A/N: This is the update I'm pretty sure most of you have been looking forward to. This is them talking and everything. Sorry, not much action or anything. It's been six months, so they're kind of just playing catch up. Anyway, let me know what you think of this update in the reviews section. Also, if something doesn't make sense or I misspelled something, please forgive me. It's late and I'm tired, and I rushed this a bit to get it up here tonight. :P

*Then*

I dialed Sam's number and pressed the phone against my ear.

She picked up on the second ring.

"Hey." She said, sounding hesitant.

"Hi." I replied.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

I looked down at my legs, covered by a thin hospital sheet. I looked at my arms, bruised and scratched up.

I took a breath. "Don't freak out, ok?"

"What happened?" She asked, sounding worried.

I exhaled. "I'm in the hospital."

"What?!" She exclaimed, her voice raising several octaves.

"Sam, it's ok. All right?" I said.

"No, it's not ok! What happened?" She demanded. "What did they do to you?"

"I was in a car accident, ok?" I replied. "Everything's ok."

She took a breath. "Car accident?"

"Yes. It was raining. I took a turn too fast, but I'm ok." I responded.

She exhaled. "I'm on my way right now."

"Ok, I'll see you when you get here." I said, then added: "Drive safely."

"I will." She replied.

We hung up the phone and I took a breath, thankful to have that call out of the way.

My head ran back through our conversation, and I ended up thinking about when she asked, 'What did they do to you?'

Who was they? And what would they have done to put me in the hospital?

My thoughts were interrupted however, because the door opened.

I looked up to see my sister.

She ran to me and engulfed me in a hug.

"Danny! I was so worried!" She exclaimed, planting a kiss on my forehead.

"It's ok." I said, sliding my hands onto her back and rubbing gently.

"Mom and dad came as soon as they knew." She cried. "I was so worried."

"I know, I'm sorry." I repeated.

She pulled away, tears running down her face. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "I was driving, the roads were wet and I took a turn too fast."

Jazz wiped at her face. "I was so worried about you, buddy."

I wasn't really sure what to say. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, don't apologize."

I patted the bed beside me. "Here, sit down."

She did and gave me a sad smile.

"I'm ok." I told her.

She nodded. "I know."

I took a breath. "I called Sam. She should be here soon."

"Good. I'll get out of the way when she gets here." She said.

"Don't worry about it." I told her.

Jazz gave me a small smile. "You're great, little brother."

The door opened and my mom was standing there, holding a cup of water.

"Jazz." My mother said quietly.

"Hi mom." Jazz said, turning around to look at her.

I gave a yawn and a stretch.

Jazz stood up and walked over to our mom.

She said it quietly, but I still heard her.

"Why didn't you call me when you found out he was here?" Jazz demanded.

I pretended to start playing with my mom's phone.

"Jazmine, honey, please. Not now." My mom closed the door.

After a few seconds, my mom sat down and Jazz walked back over to me.

"Hey, buddy, I'll see you later, ok?" She asked, picking up her purse from the floor.

I nodded. "Ok."

She kissed the top of my head and exited the room.

I looked at my mom for an explanation.

But she didn't say anything.

*Now*

Danny's POV:

"C-come on in." I breathe.

"Thanks." She says, stepping through the doorway and into the house.

Her hair is still black, but no longer short. It's past her shoulders now and straight. Her bangs are the same, but she's ditched most of her black clothing.

The one thing that's the same, is the jacket she's wearing. It's black leather, and lined with fur on the inside.

I gave that to her for her birthday – partly because I knew how much she wanted it and partly because I knew that she wanted it to piss her parents off.

I take her in slowly. She's still so beautiful. Despite the subtle changes, she's still my Samantha.

After several deep breaths, I step toward her.

She turns around as I approach her.

I stop, feeling her eyes on me. I pretend to be interested in my fingernails.

"Danny?" She calls.

I look up.

She looks back at me.

The distance between us is filled with all the time we've lost. And all the things we shouldn't have said.

"Sam." I respond, my voice barely above a whisper.

Several emotions flit across her face.

She looks at the couch, then back at me. "Come, sit down."

"Ok." I reply, closing the remaining distance between us.

