~Chapter 29~
A whole, long two months had passed since Tucker was told about the twin's sexes. Sam had been growing at a surprising rate. She already looked like she could pop any day now. She was also slowly starting to come out from under Danny's wings. It had been a long road, but she'd worked hard to try to regain her bearings and return things to the way they were. Of course, this was literally impossible, being as her parents still forbade her from entering their house. Then again, she hadn't gone back since she'd been kicked out, but she highly doubted they would allow her to stay. After all, her dad was the kind of man who, once a decision was made, it was final. There wasn't any debating after he said something.
The goth got up for the morning and stretched, managing to suppress her yawn. Stretching was getting hard on her back. Her pregnant belly was so heavy and large from carrying two babies that it put a ton of pressure on her spine. The doctor said this was normal and that all expecting women went through this. Her spine curving inward was also apparently normal. She hated it. Whenever she would walk, she would feel her ankles hurting and her back struggling to keep her upright. Her knees sometimes bent from the extra weight she carried with her. It never interfered with her walking, it never made her stumble or fall, but it was still annoying. She sometimes complained about her pregnancy, but most of the time kept it down.
Shockingly enough, Maddie had been helping Sam with her pregnancy. She had been telling Sam what she needed to eat, what vitamins were the best to take during each trimester, how to stretch, the whole nine yards. She had set aside the guest room as the babies' room. She had bought Sam breast pumps and bottles and diapers and clothes and a rocking chair and a baby monitor and baby toys and baby bubble books and a diaper bag and even a newborn car seat for when Sam had to take the babies with her to school. There wasn't a day care center that Sam trusted enough to care for her children, so the kids would have to be brought with her to school after her maternity leave was over. Maddie had even warned Danny about the "Nesting Stage" that every pregnant woman went through.
Danny would often come home to find that the entire living room had been rearranged by none other than Sam. Maddie had told him it was completely normal and that he would come home to find the whole house reorganized sometimes. She had been right. Maddie also warned her son not to tell the goth it was just her hormones making her do this. It made girls mad.
Today even the lab had been renovated. Danny's room was more spacious than ever thanks to Sam. The living room couch, for God-knows-why reasons, was in the kitchen. The chair had been moved to where the stand used to be, and the stand had been moved to the far side of the room. Jazz's room, it turned out, had also been remodeled. Her desk was on the other side of the room, despite Jazz's demands not to move it, and her bookshelf was where her desk used to be. Her bed was now in front of her window. The worst part was that tomorrow it would be totally different. God only knows where her bed and desk and bookshelf would be.
Jack, in a rare moment of seriousness, had once more warned his son about the twins' birth now that Sam was eight months along. Although Jack and Maddie had grown used to having kids around, Jazz and Danny had yet to fully grasp it. Jazz didn't really know how to be an aunt and Danny didn't know how to be a dad. He was sure Sam didn't really know how to be a mother. She was trying, yes, but no first-time parents ever knew what they were doing. Maddie had even told them that babies were alot of work and responsibility, and that nothing she said would help prepare them for what was to come.
That was the moment poor Danny had freaked out. Sam managed to calm him by getting him to go to bed and rest up for the night.
The sound of the bed softly creaking caused Sam to turn around to see Danny just getting up.
"Hey, Sam," he yawned.
"Hey, morning breath," she teased.
He waited for his yawn to complete itself before answering, "Not my fault. Last night you were craving Mexican food, remember? You didn't really give us a choice."
She mumbled something that the halfbreed couldn't understand.
"You know..." Danny pointed at the goth's enlarged stomach. "...we still have to name them. I'm still with with Danny Junior for the boy."
"Well, the girl's name will be Lilith. I told you that yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and...well, the list goes on. Point is, you keep forgetting her name."
"The girl can be Lilith, but can't we please negotiate the boy's? I really want him to be Danny Junior! C'mon! I can call him Junior when he comes home from school; it'll be so awesome!"
"Excited much?"
Danny grinned. "Please?"
"It's not that I don't like the idea, but-"
"So it's a yes then?" he gushed.
"Well-"
"SWEET! Danny Junior it is!"
The goth sighed and nodded, feeling that she owed him something for all he'd done for her. Naming one of the twins after him was the least she could do. She smiled back at him and sighed again, this time sarcastically.
