She just won't give up! I'm back, and I haven't even really gone anywhere. Seems I am addicted to reviews and I can't get those unless I post. I am really not happy with the other story I posted, so I am hoping this is better. I hate to ask, but please review, even if justto say what is wrong. I can't get better if I don't know what doesn't work.

Thank you so much for reading!

Disclaimer: I still do not own Danny Phantom, or anyone else. My best friend once gave me her soul, so I might own her, but she's not in here. If I ever do own Danny Phantom, believe me, I will let EVERYONE know!

Bridging The Gap

"Ugh!" Sam Manson exclaimed as she plopped down on the bench between her best friends of forever, Danny Fenton and Tucker Foley. They were once again at the Nasty Burger, preparing for the nightly 'ghost patrol'.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Danny asked, reaching for his shake.

"My folks are throwing this fancy schmancy party this weekend for some big wig client that just flew in. And I have to be there. And my mom bought my dress." she grumped, folding her arms and scowling.

Tucker froze with a french fry halfway to his mouth. "Wait a minute," he turned to Sam, "does that mean your gonna look like a girl?"

"What, instead of the octopus I look like now?" she leveled a glare at him.

Danny choked on his shake.

Sam absently patted him on the back. "Look, I am already so not looking forward to this stupid thing. I just know my mom got something pink and lacy with ruffles everywhere!"

She punctuated every other word with a smack to Danny's back, slowly getting harder and harder.

"Thanks Sam! I'm fine now!" he yelled.

"What? Oh, sorry. Anyway, I wanted to know if you guys wanted to come. That way, if I have to be mortified, at least my best friends will get to see it."

"Ooh! Can we bring dates?" Tucker said, flashing, what he thought, was a sexy grin at the girls at the next table.

"Are you allowed too? Sure. Can you," Sam watched as the girls rolled their eyes and left the table, "Probably not."

Tucker cut a glare her way. She just smirked.

"Well, the ghosts aren't gonna catch themselves! Let's get going, huh?" Danny looked nervously between his friends and pushed them to get up and out.

The rest of the night, and week for that matter, held few surprises. The most eventful of which was a toss up between a short visit from the Box Ghost "Beware!" , and a pop quiz in Lancer's class.

Saturday came, and with it, Sam's party.

The doorbell rang, and Sam just knew it was Danny and Tucker. She ran to the door, yelling "I'll get it!".

"Oh Sammykins, "her mother berated," ladies don't run, or yell!" she yelled.

"That's why I'm not a lady," Sam mumbled as she pulled open the heavy wooden door. Parties on both sides were surprised by what greeted them.

Danny's side was greeted by Sam Manson, ultra-recyclo-vegitarian goth, dressed in a pink, sleeveless dress with a tight bodice, showing quite a bit of cleavage the boys didn't even know she had, before flaring a bit at the waist and flowing to the floor, hiding her feet. She was about 2 inches taller than normal, meaning she was probably wearing high heels as well. Her hair was styled on her head in a pile of curls, with two stray strands falling to frame her face. There were small, delicate roses placed throughout her hair. All in all, except for the scowl on her face under a light dusting of makeup, she looked stunning.

As Sam opened the door, she too was surprised. Not by how they were dressed, they were both wearing dark blue suits with ties. No, what surprised her, was that they were not alone. With them was a beautiful girl, about their age, with blond hair and blue eyes. Her hair was like gold and fell to her waist. Her eyes were like crystals, clear and beautiful. She had full red lips, curved in a friendly smile, and a dress that matched her eyes and hugged her body perfectly, showing off every curve.

"Wow," three out of the four teens said at once. Sam recovered first.

"He-hey guys! I am so glad you're here. I am so board." She turned to Tucker, still looking at the beautiful girl on her doorstep. "So Tuck, is this your date?" she asked with a smile.

"I wish! No, she came with Danny."

Sam's smile slipped slightly, but she quickly recovered. "Oh, that's nice. Uh, I'm Sam. Nice to meet you." She said, extending her hand. The girl smiled wider and took the offered hand.

