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Disclaimer: I don't own DP or "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson.
A quick note from the author: This idea came from a friend of mine, Samantha-Girl Scout. You rock, Sam! ;)
I've Learned the Hard Way
She couldn't stop the tears that fell from her lilac eyes as she held tightly to the woman that had given her life and cared so much about her. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Her mother wasn't supposed to leave her when she needed her the most. She let the servant pull her away from her mother's cold body, and she ran up to her room and slammed the door. She threw herself onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. It wasn't fair.
She attempted to control her sobs as her phone rang. "H-hello?" Her voice trembled no matter how much she tried to stop it.
"Sam, what's wrong?" Danny's concerned voice greeted her. "You didn't come to school today, and you sound like you've been crying."
"M-my mom died," she choked out.
"But I thought the doctor said she was doing so much better," he said softly.
"Well, he was wrong because she's dead now." She began to cry again, her hands shaking.
"Do you want me to come over?" he offered gently.
She nodded before realizing he couldn't see it. "Mmhmm," she managed.
"I'll be there in five minutes, okay?" Stay there."
They said their goodbyes then Sam did as he'd asked, remaining sitting on her bed as she cried. She jumped as a hand touched her shoulder and turned to gaze into the sad, compassionate blue eyes of her best friend. She broke down as he wrapped his around her, hugging her tightly.
"I'm so sorry, Sam," he whispered as she buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."
i will not make the same mistakes that you did
i will not let myself
cause my heart so much misery
i will not break the way you did
you fell so hard
i've learned the hard way
to never let it get that far
She wore pink to the funeral. She received a lot of odd looks from her family, but she wore it in her mother's honor. Danny came with her, and even Tucker showed up. But Danny stayed by her side, holding her hand and giving her a shoulder to cry on when she broke down. After the ceremony, the family was invited to the mansion. Forced to perform the duty of greeting each person, Danny waited for her in one of the living rooms, but she never came for him.
Mr. Manson walked up to the halfa. "Daniel, have you seen Samantha?" Danny shook his head. "Can you find her, please? Her family would like to see her."
The young man nodded wordlessly and headed upstairs, walking into her room. "Sam?"
He heard muffled sobs coming from the closet and pushed the clothes aside. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She looked up, blinking in the light. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, tears still trailing down her cheeks. Danny moved the clothes farther aside and sat beside her, hugging her as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Mr. Manson would have to find her himself; Danny wasn't going to bring her down there when she wanted to be somewhere where she could cry.
because of you
i never stray too far from the sidewalk
because of you
i learned to play on the safe side so i don't get hurt
because of you
i find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
because of you
i am afraid
The school offered a mourning period to Sam, but she refused it. The last thing she needed was the pity of her classmates. Danny walked to her house every morning so she didn't have to walk to school alone. She loved how much he cared for her; she loved how her small hand fit so perfectly in his own and how he entwined their fingers as if it was a silent promise that he'd always protect her.
Tucker refrained from teasing for Sam's sake, but if they had thought the school believed they were lovebirds before, the idea was confirmed in their classmates' minds now. Though Mr. Lancer was a stickler for school rules, he made an exception for Danny and Sam. It was sort of his own rendition of the grief period for the young goth girl, and though he didn't know Danny and Sam personally, he knew that during this trying time that Danny was Sam's strength. Often on his patrols of campus, he would find the couple sitting on the roof, their legs dangling over the edge. How they got there, Lancer never questioned. It was enough for him to know that Sam found comfort somewhere.
i lose my way
and it's not too long before you point it out
i cannot cry
because i know that's weakness in your eyes
i'm forced to fake
a smile, a laugh everyday of my life
my heart can't possibly break
when it wasn't even whole to start with
Sam thanked Danny for walking her home before entering the mansion. Today had been yet another hard day at school. Her mom had been dead for a week already, and she and her dad hadn't spoken since. In fact, she hadn't seen her dad since the funeral. She walked up to her room, closing the door behind her and kicking off her shoes. She sat at her window, her head resting on her arms crossed on the windowsill. She must have dosed off by the window because when her door slammed open, she was abruptly jarred awake. Mr. Manson stood swaying in the doorway.
"Dad." At first she was relieved to see him, but then she saw the bottle of beer in his hand. "Dad, what's wrong?" She stood slowly as he stumbled into her room.
