AN: So … I have a very dear friend of mine who's going through something like this right now and my heart goes out to him… I know what it's like to feel this way and I hope everything turns out for the best. Regardless, I know sometimes life can be cruel and things tend to not go the way you want them to. By the way, Warning: I didn't really look over this. I just wrote it out so if it doesn't make much sense, I'll fix it later. I just wanted to get it out in writing. Helps me cope.

By the way, on another note, I had this obnoxious person review a fic of mine and tell me it was disgusting because Vlad x Danny aren't gay and blah blah blah. This is exactly why authors put warnings that it is a YAOI fic, meaning MALExMALE so that people like that will NOT read it. And on another note, if it bothers them so much, then WHY do they insist on READING THE FIC? If you believe the couple is straight and the show portrays them as so, that's well and great but stay the heck away from Fanfiction then because people like what they like and that's their own thing. No one wants to hear your judgmental and negative comments. Grow up. Sorry for the rant, but people like that sincerely bother me and get me angry. Oh, and one more thing: If you do insist on showing your ignorance to the person for liking a couple and you think is wrong, don't be a coward and put yourself as anonymous. Just sayin'. Okay. Rant over. On that note, this is a Malexmale Slash pairing. In case you didn't get the hint.

Vlad stared hopelessly at the fire roaring from the fireplace. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't find it in him to care. Honestly, lately, he couldn't find himself caring about anything. The days were long, dreadful, and full of misery. At least, the past four days—now probably five for all he knew—have felt like that. He's known misery in his life before. After all, there was the incident with the ghost portal in his college days that lead him to years of isolation. Then he had to cope with the fact that Maddie was taken from him by his supposed best friend. Twenty years of loneliness, bitterness and resentment paled in comparison to the pain he felt now. No, this was something he never thought he could ever feel. Physical pain he could recover from, that was easy, but this…he didn't know someone could actually feel like this.

His routine had become drastically different over the past few days. He no longer woke up early, seeing as there was no longer a point to. He went to work and buried himself deep in it for hours until he was forced to go home. Ironic, really, considering that was exactly what got him into this rut in the first place, but what else could he do? Everything just hurt. He had drowned himself in alcohol two days ago and that only made him feel worse. He clenched his eyes shut as he thought about the pain he was going through and how he would give anything to change it—to make it go away. He felt hot tears gather in his eyes and let them fall. He had been doing that a lot lately. His pride was beyond caring.

He wondered when it all went wrong. Everything had seemed so perfect. His life was wonderful; he had never been so happy and wanted it to last forever. He thought for sure it would. Perhaps he had gotten too comfortable? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he felt like a shadowed, broken piece of a man. He replayed the words in his heads that he heard those few days ago over and over in his head. One phrase stuck out the most.

I'm leaving.

That's when it all came crashing down. His perfect life destroyed right before his very eyes. What hurt the most was how powerless he was to stop it. That's when he would spend hours just thinking of all the little things that he could have done better. He thought about all the mistakes he made and how he should have tried harder to make amends for them. He thought about those moments where he made a foolish comment or made decision that was poor judgment on his part and wondered to himself why, why, why did he do that? He desperately wished he could back in time and change it. He'd do anything to have another chance; just one, to make things better.

His heart tightened painfully. He felt as if his heart was close to bursting and he wish it just would! The pain was unbearable and the only person who could take it away was miles and miles away from him with probably no intentions of returning. All his wealth and fortune didn't even put a dent on the pain. His ghost powers, the one thing that he could say had helped keep him, to some degree, a bit happy was something he would willingly give up just to have him back. He'd give up anything to have him back…

He stared mournfully at the glass of wine in his hand and swirled the amber liquid. He had taken a few sips just to give him something to do. Consumed with rage at himself and sadness of his situation, he threw the glass into the fire and watched it smash. He clenched his eyes shut and took in a shuddering breath. He didn't know what to do. He didn't have friends to talk to and heaven knows what his friends are saying. No one had approved of their relationship from the beginning. Sure, they had let them be since there was nothing they could do but Vlad knew what they thought of their relationship and how they secretly hoped they would separate. Well, looks like they got their wish.

