. She traced Danny's class ring over and over as she settled into the passenger seat of Tucker's car.

"You good?" Tucker asked. He had a grin on his face that told her he'd eavesdropped on that whole conversation.

Sam didn't have it in her to be mad. She was too busy smiling. She tried to wipe it off, but it kept on coming back. "Yeah, Tuck. I'm good."

Tucker put the car in drive and maneuvered it backwards out of the Fenton's driveway. Sam watched the house grew smaller and smaller in the side mirror.

The three of them were a trio again. All secrets were out. Yeah, sure, Danny had some stuff left to sort out. He wasn't a hundred percent, but things felt good. Maybe even more-than-good. Maybe even great.

fin

A/N: A whole chapter without angst? A story that ends with hope? Who am I? What happened to me? Anyway, thank you to all the loyal followers of this story. :) Seriously, you guys are the what kept me going. I'm notoriously bad at finishing things like this without encouragement. Also, thank you to my beta, HappyLeif for helping me out.

So, what's next? Well, I purposefully left a few of the plot lines loose so that I can (no promises) write a little epilogue someday. I also have plans of going back and revamping the beginning of this story. The first five chapters need serious love.

Lastly, I've got a few other stories in the works, so keep on the lookout!