Chapter one is here! So, here I am, waking up on August 31th to go running. As soon as I step outside, I freeze! It's August! I live in a state where it's not suppose to get like this until late September, early October. And now, I'm wrapping in pants, a sweatshirt, a blanket and my nice, warm dog is laying here with me as I type on my laptop. It's still summer, for at least a week. Not cool. ;). Thanks to my reviewers; Devilchild03, Aquamarine Moonlight, Phantom Misfit, Black Sun Upon An Icy Night, and Mz. Jinky. :D. Also, on PP, I like to think of them as fifteen. Jazz is eighteen and going to college and Tucker is sixteen, a little older than Danny and Sam. Danny is also a few weeks older than Sam. :). Anyway, enjoy this chapter. :D.

Under That Same Old Tree

Sixteenth Birthday

"Sam," Danny protested. He cautiously walked forward; his arms held straight out in front of him in case he fell. He couldn't see a thing because of the dark blindfold over his eyes. His shoes weren't making the sound they did when he walked on the sidewalk. Instead, the ground beneath him felt softer.

"Danny," Sam teased, pushing him up a fairly steep incline. "And don't you dare peek, or else I'll never do anything like this again!" She told him, smiling behind his back. She wasn't sure if her threat sounded real, but Danny wouldn't go against her.

He smiled. "Sam, I won't. Phantom promise, but everyone's still at my house, at my party." His mouth turned into a frown. It was his sixteenth birthday party. A few months ago, it would have just been his family and his two best friends. After saving the planet, not only his family was there, but what seemed his entire school and beyond. It was a good thing it was a beautiful, clear night. Fenton Works couldn't hold that many people.

Sam frowned. Of course he'd be worrying about making everyone at this party happy. It seemed he managed to talk to everyone in the few hours since it started. He talked to everyone, but not for very long, she thought.

"Forget them for a few minutes. We'll be back soon anyway. I just want to spend a few minutes with my best friend on his birthday. When we get back, everyone will want to hang out with you." She protested. She didn't want him to think about all of his fans, his family, or even Tucker. All she wanted him to think about was her, both of them together. Sighing, she realized she was being selfish, but she couldn't help it. It was an automatic feeling.

He heard the girl sigh. He was going to ask but avoided it by going along with what she had said. "I don't know how you managed to sneak me out with that factor." He pursed his lips.

"I have my ways." Sam smiled and continued to push him.

Danny smiled. He had always loved the ways she did her things her own way. That was what he told her in the beginning of their relationship. Still, he sighed. "Are we almost there?" They had walked for what he guessed a few blocks.

Sam laughed. "Yes. Just a few more steps . . ." She pushed him a little more then stopped.

Using his shoulders, she positioned him to look in the direction she wanted him to face.

With one motion, she took off the blindfold.

Danny stared at scene laid out before him, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped. Sam had brought him to the same hill they had sat instead of going to his ceremony, the same hill and tree where he had asked her to be his girlfriend. The tree was decorated with black and white streamers. A homemade banner read 'Happy Birthday Danny' was across the midsection of the leaves. The 'D' of Danny was made to look like the logo on his Phantom costume. Baby blue and purple balloons were tied to the trees branches. A few presents sat next the trunks bottom, all in blue wrapping paper. Even though it was night, the moon and the small lights made it possible for him to see.

Sam looked over Danny's shoulder to look at his face. He had stood there for a minute

"Danny?" She asked, a little worried to his reaction. He quickly spun around to pick the young girl up into a hug. He lifted her into the air and spun her around. The sudden motions shocked her. She laughed though and wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the moment.

"Wow, Sam. This is completely amazing." Danny whispered when they stopped and he set her down. Sam only smiled. Taking her hand, he led her to the base of the tree.

Excited, she picked up the medium sized gift and held it out. "Open this one first!" She handed it to him and sat down, tucking her legs underneath her. He took the gift and sat down also. His legs were out and he set the gift in between them. Swiftly, he ripped away the wrapping.

