Prologue

Because when the rush of excitement, love and happiness is gone. You have nothing left but crumbs of those feelings and large chunks of negative emotions.

Because when you let go of something so amazing, you feel like you're no longer entitled anymore.

You feel like you're just not worth it. Not of the good things.

So, you chose to satisfy yourself with the suffering and just the small amount of blessings.

You cannot touch. You cannot watch, cannot gaze freely.

You just give it a Glimpse.

How long had it been? Five? Eight years? Sam tilted her head. Sam lost count. She released a sigh. She did not want to count. She shifted her weight on one leg. Inside her combat boost, her toes curled. Seven and half years, her mind sang. She bit her lower lip.

Walking round with my head down

But I can't hide with these high heels on

She stepped onto the platform. The train should be stopping by any minute now. The swarm of the commuters buzzed around her.

Downtown in a thick crowd

But it's just you that my mind is on

She took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. She should be proud. She finished college. She had a job. Her taxes were paid. Her bills were settled. She had a humble flat downtown.

Dressed up, got my heart messed up

You got yours and I got mine

Life was calm. Good, even.

It's unfair that I still care

Yeah, too calm for her liking. She huffed. Calm? Boring? She chose this. She did let him go, though if she would be brutally honest, he shoved her away first.

Did it matter? No.

And I wonder where you are tonight

She felt the ground rattle. The swirl of the commuters became alert, the unmistakable horn of the train blasted and the heat crawled up to her arms. Somebody hit her ribs and she doubled in pain. Nobody paid attention. The train halted and the doors slid open. People dove in.

When she recovered, the train was almost full. A couple ran past, hand in hand. They jumped in, laughing at themselves for barely making it in.

Thinking it could be different

But maybe we missed it yeah

She watched as the man with sandy blond hair braced the petite woman between his arms, shielding her from the rest of the people. The woman with a green, pixie cut hair looked up appreciatively at him and they both giggled.

Thinking it could be different

It could, it could

The doors banged shut. The woman's sling bag almost got caught in between, startling them. They both checked and saw the bag was relatively safe, another chuckle escaped them. Their eyes glittering with an emotion so wonderful, the man leaned down and kissed the woman's lips.

It should've been us

The air changed. Sam saw a cloudless night and smelled the damp trees and muddy soil. Her heart twitched and her breathing hitched. She could even hear him screaming.

He was screaming her name.

"Sam!"

Sam kept running. She leaped over a giant root and turned a sharp right.

"Sam?" She heard him pause but she didn't stop to look back. She pushed her limbs to go faster.

"SAM!" He sounded far but the intensity of his voice proved his anger. He probably figured out that she chose the long path, the wrong one, actually. She knew she'd get lost eventually but the point was to get him lost first.

Sam jumped over a moss-covered rock, grabbed a nearby branch and swung herself around. She landed on an uneven patch of soft, muddy ground which gave way under her weight. Sam slipped.

She would've slid and rolled in mud if it weren't for the hand that caught her arm and another that encircled around her waist. She looked up to see a pair of glowing green, fuming eyes of Danny Phantom.

Sam blinked. No. She was done with that. She already rode the trip to memory lane back and forth for the thousandth time and she swore she had enough.

She gave her head a little shake and glanced to the right. There was a black-haired woman in her mid-twenties wearing a lilac sun dress, the woman turned, and Sam's eyes widened, the woman's stomach was so round she looked like she just swallowed whole the biggest watermelon that she might burst with it any minute. She appeared anxious and then a tall man with raven hair suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she turned with a relieved smile on her face.

Should've been a fire, should've been the perfect storm

Danny dropped her on the flattest area of the forest. Close to the edge. Sam planted her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, assuming a defiant pose even in the face of danger. She knew Danny wanted to scare her and she would not give him that satisfaction.

Danny lowered himself to the ground. They engaged in another stare down before he sighed and hunched his shoulders. "I'm sorry."

Sam gawked. That wasn't what she expected.

It should've been us

Could've been the real thing

Now we'll never know for sure, ooh

We were crazy, but amazing, baby we both know

It should've been us, us

It, it, it should've been us

Filled up to the brim, the engine hummed and the train whizzed by, leaving Sam wondering what the heck she stood there for.

She kicked herself mentally and trudged back to the stairs. She might as well get a cab home if she would be spacing out the whole evening.

The frigid air outside swept away her clouded thoughts and Sam welcomed the sensation. She breathed in, forgetting that the air around her was polluted. She choked and wheezed. Heart galloping in her chest, she ducked to the nearest tree and heaved.

It was dark enough that people did not stop to check if there was something wrong. Well, she was a nobody so it would not be ever enough for people to gush over someone like her, dry heaving on the street. Tears pooled in her eyes and she swiped them. A few seconds later and Sam started to feel a fresher handful of air hit her organs and her heart rate slowed. She gulped handfuls of air greedily, though painful, and it helped in clearing away the rest of the smog that attacked her lungs. She had completely forgotten about her probably bruised side but a flicker of pain after breathing reminded her that it was still there.

