Disclaimer: I do not own 'Danny Phantom' or any of the characters, concepts etc. Those are owned by Butch Hartman/Nickelodeon, I believe. I make no claim to anything in this story, it is a perspective with hypothetical scenarios added in.

Knife's Edge

Ch3: Perspective

Danny had always been protective of his loved ones and it was a trait that had only intensified after he became a halfa and finally gained the ability to effectively protect those people.

So when he saw Sam, of all people, crying… everything else became a secondary concern.

"What are you talking about Sam? There's nothing for you to be sorry about. You haven't done anything wrong," he asked, confused, while also trying rather ineffectually to comfort her obvious hurt.

"Of course I have, Danny! Look at yourself! Did you even hear a word of what you just said!? I'm supposed to be your best friend, I'm supposed to make sure you feel wanted, that you're needed and loved! I'm supposed to be helping you carry your burdens, but they're crushing you!" Her eyes welled with tears as she barely restrained herself from shouting the words, pleading with him to see reason.

"But they aren't your burdens to carry Sam; they're mine and I have to bear them myself," Danny replied, his own conviction and stubborn determination weaving their way back into his voice.

"But you don't have to do it alone! Tucker and Jazz are here for you, I'm here for you! We'll be whatever you need us to be, wherever you need us to be; just let us help you!"

It was as close as she would ever come to begging, but she sure-as-hell wasn't going to put her own pride before her best friend's life, not if there was anything she could so to help him.

Danny sighed, as though this was a conversation he had had on many previous occasions; which he actually might have, debating his own actions with himself.

"It's not that easy; Dan… I'm the only one who knows him, who knows what he's capable of. I have to be responsible for him, for me."

"And so your solution is to grind yourself into dust and save the ghosts the trouble?" Sam spat, fury and indignation reasserting themselves in her eyes as she glared at the broken hero before her.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe Clockwork was right to save you? That you might be the only one capable of stopping Dan if he ever escaped? What about Vlad? Who would protect your family then? Or what if another ghost like Pariah Dark shows up? You've used your power for so much good so far, what makes you think that that wouldn't continue?"

Danny stayed silent, his defensive resolve cracking as he was unable to meet her blazing eyes.

"Danny, look at me and listen to what I'm about to say," Sam demanded and slowly he raised his head and locked his ice-blue gaze with her own amethyst eyes.

"You are not Dan. You are Danny, my Danny, and there is no one I'd trust more to protect this town, no one I could ever feel safer with. No one," she spoke forcefully, each statement punctuated by her taking a step closer towards him until only inches separated them.

Danny was still silent, but there was a spark of life returning to his dull, blue eyes and his body was sitting up just that bit straighter. Seeing this, Sam pressed her advantage… and fervently hoped that Danny would forgive her for what she was about to say.

"But right now you're acting like Dan!"

Danny stiffened immediately and jerked away from the hand she had carefully placed on his shoulder. The silence that permeated the room as Sam tried to work up the courage to continue was absolutely deafening.

"You told me that Dan lost everything and then turned to Vlad, sacrificing his humanity to make the pain of his loss go away. And that's exactly what you're doing now. You're willing to sacrifice everything to stop the pain you feel... and I don't blame you for it," she whispered quietly but emphatically as she finally mustered the courage to keep speaking and knelt before him, knowing that she had to finish her piece, for his sake.

Danny looked up, surprised at the words. He had been expecting condemnation and fear, not compassion. As far as he was concerned, he should be loathed and despised because of what Dan proved could happen, and he just couldn't understand why Sam was trying so hard to convince him otherwise.

"You've stood strong against everything for so long and put up with more than I can bear to watch. You deserve so much more than I can give you, but I will do everything I can make your pain more bearable; just let me!" Sam pleaded, those unshed tears threatening to spill over once more as she desperately tried to make Danny see the truth in her words.

Both of them were dead quiet after Sam finished her impassioned plea, both realising their sudden proximity and electing to ignore it in favour of sorting through the emotional maelstrom of the last ten minutes.

Truly, he had forgotten that there were still people who cared about him; and now Sam was pouring out her soul to remind him of that fact. The only question that remained was if that would be enough.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Danny spoke, his voice shaking with emotion, but strong.

"You've always been there for me, Sam, I- I really don't know what I would have done, without you. Thanks, for reminding me. Thanks for caring about me."

The realisation had hit him like a hammer blow. Of course what he already had was worth fighting for, even if that meant fighting his own demons on a daily basis. It had been enough when he had first got his powers, and it would be enough for the rest of his days, whatever happened in them.

"Always, Danny. Now let me patch you up and you can go back to kicking Skulker's metal ass across town tomorrow," she said with a small, but honest, smile and an attempt at a mischievous smirk. Clearly it worked because Danny snorted in amusement and then grimaced as that set off half the injuries across his torso.

Sam immediately located the well concealed back-pack that functioned as Danny's aid station in the dark corner next to his door and set to work, bandaging, binding and disinfecting his myriad injuries.