"You killed her, you rebellious little bitch," he snarled.
"W-what?" she stepped back as he stumbled forward. Her heart thumped in her chest as she felt her back press against the wall. "D-dad, what are you doing?"
"Shut up!" He rose his hand and slapped her hard across the face.
She cried out, falling to the floor with one hand on her stinging cheek. She looked up at him, tears stinging her eyes. "What is wrong with you?" she yelled. "You can't just hit me like this."
He wrenched her up by her arm, snarling. "Watch me. Tell anyone, and I'll kill you."
because of you
i never stray too far from the sidewalk
because of you
i learned to play on the safe side so i don't get hurt
because of you
i find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
because of you
i am afraid
Danny was surprised when the butler answered the door the next morning. "Where's Sam?" he asked.
"Miss Manson is still getting dressed," the butler replied, in his formal monotone.
Sam came running down the stairs just then, practically launching herself into Danny's arms. She buried her face in his chest as she hugged him tightly. He was used to her emotional instability, but this was something else entirely. She refused to talk about it though, changing the subject when he asked.
"Can we ditch school and go to the park?" she asked, finally raising her head to look up at him. "Please?" she pleaded when he hesitated. "I don't want to go to school today, and I don't want to stay here."
"All right," he relented, "I'll take you to the park."
Once they were sure the butler had returned in side, Danny flew them to the park. They sat in one of the trees just watching the clouds float by.
"You'll always protect me, won't you, Danny?" Sam whispered, setting her head on his shoulder.
Danny put his arms around her almost possessively. "Of course I would," he whispered back. She winced as his hand brushed against the bruise on her arm. "Sam? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I probably just walked into a door."
She wouldn't say more, and he didn't ask. The fear in her voice was enough to tell him that something else was wrong.
i watched you die
i heard you cry every night in your sleep
i was so young
you should have known better than to lean on me
you never thought of anyone else
you just saw your pain
and now i cry in the middle of the night
for the same damn thing
Danny slipped in through her window to check in on her that night, but she wasn't there. He heard her scream from downstairs and flew down invisibly. He wasn't expecting what he saw. Mr. Manson was towering over a cowering Sam who was clutching something to her chest.
"Your mother never liked that boy, and I don't like him either! Stop seeing him!" Mr. Manson yelled, raising his hand to slap her as Sam refused.
Danny flew down and lifted her up. Mr. Manson blinked, staring at the empty space while Danny held a trembling Sam protectively in his arms. Her father whirled around and caught sight of the two figures floating near the ceiling. Danny's glowing eyes were flashing red with fury. Neither male spoke then Danny flew off with Sam in his arms. She didn't speak until he had reached his house and he'd set her on his bed.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she whispered.
"Oh, Sam," he whispered back, hugging her tightly. "I'm scared for you. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I…I was afraid." She looked down at the object she still held tightly. "He said he'd kill you if I told."
Danny took the picture frame from her. It was his favorite picture of the two of them. Tucker had taken it at the dance. He looked back up at her. "He's not going to hurt me, and he won't touch you ever again."
because of you
i never stray too far from the sidewalk
because of you
i learned to play on the safe side so i don't get hurt
because of you
i try my hardest just to forget everything
because of you
i don't know how to let anyone else in
because of you
i'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
because of you
i am afraid
Sam had been battling her dad in court for almost six months now. The Fentons had graciously opened their house to her now that Jazz was gone for college, and she and Danny were dating now. At eighteen, she was no longer under her father's custody, but he refused to pay for the mental, physical, and emotional damage his abuse had caused. He'd gone to prison twice already, one for abusing her and the second for attempted murder on Danny's life.
Danny had thankfully survived unscathed with barely a scratch on his arm from the knife Mr. Manson had threatened him with. He had almost revealed his secret while attempting to fight the man off. The night before their last day in court, Sam woke with another nightmare. She left Jazz's empty room and slipped into Danny's room, standing beside his bed. He scooted over and held up the covers so she could climb into bed with him, cuddling close to his warm body. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as she cuddled close to him.
"I just want it to be over," she whispered. "I want him locked up forever."
"It will be over, and even if they don't lock him up forever, you have me," he whispered back. "I'm never going to let anyone hurt you, Sammy?"
"Promise?" she whispered, feeling like she was five years old again.
She smiled as he laughed softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Promise," he answered.
because of you
because of you