"I'm Breanna. It's very nice to meet you too. Danny's told me all about you. It's great to put a face to the stories."

"Ya." Sam laughed. "I wish I could say the same about you! Come on in, the party is already started." she stepped aside to let them in, and thought to herself, "if I keep talking, I won't have to hear about Danny's girlfriend. I can't believe he brought a date! I thought Tucker might, but not Danny! sigh I guess...I guess he doesn't feel that way about me, like I do him."

"Well, the food is over there, some weird stuff, but some normal stuff too. There's dancing in the ballroom, down the hall, just follow the music. Danny and Tucker know where the bathrooms are. Other than that, if there's anything you need, just let me know!" She smiled big and hoped it didn't look too fake. Danny and Tucker looked confused.

"Uh, Sam? Aren't you gonna be here with us?" Danny asked.

"Well, ya. But, ya know, my mom has been hounding me all night. 'Come meet this person,' or 'make sure there's enough food,' and stuff like that. As a matter of fact, I think I hear her now. I'll be right back." and she took off looking for her mom.

"Well," Danny said after a moment, "that was weird."

Tucker just shook his head. "Not really, Mr. Clueless." he muttered.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing! Let's go get some food!"And Tucker headed for the tables piled high with different exotic foods.

Danny shrugged and offered his hand to Breanna, following after Tucker.

Sam spent the rest of the night trying to avoid Danny and Breanna as much as possible. Not enough to raise suspicion, but enough that she didn't talk to either very much. She did watch them though. All night. She watched as they ate, talked and laughed. She watched as they danced and even as they took a walk through the garden. Still talking and laughing. It broke her heart. She went back inside and ran into Tucker. "Hey Sam, what's up?"

She sighed. "Nothing. Hey Tuck, how long has Danny been seeing that girl Breanna?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. I never saw her before tonight myself. He never said anything to me. I don't think she even goes to our school. Why? Is there a reason he shouldn't be seeing her?" he gave her a knowing smile. She glared back.

"No, Tucker. I was just curious. We're his best friends, don't you think we should be concerned for each other?"

"Concerned? Yes. Nervous and jealous? Not really. Unless..." he nudged her lightly.

"Let it go, Tucker. If you value your life, you will let it go."

He put his hands up defensively, "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it!" another smile, met by another glare. "Listen, it's late and my mom has some big 'ol family thing planned, so I'm gonna go, ok?"

"Oh, all right. Look, I'm sorry if I snapped. I think the pink is getting to my mind. Thanks for coming tonight. I hope you had fun. Sorry I wasn't around much."

"Hey, I understand. Spying takes time."

She punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Jeez, even in pink you hit like a gorilla! I'll call you tomorrow, 'k?"

"Cool. Thanks again."

"No problem Sam. That's what friends are for. Oh! And if you see Danny, tell him I'll call him tomorrow. I haven't been able to find him. Thanks."

"Sure. 'Bye."

"Bye." He headed for the door.

She sighed and started looking for Danny.

It didn't take long to find him. He and Breanna were sitting on the edge of the fountain in the garden. They seemed to be sharing a tender moment, holding hands and laughing quietly .

'I'll just tell him later.' She thought to herself, turning from the heart wrenching scene before her. She went back inside, choking back a sob, and headed for the punch. She got a cup, took a deep drink, and wished that someone had spiked it. She stayed at the refreshment table, fending off the advances of all the young men her mother sent her way, watching the door to the garden, waiting for Danny and Breanna to come in. An hour passed before that happened. They still seemed very happy and were still holding hands. She put the cup back on the table and made her way over to them.

"Hey." she said as she walked up.

They turned to her, Danny's smile grew at the sight of her. "Heya Sammy! We've been looking for you everywhere."

"Ya, I'm sure." she grumbled.

Danny's smile faded at her scowl. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she said, dropping the scowl. "Tucker left about an hour or so ago, he said he couldn't find you and asked me to tell you good bye, and that he'll call you tomorrow."

"Oh, ok. Thank you. Ya, I need to get Breanna home, so we are going to take off. I'm really sorry we didn't get to talk much. Can we get together tomorrow, maybe?"