Sam giggled as she watched the boy, as excited as if he was seven and it was early Christmas morning. She has watched many Christmas specials and some of Danny and Tucker's home videos around the holidays. Even if she was Jewish, she could enjoy the holiday celebrated by her best friends.

Danny didn't bother keeping the paper he threw together. The wind caught a few shredded pieces and blew them down the hill. Neither teenager noticed.

The ghost boy's face was a mask of shock, surprise and confusion when he reached the package. "A laptop?" He questioned, studying the gift. From the writing on the box, the laptop wouldn't be a simple piece of technology. He would have to ask Tucker about it later. Knowing Tucker, he would leap into a full and professional explanation. Danny would be forced to listen, where he would only catch some of the conversation.

Sam nodded, even if he couldn't see her face. "Yeah. Remember? Your computer was destroyed the last time Skulker came by. Your dad ran into the basement and fired his Ecto-gun without aiming?"

Chuckling, Danny nodded. His father had managed to hit everything in the lab, except for the ghost he was aiming at in the first place. Skulker managed to escape while Danny tried to dodge Jack's shots. The man's last shot hit the boy's computer monitor. If Danny had listened to Tucker months ago, his computer would have been spared. But Danny never moved the monitor from the edge of the table. The blast from the shot knocked the monitor off the table and smashed his computer.

"Yeah. Tucker laughed and kept saying 'I told you so' until you hid his PD A and threatened to not tell him where it was until he stopped. He shut right up." Sam smiled as she recalled the memory.

Danny smiled back at the girl. He had known this girl for years, best friends the whole time. He used to think that if their friendship ever evolved into something more, it would change. After a few months though, he found that nothing had changed, except for the hand-holding, more meaningful hugs, and, sometimes, kissing.

Sam grabbed the largest present, breaking the boy from his thoughts. "This one next!" She said, with a joking smirk on her face. Danny raised an eyebrow, but grabbed the box anyway.

He wasn't sure if he should rip apart the wrapping paper like last time. Deciding against it, he pulled off the blue paper at a reasonable speed. When he reached the cardboard box, he wasn't sure what to expect.

Sam pursed her lips to keep from laughing. Not yet or you'll ruin the surprise! She told herself. She took a deep breath and looked back at her boyfriend. Somehow, she still couldn't wrap her mind around the idea. She touched the ring her gave her with her other hand, just to make sure that the past few weeks weren't some dream. A small smile came to her face when she realized it was still there, it wasn't a dream and Danny was her boyfriend.

Danny also took a deep breath, and pulled apart the flaps of the cardboard box. He closed his blue eyes. To be honest, he was afraid of what this girl had hidden. He didn't have any idea why she was snickering earlier. He finally built up the courage to look.

The contents made him gasp in horror. "What is all this?!" His eyes were wide with shock and his mouth was wide open.

Inside the box was an assortment of Danny Phantom items. A bobble head, a doll of both Danny Fenton and Phantom, a coffee mug, pajama bottoms, a keychain, an action figure, a few shirts, and many other items created for someone's own personal profit and millions of Phantom fans.

Sam laughed at his expression. She couldn't help it. "While I went shopping with Tucker, we saw a store full with shelves of this stuff. We thought it would be great to get you a bunch of it, to see what people think of you. And look at this!" She reached into the box with both hands and rummaged around. "There are also Sam and Tucker dolls!" She cried, excitedly, as she pulled the dolls from the box. A huge smile of enjoyment was on her face.

Danny smiled back and grabbed the "Sam" doll. "Okay. I admit it. I like this." He winked at the Goth, causing her to blush. He loved it when she did. He found out he could do this often. The bad thing about that is she could do the same to him. When he was a ghost, it felt weird to have blood rush to his face. He couldn't explain the feeling.

Sam found she had to look away. She looked at the tree. "You know, I really like this tree." She muttered, more to herself than to the boy. A small smile formed on her lips. Her best memory was here, at this tree. Danny had promised to make sure he didn't get too busy to forget her, and they had started dating. Being hero of the world was a big thing that day too.

