Dedication: I've never dedicated any of my fics to anyone (excluding my SG-1 shippy stories, which I don't like to count), so this is a first:
To Galinda05 for inspiring me to write a "songfic" (for a Carrie Underwood song, no less). It's not so much a songfic as it was "inspired by" the song, though, if ya know what I mean...
There are no lyrics because they are not allowed. So...bear with me if it seems strained at any time. I was trying to convey the song's emotions without using any actual words from it. If you want to know how the song relates to the story that badly, look up Carrie Underwood's "The Night Before (Life Goes On)" and see the lyrics online, or, better yet, go buy her CD, "Some Hearts." It's good.
And to Devianta for helping to give me tips on how to write paragraphs. Heaven knows this story has enough of those…
The Night Before (Life Goes On)
Danny pushed through the crowd to make his way to the doors that led to the balcony. He squeezed through and shut them tight behind him. He sighed in relief when he finally made it: outside, away from the party and the noise…and Sam.
Oh, Sam. The cool breeze made him wish he hadn't taken off his suit jacket. But, to be honest, suits were downright uncomfortable. Why would anyone wear them anyway? Well, other than for a formal after-graduation party. If it had been any other person at any other house throwing said party, he would have just worn a nice shirt and comfortable pants that weren't quite as casual as his usual jeans. But this party was being thrown by none other than Sam Manson, his girlfriend. He knew that the only reason Sam would throw a graduation party and make it formal would be to see him in a suit. She had told him before that she thought he looked better, more grown-up, when he wore one, and that fact made her feel safe with him. Not, she had admitted, that she didn't feel safe with him all the time; it was just nice to see him looking so physically appealing. Still not quite knowing how to take a compliment, he had smiled.
But he was not smiling now. All year, everyone else had been celebrating the day they would graduate; the day they would go off to college or (in Dash's case, particularly) to a life of flipping burgers at the Nasty Burger or to whatever else their newly individual hearts desired. But it would be better than high school. And it would be better than seeing the same faces of the same peers everyday. They, thought Danny, are sadly mistaken.
He had been dreading this day so very much. The day he wouldn't see the same people constantly. He had pretended to be excited for this party, but deep down, Danny knew what the future had in store for him and he grimaced bitterly at the thought of it.
He was leaning on the railing at the edge of the balcony, looking out to the city which had been his haven and his hell. He took another swig of sparkling grape juice (to at least the A-List's utter disappointment, Sam had decided to play it safe and have nonalcoholic beverages at her party) and set the empty glass down onto the table that sat snug in the corner of the balcony behind him. To do so, he had to turn around. And in turning around, he saw the last person he wanted to see standing in front of the balcony's illuminated glass doors: Sam. How had he not heard her come out?
Trying to hide his apprehension, he swallowed hard and said, "Hey."
Very articulate.
Sam tilted her head to one side and said, "Hey, yourself. What are you doing out here? Aren't you gonna come inside where the party is?"
"Nah," Danny said (he hoped) smoothly, "I'm all partied out right now."
"Me, too."
They stood in awkward silence, Danny trying to figure out how best to say what had been on his mind for the past year. It all led up to this moment and he wasn't liking it one bit.
"I got accepted to a college in New York," she said finally, starting the conversation that Danny had been dreading.
"That's, uh…that's great," Danny said, attempting a smile.
She sat down, ready to blab about just how great the news really was and invited Danny to sit in the chair opposite her on the other side of the small table. Danny reluctantly accepted the offer.
"I want to be an actress. I know, I know…I've always said how much I hate celebrities and how full of themselves they are and whatnot, but I think I can use my…oh, how do I put it and NOT sound full of myself…? Fame, I suppose, to rally support for endangered animals and for people to donate money and stuff. Heck, I could donate my OWN money to a bunch of charities and everything. If it all works out, I could help end world hunger!" Sam boasted proudly.
Danny tried to hide a small smile. Sam always had a head full of ambitions and he knew she would try her best to live up to them no matter what the cost. He supposed he was the same way.
"I think that's a great idea. You'll be really good at it," he said calmly, remembering how he had watched her act the heck out of the Wicked Witch of the West in their high school production of The Wizard of Oz. Of course, he didn't think she fit the role, but she was sure convincing for the few hours the play lasted.
Sam's ecstatic smiled faded when she saw how calm he was. That meant something was wrong and he was trying to hide it. She needed to know.
"Danny, what's wrong?"
He turned his head away from her concerned gaze and looked over the ledge of the balcony again.
"Sam," he began slowly, unsure this was the correct way to approach the subject, "have you ever thought about our future? I mean…us, as a couple?"
Sam seemed taken aback by such a question. Of course she had; they both had.
"Yeah. Remember at the beginning of the year when I asked you what we would do after high school? I distinctly remember you saying you would go to whatever college I went to so we could stay together."
Danny closed his eyes. Crap. He was hoping she hadn't remembered that spur-of-the-moment promise he had made. Little did he know he would become a little less love-struck and a little more mature over the course of his senior year.
