Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ Danny Phantom: Pairing Off ❯ Danny Phantom: Pairing Off ( Chapter 1 )

Danny Phantom: Pairing Off

By Aaron

 

It was evening…the dinner rush. And the environment was pretty much business as usual at a place like Nasty Burger, crawling from floor to ceiling with its usual clientele of carnivores. Of course, Sam was doing her best to ignore everyone else around her, all gorging on their dinners of death. After all, between her salad and her Tofu Soy Melt sandwich, she was secure in her righteousness. And as long as she kept her eyes on her own meal and ignored the sounds of slurping and gulping going on around her, it would be enough for her…hopefully.

 

Taking a huge bite of her sandwich and chewing hard in defiance, Sam didn't even notice a little trail of sauce dribbling from her bottom lip. Fortunately, someone else WAS quick to notice. And a moment later, Sam felt a light dabbing on her chin, turning to see Danny with napkin in hand, looking into her eyes with a loving grin.

 

Right at that moment, it was as if nothing else going on around her seemed to matter. Sam could just barely manage to stifle a bashful giggle as she instinctively focused all her attention on Danny. Even Tucker and Valerie, who were both sitting just across the table, might as well have been on the other side of world as Sam tossed a warm smile of her own in Danny's direction, gently tickling him under his chin. Of course, with Danny and Sam, this had become an all-too common reaction, so Tucker simply responded with an amused eye roll. Valerie, however, found herself tossing a stray glance in Tucker's direction and a look of worry crossed her face.

 

Just then, an uneasy feeling began to creep up deep in the pit of Sam's stomach. She couldn't quite describe it. It was almost as if she could feel someone walking on her grave. But she only ever got this feeling whenever three people were around; her parents…and…Without a pause, Sam turned around and sure enough. Looking down at her was none other than Paulina, her face almost twisted into a deathly scowl.

 

“What…could you…POSSIBLY want?” Sam spoke out, her voice weighted down with absolute contempt.

 

Paulina didn't offer a verbal response. She simply turned in a huff and walked away, leaving everyone at the table to wonder just what she was trying to accomplish. After all, why would Sam, of all people, even care about getting snubbed by someone like Paulina?

 

“Okay, what was THAT about?” Tucker uttered as Paulina stormed away. Just then, he happened to look back and see Danny and Sam's hands instinctively reaching out to each other on the table, their fingers softly locking together.

 

“Oh, wait a minute,” Tucker blurted out, fighting the urge to laugh as his eyes went wide. “You don't think…”

 

“What?” Danny immediately asked.

 

“Well, think about it,” Tucker explained. “Paulina's always thought that she's better than Sam, right? But now, look where we are. Here we've got Sam, happy with the guy she wants. And Paulina's, well…”

 

“Whoa, hang on!” Sam exclaimed in disbelief, “You think she's mad just because I have a boyfriend and she DOESN'T? Come on! I mean, I know this is Paulina we're talking about, but seriously. NO ONE is THAT shallow.”

 

“Oh no, trust me,” Valerie spoke assuredly with a straightforward nod, “I used to hang with her, remember? Take it from someone who knows, she is EVERY BIT that shallow.”

 

“Oh really?” Sam replied with an evil glint in her eye as she noticed Paulina heading for the door, instantly raising her voice to make sure Paulina could hear it. “Aw gee, that's a crying shame!”

 

Paulina didn't even turn around to respond. But her whole body immediately tensed up and her left eye twitched as she gritted her teeth and made her way out the door. That reaction alone was more than enough for Sam, who couldn't help but curl her lips in a smile of wicked satisfaction. However, her actions didn't draw the same approval out of Danny.

 

“Oh, come on Sam, be nice,” he cautioned, his concern more for Sam than Paulina, “What, you want to start acting like HER now?”

 

At that moment, Sam paused to consider Danny's words, thinking about what she had just done. Suddenly, her eyes went wide as she began to realize the potential consequences of where that kind of road could take her. And the mere thought of becoming in ANY way like Paulina just made Sam's whole body shudder in pure, unrelenting horror.

 

“Okay, you've got a point,” she had to agree, her voice trembling slightly, “It's a SCARY point, but it's still a GOOD point.”