A knock on his enormous castle door caught his attention. For a second, his heart beat rapidly and a sprinkle of hope made its way up his chest but was immediately shut down. His ghost sense didn't go off. He took a minute to gather himself. He had sent home all his servants, not bearing to see anyone. He wiped away the last tear and made his way to the door. There was an instant knock and he idly wondered who could it be. It was late, he knew that much. How late was the question, but he knew it was late enough to not have any visitors.

He opened the door and was surprised to see a woman standing outside waiting. He wondered if perhaps he drank more than he remembered or if he was so drowned in his sorrows that he was starting to hallucinate. That didn't make sense when he thought about it: if he was going to hallucinate, he was sure his main figure would be him…

"Ms. Manson…to what do I owe this unexpected visit?" He asked tiredly, not in the mood to be yelled at. He knew he messed up, he didn't need one of his partner's little friends to rub it in his face.

Sam opened her mouth to retort but then stopped short. She frowned and Vlad could see the pity in her eyes. "You look terrible." She commented. "And it's Mrs. Foley-Manson."

Vlad narrowed his eyes at her, looking annoyed. He knew how he looked. His eyes were puffy and red and he hadn't really been taking care of himself. He hadn't shaved for the past few days and his hair was loose with tangled knots all over. "My apology, Mrs. Foley-Manson. You'll have to forgive me, I am not really in the mood for visitors." He responded drily, ready to slam the door on his face

Sam, however, was unnerved. "May I come in?"

"I don't think that's the best idea."

"Do you have another one? My flight isn't until tomorrow and I don't think you really are cruel enough to let me wander in the middle of the night by myself to look for a hotel."

"I can give you a private jet of mine for all I care. Just leave."

"I'll just force my way in. One way or another Vlad, I'm not leaving. Just let me in."

Vlad sincerely thought about going ghost and scaring her to leave, but other the years, Sam seemed less intimidated by him. He must have lost his edge sometime without even realizing it. He was still a powerful ghost and not one to be trifled with but he suppose he might have gotten soft at times. Sighing heavily, he stepped aside and gestured for the annoying woman to enter. Smirking, Sam walked in. Vlad closed the door behind them and led them into his living room where he had been sitting before. He resumed his seat on his chair while Sam sat across from him. They were silent for a while, neither knowing what to say or how to start. Vlad wanted to just get this over with. He wanted to be alone.

"I must ask again, what are you doing here?"

Sam didn't answer right away. She studied Vlad with her eyes and it made him feel self-conscious. He wasn't at his peak; he didn't look like his normal, confident, suave self. He didn't know it bothered him but it felt odd to be looked at like he was a delegate glass ready to break. He felt his annoyance rising up when she didn't respond right away and was about to snap at her when she finally responded.

"I came to know how you're doing." She said simply, leaning back into her chair and making herself comfortable.

"As you can see, I'm just peachy."

"I can tell." She frowned and let out a little sigh. "Vlad… I'm not here to make you feel worse. If anything, I'm…sorry about what happened between the two of you. I'm worried and by the looks of it, I have a right to be."

Vlad stared at Sam in surprise. He was sure Sam would have been the one who was thrilled that Danny and Vlad were now separated. He remembered all those years she had accused him of trying to harm or manipulate her friend, even after he and Daniel got married. He felt his eyes sting again when he remembered their wedding day and fought the tears back. He cleared his throat and tried to compose himself.

"I appreciate your concern, Samantha, but I am a grown man and can handle this myself." Vlad said dismissively, hoping she would get the hint and just go away.

"Oh yeah you sure look like you're handling yourself! When was the last time you slept? Or have eaten? Frankly, you look like you need help." She snapped.

Vlad's fists clenched on the arms of his seat. How dare she come into his home and insult him? How dare she presume what Vlad needs? He didn't need sleep, he didn't need food, he didn't need anything but Daniel. Growling, he weakly stood up and gave her an intimidate stare. "I believe you've over staked your welcome, Samantha and I suggest you remove yourself immediately."

"Sounds like a threat." Sam responded coolly, meeting his stare head on. She was not one to be easily intimidated, Vlad knew from experience. "Sit down. Let's just talk. I don't want to fight. I'm just as drained as you are. Well, maybe not as drained as you but still enough to not want to argue."

