OH HEY.

I'm updating twice in one day. BOOM. ON MY GAME.

Well, kind of twice in one day. The stupid website says the last time I updated was 12/31/11. But really it was 1/1/12. I swear.

I SWEAR.

Anyways...

I'm pretty sure I'm only gonna do one more chapter after this one. We'll see. But JUST IN CASE:

1) For those of you who have been religiously following this story since its' humble beginnings back in September of '11, THANK YOU. Your support has meant the world to me. Lots and lots of difficulties arose in the course of writing this little story, which meant lots and lots of delays in updates, but you stuck with it! I love you for that!

2) Again, in case you forgot, the credit for this plot idea goes to sailormoonluver218. Brilliant. Brilliant brilliant brilliant. (:

3) To those of you who added this story to your favorites list, I'm really really glad you enjoyed it that much. I hope I can continue to please in the future (:

4) To those of you who reviewed this story everytime I update, thank you. Really, thank you. I've been questioning my goal of becoming an author recently, but you guys have reminded me why I do what I do. Thank you.

5) To those of you who added me to your favorite authors list, refer to number 4 (:

Alright. I think that's it. I don't own Danny Phantom, Safe and Sound (by Taylor Swift), or Wish You Were Here (by Avril Lavigne).

Enjoy (:

Darkness

Chapter Ten: Safe And Sound

January 1, 2012

Danny watched in silence as the nurses carted Sam away. He winced when she reached for him, but remained rooted on the spot. He continued to stand in the middle of the floor long after Sam had disappeared into the bowels of the emergency room. It was not until a man pushing a woman in a wheelchair nearly ran him over that Danny finally sat in one of the chairs shoved against the wall.

The man appeared to be pushing his semi-conscious wife. His voice was strained with worry as he described how the woman had fainted - seemingly out of nowhere - just ten minutes earlier, how she was barely breathing now. He tried to follow when the nurses took his wife in the same direction Sam had disappeared in, but the nurses stopped him. He shouted and begged for them to let him follow, but to no avail. He was left to pace the length of the emergency room, throwing desperate glances at the doors his wife vanished behind.

Danny watched the man with a certain amount of facination. How can one person be so upset over a girl? Seriously, it's a little pathetic. She's just a woman. It's not like she's the center of the universe. She's just a human being. This guy is out of his mind to be so worried about her. I mean, really. It's not like she's...dead... Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that he was doing everything he could to not dwell on the fact that Sam was alive by concentrating on anything - and everything - else.

Tucker and Jazz appeared just a few minutes later. Danny noted that Tucker was paler than usual and had developed a nervous twitch in his hands, but other than that, he appeared to be handling the stress of being in a hospital exceptionally well.

"Where's Sam?" Jazz asked breathlessly.

"Nurses took her back. They went through those doors five minutes ago. I haven't seen anyone since." Inwardly, he winced at how hollow his voice sounded.

"Dude, are you okay?" Tucker asked, taking the seat beside Danny.

"I don't know." Danny admitted in a whisper. He ran his hand through his hair and covered his eyes from Tucker and Jazz.

"You're trying to block something out of your mind. I can tell. Your hand is covering your face. What is it that you're trying to block out?" Jazz asked sharply, taking the seat on Danny's other side.

"I'm not trying to block anything," Danny muttered, still sheilding his face.

"You should be ecstatic right now. Sam's alive! It's a miracle! Why are you acting like she's dead all over again?" Jazz asked pointedly.

"Because I can't deal with it!" Danny exploded. The man who had been pacing paused in his stride and glanced over at him. "I thought I lost her, and it was awful. The pain was too much to bear. Now she's back, but...but all I can think about is what it felt like to lose her. She's back, and I'm faced with the possibility of her dying all over again, and not coming back this time. I can't. It hurts too much."

"Danny, that's ridiculous. She's the love of your life. Of course it hurts to lose her. It's supposed to hurt. I would be worried if it didn't hurt. But that's no reason to just...give up on her! You can't just shut her out of your life because you don't want to get hurt in the event that she dies again!" Jazz gripped his arm. "Don't you dare let go of her. She just died and came back to life, essentially. She loves you. You love her. Don't you ever let go of her."

