Is There Still

11

The sun had already been up for hours when Danny slipped through the portal Clockwork had created for him, and he winced as he rubbed a hand across his face, knowing that some time had passed if his level of fatigue were anything to go by. At least the night, he was hoping not more, and rolled his neck and his shoulders as he glanced at his door to make sure it was still securely locked before flicking his mouse to the side to wake his monitor up.

10:18 of the morning after he'd left.

Danny yawned and scrubbed a hand through his hair wondering if Jazz would kill him for just going to sleep until he woke up again. She'd covered for him for three days, and he'd forced her into some kind of excuse this morning. He wasn't looking forward to apologizing to her, but then, he didn't really have to. He smiled wickedly. She'd backed herself into this corner herself.

But he should go to school. His eyes flickered to the left of his monitor and to the framed photo of himself and his two best friends next to it, a gift from Jazz at his birthday. A memorable occasion, the three huddled close together and smiling, and Sam with her arms wrapped around Danny. Yes, he should go to school, if only to talk to Sam.

It was time he told her; if he kept putting it off something might happen. And that would be unacceptable.

Danny tossed one last longing glance towards his bed before toeing his shoes off and throwing his shirt towards his hamper. He grabbed up his towel where it was tossed over his desk chair and headed for the bathroom, intent on nothing more the hot water, clean soap, and a well pasted toothbrush. Forty minutes later he was clean, mostly dry and scrubbing at his hair with a towel before trying to get it under control. Or as much control over it that he ever had, without resorting to dangerous amounts of styling products.

A clean pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and a red button up later, Danny was shouldering his book bag and tapping on Jazz's door, smiling as she opened it. "I'm going to school. I got my answers, you can quit worrying." She gave him a perplexed look that only intensified when he wrapped her in a tight hug, then headed down the stairs two at a time before jumping the last three.

In the kitchen his mother and father, not where he had expected them, but where he had to pass through to get to the lab. "Mom? Dad?"

"Danny!" Maddie exclaimed. "You're feeling better? Jazz said you thought you were getting sick again last night. She heard you in the bathroom."

Danny smiled and shook his head. "I think I'm alright. I was going to go to school; I've missed enough," and he closed his eyes against the double entendre that sent memories flickering behind his eyes before leaning forward and hugging his mother, much like he had done in that other life. Moments later he felt the tight squeeze of his father, and for just a moment he thought that maybe, just maybe he could tell them and everything would be okay.

He pulled back and smiled down at his mother, up at his father. "I missed you guys, a lot. We should do something tonight. Bowling, a movie."

With another smiled Danny was waving at his parents as he escaped through his front door, and made the mental promise to make one last visit to Clockwork before he told his parents. It would surely wouldn't hurt to just double check that he wasn't going to end up as a science experiment or on the receiving end of a deadly ectoblast. But for some reason, he thought that maybe, just maybe, it would work out.

Someone owed him, someone would make it right.

A quick glance around and a sudden flash of light later, Danny Phantom was soaring high over Amity Park towards Casper High, flying invisibly as he arrowed down, almost surprised that students were already milling around outside with trays and bagged lunches. Almost, but not quite. He had taken an awful long time underneath the scalding water. But it had helped. To an extent he felt like maybe he was a little more clean than he had been since watching the future he had nearly been condemned to.

He landed lightly behind a tree and shifted back to Fenton while remaining invisible, double checking that no one was watching before letting the tingle along his skin fade and allowing the world to see him once again as he stepped around the tree, icy blue eyes scanning the courtyard for his two best friends as he walked towards the massed students. Familiar faces again; Dash, Paulina, a freshman who looked eerily familiar as Danny realized where he had seen his face before.

In Clockwork's domain.

A future friend, he thought to himself with a smile as his eyes lit on more than familiar faces, Sam and Tucker, sitting at a table underneath a tree with two boys and a girl from one of Sam's protests. Sara, Michael, and Scott, if Danny recalled. He promised himself that he would recall from now on as he strode surely to the table, a smile lighting his face. He couldn't forget, shouldn't forget. Not even friends, because what the hell was he protecting the town for if it weren't for the ties that bound people together?

"Danny!" Sam called with a delighted smiled as she saw him coming, and Tucker turned jade green eyes on him with a relieved wave.

"Hey," he said almost breathlessly as he looked at Sam, remembering the feel of her, the taste, the touch, the sound.

"Didn't think you'd be in school today," Tucker was saying as Danny dropped his bag and slid down next to Sam.

Sam smiled at him again, this one worried and curious. "I didn't actually expect to see you for a while, myself," she added softly. "Did you?" The question went unfinished in company, but Danny knew what she was asking for and smiled.

He nodded. "I did." Danny snaked a hand out to Sam's and held on, staring straight into her eyes. "Can I talk to you? Please?" Without waiting for a yes or no Danny shot an apologetic smile at the rest of the table and stood, pulling Sam along with him a respectable distance away from the other students, but not caring if they were out of sight so long as no one could hear them.

