AN: Hello everyone, had you given up on me yet? I know I'm horrible for not updating but I hit a snag in the story I couldn't get around. I finally pushed through thanks to readers requesting that I finish this story. Thanks for riding my butt guys. :)

Disclaimer: Still don't own Danny Phantom

If You Love Her…

…Pick Her Up and Swing Her Around

Sam awoke to the blaring of her alarm clock, but for once its beeping meant something good. It was finally Friday! Danny and Tucker would be spending the night tonight and, as if the Gods wished it, her classes would be easy, perhaps even enjoyable today. The Goth girl stretched and climbed out of bed, actually looking forward to the school day. It was slightly crazy what Danny could unknowingly make her enjoy. Sure, befriending Danny and Tucker in middle school had made going bearable but it wasn’t until freshman year that Sam actually connected school with Danny. That was when her crush went off the deep end. The only reason Danny didn’t notice it was because he was infatuated with Paulina. However, Tucker had noticed, damn him, so Sam had had to learn how to rein in her emotions a bit. She hadn’t wanted the tech-geek getting suspicious and making Danny suspicious in turn.

Musing over these thoughts as she got dressed, Sam smiled wryly at her reflection in the full length mirror. Perhaps it would have been better for her to continue to wear her heart on her sleeve; maybe Danny would have noticed after he got over Paulina. Sam reflected, however, that her friendship with Danny was too precious. She didn’t want him to know that she had a crush on him because if he didn’t like her back it would make everything awkward between them. Then again, who was she to say that Danny didn’t like her? If Sam had been watching her and Danny’s situation from an outside position, she would definitely think that Danny liked her. Try as she might, she couldn’t convince herself of that fact. Then again, all the details pointed towards that conclusion. Sam sighed at herself; she was getting nowhere wondering over these things. She pulled herself away from the mirror and finished getting ready for school.

School was rather enjoyable for the three friends. Danny and Sam got to work together in a lab during Biology. In gym, the only class the three shared, they got put on the same dodge-ball team and won the game. All in all it was a pretty good day as far as school days go, especially considering what was waiting for them after the final bell rang. The trio met up at Danny’s locker, which was a halfway point between all of their sixth hour classes.

“So you guys need to go to each other’s houses to get stuff and I’ll set up the bowling?” Sam asked, but really she was planning out loud.

“Yeah,” the boys replied.

“And if either of our parents asks about Sam…” Tucker began.

“We’ll tell them that she got in trouble for something stupid, again, and can’t hang out.” Danny finished.

“Wait, again?” Sam protested playfully. “You’ve given your parents that excuse before?”

“Sometimes it wasn’t actually an excuse, sometimes it was the truth. That’s the beauty of this lie.” Tucker replied.

Everyone laughed at Tuck’s logic, which was actually logical this time. Danny finished packing his backpack with homework and they all continued on to make stops at Sam’s and Tucker’s lockers. While they were chatting loudly and about random things, Sam had a wild urge, and looped arms with her two best friends. They paused for a moment and Sam feared they would make a scene, but then they continued talking like nothing had happened. It felt strangely nice for all of them to be able to show the world how close they were without saying anything.

At the intersection between their houses, Sam let the boys go so they could head to Tucker’s house first. The silence that accompanied her on her way home was not lonely, however. This was a good kind of silence, a silence that was practically trembling with the same excitement Sam had. It was like a dramatic pause in a movie or play right before the detective reveals who the killer was or right after the boy proposes and is waiting for his lover’s answer.

As soon as Tucker and Danny had made their way down the street far enough so as to be out of sight and ear of Sam, Tucker shoved Danny good-naturedly, a teasing light in his eyes.

“What was that for?” Danny asked but feeling he knew what was coming next.

“That was your push in the right direction.” Tuck replied with a sly smile. “It’s not hard to see that things are heating up between you and Sam. She told me about how you flirted with her on Monday.”

“Huh?” the halfa looked at the tech-geek in disbelief. “She told you about that?”

Tucker smiled to himself. A few months ago, Danny would have denied flirting with Sam in the first place. This was definitely progress. “What do you mean ‘huh’? I’m Sam’s friend too and she tells me stuff; especially stuff that has to do with you. Obviously she can’t tell you those things.”

Danny’s face was turning pink as he admitted to Tucker, “I felt like such an idiot afterwards. I’m just glad she didn’t punch me in the face.”

“Why, what did you say to her?”

“Well she was telling me that she liked my messy hair so I told her that I liked her purple lip-stick but it made me wonder whether or not her lips had just turned purple over the years and she asked how I was going to find out and I told her that maybe I’d just have to kiss her.” Danny replied in one breath.

