Hello

Summary: Walking home from Danny's one night, something horrific happens to Sam. Now Danny's left to try to put the pieces of his best friend back together.

Rating: PG-13 for mature themes and language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. And I don't own Hello, Evanescence does.

Chapter Two

Has no one told you she's not breathing?

Sam couldn't remember coming home. Well, not really. She remembered being on her knees crying on the corner the monsters had dropped her off at. She remembered coming home to an empty house. But nothing much. She remembered more than she would ever want to about the attack itself. She shuddered and concentrated on making her mind blank.

The voice stayed in the back of her mind though. You're tainted now. No one will ever want you. Not that anyone would have wanted you before but its over now. Sam tried to ignore the soft taunting voice and rolled over on her side. The key was to not think of anything. She could do that.

Staring back at her was a picture of her in Danny's arms and Tucker acting like a vampire. All three wearing the blue caps and gowns that every eighth grade graduation at Porter Junior High School. The all had the goofiest grins on their faces, eyes sparkling with the promise of a whole new chapter of their lives to conquer. That was a time when their were no ghost to fight, no having to deal with Dash, or being overlooked by Danny and Tucker because of Paulina. Sam choked back a dry sob as she thought back on that day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pomp and Circumstance the last strains of pomp and circumstance played as she finally found Danny and Tucker in the hallway. Alexis Young had just finished leaving and they were closing the doors behind them. A small school with a graduating class of forty allowed for you to always be able to find people.

A couple people said things to Sam as she worked her way towards her friends. "We did it, Manson." "Doesn't it feel good to be free, Sam?"

She shouted back little responses. In hindsight she couldn't have remembered what she said. In the grand scheme of things it didn't matter. But she wore the same smile on her face that they all wore. It wasn't high school graduation. Yet in the life of a thirteen-year-old it was just as much of the same. Sam gathered up the smooth material of the gown and kicked of her high-heeled shoes. She ran a finger over where the strap had dug into her right ankle.

"You okay, Sam?" Danny asked. He looked so concerned. Back then a rubbed ankle had been a big deal. They had nothing bigger to worry about. They had been normal.

Sam smiled up at him. "I'm fine. They just don't make high-heels to be comfortable."

"Oh…" Tucker piped in. "Never thought about that. Suddenly I'm glad I'm a guy."

"And you weren't before?" Danny joked as he held out a hand to the still kneeling Sam.

"Oh, my hero," Sam pretended to swoon. She put her had to her head dramatically, being careful not to knock the cap off her head, leaning into the wall.

Danny smirked at her bad acting. "I'll show you hero." He got down on one knee next to her and picked her up princess-style and stood up.

Sam was mortified. "Danny Fenton, put me down!" Her checks flamed. She could feel them burning. Danny laughed and spun her around. Sam's arms went around his neck from pure instinct. "What if you drop me?"

"Your not that heavy." He said obviously trying to get on her nerves with his 'I'm thicker than a board' routine. Sam had to admit he was succeeding.

"Oh gee thanks, Danny. Way to help a girls inferiority complex." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Tucker laughed. "You guys are so strange."

"Us?" Disbelieve shown on Danny's face. "Look who's talking."

Sam, still in Danny's arms, cleared her throat. "Now, Mr.-knight-in-shining-armor, if we are through, I'd like to be on the ground, please."

Danny looked down at his best friend, baby blue eyes alight with amusement. "So I'm your knight-in-shining-armor, huh? What does that make Tucker?"

Sam swallowed, the feelings that look were giving her a little too intense at the moment. "The dragon?" It came out with a quiver belaying her nervousness. If Danny caught it, he didn't let on.

"Yes! Hear that?" Danny grinned at Tucker. "Does that means I get to slay you?"

Tucker smirked right back. "After I eat Sam."

Danny's gaze shifted back to Sam but his words were still aimed at Tucker. "Practicing cannibalism with a vegetarian…That's definitely something different."

Tucker leaned back against the wall crossing his ankles and folding his arms across his chest. "I'm just cool like that."

Danny shifted his grip on Sam, his arms starting to get tired. He set his chin and looked up into no where in a super hero type pose. "I'm afraid as Sam's Knight-in-shining-armor I can't let you do that." He narrated in a deep superhero type voice.

Tucker smirked. "Oh yeah? You and what army?" He dropped into Shrek impersonations again. They had seen the movie probably one hundred times and the guys still laughed at it. Sam thought the whole thing was rather pathetic.

As predicted Danny laughed. As he did so Tucker got up in his face and hissed making the claw-like hands that always went with monster impressions Danny dutifully held Sam away, as if shielding her with himself. They were all so enwrapped in the moment that no one noticed they were being watched until the camera flash.

All three of them gasped in surprise. Danny lost his grip on Sam and she fell to the floor. The moment was shattered and Sam couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret about it.

All three heard an all too familiar laugh. "Look at you three, leaving your adolescent dreams, refusing to conform to standards for your peer group."

"Go away, Jazz," Danny practically threw the words at his sister.

She continued as if she hadn't heard him. "I remember when I was that young."

"You're only two years older than me!"

Her eyes turned to Danny. "Only biologically, psychologically I'm very much your senior."

Danny, as of typical with him, took the immature approach. He pulled his elbows into the side of his body and flailed his forearms around. "Look at me! I'm a psycho older sister," he said in a high falsetto voice.

Sam and Tucker laughed as Jazz walked off in a huff.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Now it was only about a year later. How could so much have changed in so little time? Sam picked up the picture in the silver frame and stared into the happy faces. Tears crept up on the edge of her vision and clung to her eyelashes. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair! How did things like this happen.

Sam had started to believe that maybe there was something between her and Danny. Before his Paulina obsession. Sam stared at the picture. Her happy face seemed to mock her. You'll never be what he wants. You'll never be the girl he sees in his dreams so stop kidding yourself. Sam fingers tightened around the picture frame, her knuckles going white. He's never going to want you. You're tainted. She began to notice that the corner of the frame was sharper than she thought. Sam took of the black band she usually wore around her wrist and drew the corner across it. A puffy red line appeared. No blood.

Look at that, the voice taunted. You can't even cut yourself right. Sam lifted her wrist and twisted it. The moonlight shone on her pale skin making the mark look different, yet not worse. If suicide's a cry for help, you think this could qualify as a peep? The voice laughed cruelly.

Sam slammed her wrist down on the bed. The irritated skin throbbed slightly in protest. Sam picked the picture up again, focusing on Danny. For some reason, the smile that had always seemed so happy seemed almost mocking. Sam held it up and felt the sting of tears coming on again.

"You know what, Danny Fenton?" She didn't even try to hide the quiver in her voice. "You're a lousy knight-in-shining-armor." And with that she threw the picture frame at the opposite wall. Sam didn't think she'd ever heard a more satisfying sound than when the glass over that picture broke.

Hey. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing it. Thanks to all my reviewers: Black Mistress, Phoenix-18 days till my b-day, Dragon Blade5, Uncaredfor X3-Nerf, Dragon Blade, Wiggle Lizard, SailorV-Princess, Aeris9919, soulful-sin, ahhelga, Samster The Hamster, Spice of Life, Gijinka Renamon, and MysticJunebugs. Hope to hear from all of you again. :P