This chapter has been sitting on my hard drive for awhile. I just needed to clean it up. I'm working on Disclosures, just having a very difficult time with it.

And yes this story does start out somewhere in the middle XD.


Chapter Two

He sat on the bed, his legs drawn up into his chest, his white haired head resting on his knees, and taking deep, slow, calming breaths. He tried desperately to catch the thoughts whirling around in his mind, to slow down his thinking so he could get a hold of himself.

Green glowing liquid oozed slowly from the gashes on his arms, deep slashes ruining his suit, his skin, and the dark bed in which he had taken up residence. He stretched out and laid his head back on the pillows, pulling the silk red comforter around him to fight the chill invading his bones.

Muted sunlight streamed through the heavy velvet curtains, taunting him with daylight, and the fact that they were probably looking for him. He didn't want them to find him, to finish his destruction, to force him back into a form, a mold in which he no longer fit. He wanted to escape.

Glowing green eyes closed as he focused on the pain of his wounds, trying to use the stinging ache as a means to direct his thoughts, but these were wounds which they had given him, trying to force him back to his human form, back into submission, back into prison.

He was tired, so tired. He didn't want to fight anymore. He didn't want to be what they wanted him to be. The noble hero fighting for truth, justice and all that garbage. He wasn't Superman, he didn't want to be a hero. He just wanted to be, to do what he wanted, to be free. He wanted to be with her, even if she didn't love him, at least not the way he needed her to. Being without her hurt!

Then there was the other one, she made demands of him. He did his best to make her happy. He'd done his best to give up ghost fighting for her, to change himself to be the perfect boyfriend! But, it just wasn't enough, he knew she wasn't happy. He felt twisted and torn inside with pressure from her, pressure from school, pressure from his family and all the secrets he kept until finally he just snapped. He was going to take what he wanted and be damned with the consequences. No more mister nice guy.

He decided that he needed Sam, in order to think. She would fight him at first, but it wouldn't take her long to understand, he'd make her understand. She had to understand. She would accept him again eventually, she was his friend if nothing else, that was something to build on. It didn't matter to him that she'd broken off their romantic relationship years ago and had been dating others, he wanted her back. Three of her boyfriends he had managed to scare off. One had tried to stick around anyway, he'd been stubborn, Danny had to deal with him in alternate ways.

Where was she? He continued to lay in bed and wait for her as he cuddled into the blankets breathing in the comforting smell of her. He shuddered wishing he could have told her how he felt before having to revert to such drastic measures, there would be no going back now.

They would become his enemies, the people who he always cared about the most, his brainy annoying sister constantly trying to gauge the state of his mind, running him through her amateur psychoanalysis, lecturing him about responsibility, and how not to abuse his powers. Part of him couldn't wait to shove the fact that she was wrong, right in her face, and yell at her that he couldn't be redeemed from what he was about to become, because he didn't want to be redeemed.

Then there was Tucker, who gratefully had no expectations, except that Danny be his friend. Someday, he hoped he could make amends with his friend, he knew Tucker would understand, maybe not right away, but, eventually.

He sighed impatiently as he looked to the door. She always helped him. When he was wounded she was the one who cleaned him up. It didn't matter that he had fought against her only a few short hours ago, what mattered was she was supposed to be there for him like always, and she wasn't home. He was angry. He was going to find her. He didn't care how illogical his thinking was. He knew what he wanted and he was going to get it.

She wasn't at her house, so he assumed she was still at his. The first thing he did was check his room. It was still in the state of disarray he'd left it in, with books strewn across the room in tatters, posters ripped from the wall, everything on his shelves spilled onto the floor, clothes torn from the drawers, his bed tipped and shredded. He had to smile a little bit at the destruction, it made him proud, it was his first act in his new life.

The room hadn't been touched, not since he'd destroyed it with her standing there watching him stoically. Tucker had been trying to calm him down and he was just angry. He'd had enough.

He stuck his head out of the wall and saw his sister run into the bathroom. He waited until he heard the water running and then made his appearance. The befuddled look on her face amused him, but really all he cared about was finding Sam.