It made her physically sick to see him like this but she pressed on because he needed her to be strong and the town needed him to get better; Valerie and the Fenton's were good (well, decent maybe) but they were no Danny Phantom, and let's not even mention the Guys in White. The truth was, he was going to need at least a couple of days to fully heal, even with his ectoplasmicly enhanced healing capabilities; good thing it was a Friday today, it might have been hard to explain why he couldn't go to school otherwise.

Half an hour later, Danny was swathed in bandages, a liberal burst of air freshener had been sprayed to mask the permeating smell of hospital-grade disinfectant and Sam had done all she could for the battered halfa.

"Is there anything else you need, Danny?" Sam asked as she packed away the last of the aid supplies and updated the 'Need to Buy' List that Jazz kept track of.

"Um, I- uh… no," he stammered out before sighing dejectedly, "It's nothing, just… go home and get some rest."

Sam was not amused. She crossed her arms and glared at the nervous teen as he gingerly pulled on a long sleeved shirt to hide the bandages from prying eyes.

"Danny, didn't we just cover this? I want to help and you clearly need it. Whatever it is, just ask."

Danny looked seriously unsure about whatever he was about to ask but also slightly…hopeful? And that piqued Sam's interest even more.

"I… would you stay here, tonight? I just- The Nightmares keep me awake and I thought that, maybe, if you were here that, maybe, I would… sleep… better…" he finished awkwardly, once more unable to meet her gaze as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, before yanking his hand back down as his shoulder twinged in pain.

"Oh… um, what about Tucker? Should I ask him to come over, too?" Sam asked carefully, hoping for a no but expecting a yes.

"No, we don't need to bother him," Danny said as casually as he could, though he said it quite a bit faster and more desperately than he would have liked. He didn't add that he really wanted just Sam to be here tonight, not because he was going to try something or anything like that, but because there was a certain… peace that he always felt when he was with her. And Tucker, though well meaning, could sometimes shatter that peace.

"In that case, then sure, I'd love to," she replied happily, surprised but more than a little excited at the prospect. Then she realised how that might of sounded to him and rushed to cover it up, "Uh, that is if you think that would help, of course… give me five minutes, I'll go out the front and explain to your parents that you aren't feeling well and probably shouldn't be woken up tomorrow and then I'll come around the back."

True to her word, Sam returned by climbing through Danny's window five minutes later.

"What about your parents?" Danny asked as she locked his door to avoid the need to explain a whole set of really awkward and difficult questions should either of his parents walk in unexpectedly to check on him during the night.

"I told them I was sleeping over at Tuck's and then catching a movie during the day. I filled Tucker in as well so he can vouch for me if necessary," Sam said with a grin.

"You did all of that in five minutes?" he asked incredulously as she made her way over to his closet.

"You doubt my excuse-making ability? Do you really think my parents actually let me stay out half as late with you and Tuck as I do for out patrols? Of course I need to give them some other reasons."

Without further ado, she dragged her usual set of mattresses and blankets out from the closet and set them up on the floor next to Danny's bed. The three of them had stashes like this in each of their rooms for when they regularly stayed over at each other's houses. Soon enough, Sam and Danny had fallen into comfortable and familiar idle discussion, chatting about random things like they normally did and distracting themselves from the emotionally draining argument that had preceded it. Still, it didn't take long before Danny's complete lack of rest caught up to him and he quickly fell into a fitful sleep.

Sam herself was drained emotionally and ready for a good night's rest, even though it was barely dinner time. But when she saw Danny moaning and twitching violently in his sleep, a sure sign of the nightmares that sometimes plagued all of them, she knew she had to do something.

So she did.

Carefully, she got up and slid into bed next to the shaking boy, then wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and drew her damaged best friend close to her. Sure enough, Danny began to still, his thrashing stopped and soon his breathing and heart-rate returned to mostly normal levels as he unconsciously returned the embrace.

Still, Sam held him close, not daring to loosen her grip on him lest he fall back into nightmares once again.

"I'll always be there for you, Danny, whenever you need me," she whispered to the sleeping halfa before finally succumbing to sleep herself.

Both Danny and Sam slept better that night than they had in years.

Clockwork mulled over the trials he had effectively subjected Danny to. He regretted their necessity, but they truly were a necessity.

Danny needed to fully understand what his power could do if he abused it, and he needed to understand the corruption that the lure of power created in those who seek it. That had been the point of the Dan incident; and while it would scar the child for the rest of his days, it was a scar he needed to receive and one that he could never afford to forget.

Danny would face many more challenges and trials in his life, however time flowed, but he smiled in satisfaction that his charge had learnt the key to succeeding in the face of these trials. He now fully understood that he had complete support from his friends and more importantly, he knew how to accept that support, even in the face of the most impossible and personal of challenges.

Yes, while Clockwork resented the need for subjecting Danny to so much more pain and suffering, he knew it was for the best in the end.