Description: When Sam loses everything, will she go over the edge?

Dedication: All you guys out there that love angst, this story is for you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, (Which is so sad.) Butch Hartman does.

Graveside Graduation

Sam Manson stood in line, waiting to go forward and accept her high school diploma. She looked out over the crowd and sighed.

So much had happened since she had started high school four years ago. The biggest life changing that had happened was, obviously, Danny gaining ghost powers, but there were so many other things that had changed Sam's life since then. At the end of ninth grade, she had started dating Danny, finally admitting that she liked him as more than a friend. Then, over the summer, Valerie had discovered Danny's secret. Instead of revealing him or trying to destroy him, she had actually helped him; she started hunting other ghost in Amity Park with Danny and his job had become a good deal easier. By the time school started up again, Valerie was dating Tucker and Sam and Danny were still together.

As sophomores and juniors, they had all four looked at different colleges and scholarships together, with occasional help from Jazz Fenton. Sam slowly started to become friends with Valerie, for the first time in her life, having an actual girl friend to talk to. Sam had tutored Danny and Tucker when they failed to understand Trigonometry and, as always, the four friends had saved the town from ghost threats.

When they started senior year, Sam had been terrified at the prospect of moving towards the future. She was afraid that they would all go their separate ways after high school and never see each other again. Danny had suggested a pact, swearing that they would stick together, no matter what. Sam felt a little better, but she still worried.

On her eighteenth birthday, they had planned to go on a double date; Danny and Sam, Tucker and Valerie. At the last minute, Tucker and Val had canceled, leaving Danny and Sam alone. That was the night Danny proposed to her. He had looked so nervous, but she didn't even have to think about it. She said "yes" immediately and he had given her a gorgeous ring set with an amethyst stone in the middle with two onyx stones on either side.

"Star Evans." Said Mr. Lancer. Star collected her diploma from him, shook his hand and walked off the huge outdoor stage.

Sam's parents were less than thrilled. They swore up and down that he only wanted her money. He was an irresponsible boy who was never on time for anything and never gave back to the community. There had been a huge row. In the end, Sam had left the house with a suitcase, her father's promise that she would never be part of his family again ringing in her ears. She had moved in with Valerie and gotten a job at Hot Topic in the mall to make enough money to pay for essentials.

"Tucker Foley." Read Lancer and Tucker went forward and received his diploma. Sam felt hot tears prickle in her eyes and rubbed her eyes. Danny should've been before Tucker, but of course, he wasn't.

Only two weeks ago, Sam had been planning her wedding with Jazz and Valerie and now she was on the verge of breaking down and sobbing in the middle of her graduation ceremony.

"Sam Manson." Her name rang out, jerking her from her thoughts. She slowly crossed the stage and took her diploma from Lancer with a trembling hand. She looked up at his and saw sympathy in his eyes. He shook her hand and nodded to her as she moved off stage.

After the last student of the class of 2008 had received her diploma (Paulina) the teens all walked back down the aisle, the haunting melody of Pomp and Circumstance floating after them. When they were announced the class of 2008, no one threw up their hats as was tradition. They all pulled off their graduation robes over their heads and headed to their cars.

Sam climbed into the back of the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle behind Tucker, Valerie and Jazz. She buckled in and stared out the window as they started to move, following a long black hearse. Out the back window, she could see the line of cars following them and bit back a sob. Valerie touched her arm comfortingly, but Sam pulled away.

This was not how this was supposed to happen. Danny was supposed to be sitting next to her, asking her what kind of invitations she wanted to send for their wedding, not in the back of a hearse, casualty of a brutal ghost battle. The subdued looks on every face in the RV weren't supposed to be there. It wasn't fair!

The procession came to a halt in Amity Park's cemetery and Sam was the first one out, though not entirely sure her legs would support her. The whole group gathered around the open grave as the horrible black casket was pulled out of the back of the hearse. Tucker, Dash, Kwan, Jack, Tucker's father and Valerie's father were the pallbearers.

Now, not only was the entire class of 2008 present, but so was most of the town. Jazz, Valerie, Tucker and Sam had agreed that Jack and Maddie needed to know their son had been the ghost boy who constantly saved the town. Jack and Maddie, in turn, had decided that the town needed to know this. Now everyone was here, to pay homage to the teenager who had done so much to help them.

As the casket was lowered into the ground, Sam began to sob in earnest, tears streaming down her face. Jazz tried to comfort her, but she shoved her away, turned and ran. Sam had no idea where she was going, but she kept running, her tears blurring the path.

At long last, she fell to the ground, her breath coming in gasps. She looked up and saw that she was lying on the steps of Danny's house. She stood up and climbed the steps to the front door. She still had a key. She slid it noiselessly into the lock and crept inside, closing the door silently behind her.

Almost as if she had been giving instructions, Sam dropped the key back into her pocket and made her way into the kitchen. The first thing she saw was a small stainless steel knife laying on the countertop. On sudden impulse, she snatched it up and made her way down to the basement, clutching it.

The basement lab looked the same as it had always looked, she didn't know if she had expected anything different. She moved slowly to the far wall and pressed the button that opened the ghost portal. The heavy metal doors slid open and the darkened room was washed in green light.

Sam dropped to her knees in front of it and stared into the swirling mists for a full minute before she seemed to come to herself. She knew she couldn'thandle her lifeanymore. She had nothing. She had no home;feeling like she could only intrude on Val's hospitality for so long.Her family didn't love her and the only one who truly loved her was dead. Why keep going?

Sam lifted the knife to examine it and the green light shimmered across the blade. Her tears were flowing freely again.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. She held the blade against her wrist and pressed it down hard as she pulled it across her skin. Red droplets of blood oozed together into a thin, but deep cut. Blood trickled down her arm to her elbow and she watched, transfixed, already beginning to feel lightheaded. It didn't take long before she was lying on the floor, her breathing slowing. Sam gave one last sigh and died.

Her spirit floated over her body and observed it for a moment. She heard someone rushing down the stairs and Jazz appeared at the bottom of them. She ran over to Sam's body and Sam moved towards the portal, her soul longing to cross it. So she did.

Danny was just on the other side, looking like he always had when he turned into Danny Phantom. He took her hands and she smiled at him.

Jazz looked up from the goth girl's body, her eyes filled with tearsand saw Danny and Sam in the portal, holding hands. They looked at her and grinned, waving goodbye before the portal closed. But Jazz knew she would see then again.

A/N: Sorry for being so depressing, but I had to put then together in the end!Okay, how was it? Please R&R!