I sit down across from her and say it. "You look good."

"You…you've changed." She replies.

I take a deep breath and nod. "I have."

She reaches across the couch and takes my hand.

I glance down at our intertwined fingers, then look back up to her.

"I've missed you." She whispers.

I hesitate but see no harm in being honest. "I've missed you too."

She takes a deep breath, and continues talking in a whisper. "You don't know how many times I've wanted to call you…"

"My phone number's still the same." I say.

She tilts her head to one side – a sure sign that she's annoyed.

No longer whispering, "So is mine."

I sigh. "I know. I'm sorry. I just…I couldn't talk to you. Not right away. It was too…"

"Painful?" She asks, finishing my sentence.

Slowly, I nod. "Yeah. That."

"Danny, I have always been there for you. What made you think I wouldn't be then?" She asks.

Concern and worry are in her eyes.

I squeeze her hand, trying to give myself support. I stare down at the couch. "I don't know."

"I cared about you then and I care about you now." She says.

I look up and nod. "I know. I…I still care about you too."

A small smile appears on her face. "What have you been doing since…" She struggles to find the words, not wanting to bring up what my parents did. "…graduation day?"

"I prefer to think of that day as, 'the day before my life became hell." I tell her.

She smiles. "Ok. What have you been doing since the day your life became hell?"

Reluctantly, I smile back at her. "Really, nothing. I had a job at the Nasty Burger, but lost it because the management told me I was 'too scary looking for other teens and or children to look at'." I put air quotes around that bastard's words.

Sam's silent for a moment then squeezes my hand. "I don't think you're scary looking."

I use my free hand to fiddle with my lip ring. "Not even with this thing?"

She smiles. "No. Not even with that thing."

I shrug and drop my hand back down into my lap.

"When did you get the tattoo?" She asks.

I swallow. "A while ago. I think about four months?"

"Hmm…"

I turn my neck so she can see it better.

"What does it mean?" She asks.

I face her again. "It's a symbol. Long ago, it was used as a sign of freedom."

Gently, I take my hand from hers and turn my neck back toward her.

I trace the outside of the tattoo. "But there's a cage around the symbol. It means that I'm not free. Not anymore."

I turn my face back toward her.

She stares at me, studying me. "Danny…"

I take a breath and wait for her to continue.

She shakes her head and takes my hand again. "You don't deserve the pain you're going through."

I shrug. "I've gotten used to it. The prison I'm in has become strangely comfortable."

She stares at me and I think she can tell I'm lying.

"How's the internship?" I ask.

"It's going good." She says. "It's going to be over in the summer."

"What are you going to do then?" I ask. I'm not asking her these questions to be polite the way I was with Kwan.

With Sam, I actually care.

"I've been offered a job at an up and coming record label." She smiles. "I'm thinking of taking it."

I smile. "That's great."

We stare at each other, neither of us really knowing what to say.

For six months I had things to say.

Now, I have nothing.

She inhales.

I roll my shoulders. "It's in New York?"

She nods. "Yeah. Not far from where I live."

I smile. "That's excellent. I'm glad for you."

"Danny, what about you?" She asks, giving my hand a squeeze again. "What are you going to do with your life?"

"Well, now that I don't have my ghost half, I can always apply to become an astronaut." I bite my lip. "But I don't think I'm going to do that."

She frowns. "Why not?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I'm not interested in it anymore."

She looks down at our intertwined fingers and rubs small circles in the back of my hand. "What are you interested in lately?"

"Nothing." I reply honestly.

She places a finger on the cuff of my long sleeved shirt. "What's with the sleeves?"

I shake my head and hesitantly pull my arm away from her. "I'm cold."

She looks up, worry in her eyes.

"I am." I respond.

She sighs and nods. "I know."

Sam leans back against the couch.

I try to think of something to say, anything to say.

But there's nothing left to say. I'm drained from today's events.

I lean back against the couch beside her.

She rests her head on my shoulder.

If I close my eyes, I can almost pretend that we're in the past. That we're spending the summer together and nothing that my parents did actually happened.

She links her arm through mine and gives a soft sigh.

Yes. Almost…