"Really?" The ghost boy questioned, eyeing the tree she looked at. A brilliant idea flashed in his head and sly smile slowly came to his face. "Hey, Sam?"

"Hmmm?" She asked as she rubbed her hands against the grass.

"I'm going to fly these back to Fenton Works. I'll be right back. Is that okay?" Danny reached for the presents, hoping Sam would turn around to look at him.

She didn't as she nodded. There was a flash of light that was just inside her eyesight. She knew that meant Danny was now Phantom. There was rustling as he picked up the presents and soft footsteps as he walked on the grass before he flew up into the air.

After a minute, Sam turned back around. She didn't like to blush. It didn't feel like it was something she would do. Of course, when she was with Gregor, she never blushed. He had never said anything to make her blush. Danny was a different story. Everything he sweet he said always made her blush. Whenever someone made a comment about the both of them as a couple, she would blush. Sometimes, it made her feel weaker not as tough as she built herself to be. She sighed.

"And thanks Sam." A cold breeze whispered in her ear. She knew it was Danny's voice, even if it was cold. It made her shiver, but she didn't care. She was almost used to the cold that his ghost side created. There was a sudden chill and light pressure on her forehead. She sucked in a breath. Then, it was gone as soon as it came. She reached out to grab him, even if she knew he was already gone and he would just slip through her hands.

Sam decided to pass the time looking at the stars. She lay back; the soft grass tickling her arms as she brought them under her head. Her eyes focused on the stars above.

One. . . Two. . . Three. . . She started to count the stars. Unfortunately she lost count as a plane flew over her. She frowned. Stupid plane. Acting like a star. Her brow furrowed as she watched the plane travel across the sky.

"What's wrong?" Danny's sudden voice made Sam jump. She hadn't heard him come back.

"Danny!" She scolded. She sat up and turned to search for him. Phantom was standing behind her. His hands were behind his back and his face looked worried. "Don't scare me like that!"

He smiled sheepishly. "Oops. Sorry, Sam. I was just worrying about you." He sat down next to her, hands never leaving his back. He looked up at the sky where she had been looking previously. He didn't find anything wrong up there, but his girlfriend had a mind like no one he has ever known.

Blushing, she shrugged. She didn't know what to say to a comment like that. Lying back down and staring at the stars seemed like the best thing to do now. So she did. Danny followed her. He stayed in his ghost form. The cold radiating off his body made her shiver. She started to wonder why she walked out the door without a coat. She sighed as another shiver ran through her body.

Bright green eyes looked over at her. "What's wrong? I asked earlier but you just yelled at me." His mouth turned down in a tight frown. He probably shouldn't have scared her, but he didn't mean it. He forgot that when he was a ghost, he was almost perfectly silent. Not as clumsy as he was when he was human.

"I forgot my coat and, well, you're still a ghost." She told him. Goosebumps rose on her arm as a light breeze flowed through the air. She sat up so she could rub her arms with her hands to try and warm them up.

Danny smacked his forehead as he changed back into Danny Fenton. He didn't notice the cold because he was half-ghost. He only noticed during the winter on the coldest days. It never bothered him though. His mom still bugged him, like any other mother, to wear a jacket anyway. So he was wearing a jacket when Sam pulled him out the door at his party. He pulled it off and wrapped it around her, smiling.

She smiled back and muttered "Thanks." It wasn't black, but she didn't care. She put her arms in the sleeves. The arms on his coat were longer than hers, so she kept her hands inside. She buried her face inside the collar. It smelled just like Danny. She smiled before pulling her head out. Her eyes met his and she drowned in his ocean eyes. He gave her a soft smile to match hers.

"Sam. There's something I want to try." He stared into her eyes as he softly spoke. That was also why he had left. He had to grab a surprise for her. Since she loved this tree, he thought it would be perfect. Girls liked those kinds of things.

