FINALLY got this written. Curse you writer's block combined with a job in retail!

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts

Chapter 28

Women are from Venus…

"That guy was REALLY annoying," said Winston as he drove up to the firehouse, "I mean, he would NOT sit still!"

"Why do you think I used ice beams more than ecto-blasts?" asked Danny, alighting beside the Ecto-1, "I was trying to slow his movements."

"Still, two hours to take care of one ghost is pretty ridiculous," said Eduardo.

"You're just sore because the call woke you up from your nap," Garrett shot back.

"Maybe a little."

As Winston parked the car and Garrett and Eduardo got out, Garrett spotted someone talking to Kylie and Janine at the desk. Her face wasn't immediately visible, but she had black hair that came down to her shoulders, and she was sitting in a wheelchair. Garrett smiled.

"Hey, Eduardo. Hottie in a wheelchair at 12 o'clock. I smell a good catch."

Danny heard this, turned toward the desk…

And his jaw dropped.

"SAM?!"

The girl in the wheelchair turned her head and broke into a wide grin.

"DANNY!"

She wheeled over and they embraced, somewhat awkwardly due to the chair.

"THAT'S Sam?" said Garrett, "As in, 'Danny's girlfriend' SAM?"

"Real slick, brah," said Eduardo snidely, mimicking some of the first words Garrett had ever said to him, "Open mouth, insert foot…"

Garrett resisted the urge to scratch his head with his middle finger.

"It's so good to see you!" said Danny, "When'd you get here? How'd you get here?"

"Dad and I are scouting colleges, and we're in town checking his old Alma Mater, Columbia University."

"Your Dad's here?"

"Yeah, turns out, he and Professor Spengler were old classmates. They're upstairs with Dr. Stantz."

"Columbia University? I think the other guys taught there for awhile," said Winston, "Then their department got cut."

"Parapsychology, I heard," replied Sam, "The University is bringing it back as an option for a minor, one I might just have to look into."

"With the ghost stuff happening in the city, they'd kind of have to," Danny muttered, "But it would be nice if you came to school here."

"Well, the minor wouldn't be only reason I would want to go to Columbia," Sam purred.

"Well, you look well, I can tell you that," Danny replied after snickering.

"Physical therapy is a pain, but I'm muddling through. Same with the wheelchair. Decided to grow my hair out a bit. Little things like that. I miss you and Tucker, but the pain is getting more bearable every day. I haven't even seen much trouble from the old crowd, either. Guess that's one advantage of a wheelchair."

"I can vouch for that," said Garrett, "People don't really want to get chewed out for messing with a disabled person."

"I suppose," said Danny, "And at least you probably don't have to worry about-"

A knock on the door interrupted Danny, just as the smaller door swung open, revealing an old nightmare in pink.

"Oh my God! DANNY PHANTOM!" a light Hispanic voice rang out.

"Oh NO," said Danny and Sam simultaneously, "Not her…"

A pretty-looking Hispanic teen skipped in and immediately latched onto Danny.

"I found you after all this time. It's me, Paulina, your true one!"

"Oh dear God," Danny whispered exasperatedly, but the young woman didn't seem to hear him.

Paulina Sanchez, the most popular girl in Casper High. Every boy, and a few of the girls, had a crush on her. Even Danny did, at one time. Nowadays, he chalked it up to raging hormones, as he knew that her beauty belied a disposition that was shallower than a tea saucer.

And it certainly didn't help that Paulina was one of the biggest Danny Phantom fan-girls in Amity Park, singlehandedly responsible for half the fan clubs, fan websites, and fan gatherings that had ever been directed at him. She was insatiable in her lust for him, often going out of her way to see him fight, even when it was so clearly dangerous, any sane person would be running the other way.

'Sane' didn't seem to apply to her.

And since she had cared nothing for who Danny was as a person, only seeing him as an object of worship, Danny had brushed away any feelings that might have been and instead pursued more worthwhile relationships, eventually leading him to Sam…

Who at the moment, looked like she wanted to kill Paulina, wheelchair or not.

Catching Eduardo's eye, Danny mouthed 'HELP ME', snapping his friend out of the shock that had fallen over everyone with the fan-girl's arrival. Thinking quickly, Eduardo got a brilliant, and effective, idea.

"Oh, SLIMER!"

The green ghost came down through the ceiling, and it turned out to be the one thing that broke Paulina out of her fan-daze.

"Ugh! What is that disgusting thing?"

"That's Slimer," Eduardo replied, "Hey Slimer. See the hot lady? She's got pudding in her shirt!"

"Coco or banilla?"

"Swirl!"

"EEEEEEEEEE!" Slimer squealed with delight, swooping over to Paulina.

Paulina broke away from Danny and hightailed it, screaming as she ran out the door and away from the ravenous slime creature that was now chasing her. She might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but she could see the writing on the wall.

"THANK YOU," Danny said exasperatedly as he brushed off his coat.

"No problem, man. I know the type. Ridiculously hot, but shallow as a puddle."