 

Danny could only smile in response, all too happy to be able to preserve to his lady's honor as he leaned in a softly kissed Sam's cheek. Sam, meanwhile, offered a shy smile in return as she was about to go back to where she was before, focusing all her attention on Danny and shutting the world out. But just then, a quick jingle of shrill beeps in the sound of a funeral dirge escaped from her watch.

 

“Oh, man! Is it THAT late ALREADY?! I've gotta GO!” Sam exclaimed in panic.

 

“Oh, right! You're doing a poetry reading at that bookstore tonight, aren't you?” Danny added, slapping himself in the forehead as Sam immediately started wolfing down the last of her food, nodding in reply.

 

“Uh, dude…doesn't that mean YOU'RE in a hurry now, too?” Tucker asked, realizing that Danny hadn't even finished half his meal yet.

 

“Huh? Me? Oh, I'M not going,” Danny answered simply as Sam slurped down the last of her soda and wiped her mouth with a hefty swipe of her napkin.

 

“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Valerie chimed in, more than a little surprised by Danny's somewhat un-chivalrous answer. “She's your girlfriend and you're NOT going to her poetry reading?”

 

“Look, believe me, I know how it sounds,” Danny replied defensively. “But it's REALLY not what you think.”

 

“When Danny and I got together, we came to an agreement. It was the only way I could concentrate. See, I have to get into my DARK place whenever I'm reading OR writing any of my poetry…” Sam explained, pausing to flash a dark, menacing leer towards Valerie and Tucker before turning to look into Danny's eyes with a warm, loving smile.

 

“…and the thing is…I just can't do that whenever Danny's around.”

 

“Yeah, I…guess I make her too happy,” Danny added with a hollow chuckle, turning to Sam with the same gentle grin. Still, even as they leaned in, gently nuzzling each other, Tucker couldn't avoid teasingly throwing his two cents into the conversation.

 

“Aaawww, that's actually kinda swee…”

 

“AAH, SHADDAP!” Sam cut him off, flashing an acid glare.

 

“…yes ma'am…” Tucker uttered quietly, shrinking back and letting Danny and Sam continue to have their moment. Unfortunately, it was not a moment that was theirs to have as Sam had to face the bitter truth.

 

“I've gotta go now,” she sighed heavily, a slight whine in her voice. But it wasn't going to stop her from enjoying just one more moment as she gently cupped Danny's face in her hands and pressed her lips to his a long, tender kiss.

 

It was a kiss that lingered on much longer than it probably should have, even as Sam slid out of the booth, pulling Danny's face along with her. Danny, meanwhile, was all too willing to let Sam's hands take him away, like a puppy on a leash.

 

“…love you…love you…love you…” they murmured together in between soft pecks as their lips finally parted and Sam managed to tear her hands away, heading for the door.

 

Danny was leaning so far out of the booth at the time that when Sam let him go, he nearly fell flat on his face with a surprised yelp. Sam, however, didn't dare turn to look back. She knew if she looked at him just once more, she'd never be able to leave. So she tried her best to shut it out of her mind as she headed out the door. Danny, meanwhile, simply righted himself and scooted back into the booth, propping his head up on the table.

 

“Okay…NOW what?” he asked dryly, suddenly seeming very listless.

 

Just then, as if in answer to his question, a familiar cold chill slithered down his spine as his Ghost Sense kicked in. Instinctively, Danny whirled around to look outside the window, and sure enough. Floating down the street, each with an eerie green glow of ecto-energy, was a small clutter of batteries, electronic gizmos and appliances. And Danny had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realized it could only mean one thing.

 

“H-ooookay, NOT the time killer I was hoping for. But I guess I'll take it,” he muttered with a huff as he slipped out of the booth and ran for the door.

 

“Danny, wait!” Valerie shouted as Danny disappeared outside, turning her attention back to Tucker. “Shouldn't we go after him?”

 

“Aw, don't worry. He'll be fine. Besides, it's good for him to keep busy like this,” Tucker replied, seemingly unconcerned as Danny transformed and flew off. Although his true motive was made all-too clear as he pleasantly helped himself to the food Danny left behind, causing Valerie to roll her eyes in annoyance.

 

… … … …

 

While Danny was flying through the streets of Amity Park to investigate, Sam was at Skulk and Lurk Books, standing in the corner, waiting for her turn to come up onstage. Letting out a heavy sigh as she held her black poetry book tight against her chest, it was impossible for her to deny that she missed not having Danny around. But then, this was the kind of mood she wanted to be in, to be able to reach her “Dark Place”, where she felt at her most creative. And she would need that creativity in the next few seconds, because just then, one of the store associates walked up to the microphone and prepared to speak.

