A/N: Sorry the first two chapters are so short! I've been HATING myself for not updating, so I just sat myself down in front of my computer and forced myself to type. That's also why this is bad. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but I don't like flames much. Sorry.

So, on with the story!

Oh, yeah. Disclaimer. Right:

Disclaimer: If I owned Danny Phantom, there would be a lot less DxV (don't get me wrong, I like Valerie, but y'know…) and a lot more DxS.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Danny leaned back on his bed, thinking about recent events. It was so lonely, living in the mansion. But how could he return? How could he go back, after what had happened? He rolled over onto his side and looked at the photo of Sam staring back at him, a grin on her face. Sighing, he turned the picture so it was facing the other way.

"Sorry Sam. I'm not in the mood for talking right now."

Danny struggled, the cold wind whipping around his face. Eventually he found himself on solid ground again, but something was being bound around his hands and feet. The blindfold was removed; to reveal the one person he hated the most. He loathed him worse than he did Vlad. His eyes widened as he saw that he was standing on a cliff; she, also bound and blindfolded, was on the precipice. He was standing next to her.

"Let her go," he spat. The adult sneered.

"Only if you do exactly as I say… foolish child," he laughed. Danny growled.

"Let her go, now." His voice took on a cold tone. His blood chilled as he saw the well-built man reach his hand towards the girl, about to push her off. "Don't you dare!" he yelled, and then his voice quietened, almost fearful. "You – you wouldn't dare -"

"Oh wouldn't I?" He raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. "Fine, if you really don't care –"

"Stop! I'll do what you say!" Danny yelled. "Just let her go!"

"Good boy –"

"No, Danny! Don't do it! I'm not worth it!" came her yell.

"Stay out of this, you foolish child!"

"What – what do you want?" whispered Danny.

"For your first task, I want you to do this. A certain associate of mine has asked for you to – destroy your sister."

"Danny! Don't do it! After this, he'll just get you to kill more and more people! Don't do it just for me, please, Danny!" she yelled, until a hand clamping over her mouth stopped her from speaking. She bit the hand, but it didn't budge. Danny just stood there, in shock. What could he do? He couldn't kill his sister, but he couldn't let her die.

"You have three seconds. Three. Two. One."

"NO! Wait! I'll do it!" Danny yelled, but it was too late. The person he watched with loathing, transformed into the likeness of Danny Fenton, and removed the girl's blindfold – making sure he could see who it was that was doing this to her. Then he pushed her off. Danny fell to his knees in shock, tears welling up in his eyes.

Suddenly, he thought better of it, and stood, thrashing against the cords that bound him. "LET ME GO!" he screamed. The older man shrugged, and the glowing ropes released Danny, who immediately flew down the side of the cliff. She wasn't there. Where was she? He looked down to the thrashing waves and the jagged rocks below. No. It wasn't. It couldn't be. She wasn't – he spotted something. Her limp body was lying on one of the rocks, blood slowly seeping out. Danny instantly flew to her side. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" he murmured softly, terrified for her. He held a hand to her wrist, searching desperately for a pulse.

He couldn't find one.

All he remembered after that was flying her body back to their hometown, Amity Park, and laying her down in front of her house. Her parents had come out and were shocked; they clearly thought he'd killed her. With an apologetic look, he flew away, as fast as he could, until he'd reached a place he didn't recognise; then he passed out.

Danny shivered at the memory. It had haunted him in his nightmares every night for the two years he'd spent at the mansion. Of course he remembered it; vividly.

Danny never cried since that day; as soon as he'd woken up that night when he ran away, he had laid down on the ground as tears spilled from his eyes, just wishing for it all to stop. For it to end. For his life to stop being some big nightmare.

Wishes don't come true, he thought.

But suddenly, Danny felt a sob coming up in his chest. He pushed his face into the pillow and just let the tears go. Let them loose. Let him be free. Wiping his eyes, he stood up once more, red stains on his face, and walked to his bathroom, opening the cabinet and pulling out a razor. He pulled up the long sleeve of the black shirt he was wearing that day, to reveal the many scars on his arm. Some were white, and faded; some were still scabs, barely starting to heal. Taking a deep breath, he lifted the razor and began again.

Taking a deep breath, Danny knocked on the door. As it swung slowly open, he glared at the person who stood there, but took another breath to compose himself.

"Ah, Daniel.. To what do I owe this pleasant visit?"

"I'm not here to join you, Plasmius." Danny growled. "I need... aplacetostay..." He mumbled the last bit incoherently.

Vlad brightened. "So sorry, didn't catch that last part."

"I need a place to stay." muttered Danny.

"What was that?"

Danny, finally losing his temper, yelled, "I need a place to stay, now if you will just shut up and let me come in, we'll be all fine!"

Danny wiped the razor clean with a cloth he'd kept next to it, rolled the sleeve down again, and walked out of the bathroom, his job done. Now he didn't feel the pain so much anymore. He was glad he was wearing a black shirt today; it wouldn't stain.

He sat on the edge of his bed, then after a moment's thought turned the picture of Sam around to face him. "Sam… I'm so sorry… it was my fault…" he murmured. "I know I shouldn't keep doing this – " he glanced guiltily at his wrist – "but I don't know how else to help ease the pain, I can't do this Sam! I wish I could go back, but what would they think? What would they do? They all probably think I killed you. Even Jazz! Jazz, who knew my secret, probably hates me now. Oh, Sam, what have I done? What could I have done? I wish I'd never gotten ghost powers. All it ever did was endanger you. And now you're gone, and it's all my fault. Sam, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, sorry. And Tucker… what would Tucker say? What if he really thought I'd done it? I wouldn't be able to face him…" His head was in his hands by now. He looked up at the photo for a second. "Well… I guess you're right. He wouldn't think that… And neither would Jazz… I hope. So, you're saying I should go back?" He paused briefly, then pulled his suitcase from under his bed (A/N: why does he keep a suitcase under his bed!) and began to pack his few belongings; his clothes; the NASA poster he had on the wall, to remind him of his old life; and, last, he put in the photo.

Carefully shutting the suitcase, he closed the clasp, picked it up and was about to walk out of the door, but thought better of it. He closed his eyes for a second, and two bright rings of light appeared at his waist and separated, moving to his head and toes, revealing his 'alter-ego' of sorts – Danny Phantom. He turned intangible and headed for the window, and –

BZZAP!

He was thrown back, in a flash of green light. He growled. Stupid safety measures. Vlad was trying to make sure he wouldn't escape – well, Danny would see about that. He turned back into his human form and opened the window, then clambered out of it. He almost laughed; too easy. Vlad left the window unlocked, what did he think Danny was, some kind of – Danny looked down and almost screamed - …idiot? Evidently Vlad had thought Danny wouldn't be stupid enough to try to climb out of this window. On the side of the mansion that Danny was on, there was apparently some kind of construction going on down there – meaning that there was a very, very deep hole, and stable ground was too far for him to jump. He was too high up anyway. Danny sighed, then brightened. Since he was outside the house now, surely – he attempted to 'go ghost', as he put it, again – and braced himself. No shock came. Cheering and almost dropping the suitcase, while also almost falling off, Danny suddenly let out his first laugh in two years. He started to fly back. As he did so he thought…. He had dreamt about that moment a lot for two years. Every night. What if his subconscious had twisted it in some way? Sam was, of course, really alive. How else could her photo still be able to talk to him? Perhaps she was injured, but she would obviously be OK by now. Happy, and smiling, at this thought, he began the long flight home.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

A/N: Tsk tsk Danny… cutting yourself. (shakes head sadly) When will you learn?