"Danny, is everything okay?" Sam asked worriedly as he slowed and stopped, never letting her hand go.

"Better than," he said with a smile.

Sam frowned. "Okay, then why did you drag me off like a caveman? We were actually having a conversation and it was really ru—"

It was a billion times better than he had remembered it, despite the surprised way her eyes widened as he leaned down and kissed her firmly, hands sliding to her slender waist and pulling her against him. The memory had nothing on the real thing, warm lips against warm lips, bare fingers instead of gloved hands touching the smooth skin of her waist. The way her hands squeezed his arms for a moment before sliding up to his shoulders, not to push away but to pull closer.

He pulled back for a moment, holding her face in his hand, reveling in the feel, the feel, of silky black hair against his fingers just like he'd wanted in that aborted timeline. It was better than heaven. "Sam," he whispered hoarsely. "I am so sorry."

Lavender eyes stared up at him, lazily closing for a moment before she pursed her lips and looked again. "What are you sorry for Danny?" she asked when she found her voice again, swearing silently that if he was sorry for kissing her she was going to kill him. Again.

Danny ran a finger down her cheek, watching as her eyes drifted closed and her body shivered at his touch. "I'm sorry that I was such a fool," he started, almost smiling at the way her eyes shot open in surprise, like she'd been expecting for him to tell her he regretted kissing her. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, I'm sorry I was a coward."

"Danny, you're the bravest person that I know," she said softly, and he laid a finger over her lips to silence her.

"No. No I'm not," he said firmly. "I'm a coward. And I am so sorry that I had to die to figure it out, to admit it."

"What?" she asked, confused. "That you like me?" The hope there in her voice made him smile widely, knowing exactly what was going through her head, the Sam Manson that hadn't watched him die, that hadn't had her world pulled down from the inside out.

The Sam Manson who was stronger than him, and could hide how much she loved him, even when he had her quite firmly in his arms and had just kissed her thoroughly.

"No, Sam," he said with a smile, knowing that his next words would take the hurt in her eyes away. "That I love you."

And then he kissed her again, effectively taking the startled and frightened look from her eyes, wrapping himself around her and not caring about anything else in the world but the fact that he was holding the girl he loved more than anything in his arms.

---

"Twenty that says he doesn't tell her," Scott said with a smile as he fished the bill from his pocket. "She's going to pine after him until senior year, at least."

Michael shrugged, flipping auburn hair out of his eyes as he stared after Danny who was currently dragging Sam off. "I don't know, Scott. He was acting impressively lovesick."

"And you're what, fourteen? What do you know about love?"

Michael smirked. "Enough to know that this would be easy money if I gambled."

"I got twenty," Tucker popped in, eyes glued to his best friends, and the way that Danny's hand was still clutching Sam's desperately. "He's going to tell her."

"Double!" Scott exclaimed as Sam started scowling at Danny, one hand angrily pointing back at the table he had dragged her from so unceremoniously. And then Danny kissed Sam.

"Wow. Never thought I'd see the day he did it," Michael said, his brow raised and his mouth hanging.

Tucker only smiled as he held is hand out for the wad of cash Scott was passing him. "Let's just say that Danny got a wakeup call. A really loud and painful wakeup call."

"I'd say it worked."

---

"You went to see Clockwork, didn't you?" Sam asked as she leaned lazily against Danny. They were in the park, on a hill underneath a tree that gave them a perfect view of the place Danny had died, once upon a different life.

Danny only nodded, staring down at the fountain that was still in rubble as the funding was built up to replace it. It wouldn't be too much longer, he knew. He'd had his fingers in that particular grapevine, wanting to know how long until the most vivid reminder of that fated day. It had been a week and a day since it had happened; Danny was ready for full explanations. If no one else, Sam and Tucker both needed to know exactly what his future could hold.

"Danny?" Sam asked softly.

"Not yes, Sam. Wait for Tucker, so I don't have to go through this twice."

For a moment Danny thought that she was going to press the issue, demand answers that he knew he would give her if she only asked. But she didn't, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he pressed a thankful kiss to her temple. He was even more grateful that he could do that, grateful enough that he completely ignored Tucker when he finally dropped down next to them rolling his eyes.

"I know this really great hotel if you guys need one…" he started, and winced at the annoyed glare lavender eyes inflicted on him.

Danny only laughed, saying, "What makes you think we haven't already been there?" And ducked as Sam hit him. "Okay, okay. Can't I pull his strings?"

"No," she said shortly.

"Had to try," Danny said with a smile before the humor slipped away, his uncertainty finally showing through. "I want you guys to know everything. I trust you, you know?"

Sam smiled at him and Tucker nodded.

"We'll always be here for you Danny," Tucker said evenly as Sam held his hand tightly in her own.

"Nothing you tell us is going to scare us off," she added.

Danny smiled, real and true remembering the last thing he'd seen in Clockwork's time portal. "I know guy," he said. "I know. And for that, I am so thankful."