 

“And now,” he announced with dead eyes and an even deader voice, “Prepare to be dragged into the ebon pits of despair with Amity Park's very own Princess of Darkness…Samantha Manson.”

 

“Hey! For the LAST time, it's SAM Manson!” Sam's voice snapped at him from offstage, “You call me Samantha again and I'll set your TEETH on fire!”

 

No doubt about it, Sam had definitely entered her “Dark Place” as she stomped onto the stage. However, this seemed to matter little to the employee, who simply shrugged in response. The patrons in the audience also seemed equally indifferent as they sat with their heads propped up on tables, each seemingly locked in their own personal dungeon of turmoil.

 

Little did Sam know, as she took her place behind the microphone, that she had another spectator for her upcoming performance. Scanning the store from a rooftop across the street with an infrared scope and a special audio receiver, Skulker smiled wickedly as he anticipated the hunt that was about to begin. No doubt about it, the trophy value had definitely gone down now that Danny was no longer the only half-ghost flying around. But if nothing else, it DID give Skulker more trophy OPTIONS.

 

“Oh…you'll KNOW what it's like to be pulled into despair, little girl,” he boasted as he prepared himself to strike, “When I have peeled the hide from your carcass with my own two hands.”

 

… … … …

 

Danny, meanwhile, was unaware of Sam's predicament as he streaked through the streets of Amity Park, following the gaggle of floating electronics to their final destination. Eventually, they'd reached the end of their journey and Danny immediately ducked back behind the corner of a nearby building to peer around and see what was happening. Sure enough, as Danny had suspected, it was none other than Technus, cackling away as he assembled yet another collection of technology for one of his schemes. Although Danny was in no mood to wait and find out what it was.

 

“Excellent, EXCELLENT! Soon this world will be forced to grovel at my feet as I, TECHNUS, Master of…AAAH!” Technus' boasts were cut off as a pair of full blast Ghost Rays hit him square in the back, slamming him into the brick wall of a house across the street.

 

“I know I REALLY should feel guilty for doing that!” Danny called over with a smirk, his hands blazing with ecto-energy as Technus struggled to his feet. “But the thing is…you just make it SO easy!”

 

“If you wish to lecture others on predictability, child, perhaps you should consider correcting your OWN faults in that area!” Technus replied, “For example, you might wish to give some thought towards updating that tired look of yours. After all, EVERYONE can benefit from an upgrade every now and then!”

 

With a wave of his hand, Technus summoned forth a swarm of electric razors from his pile of electronics, sending them all buzzing towards Danny like a school of hungry piranha. Luckily, Danny was quick to react, entering his phasing state and letting the mass of whirring metal blades pass harmlessly through him. However, he wasn't about to leave it at that as he grabbed a handful of shaver cords, twirling them in his hand before throwing them back in Technus' direction, pinning him to the wall by his coat and cape.

 

“Sorry pal, but I'm pretty sure any styling tips from YOU would only be a step BACKWARDS!” Danny argued as he burst towards Technus at top speed, “Besides, MY girl happens to think I look just fine the way I am!”

 

… … … …

 

“`…And there, in my agony and sorrow, I lie in wait. Waiting for the darkness to come and engulf my soul…like a kiss that I know will forever be denied me',” Sam recited from her book, her voice appropriately dreary. As she looked out over the room, she could feel in her heart, every word that escaped her lips at that moment. Somehow, without Danny by her side to cuddle up to, the world just didn't feel like it should.

 

Unfortunately, teenage loneliness was about to become the LEAST of her problems. No sooner had she completed the final stanza of her poem, than her Ghost Sense suddenly activated to its fullest, jolting through her body as the icy breath escaped her lips. A mere second later, two missiles burst through the door of the shop, spiraling at top speed towards her.

 

Sam had to think fast. Leaping back just as the missiles slammed into the stage, she managed to phase through the back wall into the alley behind the store, using the explosion to hide her ghost powers from the crowd. Of course, even if anyone HAD seen her do anything, it was unlikely that any of them would have reacted as the entire audience remained hunched over their tables, their eyes still glued to the stage in a listless stupor.

 

“A bit much at the end, don't you think?” one of the audience members at the closest table remarked dryly as another nodded in agreement.