Tucker nodded. "Dude, I've been best friends with both of y'all for years. I have waited way too long for you to tell her how you feel. I swear, if you let her slip away...I'll fight you," The corners of Danny's mouth twitched in an effort not to smile. "Seriously. You guys were made for each other. Don't let her go."

"Excuse me," It was the man who had been pacing. Jazz and Tucker glanced at Danny, who had eyes for no one other than this man. "I couldn't help but to overhear...I just wanted to tell you that my wife was once in a very bad car accident. She was in a coma for a month. The doctors told us that she wasn't going to make it. And when she did...let me tell you, it was a lot like what you've described happening to your Sam. Trust me when I say that you need to grab her and never let her go. Ever. Understand?" Danny nodded. "Good."

A nurse appeared, clutching a clipboard to her chest. She glanced down at it. "Stephanie Erikson?" She called, glancing around the room. The man who had been pacing turned and nodded. "If you'll follow me, sir."

The man followed her back, leaving Danny, Tucker, and Jazz alone in the waiting room. "Who was that guy?" Tucker asked quietly after he had gone.

"He came in right after me pushing his wife in a wheelchair. I don't know anything else about him," Danny's eyes lingered on the doors he had gone through. Two words the man had said were resonating in his mind: "Your Sam." My Sam. She's mine.

Oh man. What is wrong with me?

Unable to contain the sudden urge to run to Sam, Danny leapt to his feet. He began pacing, just like the man had been before. Distantly, Danny heard Tucker and Jazz talking, but he did not make an effort to follow their conversation. His mind was on Sam.

The same nurse appeared in the doorway. "Samantha Manson?" She called.

Danny, Tucker, and Jazz followed the nurse to the back of the emergency room. Danny glanced through an open doorway and spotted the man sitting beside his wife, who was asleep on a bed. He was clutching her hand as if it were a lifeline. Suddenly, Danny was incredibly impatient to see Sam again.

"We had to put her under sedation so that we could clean her wounds," The nurse explained. "She's actually well on the way to recovery. She'll be able to go home tonight. We just wanted to hold her to make sure that the pain medication we gave her sat well. She's awake, though. You can go in an see her."

They were standing in front of a closed door. The nurse pushed it open and ushered the three teens inside. Danny's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room quickly. She was sitting on a gurney, her feet dangling over the edge. She was smiling. He realized how pale she had been in the park, that she had been trembling; now she was the picture of health. Besides the stitches he spotted on her head and the bandages wrapped tightly around her torso. At least they weren't stained with blood anymore.

"Hey guys," She grinned.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice!" Tucker said. She laughed, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "We missed you so much. You have no idea,"

"I'm sorry...I didn't exactly have any control over where I ended up for five days,"

"Where did you end up?" Jazz asked, settling into a chair beside Sam. Tucker joined Sam on the gurney while Danny leaned against the doorframe.

"Frostbite's place. I'm not entirely sure how he knew where I was or that I needed help, but I think it has something to do with that radio tower we built in the Ghost Zone." Her statement was met with blank stares. "You know, the one we built in case of an emergency? Oh, come on! We decided that we needed a system to keep us in touch in case we ever got seperated in the Ghost Zone and the Fenton Phones were out?"

"I vaguely remember that," Tucker said slowly.

"Well, you should. You dropped your radio, remember? That's what Frostbite found. I think. And somehow...it picked up the signal from the speakers that Dan had set up,"

"Glad I dropped it, then," Tucker grinned. Sam nodded. "Speaking of Dan..."

"He's gone. For good. One of Frostbite's...people...destroyed him. He won't ever bother us again," There was a pregnant pause after her words in which each of them took in the meaning of what she said.

"That's...great," Jazz said finally. There were quiet murmurs of agreement. "So...when do you get to go home?"

"They said they'll let me go whenever I want...so, now, I guess." She laughed.

"Cool!" Jazz smiled. "Do you want me to give you a ride? My car's out front,"

"Sure, that'd be great! Thanks!" Danny realized that Sam was studiously avoiding his gaze. His heart thumped uneasily. Crap. I screwed this up so bad...