"Fine, you big goofball. He's Danny Junior from now on," she said.
Danny hopped fully out of bed and pressed a hand gently against Sam's belly. One of the twins kicked after a few seconds.
"I bet that's him. He likes his name," the halfa joked, grinning to prove its humorous value.
The goth rolled her eyes. When would he ever learn?
"Hey, listen. I found this song on an old CD I have."
"You can actually find something in your room?" she asked sarcastically.
"Well, yeah, with you moving everything around so much." She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by the halfbreed. "Anyway, I think you might like it. Wanna listen to it?"
"Sure."
That's what Danny was hoping she would say. This song would become a very special favorite to her, he knew. Well, after she heard it, that is. It was a song that, as he'd claimed, he'd found on an old CD. It was called "Whatever It Takes" by Lifehouse. He thought of Sam when he heard it, so he thought he'd play it for her. Unfortunately she was asleep when he was listening to it, so he had to wait until this morning, when she was back in the land of the conscious. He put the CD in the CD player and put the headphones in her ears. Then he turned it on and let her listen.
Well a strangled smile fell from your face...
Oh it kills me that I hurt you this way...
The worst part is that I didn't even know...
Now there's a million reasons for you to go...
But if you can find a reason to stay...
I'll do what-ever it takes!
To turn this a-round!
I know what's at stake,
I know that I've let you down...
And if you give me a chance,
believe it I can change!
I'll keep us to-ge-ther...
What-ever it takes...
She said, if we're go-nna make this work...
You gotta let me inside even though it hurts...
Don't hide the bro-ken parts that I need to see...
She said, like it or not, it's the way it's gotta be...
You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me...
I'll do what-ever it takes,
to turn this around...
I know what's at stake,
I know that I've let you down...
And if you give me a chance,
and give me a break,
I'll keep us to-ge-ther...
I know you
deserve
much better...
Remember the time I told you,
the way that I felt,
that I'd be lost with-out you
and ne-ver find my-self...
Let's hold on to each o-ther,
above everything else...
Start over...
Start o-ver...
I'll do what-ever it takes,
to turn this around,
I know what's at stake,
I know that I've let you down...
And if you give me a chance,
believe it I can change!
I'll keep us to-ge-ther...
What-ever it takes...
Sam slowly took the headphones off as the song ended with a soft chorus and a few guitar notes. It almost wholly described the situation, and probably Danny's feelings toward it. A few lyrics especially caught her attention. "Well a strangled smile fell from your face" had been an eye-opener for her. She thought she'd been being sneaky with her fake smiles, but she'd never known Danny could see right through them. "I know that I've let you down" had been all Danny. He had been so angry at himself because he couldn't protect her. He'd already told her he was sorry for that only about a million times. "I'll do whatever it takes" was also Danny. He was probably letting the song talk for him. He wanted to help her in every way possible, even going to great lengths to be the father model for her children. "You gotta let me inside even though it hurts" and "Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see" were also the song talking for Danny. He wanted her to heal because he knew she still hadn't. He was asking her to open up to him, to just let it all out and stop holding it in all the time. Hence the, "broken parts that I need to see" part of the song.
Eventually it dawned on her that it wasn't just a fitting song that asked Danny's questions and told Danny's thoughts, it was a love song. He'd probably heard it and knew she would be curious in wanting to listen. He had probably wanted to tell her that he loved her, but knowing him he also probably didn't have the guts to say it. Well, that might not be completely true... He'd tried to kiss her in that moon flower field, one of the events that happened before he went insane. She was pretty sure that counted as a confession. And before that he'd taken her out on a date. He even flew her over the city. Plus, how many times had it been that he'd apologized for trying to kiss her? She wasn't ready for it at the time, but he'd proven himself time and time again to be deemed worthy of her love.
Maybe that song was his way of asking her to love him back, as well as asking her to stop hiding her feelings from him...because he could see them anyway.
She realized she was crying for the first time in months and wiped away the traitorous tear. She smiled very faintly and tried to figure out what to do now. Danny was waiting for her response, and frankly the poor guy looked nervous. He probably knew she would figure out the song's meaning and interpret what he was trying to tell her. He was just standing there, eyes darting around in all different directions, wondering whether or not to look at Sam expectantly or look away to make her feel comfortable. His cerulean eyes bounced from Sam to the wall, from the wall to Sam, and back again. He looked pretty stiff, as if he'd tensed up sometime while she was paying attention to the song.
