AN: Hello everyone! I won't keep you long, I'd just like to welcome you to my first multi-chaptered Danny Phantom fic. I'd also like to thank Cordria for beta reading this chapter! -Hugs- I hope you enjoy the first chapter, I'll see you at the end...
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom belongs to the oh-so-wonderful Butch Hartman. I just like to mess with his characters!
If You Love Her…
…Talk to Her
"Heya Sam," Danny said, plopping down on the bench next to the Goth girl. Sam closed her book and looked over at Danny with her peculiarly violet eyes.
"Hey Danny, what are you doing here?" Sam motioned with her hand at the park around them.
Danny shrugged. "I was out patrolling and when I saw you I decided to stop and talk. That's ok, isn't it?" He seemed unsure of himself.
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" Sam asked with a laugh. "Anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"
"Well… how are things going for you?"
"What kind of question is that Danny? You see me everyday; surely you know how I've been."
"We don't get to talk all that much anymore," he replied with a grimace, and Sam knew Danny meant since he'd gotten his ghost powers. "We talk for about five minute intervals during school before we have to run to class. Otherwise it's just yelling 'do this' or 'watch out' during fights."
"Yeah, but that's not your fault." Sam replied as Danny shrugged again. Sam focused back on Danny's question. "I guess I've been ok recently. I can't really complain much about anything other than my parents. But, I mean, what else is new?" Danny smiled appreciatively at Sam's joke. "What about you?" Sam asked her eyes on Danny's blue ones. "Besides the obvious of course, what problems do you have?"
Danny laughed. "Oh you know the usual, trying to keep my secret, get sleep, and maintain a 'C' average." He rolled his eyes.
Sam frowned, a thoughtful look passing over her features. Danny talked about his troubles very rarely. When he did talk about them, it was so casually that she never realized how Danny's double life affected him. It suddenly occurred to her that he must come to school some days dog-tired and bruised from a night of ghost fighting. No wonder he fell asleep in class!
"I never really thought much about how hard it is for you to be two people. The super hero and the school boy," she paused for a moment, wondering if there was anything she could do to make things easier for him. Coming to a decision, she offered helpfully, "I could help you, you know… I could tutor you and help you manage your work load."
If anyone other than Sam had offered this, Danny would have brushed him or her off saying 'I don't need your help thanks, I get that enough from Jazz.' But since it was Sam and not someone else, Danny nodded. "I might take you up on that," he replied. Sam smiled. "If only to spend more time with you." Danny added with a boyish smile. Sam hit him playfully.
"Be careful what you say in public Danny, someone might take you seriously." Danny was thinking that might not be such a bad thing, when he noticed a slight blush on Sam's face. It could have been a trick of the light or maybe the heat of the evening, but he felt for sure he had seen some color come to his best friend's cheeks. What did that mean?
"So, how goes the ghost fighting?" Sam asked trying to pass on to a safer subject. Hinting that there might be something more to their friendship was not what she wanted to do right now.
"It's not too bad. I think I'm getting stronger so the ghosts that used to give me trouble don't feel like a problem anymore. Still, if Skulker keeps making weekly appearances I might have some issues. Not only is he strong, he's also annoying. I swear, if he makes one more comment about how my skin would look good on the foot of his bed…" Danny trailed off.
"I think what you do is great Danny," Sam told him with a smile. She didn't think Danny got enough thanks for what he did, especially with the people of Amity regarding him as another enemy ghost and his parents constantly hunting him.
Trying to be modest, Danny stared at his hands without answering. "What would you do?" he asked after a few moments. Sam looked at him curiously. "No really Sam, I mean it. What would you have done if you were the one with the ghost powers?"
"Probably the same thing you're doing right now. Although I don't know if I'd be able to deal with it being so… thankless."
"It's not thankless. At least not completely. I can see that some people are coming around. They're starting to look at me in gratitude instead of fear. Not that they're breaking down my door trying to be best friends or anything, but it's getting better. I think a few people have realized that I'm here to help. And besides," Danny continued, "You thank me enough for the whole city. And your thanks means more to me than theirs."
Sam laughed. "I seriously doubt it. The whole thanking you enough for the whole city thing, I mean. Half the population of this city owes you their lives. Have you ever even thought about that?"
"Not really." He admitted, blinking in surprise. "I actually don't see myself as some kind of big hero. I just take everything as it comes. And honestly," Danny gave an embarrassed smile, "I'm not exactly super hero material. I'm clumsy and awkward and I make a fool of myself on a daily basis." Danny stopped as Sam was shaking her head.
"You're a teenaged boy Danny, that's what you're supposed to be like. I don't think I would be able to comprehend a suave, professional Danny Fenton that never said one wrong word. That takes the fun out of everything. You're not living life properly if you don't laugh at yourself every once in awhile."
"Thanks Sam, it means a lot to me that you like me the way I am." Danny said with a smile.
"Don't worry so much ghost-boy. Just take life like you said you take ghost fighting: as it comes."
The halfa nodded and hugged his friend briefly. As he did so he caught a glimpse of his watch and noticed how late it had become. "I'm sorry Sam, I gotta get going. But thanks for the talk. I hope we have more like this one soon."
"Yeah," Sam nodded her agreement. "See you Danny."
She watched as Fenton became Phantom and Danny flew off towards his home. Sam stared at the sky in the general direction of Fenton Works. She really hoped they would talk again soon.
AN: Cyber cookies for everyone who came this far! Thanks for reading, please drop me a review, and enjoy those cookies :D
Next Chapter Preview: I don't know when this'll be out since chapter two has not gone through the beta-ing process, but it has been written and pre-edited by me. The title of chapter two will be If You Love Her... Make Her Laugh. Hope to see you there!