She blinked. Even if he was not physically with her, he still managed to hurt her.

Back and forth like a tug of war

What's it all for, do I want it back

Sam knew she was being dramatic, and it was not his fault that she inhaled dirty air but well, she blamed him anyway. She blamed him for every little bad thing that had happened to her life. It would be easier to hate someone if they were the cause of her suffering.

Hate. Big word.

I still got a little flame for ya

Who was she kidding?

Even though you drove me mad

She clenched her fist and stood straight. She would be looking for a cab. She would be forgetting about this.

Now and then, I pretend

That it's you when I close my eyes

You got yours, I got mine

Looking around, people and cars blended in a chaotic harmony of rush hour traffic. It would be impossible for her to get a cab without pounding her fist to her chest and demanding that she saw it first. She was about to fish out her phone to book a car instead when something caught her eye.

A black sedan pulled in front of her and the windows of the passenger side rolled down. A guy with the familiar set of eyes and mouth smiled at her from the inside.

"What does a pretty little thing like you doing in this street looking like you wanna go all nuclear on someone?"

Sam's eyes bulged and her jaw hit the ground, of all people in this stinking night. She did not know if she would like to berate him or as he put it nicely, "go nuclear on someone" but hell, it was short of a coincidental relief she had going on here for him to just—

"Oh god, here we go with the slack-jawed damsels." He shook his head and clucked his tongue. "Babe, I know it's not every day that some ultimate hunk like me would stop for some pretty thang like you but you got to show me some cognitive skills or else we'll be here all night."

Sam's mouth flopped open as she was unable to form a coherent thought. The nerve! After all these years, he had the guts to be this cocky with her? It took her several meditations to not punch something whenever she remembered and now, he was spouting some teen chick movie lines to her like they were old buddies?

Then she saw it, a twinkle in his eye and a pull of his lips, he was testing her. She would've fallen for it except for the fact that she could see his fist was clenched around the gear and his foot ready to slam down the gas. He was as nervous about this encounter as she was baffled on how to react.

Sam gathered her attitude, there was no room for courage in times like this, only the will to survive the night and the relentless curiosity she had all bottled up. She tucked in the dusty, old grudges and decided to take a chance. Tonight, she would see what this boring world of hers would lead her to. She would take this as any mature person would have. She slowly let the corners of her mouth pull up and shrugged, "Well, you know, pretty little thing like me cannot seduce a cab to take me home."

All the tension seemed to deflate with one sentence and the man on the wheel gave a hearty chuckle. "Oh, Sam, you shouldn't be resorting to that." He tapped a button on his left and the doors unlocked. He pressed another button and the door opened in front of her.

"Hop in, you, gothic goddess."

Sam stepped back, the night was just full of surprises. She paused long enough for him to worry again and just as he was about to retract the offer, she threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, why I thought you'd never ask!"

She folded herself in and shut the door. He groaned. She turned to him and arched a brow.

"You did not allow me to close the door for you." He glared at her.

"How many girls did you actually expect will fall for that?" It was his turn to shrug. She noticed his shoulders put on some bulk over the years.

"I dunno, maybe all of them except you?" He made a playfully irritated sigh and smirked at her. "At least, I still have this trick." He cleared his throat. "Buckle up!"

The seat belt latched itself and locked them both up in their seats. Sam tensed as she expected that it would strangle her but it held still. Without breathing, she waited, sitting on his car though made her stiff and silent, way to go mature person! She almost gave in to the urge to rip the seat belt and bolt.

He checked if she was all tied up and once satisfied, shifted the gear and the car sailed smoothly back to the road. There was a pregnant pause and she could almost feel his hesitancy but she tried to relax and waited for him to initiate the small talk, to lead the topic. Sam almost clutched the edge of her seat but she knew she was way better than that.

"So…" He snuck a glance at her. She risked a tight-lipped smile. Suffice to say, it kept him going, "You look ready to slay, should I be checking your insta profile and looking up Sammynators Inc.?

Sam had to give him credit. She was entertained and for some reason, she could not stop smiling like she was some addict who got her high from compliments. It felt good to be praised sometimes, took some of the craziness of everyday life away. The tension eased from her shoulders and she found her palms up while looking at him exasperatedly. "Where is this coming from? Are you following a book now, 'Get Talking with the Ladies – Volume 1' or wait, knowing you, you probably downloaded an app for that."

He held up a hand long enough to waggle a finger at her. "Uh- uh, knowing me, I would be the creator of that app."

"Hmm. Point taken. I got to admit though, either I'm very rusty with socializing or you got better with talking to people."

He slowed to let a woman and her dog cross the street. "I vote for the latter. I mean I already have what it takes, I just needed the elixir that every techno geek deems unattainable," He paused to look at her. "Confidence."