Sam had never realized how wonderful her parents were until she returned home that evening. They had been searching for her since finding her room half-destroyed, but they had the foresight to repair the damage done to her belongings. So when she finally did return home, her room was virtually as good as new. After demanding to know what had happened to her - to which she responded with a thoroughly convincing tale of a ghost attack, kidnapping, escape, and pure clumsiness (which was how she claimed she had gotten stabbed, by unluckily tripping into a sharp, branchy bush as she fled) - they took her to her room, allowed her to sink into her plush pillows and soft blankets, brought her vegan soup, and left her to her devices.

Sam checked the loose floorboard, to find that all the CDs except the ones intended for her parents and grandmother had been removed. She smiled. Tucker had done his job.

But suddenly, her heart dropped. She had confessed her love for Danny. He had seen it. No wonder he was acting so strangely...God, I should have known the moment Jazz recognized the song! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She tried not to jump too theatrically when she heard a light tap tap! on her window later than night. She had been expecting him. Fearing him, if she was being honest. She kept her gaze down when he slid through the wall. It was not until he flashed to Fenton that she finally looked up.

And what she saw was a broken shell of her best friend. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days; he probably hadn't. He was shaking. His skin was pale, even more pale than when he was in his ghost form. He looked as if one solid hit could make him dissentigrate. Sam was shocked. She had never seen him looking so frail.

He sat on the foot of her bed, keeping a good two-foot distance between himself and her feet. She watched him, waiting for it to come. She knew he would be angry, scared, sad. Mostly angry.

"Can...will you...sing for me?" He asked quietly. She stared at him in disbelief. Sing?

"Why?" She whispered, trying not to remember Dan asking her to do the very same thing.

"Jazz...she...she showed me the song you wrote about that night...and ever since then...I just...I need to hear you. Really hear you. Please,"

She hesitated a moment longer. His eyes were clear. Begging her. He is not Dan. He will not hurt you. "My guitar is beneath my bed. Will you get it for me?"

Wordlessly, he crouched beside the bed and pulled her guitar out. He handed it to her, his eyes on her face. She began strumming, a quicker melody than the song she had written for him.

"I can be tough
I can be strong
But with you
It's not like that at all
There's a girl
That gives a shit
Behind this wall
You just walk through it

And I remember all those crazy things you said
You left them running through my head
You're always there
You're everywhere
But right now I wish you were here
All those crazy things we did
Didn't think about it just went with it
You're always there
You're everywhere
But right now I wish you were here

Damn, damn, damn
What I'd do to have you here, here, here
I wish you were here
Damn, damn, damn
What I'd do to have you near, near, near
I wish you were here,"

Sam paused, her hand hovering over the strings. Something was happening to Danny; he was clenching and unclenching his fists, his eyes were wide and trained on her face, his mouth was open and pulled into a grimace. Sam had just enough time to move her guitar out of her lap and to the bed beside her before his arms were around her. He pulled her into his lap and held her to his chest. She felt him shaking with sobs. She slid her arms around his waist and held on as tightly as she could. She ignored the pain she felt in her shoulder, stomach, ribs, and head, and got lost in his arms, his chest, his scent. Now this is a hug.

"I lost you...I let him kill you...I'm so sorry..." He moaned into her hair.

"Sh-h-h," She hushed him. She turned her face upward and pressed her lips against his neck. "No. Hush. You didn't have anything to do with that. Sh-h-h." She whispered into his skin. He continued breathing quickly, hoarsely, as he ran one hand up and down her arm. His other tangled in her hair, holding her face to his neck.

She realized she was humming her song; their song. "Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..."

He pulled away, looking down into her eyes. Without really thinking about it, he sealed her mouth with a kiss. His lips were soft and demanding against hers, far better than anything she had ever imagined them to be.

An eternity later, he pulled his face away. His eyes were half-lidded as he leaned his forehead into hers. "I love you, too," He whispered.

Perfect. Absolutely, completely, wonderfully perfect.

JUST LIKE YOU (:

One chapter left to go. I think.

We'll see.

Again, thank you for reading! Never, ever stop reading!

I love you!

:D

- Tori