"About that…Sam…I don't think I can."
Sam blinked in confusion, trying to mask her disappointment and shock and not succeeding very well.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Danny winced at the pain in her voice and hated himself for knowing he had caused it.
"Look, Sam, it's not that I don't care about you. Ah, gosh, no. I just…" he paused, trying to think of a way to explain it. "I can never leave Amity Park," he said, bitterly admitting out loud that which had been plaguing his mind all year.
"What?"
He hadn't been clear. "I mean, in the beginning it was easy enough; you, me and and Tucker working together to beat some lame ol' Box Ghost and shove him into a thermos. But…in case you haven't noticed…it's been getting a lot harder to beat these ghosts and they seem to be bent on causing more and more destruction. I just…I don't think anyone in this town, not even my parents, would be strong enough to beat these ghosts on their own."
Sam had been shaking her head slightly the entire time he was talking, still in disbelief. He needed to stay and protect the town? What about her?
"And you are strong enough to beat them on your own?"
Danny scrunched his eyes to keep the tears from falling. "I don't know."
She then realized that this wasn't about her. Danny was blessed (or was it burdened?) with a hero complex. He needed to stay and protect people because it was his duty. He was giving up his individual freedom, his happiness and, heaven forbid, possibly his life.
Was he strong enough to beat them on his own? He didn't know. Probably not. He had barely been managing to beat them with Sam and Tucker helping him. But if he didn't stay and fight for the citizens of Amity Park, stop the ghost onslaught at the root of the problem, nobody would and the world would fall into chaos.
"I'll stay, too," she said gently, taking his hand in hers.
Danny closed his eyes, finally letting the tears fall free from his eyes, "No. No, you can't give up your life just to be with me. I know how much this acting thing means to you and this is a big break. You've got to go and find those dreams. They won't come running at you like this ever again."
He looked her in the eyes, both pairs red and puffy, "I love you, Sam. I don't want you to share my curse. I love you so much, I just want you to be happy."
Sam felt the steady stream of water trickling down her own cheek and she sobbed. She hadn't quite expected this at her end-of-the-year party.
"Promise me that, Sam? Promise you'll be happy…for me," Danny said, lifting her head with his hand so that her gaze met his.
Sam nodded furiously. "I…I promise."
And it was then that neither of them could stand it any longer. They broke down in each other's arms and Danny pulled her into a kiss. It was a deeper kiss than they had ever shared before and he didn't stop until he was sure that every second of it would be ingrained in his memory for eternity.
When they finally broke free, Sam noticed the sun coming up over the horizon and wiped her eyes quickly.
"We must have been out here for a long time," she said quietly.
Danny looked in through the glass window and wondered why he hadn't noticed everyone leave, though he knew why. He and Sam had been too caught up in the moment.
"I've got to go," Danny said, rushing to the glass doors and yanking them open.
"Danny, wait! I'll walk home with you," Sam said, her eyes still hopelessly watering.
"No," Danny pleaded, "please don't follow me home, Sam. I…I want to remember us together like we were tonight and for the past year. Anything from here on out would be strained and I don't want that. I know it sounds weird, but I want this party to be the last time I see you."
Sam looked to the ground, understanding, but not understanding.
She swallowed and begged him with her eyes. "One last dance?"
Sighing in agreement, Danny walked slowly up to Sam and turned on the radio on his way over to her. He held her tightly to him and she leaned her head on his shoulder, never wanting to leave him as the song began playing. Oddly, Danny realized Sam's radio had been tuned to a country station as a slow and melancholy melody started sputtering out of it. A strong female voice began to serenade them and, as the two listened closely, they noticed that the similarities between the song's lyrics and what was happening to them at that moment were uncanny.
The inconsistencies between their lives and the song seemed obsolete as they cried in each other's arms. All they could see in the imagery that the music created were their lives and how true the mentality was.
As the song neared its end, they held tight to each other, seemingly grasping harder and harder, not wanting to let go.
Once the last notes had played and they were positive they had successfully cried out all of their body fluids, and Danny lifted Sam's chin to kiss her once more.
"Thank you, Danny," she said softly.
"Thank you, Sam. For everything," Danny replied, but said nothing more, lest he ruin their last moments together.
Sam watched him trample out of her house and stared out the window as he stumbled down the street, obviously distraught. As she went back into her "party room" to clear the mess that had been left, she saw a familiar, yet distant object sitting on a chair.
It was Danny's jacket. She slowly went to pick it up and held it close to her, breathing in his scent and crying into the fabric. If she was going to keep anything in the entire world safe, it was going to be that jacket. It was the jacket of a boyfriend, a best friend, a protector, and most of all, a hero. And he deserved nothing less than all of her tears.
And I know how it feels when love goes away…
A/N: The end? I'm debating between keeping this a depressing oneshot or writing a chapter two based off of the Rascal Flatts song "Then I Did". Please let me know if you liked it, hated it, found mistakes, want to critique me or want to request a chapter 2. Thanks! R&R.