Disclaimer: Not mine…sorry.

What Should Have Been

The ghostly figure approached the hill where Sam stood with Tucker. It was emitting a blue glow, and Sam (however much she hated to admit it) felt her heart skip a beat. It was Danny, and he'd just finished saving Amity Park once more.

"Are you guys OK?" He sounded so concerned.

"Danny! What happened to you?"

"Let's just say I have a whole new appreciation for nature."

Sam trotted over to him, relieved he'd pulled through yet again.

Danny Phantom held out a silver gloved hand. Sam watched as the ice crystal formed in it. He offered it to her.

She fought to make her voice work. "What's this for?"

Danny smiled slightly. "I'm just glad you're OK," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.

He loved that she'd accepted the crystal. Months ago, he'd been trying to get Paulina to wrap her mind around the name Paulina Fenton, but lately he'd liked the ring of Sam Fenton better.

No. Sam wasn't into him. She'd made it clear when she'd been drooling over Gregor.

But he'd been so jealous, and Jazz had once informed him that Sam was envious of Danny's attentions to the popular Paulina.

She was smiling back at him, her hands playing with her hair in an uncharacteristically girly sort of way. Amethyst eyes stared at him, softly; the normal harshness with which she viewed the world with had vanished.

Danny gulped. Her unwavering gaze and her hands teasing her hair were seriously messing with his ability to think straight.

Drawn back to his signature awkward pose, Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, I'll see you later?" he offered.

Danny was gone before Sam could protest.

Phantom Phantom Phantom

Danny was sprawled across his bed, elbows propped up to support his chin.

"Stupid thing to do, really," he thought, furious with himself. "You just had to go and ruin it."

She wasn't supposed to know he liked her in the capacity of more than friends. She couldn't know, no one could know. That was the thing about being a hero: Everyone you loved was in danger of being hurt.

"Damn," he muttered, punching the bedspread. He was perfectly aware Sam could take care of herself, there was no reason for him to be all noble about the whole sticky situation. Were they friends, or more than that? Did she want more? Danny knew what he wanted, but Sam…

Well, she was his best friend. She ruled, in his opinion, as he'd yelled at her during that initial battle they'd had. Did she really need some overgrown shrub to tell her that she could do anything?

Danny almost found himself wishing Tucker had come along and botched up the whole reunion scene between him and Sam. Tucker was like his brother, but Danny did kind of wonder why he seemed to show up at precisely the wrong moment.

And as for the diamond-like crystal he'd presented to Sam? What was she supposed to do with it, really?

"Idiot," he chided. "Real smooth, Fenton."

Danny vaguely recalled one of the numerous inventions his parents had come up with that resembled earrings and how Sam had faithfully adorned them. What if the ice diamond had a chain, making it a necklace? It gave him an excuse to see her, at any rate.

Feeling better about the stupid act from earlier, Danny shifted to his intangible form and passed through his bedroom wall. Floating silently over Amity Park, Danny drifted down to Sam's window.

He tapped at it quietly, knowing Sam would still be wide awake, most likely curled up and reading depressing poetry.

Sam glanced over at the window, expecting to see the hovering form of her best friend. She crossed and opened it, allowing him entry to the room.

"Um. Hi."

Sam nodded in response. Not sure why she was doing it, she tugged the ice crystal out of her robe pocket.

"About that…"

Danny took it from her and carefully released some of the recently mastered ice power into a thin chain, thus making the necklace complete.

Sam hung it around her neck, smiling. "Thanks, Danny."

Feeling his duty was done for the moment, he turned and drifted over to the window, waving goodbye silently.

"Stay."

It was the second time that evening she'd asked that of him, and the second he wanted to do so.

Sam was closer now, much closer. The next thing he knew was that they were entwined in the others' arms, not knowing quite why they had such a fierce need for the embrace.

"Danny," Sam whispered, then leaned closer (if that were possible) and kissed him.

He smiled.

First ever attempt at a DP fic. Alrighty then. Not my best work, not even that good, in my opinion. I just saw Urban Jungle and this was driving me crazy, so there you go.

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