Vlad weighed his options before slowly resuming his seat. He sagged into it, defeated. He was too tired. He just wanted the pain to go away. He had to admit that talking to Samantha proved to be a bit of a distraction from the pain, but not enough. Sam sadly looked at the broken man before her, knowing he was suffering more than he looked. Biting her lower lip, she tried to think of what to say. Vlad had no one to talk to. He didn't have family and he didn't have friends. When he and Danny started the relationship, Danny became the man's everything. Danny, at least, still had other people he could turn to.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

Vlad sharply looked at her. "Don't you already know?"

"I want to hear your side."

Vlad's eyes shifted from hers to stare at the coffee table before him. He began to dully recite what happened.

"I came home from work on Monday, late. It must have been 8 pm. I had promised that I would be back by 3. I lost track of time. I know it's no excuse but it's the truth. The minute I stepped in I knew something was wrong. It was just a feeling. He didn't greet me by the door so I figured he was in our bedroom. When I walked in…

Flash back

Vlad swallowed drily as he saw a large duffle bag lying on the bed that was being packed by Danny. He wracked his brain to remember if Danny mentioned going anywhere for some kind of trip but couldn't think of any. He cautiously walked into the room, dropping his business suitcase to the side to make himself known.

"Daniel dear, what are you up to? I wasn't aware we were going anywhere soon?" he tried to keep his voice light and casual but even he was able to hear the slight anxiousness in it.

Danny finished packing a pair of jeans and closed the bag. "Actually Vlad, it's just me who's going." He responded tonelessly, making Vlad's body spike up in fear.

Vlad didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth a few times but nothing came out. He felt adrenaline rush through him and he tried very hard to keep himself in control. "Going? To where? And why can't I come along? We've never taken separate vacations before."

Danny sighed and turned around. Vlad was aghast to see his husband looking distraught and tears running down his face. He took a step forward to pull him into a hug but Danny had lifted a hand, silently telling him to remain in his place. Reluctantly, Vlad stilled.

"I'm leaving."

Vlad felt his world crashing down before him. It took him a few seconds to really comprehend the situation; that this was truly happening. "W-what?" he croaked, shaking. He kept hoping that this was some sort of nightmare. He wanted to wake up and see Danny snuggled into his arms and be reminded that everything was okay.

Danny sighed and scratched the back of his neck. An endearing gesture he never grew out of, Vlad always noted. The twenty eight year old man stood there, looking miserable. Vlad longed to comfort him and to fix whatever it was that was making his Danny hurt. He swallowed past the lump of his throat, trying to think of a way to salvage the situation. He couldn't lose Danny. He'd be lost without him. Danny took a shuddering breath and stared at the floor as he spoke to Vlad.

"Things have been…hard, lately. You're never around anymore. You're always off at work and I can understand why. I mean, I work too and I love my job but sometimes I need some ustime. We haven't been together in almost three months! When we go on a date because it's been so damn long, it's awkward. It doesn't feel the same anymore. All those times I've had to sleep alone on this ridiculously huge bed just made me think… and I don't think … this…" he gestured helplessly between them. "Is working."

No, no, no, no, no, no…Vlad's mind was reeling. He felt dizzy and sick. With shaking hands, he reached for his husband of two years, partner for four, and gripped onto his arms. Danny flinched and tried to move away but Vlad wasn't having it. "Daniel, my love, let me fix this! Why don't we go on a vacation, hmm? Just the two of us? I know you enjoyed Hawaii. We can stay there again—"

"No, Vlad." Danny shook his head.

Vlad felt Danny slipping away, figuratively and literally. "Daniel, my Little Badger, please—"

"Don't make this harder than it already is."

"Don't do this. Please, I'll do anything. Just give me a chance. Whatever you want, just name it!"

"I need some time to think." He quickly transformed to his ghost half. He bit his lower lip and looked at Vlad. "I love you, Vlad, but I need to be alone right now." He grabbed the duffle bag and phased through the floor to disappear.

Vlad knew he was gone. He knew Danny had left the castle and was probably long gone by now. With that thought, he sunk to floor and for the first time, cried his heart out.