The goth was getting choked up and was distrustful of her voice to say anything. After a moment like that, she knew it was all up to her. She could either show that big ole' sweetheart that she loved him too, or she could keep up her transparent charade.
The choice there was pretty obvious.
She walked up to Danny, so close that her belly was bumping into him. The babies seemed to be quite excited and were acting rambunctious inside her.
Danny looked up at the ceiling innocently, as if praying for something.
Sam took hold of his shirt collar and yanked his head down. Before the halfa even knew what was going on, she closed the distance and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. In her mind, as well as in reality, he deserved that kiss. He'd done everything he could for her; he'd stood by her like he promised, he'd accepted the role of a father when the kids weren't even his, he'd tried to make her happy in any way possible, and he'd even tried to cheer her up when she was down. The song had worked miracles for him; he'd never expected anything from her, but he'd done everything for her. He deserved that kiss. And he would deserve the many more that would come after.
It seemed like forever, but Danny finally grasped what was happening. Sam felt him smile through their kiss. It was like he was trying to hold back from laughing. She wouldn't blame him if he laughed; she was on the verge of laughing too. It wasn't because something was funny, it was just because Sam was so happy she was crying and Danny had to be brimming with joy.
They parted after a few more seconds, despite Danny's obvious reluctance. Poor guy, he'd finally received the one thing he'd wanted all this time, and then it had vanished.
"I wish it hadn't ended so soon..." he whined, pouting playfully.
Sam smiled cheerily and chuckled a little. "You don't have to worry about that anymore. There's plenty more where that came from."
He looked up and grinned. "So...any chance I could snatch another one right now?"
She stood on her toes and gave him a little peck on his cheek. She knew it wasn't what he was hoping for, but it was fun teasing him. Besides, he would have plenty more. After all, she knew that after all this time, after all he'd done for her, he was the one for her, the only one. No other man could compare, no other man was better suited. No other man was him. And who knows? If they one day ended up getting married, he would get more than just a kiss. He might even get a kid or two. And she would be okay with that. Because he was Danny. And Danny would never let her down. And Danny would never disappoint her. And Danny would always be there for her.
Sam hissed sharply as a false contraction hit her. These no longer made Danny freak out. It still startled him because they came so unexpectedly and completely without warning, but he was able to stay calm.
"You want to sit down?" he asked.
Sam nodded and let Danny lead her to the bed, where she sat down and waited. It was a long contraction, but it passed eventually. It was more painful than some of the others, the smaller ones, and the big ones were the ones she hated the most since they usually lasted longer and, obviously, were more hurtful and uncomfortable. Most of the bigger ones were so bad that she could hardly stand while they were occurring. Hence the reason why Danny had asked her if she wanted to sit.
"Okay, I'm good," she announced.
Danny offered his hand to help her up, as he always did now that she had gained so much weight, and Sam took it lightly, only using a small portion of his strength to help lift her.
She sighed in relief now that the pain was gone and stretched. She heard her back pop and stopped stretching, feeling refreshed.
Sam still chose to walk to school rather than ride in the car. Danny had repeatedly told her he absolutely positively wouldn't allow it, but being pregnant had its advantages. Being a girl had an even bigger advantage. So being a pregnant girl...well...Danny just didn't have a choice in the matter, and was forced about two months ago to shut up about it. He'd obeyed, apparently, because Sam favored her legs over Jack's horrific driving "skills". Besides, the doctor had told the goth that exercise was healthy, especially when pregnant. Danny didn't care; he was still reluctant to let her walk.
About a few minutes from the house, another Braxton Hick came; it still didn't worry Danny. They had a tendency to come at the weirdest times, sometimes one after another. Poor Sam hated it though. She couldn't care less that it was normal; she was downright sick of it! Her whole womb shook with the muscles' clenching around it. It hurt pretty bad. Bad enough to make Sam angry when someone asked what was wrong. Her schoolmates found this out in class, when one had decided to walk along right then and there. Everybody, especially the males in the room, was bouncing off the walls. Some of the guys, including Mr. Lancer and Dash, had fled the room to who-knows-where. It was fairly humorous, and would've been hilarious had Sam not been in so much pain.
