Saturday

Danny placed a bowl of cereal in front of Sam and smiled. She now sat at the kitchen table in a pair of his blue jeans and a grey and white Terratag shirt that was way too big. It slipped down slightly to show off one of her smooth bare shoulder blades.

After his sister came into the basement and saw him with his nude best friend, she embarrassedly ran back to her bedroom where she remained, even as he came upstairs to get some clothes for Sam.

He perched himself in the vacant seat to her left, watching as she poked her breakfast with a spoon.

"Are you OK?" He slanted his head to look at her sideways.

She didn't answer.

"Woo hoo, Sammy?" He waved his hand in front of her face.

She shook herself awake and glanced up at him with glowing violet eyes. His heart wrenched at the sight of her china doll face, lost and confused and trying so hard to smile. She didn't want him to worry, but after what happened these past few days, how could she not worry herself at the same time?

Danny Fenton, her one secret love interest, had seen her completely naked; never before had she felt such embarrassment. She knew he was a decent boy and that he wouldn't try it on, even if a part of her wanted him to, but she couldn't help feeling the slightest bit violated.

On top of that, her mind was racked with flashbacks of the terrible things that she had done. What hurt the most was she knew that she'd taken a life. Poor Chelsea, her whole life ahead of her, doors would be opening all around her the second she graduated from Casper High.

And the Beast had taken that all away from her.

This was nobody's fault but Sam's, and it killed her inside to know that.

She pushed her bowl away and sprinted to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Jazz, still mortified by what she'd seen earlier, warily walked down the stairs to the sound of a girl making a regurgitated sacrifice to the porcelain god. Such a noise caused severe apprehension to build at the back of the red-head's mind.

"That better not be morning sickness I hear," She said as she joined her brother in the kitchen.

"I maybe sixteen but I'm not that stupid, and besides, you know I don't like Sam that way…"

"Oh sure…" She retorted. "So tell me why Sam was naked in the basement this morning."

"Remember the bear we captured yesterday?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That bear was Sam…"

Jazz looked at him for a moment, before bursting into a rambunctious fit of disbelieving laughter. Her fingers curled around a glass of milk. She clutched her waist due to a lack of oxygen that caused a cramp in her stomach. Danny didn't understand what was so funny about what Sam was going through. He slammed his fist on the tabletop, putting a steady end to his sister's giggling.

"What is your problem?" He hissed.

"I'm sorry Danny, but it just doesn't sound possible."

"Oh, so it's physically possible for me to be half dead and have irregular DNA that changes me into a ghost," His angry tone turned slightly sarcastic. "But the concept of Sam having irregular DNA that changes her into a bear is just ridiculous, isn't it?"

"That's not what I –"

"Why is it if Sam gets sick it can't be a normal human illness that teenagers get all the time, no, it's 'Danny must've knocked her up'!"

"Danny listen –"

"No Jazz! Just no, OK? You listen; I'm tired of taking this crap! I have enough problems without you coming in here, and accusing me of getting my best friend pregnant, just because you can't accept whatever's wrong with her is genetic! I care about Sam! I'd never be so unbelievably stupid as to ruin her life in the way everyone seems to think I will!" He stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Danny…" A quiet voice piped up.

He turned to the couch where Sam was sat looking down at the carpet. She heard him yelling at Jazz and for some reason felt guilty for their argument. Guilt, it appeared, was fast becoming her third best friend. Her insides snarled with fierce upset. She didn't look very well at all, even more pale than usual, and she held her stomach firmly.

"Are you feeling any better?" He kneeled before her and tilted her face to look straight at him.

"A bit…" Her eyes trailed along the edge of the coffee table. "I'm really sorry about all this; I'll just go and… I'll see you at school on Monday…"

"Sam, it's not your fault," He stopped her from getting up; he wasn't about to let her go anywhere alone in her state of mind. "Are your parents at home?"

She turned away and growled as her lilac eyes flashed yellow.

"Oh, I'll take that as a no then. You can stay here with me, or I'll stay there with you, but whatever happens, I don't want you to be alone right now." His tone was stern and forceful, but genuinely concerned.

"I'd prefer it if you came to stay at my place," She bit her lip and a strip of blush rushed to the bridge of her nose.

"Let me get some things together and we'll make a move." He got up and slowly ascended the staircase, shooting her a smile as he faded from sight.

Sam took this opportunity to see if Jazz was alright. Danny had been really harsh with her; he never used to be so irate and short-tempered. Something was definitely under his skin. Jazz was still in the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hands.

From this angle she looked a lot like her mother, all she needed was to cut her hair and wear one of those blue and black jumpsuits and she'd be the spitting image of Maddie.

"Um, Jazz? Are you OK?"

"Oh, hey Sam, yeah I'm alright." She didn't even turn round.

"Danny didn't mean to get so angry with you, I don't even know what's going on with him and –"

"I know what's going on with him…" Jazz interrupted.

"Really?" Sam wondered.

"He blames himself for this you know,"

"But why? He's not the one who messed up my DNA..." She was sincerely confused. What on earth gave her idea that Danny was the cause of this illness?

"No, not that, I mean this…"

She gestured to the bandage on Sam's wrist.

"Oh…"

"It's pretty obvious when you stop to think about it. He knows that if this 'transformation' of yours has happened once, it's going to happen again, and when it does he's worried he won't know how to handle it," Jazz raised the cup to her lips and sipped the hot drink. "He feels very strongly about you, but he doesn't know what to call it. He's having trouble dealing with emotions he didn't know he had, so he can't tell if it's a crush or love or lust or whatever."