Sam swallowed. Try something? What would Danny want to try? Yet, she still nodded. The boy smiled, stood, and offered her one of his hands. She hesitated. Mentally sighing, she took it, her hand shaking. He helped her up. His brain noted that her hand was shaking. He wondered why she could possibly be nervous. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably as he led her to the tree. Of course, she never knew what to expect with Danny.

When they reached the oak tree, he took back his hand, keeping the other one still hidden from her. He placed his hand, the one Sam was holding, to the base of the tree. He knocked on the wood, looked at the bark and violently poked at it. He smiled. Kneeling on the ground, he pulled her down with him, making sure she was in front of him. He rested his head on her shoulder, wrapped one arm around her waist, and pulled his opposite hand out to show it to her. In his hand was his father's pocket knife. The pocketknife was from Jack's childhood, so there was no ghost weapon attached to it. Jack only became interested in ghost nearing the end of his high school years.

As Danny carved a 'D' into the tree, Sam laughed. He turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised. How had she seen his face? Besides, he didn't think this idea was stupid or funny. Maybe his gothic girlfriend did. Clueless, he asked, "What?"

Sam smiled at him. "One: Your expression on your face." As a model, she copier the expression he was wearing when he was looking at the tree. She stuck her tongue out and to the side, and squinted her eyes. Laughing again, Danny joined her. When their laughter died down, she continued. "And two: I hope you're not craving out initials into the tree." Her face was serious. She didn't want 'DF + SM' on the tree. What if we get married? My initials won't be S.M. anymore. They'll be S.F. I want this to last forever. Her reason was kept inside her head. A talk of marriage at fifteen would be embarrassing and might scare him.

With the knife still in his hand, Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "That was what I was planning." His idea was stupid. That's why she laughed. He wanted to smack his forehead again. The only girl that mattered to him probably thinks this is too fast. Now, he made a fool of himself. He sighed.

"Give me the knife." She told him. She grabbed the knife before he could question her. She finished the 'D' and scratched 'Danny' into the tree. Experienced with a pocketknife, it didn't take her long to write the five letter name. She was about to carve her name when he grabbed her hand.

"You wrote my name. Can't I write yours?" He whispered innocently into her ear. Behind her, he had a small smile on his face, knowing his magic would work on her. Her hand loosened its grip on the knife and he snatched it before it could fall. Softly laughing, he carved her name like it was a work of art. In between their names, he quickly added a plus sign, until it read 'Danny + Sam' with his name on top and hers below his.

He tried to remove his arm from the tree, but Sam grabbed it. She smiled. "Don't let go." She whispered so soft, he could barely hear her. Still, he held onto the knife as she put her hand over his. On top of the middle of his name, she rested the tip of the knife. Slowly, she brought it up and around, making a half a heart. Danny smiled. As she brought the knife back to the top, he dropped the knife from his grasp. In an instant, she grabbed it, where his hand had been moments ago. He covered her hand with his. Now, he was in control of the knife. He traced the other side if the heart. The side he drew made the heart look lopsided, but they both loved it. It didn't have to be perfect because nothing ever was. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

They sat and stared as the night grew on, not saying a word, just enjoying each other's presences. At one point, he looked over at her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even and deep. Even in her sleep, she wore a small smile. Chuckling softly, Danny knew he had to bring Sam home now. His party was most likely over and it was probably late if she was asleep. Careful not to move too much, he dug a small hole next to the tree's base. He stuck the pocket knife in and covered it with dirt. Then, he put one arm under her knees and the other behind her shoulders. He stood, holding her in his arms, bridal style. He didn't want to wake her, so he stayed human. He was hoping she wouldn't wake up before he got her home.

Smiling at the tree once more, he turned to walk home with his girlfriend asleep and safe in her arms. "I love you, Sam." He whispered, kissing her forehead before walking down the hill, a goofy grin on his face.

Okay. Like it? :). SO the next chapter might be out in a week. School starts the 8th, so I want to get the next chapter out before then. :). Thanks to my reviewers and readers. :).

Amour de l'eau :D.