She just stared at him for a moment, then shook her self and responded, "Uh, ya. I guess. Call me. Maybe we can all go to the movies or something."

"Ok. Sounds great." he turned to Breanna. "You ready?"

"Yup," she smiled and turned to Sam, surprising her with a hug. "Thank you for letting me come here with Danny. This was a lot of fun."

"You bet!" she plastered on her best smile as the couple turned and left. She immediately turned and found her mother, saying she had a headache and was going to bed. He mother grudgingly agreed, and Sam headed upstairs. She changed into her normal clothes, scrubbed the pink off her face and replaced it with her normal purple, and headed straight out the window. She needed some fresh air, and she knew she could find it at the park. She ran through the streets, not even noticing the tears leaving tracks on her cheeks. She didn't stop running until she hit the center of the park, a little known and rarely used section. There was a small bridge with a smaller stream flowing beneath it. It was an absolutely beautiful place, but a favorite of some of the local spirits. Sam wasn't worried about ghosts tonight though. That would be a welcome distraction from the thoughts running through her head. She stood in the middle of the bridge, staring into the calm, clear water.

"DAMMIT!" she yelled. She sighed and watched the water ripple as her tears hit and became one with the small flow. "You are so stupid Samantha! 9 years you've known him. You've been in love with him for 7 of those, and you don't have the guts to say anything. And now, you'll never have the chance!" She continued to yell at her reflection. "You didn't really have any competition before. I mean, Paulina would only ever want the Phantom, and Valerie barely wanted Fenton, forget about Phantom." She dropped her gaze and her voice. " I love him both. I always have." She turned and slid to a sitting position on the bridge, her knees drawn up to her chest, her chin resting on her knees. "But now, he'll never know."

"Yes, he will." came a voice just out of her eyesight. She knew that voice and suddenly she wondered if she could drown herself in the small creek to her back.

The bridge creaked as he walked toward her. He sat down next to her, and she buried her face in her knees.

"Mumffmmfm mmfmm fmmmmfmfm?" she asked.

"Huh?" he asked.

She sighed and lifted her head, carful to look straight ahead, at the opposite side of the bridge, and not at him.

"I said, you heard everything, didn't you?"

He grinned at her profile. "Yup."

"Ugh, kill me now." she put her head back in her knees.

His look turned to one of confusion. "Why? What's the matter?"

She abruptly stood up, turning to gaze into the water. "Danny, I'm sorry. Here you are with a new girlfriend, and now you hear that one of your best friends loves you. Just, forget I said anything, ok? I really don't want to lose your friendship over this. Can we just pretend it never happened? Please?"

He sighed, also standing. He looked at the water, their eyes catching in their reflections.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." he sighed. "I'm sorry."

She closed her eyes, a silent tear escaping. "I was afraid of that." she whispered.

She stayed like that for a moment before feeling his hand drop on her shoulder. She sighed, turned to him and opened her eyes. He looked at her, took a deep breath and spoke, "Breanna isn't my girlfriend. She's my cousin. I tried to tell you, but I couldn't find you. She was only in town for the night, and dropped in suddenly. I didn't even have time to call and tell you."

He smiled down at her. "But I still can't just let what you said be ignored."

"I understand." she said, her heart breaking.

"Because, I don't like you."

She started to get a little angry. "Ok, I get it Fenton. Thank you." she glared.

He smiled. "It's because, I love you too." his smile turned into a smirk.

She looked at him wide eyed. "You love me?" she dared to ask.

"Yup." He cupped her cheek with his hand, slowly closing the distance. He closed his eyes...

And recoiled in pain, covering his now stinging cheek with his other hand.

He looked down at the angry goth before him, a seriously confused look on his face.

"That, Danny Fenton, was for leading me on. What the heck was that? 'I don't like you'", she mocked. "That was just mean." she crossed her arms and glared at him.

Still rubbing his cheek, he replied, "I was trying to be sweet and romantic."

"Next time, just kiss me." she stated.

So he did.