This one passed by quickly and wasn't as painful as the one before.
But right after it passed...Sam felt something warm and wet run down her legs.
A/N
Well, what do you think? And a much faster update! Satisfaction...it rocks. Hm? Hm? Anybody? XP Just joking. Well, I'm pretty sure everyone knows what's happening and I TOLD YOU YOU'D LIKE IT! But if you don't know, then dude, you are SO missing something. XD
Anyway, there will be a review quota this time only because I worked my butt off to update this fast. This time I'm asking for four hundred and ninety-five (495) reviews. But if possible, I REALLY want to try to get it to five hundred (500) reviews! It'll be awesome, seeing how much I can get out of this story. :v
Also, here are your review replies:
Danny Phantom Fan1- XD I know, right? I couldn't help it, I just HAD to give Same a break. It was even annoying me! lolz! O_o Brutal punishment...? Wow...that's...um...harsh.
Inuyuke- lolz! I didn't even know you were following this story. Yeah, but I know for a fact most girls would never blather about it. It's still his nickname for her, delusional or not. Shows he remembers calling her Dove. :3 He'll call her that eventually. XD I know! I'll sometimes read this story and wonder what will happen next, then squeal when I see fluff. Thank you!
Codiak- Little people? ...? ...? I don't get you... XD I'm NOT naming it after you! lolz!
Shadowkatze- Yes, beware the Evil Eye. Beware the Lightning Glare.
Phanfan925- lolz! Glad you do!
SonOfLucifer- :P I'm a girl. lolz! Couldn't help but make him butt in. XD Hope you rejoiced over this chappie! And yes, I did like your review. It was very nice; thank you for your opinions. XP
T.T.G.O- TRUST ME, I know who you are. -_-" I'm regretting telling you about the bagel incident... But for argument's sake I CAN'T HELP IT... :/ Stupid cream cheese... OMG, Katrina actually HAS a story? And here I thought she spent her life in bed. XD Because she thinks Damien is a name associated with the devil. So no, nothing personal at all actually.
Sunshine-Midnight123- English please? I studied French, but I forgot everything I studied as soon as the test was over.
DPraven- Used to be often enough, like once a week or sooner, but lately things have been hectic, so enjoy the fast update. :P
msdebora- lolz Thanks!
CatchingWind- Not saying who it is just yet. You'll find out later. Hang in there! lolz, ridonculous...
Looka'sMagicHell- All guys are funny when they freak out! XD
Inventor of ZADRF- D: I'm so sorry! I meant to reply but I must've accidentally overlooked it... T_T Gomenasai. But To answer your question: YES. I loved the song and hated having to wait to put it in my story. I never forgot about it, don't worry. In fact, that's one reason I did the big time skip; I wanted to put the song into the story. :) And btw, you were right about that song; it fit the story perfectly.
DannySamLover20- M'kay. Thanks!
FakexReality- XD Just out of curiosity, what did you think was coming next?
GhostGirl36- Well, yes, actually. Lilith and Danny Junior. :P It HAD to be Danny Junior; too cute not to be!
Gracie407- XP The nosiest. ;)
xXRosaliaXx- Thank you! :D I will!
snape-rules44- Haha! I'm glad you like it. I try. :P Wait no longer then. :)
KP100- OoO *gasp* Are you okay? D: Geez, that's gotta hurt!
Okay, guys, most of you probably won't want to read this, and it's not a huge important announcement, and NO I'm not quitting the story, but if you don't want to read this then you probably shouldn't. This story has (aside from the epilogue) about one or two more chapters going for it. After that, it's done. Basically, it's nearing its end, and I've decided that I just can't do a sequel. Therefore, I'm putting the epilogue as its sequel. You'll like the epilogue, I'm sure, because it will show Danny and Sam's life some years after the ending of this story. So you better get your good-byes ready, because this story's winding down. PLEASE do not review about this! I told you I would finish the story, and every story has to end sometime. This story will never be taken down, so if you want to favorite it, you don't have much time left before it disappears into the depths of dropped, discontinued, forgotten, neglected, and completed stories in the DP fandom. The last chapter will be a bitter-sweet moment for everyone, including me, but you must understand that this is a story and must come to an end. Don't worry, though, it'll be a good ending worthy of this story and the great readers it has attracted.