Sam burst out laughing. "And you did not have that before? Like, are you freaking kidding me?"

He chuckled along with her and once they have settled again, his tone became more serious. "Enough about me, how are you? What's going on in your world?"

Sam swallowed. "Well… you know, finished school, working, moved out, paying my own bills. I'm living the ultimate teenage dream."

"Oh Sam, that could be anywhere between working as a waitress at some bar or flaunting the runway in Europe. Come on, you've got to give me something more to go on here."

"Aren't you a little ray of prejudiced sunshine? I work as a—"

There was a ring, a female, automated voice spoke, "Future Mrs. F calling. Future Mrs. F calling."

Sam froze. It took her a minute to realize that it was too loud to be his phone and it was the car's Bluetooth speakers announcing the intruder to their little bubble of a reunion. All the good-naturedness left her body. She kept her eyes on the road and pretended that she was not in the least bit anticipating or dreading him to answer that call.

He hesitated and kept driving. The tension was so dense it has blanketed the whole car, even the whole street. His gaze stayed on the road. The call was now on its fourth ring. Sam saw from the corner of her eye he clenched his jaw and raised a finger to answer the call but before he could tap the answer button, a ball just materialized on the road and he quickly hit the brakes. Sam's hand flew to grip the edge of her seat, the other clung to the hand rail for dear life. The car came to a screeching halt. Silence. They both let out a sigh as they looked at one another and waited.

She could tell he was worried but he still managed to give her a smile. "Sorry about that, you just know that if there's a ball coming, then there's a kid always chasing it."

Sam nodded, still a bit shaken. She could not argue with that logic, he did have a point. The ball disappeared down the street and no kid nor adult show up to follow it. They waited but the night was oddly deserted. When Sam turned back at him, he was staring at the little screen. The call already passed.

"Shit, now I'm going to have to explain that."

Sam felt a bit guilty. She bit the inside of her cheek. "You know what, you can just drop me here, I can just—"

"What, no! I just got distracted. I'll call her back later, but I'll get you home safe first." He eased his foot from the brake and switched gears again. The sedan glided back to the life.

She knew that in today's era, some guys could leave people hanging but there were still some of those old gems who try to do it the right way, like him, so to prevent any incessant chivalry and awkwardness, she steered the conversation back to light waters. Sam rarely took part in social talks and displays of humor but for the sake of this time, she braved it.

"You can just drop my gothic runway self to the next stop."

He choked, "Say what?"

"Didn't you just keep calling me a 'pretty little thing' a while ago?

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss. Didn't you just see who was calling? I maybe a charming angel when we met a couple of streets back but now that the love of my life remembered me, then I'm hers to keep." He finished this off with a dreamy sigh and a hand fisted to his chest.

She shook her head. "Poor woman."

He made a tsk sound. "So where do I need to dump your scrawny ass to?"

Sam gaped. She wanted to hit him just for the heck of it but since he was driving she settled on their verbal banter. "A while ago I'm a goddess, now I'm a scrawny ass." She gestured to the main road. "Just kick me at the 3rd gas station from here and I'll be out of your strawberry hair."

"Aw, don't you want to know where I live?" His smirk never left its placed. Sam was about to point out that he just deflected her with the 'love of my life' comment and now he was back to flirting again when she suddenly sensed the underlying question, don't you want to know where he lives?

"No." She said quietly and glanced at the street, she pretended to be captured by the number of shops that lined the road.

But I wonder where you are tonight

The air between them thickened and silence enveloped the car. He focused on the road, seemingly waiting for the traffic light for their turn.

The light flashed to green and he changed gears again. The car zoomed into the night. The silence stretched.

"I missed you, Sam." He finally said without looking at her.

She stared ahead. "I missed you too, Tucker."

He nodded. He turned on the radio in a polite volume to discourage any serious talks.

It should've been us.

A/N: Hello DXS fandom!

How are you guys? I hope that the phandom still lives in each of us. I have a little gift to all of you who has been with me every step of the way.

This is Glimpse. It's the – drum roll – sequel of Gazing Game. For those who haven't read Gazing Game, feel free to check it out and send me your thoughts. I'd love to read them.

For those who have been with me since Gazing Game and had their heart wrenched with the events, I hear you and I'd like to thank you for the overwhelming amount of support that you've given. I've been toying with the idea of the sequel (plus your reviews really helped in shaping this decision), although I'm not sure if I can pull this off.

I have bits and pieces on how I'd like for the sequel to run and I'd welcome your thoughts about it. I'm still not sure if I can pull it off but hey, I'd like to see where it goes, hopefully you do too.

I'd like to hear more from you. Don't hesitate to let me know, I'd like to see different perspectives for the story and who knows, maybe we can all build this together.

By the way, the song is Should've Been Us by Tori Kelly and of course, I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does.

Please review.

~ T.E