Jazz told him that she was with Tucker. Why would she be with Tucker? He made his way to the house of his friend with seeds of jealousy growing in the pit of his stomach. What if she had turned to Tucker for comfort? What if Tucker was holding her? Hugging her? Kissing her? He ground his teeth as he flew faster, bursting into Tucker's room with a feral growl, then looking around in dismay when he found it empty.

"Jazz," he growled then flew back to his house, skimming by Sam's house one more time to check and make sure she wasn't there. He flew from the lab, all the way to the ops center, scanning the house for her, and eventually he found her, sitting on Jazz's bed.

He slipped invisibly into the room and made his way over to her. She jolted slightly and he smiled. She always seemed to know when he was around, he could rarely fool her.

"Danny's here," Tucker said. He couldn't fool Tucker either.

"What?" Jazz asked in alarm. "Danny?"

Danny floated forward slowly, watching Sam's face. Her expression was closed, angry. His heart twisted. She should be happy for him, but then he remembered that she too held him to a standard which didn't allow him to use his power in a manner which pleased him. She was the only reason he'd held out so long.

He held his breath, afraid that she'd hear him as he looked into her soft purple eyes. He smiled and longed to move her hair away from her face, but he couldn't make his move yet, he had to watch her first. Catch her off guard. Her expression was too wary.

"Is he still here?" Jazz asked as she reached over and clutched Tucker's hand.

Danny shook his head as he moved behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her. Sam made no move except to stiffen slightly. He lifted her hair and placed a cool kiss on the back of her neck and she shivered. He smiled against her skin, glad that she didn't alert Tucker and Jazz to his presence.

"Sam?" Tucker asked. She looked at him for a moment then took a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, what?" she questioned as Danny cuddled her.

"Tell them you should all go downstairs," Danny whispered in her ear. He could feel the tension in her body and he rubbed her arms, willing her to cooperate.

"Please Sam," he whispered. "I need your help."

"I-I think we should go downstairs," Sam said. Both Tucker and Jazz gave her an odd look. "I just think it would be better. I'd feel better."

"Okay," Tucker said as he and Jazz moved toward the door. They stopped and looked at Sam who stood slowly.

"I'm right behind you," she said. The moment they turned away, Danny lifted her into his arms and disappeared with her.

"Where are we going?" Sam questioned, not sure if she felt relieved or scared. "What happened to you?" Danny didn't answer. He didn't even make himself visible until he put her down in her room.

She looked at her messy bed then turned and looked at Danny and gasped. "You're bleeding!"

"I know," Danny said as he watched her run into the bathroom and come back with her first aid kit.

"What happened to you?" Sam asked as she made him sit on the bed and began tending to his wounds. He didn't answer.

"We've all been so worried," she continued. "Everyone thinks you've lost your mind." He only blinked at her in response. She stepped back and looked at him.

"Shouldn't you change back?"

"No," he answered.

She frowned. "Why not?"

"I don't want to be human anymore," he answered flatly then put his hands around her waist and put the top of his head against her stomach.

"Oh Danny," Sam said as she threaded her fingers through his hair and sighed. "You don't mean that."

"I do," he told her angrily.

"Don't be stupid," Sam said as he looked up at her. He frowned angrily and she sighed. He pulled her down to sit beside him and she looked trustingly into his eyes.

"Will you come with me?" he asked pleadingly. "I don't want to go alone. I want you to come with me."

Sam shook her head in confusion. "Go with you where?"

"Anywhere," Danny told her. "Away from here."

"Why?" Sam asked as she tried to pull away from him, but he held her tight. She finally got away and stood, though he still held her.

"Because I'm sick of the expectation. I'm sick of fighting and being unappreciated. I can't do it anymore, Sam." Sam sighed deeply as he buried his face in her stomach. She hugged him tight for a moment then moved to sit beside him.

"I can't go with you Danny," she said as she met his glowing gaze. "And you shouldn't leave either." Danny watched her for a moment then shook his head.

"You're going with me." He told her firmly. "You don't have a choice."