 

Just then, Skulker bashed his way into the shop, finally drawing a reaction out of the store patrons, who rushed outside in panic once they finally realized that the previous explosion was not part of the act. But to Skulker, such insects were of little importance. He only had his eye on one specific prey at that moment. And he was about to get everything he was looking for as Sam phased back through the wall, now transformed into her ghostly form of Sam Tasma.

 

“Of all the places you had to show up at!” she ne particuler rushed outside in panic. at thfumed, clearly angered at Skulker for demolishing one of her prime hangouts, “You had to come HERE?!”

 

“A skilled hunter works best by establishing a prey's pattern of behavior…ESPECIALLY predictable ones,” Skulker unrepentantly declared, lashing out with a ghost net flying towards Sam. But Sam immediately responded, by shooting a pair of Ghost Ray Blades from her hands, spinning like a top and slicing the net to shreds.

 

“And just how well does the `skilled hunter' work when HE'S the one being hunted?!” Sam shot back, bursting across the room towards him.

 

Before Skulker could even think to launch another attack, Sam had already reached him, forming a cocoon of ecto-energy around her fist in the shape of a solid anvil. That same fist was exactly what smashed into Skulker's face a second later, sending him crashing through the store's plate glass window and bouncing into the street.

 

“And I am NOT paying for that!” Sam shouted at him before flying outside to press her attack.

 

While Sam's fight with Skulker was just getting started, Danny's battle with Technus had been raging all across Amity Park, finding them both rocketing through the neighborhood where Skulk and Lurk Books was located. Danny was moving in fast, forcing Technus to throw up a circuit board-shaped shield of ecto-energy to protect himself. Luckily, Danny was every bit as quick with his own reflexes, firing a freezing Ghost Ray which froze the shield solid and brittle. But Danny wasn't about to stop there as he burst ahead at top speed. And following up his attack with a vicious punch, Danny not only shattered the shield, but very nearly Technus' jaw as the force of the blow sent him sailing down the street.

 

Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, Sam's assault on Skulker was every bit as relentless as Skulker unleashed a barrage of missiles to put some distance between them and gain some breathing room. But Sam wasn't about to let that stand as she let loose a wave of Ghost Ray strands, catching each one of Skulker's projectiles. Pausing only to spin around and redirect the missiles with their own momentum, Sam loosened the strands, sending Skulker's own missiles back towards him and slamming into his armored body.

 

The force of the explosion sent Skulker flying back down the street, with Sam charging right after him. But just at that moment, Skulker happened to go sailing right past Technus, who had been knocked in the opposite direction, with Danny in hot pursuit.

 

“Danny?!”

 

“Sam?!”

 

No one was more surprised than Danny and Sam to discover that their individual conflicts had somehow found themselves crossing paths. But neither one of them had any complaints as they laid eyes on each other, the battles themselves suddenly seeming very far away. And as both flew within reach, neither could resist pulling the other close with a warm hug, followed by a quick, but meaningful peck on the lips.

 

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked, although she was simply too happy to see Danny to really even care what the answer was.

 

“Oh, same old, same old,” Danny answered, his mood suddenly turning light and happy as well, “Just keeping `Mr. Wizard' over there from jump-starting one of his 'world domination' schemes. Speaking of which, can you hold that thought?”

 

“Right,” Sam noted as they both streaked off to deal with their respective opponents. A torrent of Ghost Rays, missiles, lasers and electrical blasts soon followed before Skulker and Technus were sent flying back the way they came, allowing Danny and Sam to continue their conversation.

 

“What about you? What's going on HERE?” Danny asked, noting Skulker's presence.

 

“See previous answer,” Sam replied with a shrug. “I mean, you know him. I guess he thought he'd have an easier time coming after me.”

 

“Oh, you've gotta be kidding,” Danny blurted out, fighting the urge to laugh before his attention was diverted once again. “Oops. Sorry, just a sec…”

 

“Yeah, me too,” Sam agreed as the pair burst off in their opposite directions. Once again, streams of Ghost Rays and lasers cut through the air. Even some electrical appliances like a dryer, a television and an electric iron were sent flying. But seconds later, Skulker and Technus were again sent blasting back past each other, allowing Danny and Sam to meet in the middle once more.

 

“You know what REALLY gets me, though?” Sam continued on. “Did he absolutely HAVE to smash up the bookstore while he was at it?”