"You could step in a puddle of Paulina and not get your feet wet," Sam deadpanned, "I wouldn't put it past her to have traveled all this way just for a CHANCE to see Danny."

"She does seem the type," came the voice of Jeremy Manson as he descended the stairs, followed by Egon and Ray, "She was the one screaming?"

"Slimer attack," was the unanimous response.

"And I got the footage," said Kylie, putting away a camera and sporting a downright evil grin, "It'll go viral in minutes."

"MEEEEEEEEAN!" chorused Danny and Eduardo.

"But!" said Danny, "Considering all the junk those fan-girls gave me, all spearheaded by HER, for the past three years, I can't argue."

"You should have seen the flak and BS the tabloids put out about the Original Ghostbusters," said Janine, "I swear, the kinds of things those rags printed…"

"I can imagine," said Jeremy, before approaching Danny, "I understand you're a friend of my daughter's. At least, you and Daniel Fenton were."

"Err, yeah. Listen, I still have trouble talking about the original Danny, so…"

"Understandable. You know, you're lucky to have Professor Spengler backing you. Might have had a MUCH easier time back in Amity Park if there was someone like Egon backing you up in public. Someone respectable…"

"You'll get no arguments from me on that, sir. I didn't realize you had become a fan."

"I've been systematically debunking the aspects of your bad reputation," said Egon, "It's been somewhat slow going, but the initial lifting of the false murder charges opened a wide door to work with."

Slimer reentered the firehouse that moment, a sad look on his face.

"Get the pudding?" asked Winston.

"Noooooo…"

"Tell you what, Slimer," said Danny, "I'll make you some of my special cocoa."

Slimer's face picked up and he cheered, following Danny through the ceiling.

Jeremy looked over at Egon and Ray questioningly, but they shrugged.

"His cocoa is good, and Slimer's food nut," said Ray, "Do the math."

oOo

Sam had asked to stay at the firehouse a bit longer, citing that it would be a good chance to further research for a minor in parapsychology. Her father knew what she was really asking. She was asking to stay and catch up with her friend, and MAYBE see how this business worked. In the end, he agreed, but only after obtaining a promise for her to be escorted back to the hotel by ten.

"He's trying to be more open to new ideas," Sam had said after he left, "Glad my mom didn't come with us."

Danny and Sam ended up in the rec room and just chatted. They talked about what was going on in Amity Park and New York, they talked about some of Danny's recent adventures, they talked about some funny stories, they just talked.

Eventually, Eduardo shuffled over to their table and asked a question that took them by surprise.

"So, how did you two fall for each other anyway?"

They were silent for a moment before Danny smirked.

"Janine put you up to this, didn't she?"

"Kind of."

"This is about Kylie, isn't it?"

Eduardo's silence was all the answer Danny needed. Sam, on the other hand, bit her lip to keep from laughing. Danny had told her about the romantic tension during one of their phone conversations. But, she schooled herself and waved toward an open chair.

"Sit down, Ed. Story time."

"It actually started with Spectra," Danny began, "You remember her. Soulless witch with a penchant for psychological torture. Well, the last time I faced her, before New York, was when she got the bright idea to come at me through Sam. She's a psychiatrist, she reads people, she saw the subtext we were still figuring out. And she decided to use that."

"I'd rather not talk about exactly what she said to me. But a lot of it was pretty dark," said Sam, "And just as I was thinking about giving up and throwing myself unto her tender mercies, Danny came through the wall. And I don't mean intangibly."

"I had figured out who took Sam. Spectra left her fingerprints all over it, and by the time I had tracked her down, I was already pretty steamed. But bursting in, seeing Sam on the ground and in tears, with Spectra standing above her with her claws out, well…"

"You snapped," Eduardo summarized.

"I gave her the biggest beating I'd ever given anyone up 'til then. By the time I got through with her, she looked like a piece of tenderized meat."

"You're going to have to trust us on this, she was STOMPED," Sam interjected.

"I then spent the next ten minutes just holding Sam, calming her down and trying to figure out what Spectra said to her so I could know how to help. But by that point, she was close to catatonic, and nothing I could say snapped her out of it. Finally, I let slip how I loved her, and that seemed to do something. I bounced off that for a bit, and then we just…kissed. And we knew. And let me tell you something Eduardo; you won't truly know how far the feelings go until you're tested. But if you're willing to do anything for Kylie, and I do mean ANYTHING, anything to make sure she's happy, then that's the start of it. Things will go from there…"

"But you have to take that first step," said Sam, "Or else nothing will come of it."

Eduardo pondered that for a moment before asking one more question.

"But what exactly did you say to each other?"

Sam simply smiled.

"Now, now. A lady never kisses and tells."

oOo

Sunset came, and Danny and Sam decided to take a quick walk through Central Park. After quickly flying them there, Danny ducked behind a bush and returned to human form.

"You sure you should be walking around like that? What if someone recognizes a dead man?"

"Sam, this is New York. A gorilla could walk down the street, and only five percent of the people would notice. Besides, this isn't the most recognizable face in the city."