"You think?" Sam went completely red in the face and looked down at the floor.

"Well it explains why he was so defensive if nothing else," She smiled. "Since he's looking after you this weekend – apparently – maybe you could get him to teach you how to control it. He learned to control his powers; chances are he could teach you a few things. After all, technically, I guess this makes you a Halfa."

Her heart danced with joy at the thought of being a hybrid. If she really was classified as a Halfa, it opened up a whole world of opportunities, not just to enforce her unique individuality, but also as a great reason to develop a closer level of friendship with Danny.

Part of her was very nervous though. She didn't know if he was staying at her place the whole weekend, or if it was just for today, but something inside her bubbled with worries of a dozen 'what if' questions.

What if she transformed again? What if he walked in on her while she was changing or getting out of the shower? What if… no, she couldn't even say it.

That particular question was far from appropriate - not that it mattered really.

By now, there wasn't much of her body that he hadn't already seen thanks to that damned episode in the basement this morning, though she prayed he didn't see the mark on her inner thigh – that was for her eyes only until she was prepared to show him.

When Sam finally broke free of her bizarre train of thought, Jazz had vacated the kitchen and a pair of bright blue eyes stared at her worriedly.

"Ahh!" She squealed.

The pure shock made her stumble backwards and she almost slipped… until Danny's reflexes proved quick enough to grasp her hand. She felt herself being pulled up close to him as he circled his arm around her waist; his fingers gripped her side to reassure her that she would not be dropped.

"Ready to go?" He smiled.

"Uh huh," Her face burned as she nodded.

"Great," He turned his back to her and crouched down. "Just put your arms around my neck,"

Confused, but not willing to argue, she knelt down behind him and did as he asked.

"Um, Danny, what are you do-AHH!" Sam shrieked and increased her hold on him when he swiftly stood up again. He slid his arms under her legs to support her and picked his bag up off the table. Still blushing red as a beacon, she eyed his grinning face nervously.

"Jeez, don't look so frightened. I've given you piggyback rides before,"

"I… I know, but It's not like I've hurt my leg or –"

"You haven't got any shoes on Sam, and I'm not letting you walk all the way back to your place in just your socks," He walked over to the front door, but she placed her hand on the frame to stop him from opening it.

"Danny, I'm serious, remember what I said about female independence? You really don't have to carry me everywhere, not to mention it would be easier if you flew."

"Sam, I know I don't have to carry you home, I want to carry you home. So just relax, it's only for about ten minutes and besides…" He paused for a moment and turned his head to look her straight in the eye. "…It's more fun this way."

She blinked. Her blush flared up even worse. She was so distracted by his soft tone and glittering sapphire eyes, that she subconsciously dropped the pressure she put on the door, and placed her arm round his neck again. She rested her head on his shoulder and tried not to look at his adorable expression of triumph.

He closed the door behind him and headed towards Sam's place. The softer parts of her anatomy were pressed so close to him once more, making his cheeks flush and his heart pound like crazy. Her delicate arms sweetly brushed across the skin on his neck, while strands of her raven hair licked his shoulder and made it hard to concentrate on where he was going.

He was enjoying this little excursion slightly more than he should have. It's not like it was the first time he'd ever carried her somewhere, he'd done it a few times in the past, but what with her recent illness, it felt rather nice that she was slightly reliant on him; made him feel connected to her in a totally personal way.

The atmosphere was so peaceful.

"Hey Fen-turd!"

So much for that…

"What d'ya want Dash?"

"I was gonna ask if your sister was home, but while I'm here I should ask why you're carrying Manson around," He smirked that stupid I-think-I'm-so-big smirk.

"She's not well; I offered to take her home,"

"Aww, lil baby Manson… wait, does that mean she stayed at your place last night?" Dash walked alongside them, sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.

"None of your business…" He snapped, all the while Sam remained silent.

"Oh ho, so you two are gettin' it on when school is out for the weekend, huh? Dude, that is so wrong! Man, Fenton I thought you at least had some taste…"

Danny could hear a quiet, low rumble of a snarl vibrate through her throat.

"Ooooh, she's getting pretty testy, maybe you ain't hittin' the right spot, Fentonio,"

Sam, whose lilac eyes now scorched intense yellow, released a thunderous bear growl from her fanged mouth. In one split-second motion, she hoisted herself up onto Danny's shoulders and took a swipe at Dash's face. After a sharp cry of pain, the blond boy glanced up, and ran his hand over his cheek. He saw the blood on his fingers… and that her nails were also lightly coated in blood.

"You bitch!"

She glared at him, her breathing now heavy and harsh, an angry snort emitting for each forced exhalation. Her raised position on the shoulders of her best friend, gave her a height advantage over the quarterback and she silently threatened to claw at him again, unintentionally digging the nails of her other hand into Danny's skin for stability. She almost looked like some kind of wild beast, unable to control her instincts.

"I'll get you for this Manson," He grumbled as he walked away.

With Dash gone, she finally calmed down.

"Sam, are you gonna be alright?"

Unfortunately, there was no answer. Her sudden burst of energy left her feeling slightly weak. Danny had a vague inkling that she wouldn't be able to stay upright for too long, and his intuition was correct. She swayed a little, left to right to left, slowly lost consciousness and fell into his waiting arms...

Aww poor Sammeh, what am I doing to her? Tsk tsk tsk….

I wasn't going to continue this fic – it was going to stay as a one shot – but then I got like the best idea ever!

Well, not really, but it is pretty good :3

SR x