"What?" Sam shrieked as she tried to push away from him. They ended up struggling, but ultimately, Danny was stronger than she was. She ended up pinned to the bed, her arms held above her head as he sat on her stomach and glared down at her.

"Don't tell me what to do either," he said to her. "I don't want to be without you! I'm leaving. You're coming with me!"

"Daniel James Fenton," Sam growled angrily. "Let me go right now. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you!" Danny only smiled at her before bending down as she writhed to get away and pressed a kiss on her mouth, causing her to still and look at him in shock.

"Sam," he said softly as he looked into her eyes, he failed to see the angry fire in those lilac depths as he bent down to kiss her again. She brought up her knee and kicked him in the groin. He gasped in shock and she was able to scramble off the bed and away from him.

"What did you do that for?" he complained.

"Because you're behaving like an animal!" Sam shouted. "How dare you try and paw me like that Danny!"

"I wasn't pawing you!" Danny exclaimed. "I was just going to kiss you."

"You were holding me down, against my will!" Sam accused. "That's pawing me! I don't like it." A very dangerous expression grew on Danny's face as he rose from the bed and stalked toward Sam.

"Don't take another step!" Sam warned, feeling scared of Danny for the first time in her life. "Danny!" She said shakily as he stopped a foot away from her.

"You're scaring me!" Sam told him as she pressed herself against the wall. A crazed grin spread across Danny's face as he put his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him fearfully then closed her eyes shut tightly and turned her face away from him.

"Sam," he said softly as he moved his hand to her cheek and turned her face toward him. She kept her eyes squeezed shut tightly. He sighed as he fixed his gaze on her lips before letting go, and moving away.

Sam opened her eyes and looked at Danny who was standing with his back to her. She took a deep breath then fished her cell phone out of her pocket. She was just about to hit the speed dial for Tucker when the phone was snatched out of her hand by an extremely angry Danny.

"What do you think you're doing?" he yelled at her as he moved so his face was but an inch from hers, their noses were almost touching. Sam swallowed hard and shivered as she took in his angry appearance.

"I was going to call Tuck," she said. "Your friend, your best friend. Tucker."

"I have no friends," Danny told her, his eyes holding her gaze. She raised her eyebrows at him then started cracking up laughing. Danny put his hands on either side of her shoulders again and she put her hands on his chest and laughed heartily.

"This is a joke right?" Sam finally asked as she regained her breath. She smiled at Danny but then faltered as she realized he was still looking at her with an incredibly stern and serious expression. "Right?" she asked again.

"No," Danny said petulantly as stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm serious."

Sam raised her eyebrows at him again then smiled. "Really?"

"Yes," he growled as he fought the small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. Sam stepped toward him and he looked at her warily.

"You're not going to change my mind," he told her. "I'm not going back."

Sam shook her head. "You sound like a spoiled child," she told him as she reached up and smoothed his hair out of his eyes. She smiled slightly at him and he sighed.

"Why do you have to make things so hard?" Danny asked bitterly. Sam shrugged as she smiled into his glowing eyes. He shook his head and looked away from her.

"Danny," Sam said as she slid her hand behind his neck. "What happened? Tell me why you're acting like this."

He kept his eyes fixed on a distant spot on the wall for awhile then turned his fiery gaze on Sam. Her breath caught in her throat as he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall, pressing himself against the length of her body.

"Sam," he whispered before covering her mouth with his own. Sam squeaked and tried weakly to push him away. "I want you back, Sam. My Sam," he whispered against her lips.

Sam turned her head away from Danny and closed her eyes. "Danny," she said breathlessly. "We've been through this. A million times. I'd rather be your friend…" Danny closed his eyes and put his forehead against hers.

"Talk to me," she began. "Why are you doing this? I thought everything was good…I thought.."

"We should start at the beginning," Danny said as he let go of Sam.

Sam rubbed her arms as she moved away from Danny. "Yeah the beginning sounds good."

Danny took a deep breath and ran his gloved hand through his snowy hair. "It all started in the second grade…," he began.

And that dear readers is the end of the beginning and now the real story starts.


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