And so they began to walk, Danny gently helping Sam propel her wheelchair when needed, but mostly they enjoyed each other's company in the cool of the evening. Finally, as Danny leaned down to attempt to kiss Sam, she held up her hand.

"Okay, hang on. I've sat on this long enough, and I have to know for certain. I need to hear it directly. This is the first time you've seen me in person since the wheelchair and-"

"And I don't care. I know where you're going with this, and before you go on about your disability, let me ask you something."

"What?"

"My left eye is half blind, requiring special glasses. I get chronic headaches thanks to previously mentioned eye injury. I have a slightly unhealthy addiction to hot chocolate. And most of all, I'm half human and half GHOST. There are only two other people in the world like me, but one's powerless and the other is possibly dead. I'd consider it a miracle if she turned out to still be alive despite her genetic destabilization. My own genetic structure is so screwed up, I'd probably have a better chance of becoming the president of CHINA than I would having kids. Does this bother YOU?"

"No…"

"Then your wheelchair doesn't bother ME. You know, Plato said that love between minds and souls was the truest kind, far above the physical."

Sam gave him an odd look.

"Roland's taking a philosophy class. He was studying aloud earlier. Regardless, we love each other for who we are, not the bodies…although those don't hurt…"

Sam chuckled, and Danny joined in.

"Point is, we both have baggage. We both have scars, mental and physical. But you don't care about mine, and I don't care about yours, end of story."

Then Danny looked around for a moment, changed to ghost form, grabbed Sam's wheelchair, and went airborne, Sam squealing in slight fear, then delight.

However, Danny had been so concerned about showing Sam a good time, he didn't realize that he had been followed. That young woman sat in the bushes nearby, stunned.

"Fenton?"

oOo

The next day dawned with a smug Hispanic teen bursting into the firehouse, pepper spraying a surprised Slimer, and slamming her manicured hands on Janine's desk.

"I know he's here!"

"Ms…Sanchez is it?" Janine said after a moment, "If you came to bully us in order to see Danny Phantom, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. He's a private individual and he has already told us at length about you. I can assure you that he is in no mood to entertain a fan-girl."

"I don't really care if he's in the mood or not," replied Paulina, a hungry gleam in her eye, "I saw him at the park last night. I know the truth about him. Now, unless he wants his little half-secret splattered all over, he's going to date me."

To her credit, Janine barely blinked. She merely took a few deep breaths and stood up.

"Are you really that stupid?"

"Huh?"

"Let's say, for a moment, that what you say is true, that there is some grand secret about Danny Phantom that you now know. Don't you think that there is a reason for this secret? That there aren't people who would kill to take him apart and see how he ticks? You live in Amity Park, you've seen how unscrupulous the Guys in White can be. Putting innocent civilians in danger, using extremely excessive force just to bring in a single spirit, and all that talk of experimentation upon helpless ghosts. You don't think they wouldn't find some way of getting to Phantom, ripping him apart to see how he can exist and how to replicate his powers, and shoving the barely conscious remnants into the deepest hole possible? And that's just the Guys in White! I've been with the Ghostbusters for years, and I've seen a number of individuals who have a much regard for ghosts as they do for their fellow man, which is to say VERY little.

"As a point of fact, you have something in common with them: you don't care. You don't really care about Danny, you just care about the idea of a hero that he embodies. You have never, for even a second, considered that he might not be interested in you? But no, all you care about is having a handsome hero as your arm candy. Well I got news for you sweetheart: you little fairy tale means jack squat. In the real world, a relationship means more than a pretty face. In the real world, heroes are just regular people who try to do better, despite what flaws they see in themselves or others. In the real world, opportunistic tarts like you don't find love until they start looking deeper. In the real world, people who step on others to get what they want don't live without seeing their comeuppance somewhere down the road.

"So get out of your little fantasies and start thinking about how things really are, because you might find that the world is a lot uglier than you thought, and people who you thought were handsome heroes have just as many scars as anyone else."

Janine sat back down, and Paulina reeled from her lashing.

"One more thing. If you ever come back here and bother Danny, you'll leave with a black eye. And if you ever do anything to hurt him, even a slip of the tongue that results in a secret uncovered, I will make sure that you never let anything slip ever again. He's gone through too much to be brought down by a pair of loose lips, and I won't see that happen to him. Now scram."

oOo

When she got back home from her mini-vacation, Paulina took down her Danny Phantom shrine and recycled all of the paraphernalia she had ever made or bought. When her friends asked her about this, all she would say was that she found Phantom in New York, and witnessed a different side of him.

"He's still a hero…but he's not the person I thought he was."

She never spoke of her trip again, the words of the Ghostbusters' fiery secretary ringing in her head whenever she thought back to New York and Danny Phantom.

One more thing! Some of you might be wondering exactly what Danny and Sam said to each other so long ago during the confession.

Well, that's for them to know. And you to draw your own conclusions.

And a Merry late Christmas to you all.