 

“No way…!” Danny exclaimed, showing support in his role as a boyfriend by caring for Sam's interests. “He did WHAT?!”

 

“I know! I mean, really! Couldn't he have at least waited until I was walking past a steakhouse or a car dealership?! You know, someplace that WOULDN'T be missed?!” Sam answered, her rather predictable response drawing an amused eye roll from Danny before she shifted her focus back to the subject at hand. “Whoop…hang on.”

 

At that moment, Danny and Sam split off again, flying headlong into their separate battles. Of course, by this time, Technus and Skulker had both had more than enough of getting bounced around like rubber balls. But they hardly had any choice in the matter as they whirled around just in time for Danny to freeze Technus solid with a pair of freezing Ghost Rays while Sam wrapped Skulker up tight in a wave of her Ghost Ray strands. But Sam wasn't done yet as she heaved back hard, turning on the ball of her foot and sending Skulker spinning like a shot put before finally letting him go.

 

Danny has just barely enough time to leap out of the way as Skulker slammed into Technus' frozen body. The ice Danny had trapped him in shattered on impact, but the collision had apparently done just as much damage to Skulker's armor. And when it was over, Technus was tangled up in the wiring of Skulker's suit, both of them raising a commotion as they struggled to free themselves.

 

“What…?! Get off me, you…!”

 

“Excuse me, I'm stuck. I cannot move…”

 

“Stop pulling! You're only making things worse…!”

 

“Do you mind?! I think I know just a LITTLE bit of what I'm doing…!”

 

Danny, meanwhile, had had just about enough of this comedy of errors, pulling out the Fenton Thermos in order to bring the fight to a welcome end. Sam, meanwhile, was no sorrier to see them go as Skulker and Technus gasped before each letting out a yell of panic. But their cries did nothing to alter their situation. Within seconds, they were both sucked into the Fenton Thermos and sealed up tight.

 

“Well…at least he was decent enough to wait until I was finished my reading,” Sam added with a shrug.

 

“Really? How'd that go?” Danny asked as they flew off. “Did they love it or hate it or…? Sorry, I forget which one is supposed to be the GOOD response with you guys.”

 

… … … …

 

“Well, that takes care of that,” Danny stated, emptying the Fenton Thermos into the Ghost Zone.

 

“And it looks like we've still got a couple hours before I have to be home,” Sam added, looking up at the wall clock as they both changed out of their ghost forms, “Any ideas?”

 

“Hmmm…,” Danny mused, rolling his eyes playfully as he pretended to be thoughtful. But as he turned back to Sam, the warm grin on his face was a clear indication that he didn't need to think hard for an answer at all.

 

“Make out in the Ops Center?”

 

Sam wasn't even required to offer up an answer for an invitation like that. All she needed to do was look into Danny's eyes with a loving smile before hugging his arm and walking alongside him up the stairs.

 

“Mmmmm,” she cooed in Danny's ear, squeezing tighter and snuggling against his shoulder. “I love the way you think.”

 

Back in the Ghost Zone, however, the atmosphere was nowhere near as upbeat. As Technus rematerialized in the void, he could only grit his teeth in anger. At that moment, all he could think about was this latest encounter with Danny Phantom and the thorough humiliation he had just suffered.

 

“Once again, that infernal ghost child has upset my plans!” he shouted, as always, too lost in the sound of his own voice to care if his words meant anything to anyone. “I cannot allow his interference to go on for even one moment longer!”

 

“What was that?” a gruff voice sounded from overhead, “Why can I still hear that fool's grating voice echoing in my ears?”

 

“Uh…who said that?” Technus asked, trying to look around only to discover that he was curiously unable to turn his head.

 

Just then, he caught a glimpse of something from his topmost field of vision as he lifted his gaze upward to see Skulker's head looking down at him. Instinctively, Technus tried to back away, only to learn that he was rooted to the spot, unable to move at all. Confusing to be sure, but to Skulker, what he was seeing was all too clear as he could only gaze down in shock.

 

For some inexplicable reason, the image of Technus' face could be seen emerging from Skulker's chest plate, like a view screen. But how was this possible? It was almost enough to make one think that…Technus had fused with Skulker's armor! It took only a few seconds for both of them to unravel what was happening as they shared the same stunned gaze. But once the realization finally set in, there was only one response either one of them could give…

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!”