Tucker couldn’t help it, he busted up laughing. “Aw man that’s priceless. She would have punched you if you were anyone else, I’m sure of it.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I’m not anyone else then.” the halfa said quietly, his blush deepening. Danny wasn’t used to talking to Tucker so openly about his situation with Sam. In fact, he didn’t think they had ever talked about it like this before. While Danny wasn’t surprised Sam had told Tucker some things, he was surprised that Tucker had decided to bring it up. As guys they tended to save their feeling conversations for Sam. Yet Danny was glad for Tucker’s support, although he would never admit how glad.

The boys reached the Foley residence and Tuck left Danny to explain to his mother what was going on for the night. It took a lot for Danny to lie convincingly, but somehow he managed it and soon enough they were on their way to Fenton Works. Luckily for Danny, his mother was not the one that greeted him at the door. Jack listened to Danny’s explanation with half an ear, as he was trying to figure out why his latest creation was beside itself, making a tremendous amount of noise, now that Danny had entered the room.

“Thanks for the support, Tuck.” Danny teased when he finally made it to his bedroom.

“I would have helped if Maddie was home.” Tucker retorted jokingly. “You need some practice lying Danny. It wouldn’t help you if I lied for you.”

“Whatever,” he replied with a small smile and began shoving things into a duffel bag.

The boys escaped before Jack could accost them with questions about his ghost-device, which had resumed its noise making when Danny came downstairs.

“Finally,” was Sam’s greeting when she answered the door and found the boys on her porch.

“Impatient?” Tucker asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Very, now let’s go!” Sam declared, grabbed the boys by their arms and dragging them downstairs. They had to laugh at this irony because just two days before she had been restraining them from going to the basement.

When Sam relinquished her grip on their arms, Danny and Tucker looked around to see that Sam had already set everything up. Danny was up to bowl first so he grabbed the blue ball Sam had picked out for him.

“Wait, take your shoes off.” Sam said quickly.

Danny slipped out of his shoes and threw the ball down the alley. He hit seven pins down on the first try and then two more. Tucker went next and hit eight pins all together. Sam got a spare. The boys accused her of cheating good-naturedly, but they all knew Sam would win. They played for about an hour longer and finally they were at the last frame. Sam was ahead by a significant amount, but Danny and Tucker were only nine pins apart, Tucker bringing up the rear. If Tucker got a spare or a strike, he could win second place.

Once again, Danny went first.

Tucker crossed his fingers. “Please get a gutter, please get a gutter.”

“That’s not very nice,” laughed Sam. “Some best friend you are.”

“I know, right?” Danny had returned and caught the end of Tucker and Sam’s conversation.

“I won’t look at the board until after I bowl.” Tucker promised, mostly to himself.

“You can’t look either, Danny!” Sam decided, covering his eyes with her hands.

“Whoa Sam, stop I’ll fall over! You know how clumsy I am.”

Sam giggled. “Yes I know, but if you just hold still you won’t fall.”

So Danny tried to stand as still as possible, with Sam behind him, perched on her tip-toes so she could reach his eyes. They heard Tucker’s ball strike the pins and then the pins toppling over. He walked back to retrieve his ball and bowled again, more pins falling down.

“C’mon Tuck, it shouldn’t take that long.” Danny called in the direction he thought his friend was.

“I’m building dramatic tension.” Tucker replied. Finally the tech-geek walked back to his friends and turned around to look at the score board. “Aw man, that’s just not fair!”

Sam pulled her hands away from Danny’s eyes so he could see what Tucker was complaining about. The score board declared that Danny had won by three pins.

“Yes!” Danny cheered, pumping his fist in victory. He turned to Sam, who was still standing behind him, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She squeaked when he picked her up suddenly and started spinning in a circle.

“Ah Danny, be care—” but Sam’s warning was cut short as she and Danny fell to the floor. Danny cushioned their fall with his body and as a result Sam ended up in his lap. They chuckled and Sam threw her arms around Danny’s neck. “Congratulations!” she said in between laughter.

Beside them, Tuck had sunk to his knees with a pathetically dramatic look of defeat on his face. Seeing his face made Danny and Sam laugh even harder. Eventually Tucker stood up and walked over to his friends, who were still in hysterics.

“Alright, alright enough laughing at my expense.” Tuck admonished with a small smile. He held out a hand to help Sam off of Danny’s lap and she took it reluctantly.

“You still have one more frame to bowl.” Danny reminded the Goth girl.

She shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter; I beat you both without it anyway.”

“Oh yeah just keep rubbing it in.” Tucker said sarcastically.

Sam trailed over to the couch in front of the huge TV screen and the boys followed her.

“What do you guys wanna do now?” she asked as she collapsed into the soft, fluffy red couch.

Tucker’s eyes fell on one of the overstuffed pillows at the end of the couch. He glanced at Danny and they nodded.

“Pillow fight!” the boys yelled. Sam shrieked and tried to grab the nearest pillow before Danny or Tucker did.

Let the fight begin.

Next Chapter Preview: If You Love Her... Give Her Piggy-Back Rides.