Sam watched as the tears made their way down the man's face. Vlad tried to stop it but couldn't. He never felt so vulnerable before, at least not in front of someone other than Danny. Sam's heart ached just from watching the man. She couldn't imagine losing Tucker and knew she couldn't understand comprehend the magnitude of hurt Vlad was in. Sure, she can imagine it, but experiencing it is a whole other thing.

"He'll come back." She said encouragingly. Vlad looked up to her and her stomach twisted by the insecure but hopeful gleam in those blue eyes. "He's just going through a hard time right now. You know, his father passed away recently and he's been trying to cope with that. Work has been hard for him lately, too. He's been under a lot of stress and you weren't there for him as much as he wanted." She didn't say it accusingly but matter-of-factly. Regardless, Vlad flinched. "Just give him some time. Have you two spoken at all lately?"

Vlad shook his head. "I have wanted to contact him but have restrained myself. I don't want to pressure him." He wiped his tears away, feeling embarrassed. "I don't want to lose him, Samantha. He's left before when he was insecure about our relationship and I was persistent. I don't think this situation calls for that this time."

Sam nodded understandingly. "It's best to let him come to you."

"Where is he?"

"I'm not sure. He's probably with his mom and sister."

"I thought he would stay with you and your husband."

Sam shrugged. "We're married now so he probably would have just felt intrusive, which isn't true."

Vlad nodded, understanding. He looked at Sam at a loss. "I don't know what to do. I know I need to give him space but it's killing me to not hear from him. I need to see him, but I know I can't. I've stopped myself several times from just flying to Amity Park and find him just to be near him!" His voice cracked and he took a deep breath, counted to 10, and continued. "I can't do that to myself. As much as it pains me to be away from him, it hurts even more to be near him and know he's still not within my reach." Sam couldn't take it anymore. She stood up, went over to him and hugged the man. Vlad tensed but allowed the hug. It comforted him a bit.

"It's my fault anyway." he continued bitterly. "I should have been more attentive to him. I shouldn't have let my business get in the way! I should have listened more to him when he was talking to me. There were times he would make a comment and I didn't answer the way I should have. I do have my obsessive tendencies and a jealous streak that he isn't too fond of. Perhaps I should have—"

"Vlad." Sam cut him off from his rambling. "It's not just you. In a relationship both individuals have to make an effort. Danny should have tried to talk to you more instead of just leaving out of the blue. I'm sure he made mistakes too that you overlooked. We all make mistakes and have quirks that make us who we are. He knows yours and you know his. He should have tried to work around it instead of just getting frustrated."

Vlad shrugged helplessly. It's not like it mattered. Danny wasn't there with him to try to work things out. He didn't even know if Danny wanted to work things out. He looked up at Sam and she offered an encouraging smile. "Thank you, Samantha." He said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it. You can use a friend."

"You're Daniel's friend."

"And yours too." Vlad had no response to that.

"It'll be okay." Sam said gently and reassuringly. "Just think of this as an experience. It could bring you guys closer."

Vlad nodded. "That's what I'm hoping for."

"Come on, it's late. Why don't we go to sleep?" Vlad finally glanced at the time and was surprised to see it was 3 in the morning. He stood up and walked Sam to the guest room. He stood there awkwardly, not sure how to show his appreciation for her presence. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "Goodnight. Call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Samantha. Is your husband okay with you staying here?"

"Yeah, he's fine. He'll probably come by tomorrow afternoon since he had to work tonight."

"That's not necessary. You don't need to stay here for my sake."

"I insist." She smiled and entered her room, closing the door.

Vlad stared at it for a while before making his way to his the guest room beside hers. It's where he was staying at now because he couldn't bear to look in his and his husband's bedroom. It brought back too many memories. He went in and dressed out of his suit and crawled into the bed. He glanced at his phone that was beside him and noticed a red light was blinking, signaling he had a message. He scowled, thinking it was probably work related but decided to check it anyway. His eyes widened and his heart accelerated when he read the name on the screen of who sent him a message. He quickly opened it and stared at the message.

Hey Vlad…Can we talk?

Danny Masters

AN: Honestly, you don't have to review this fic. I just posted it for my own sake. I'll probably wind up taking it down anyway (even though my husband found my fanfiction account and refuses to allow me to delete my fics) but I'm sure I'll somehow manage by. If you've enjoyed it and want me to continue it, I will, but like I said, it was just for my sake for posting it.