Disclaimer: Don't own DP or "Because you Live" by Jesse McCartney.
Reviews: Bubble Phantom.
A quick note: Beware, Rated M. It's a cute little story though that I just couldn't help writing. For some strange reason I like to write all those jealousy stories. Why?
Because of You
She didn't know how long she'd been asleep before she heard a knock on the door. She groaned, and lilac eyes glared daggers at the alarm clock that read 12:00 am. Who was insane enough to knock on the door at midnight? She grabbed a robe and threw it on, pulling her raven hair out of the way. She made her way downstairs slowly, bringing a ghost gun with her. A young woman of only twenty-one living on her own like that could never be too careful, and this gun was dual-purpose: ghosts and men.
She opened the door and released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Danny…"
The young man standing on her doorstep looked up at her voice. He was soaked from the storm, his black hair sticking to his forehead and dripping into his crystal blue eyes. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked defeated, broken, and wounded. His lips moved, barely choking out a, "Sam," before he stumbled forward. She grasped his arm, her eyes wide. Her first thought was a ghost attack gone bad.
"Danny? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" she asked, helping him inside.
He shook his head silently, allowing her to lead him into the house and over to her couch. The two best friends hadn't seen each other in a few months: since his marriage to Paulina. Sam and Paulina had never been friends, and it had torn her apart when her best friend married the woman she knew would only hurt him. He knew he shouldn't have come, but he had nowhere else to go. He kept one arm around his chest and shook his head as Sam tried to pry it away.
"Don't," he said. "I'm not hurt."
"Then what's wrong?" She sat down on the coffee table in front of him, hands on his shoulders. "Danny, you look as though someone died."
He shrugged. "I feel like I have," he whispered, a single tear trailing down his cheek.
Sam sucked in a quick intake of breath in surprise. She had never seen Danny cry. "What happened, Danny?" she asked softly yet demandingly. He didn't answer. "Is it… Paulina?"
"She's pregnant," he choked out, eyes closing, "and I know the baby isn't mine."
"But how could you—?"
"I was gone the month that baby was conceived," he muttered, arm tightening about his chest," for business." His laugh was empty. "At least Paulina was well taken care of while I was gone," he growled.
"Oh, Danny." Sam gently touched his cheek, her heart breaking to see him so hurt.
His shoulders shook as he struggled to control the torrent of tears just below the surface, but when Sam moved forward and embraced him, he lost it. The months of lies and struggling to keep everything together burst out of him. He had caught Paulina cheating before, but she had promised to end it. He hadn't touched her since, which had been barely three months into their marriage. First, he was still hurt about the whole situation, then he'd been gone on business, and lastly he came home to find her pregnant.
All his pain and defeat poured out of him, but Sam simply held him tightly and let him cry. He haltingly told her everything that he knew from things he'd found hidden in Paulina's stuff and more that Tucker had found out. He could easily steal anyone's identity from that little PDA of his, and it didn't take him long to hack into Paulina's secrets. That night, Danny confronted Paulina who merely told him that she wanted a divorce. Apparently, the real daddy wanted to take care of his baby and his lover, and Danny was simply an old rag she was throwing aside.
Sam held her own tears inside, hugging her best friend as he released all his grief. "I'm so sorry, Danny," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek in a friendly sort of way.
"I should've listened to you, Sam," he said softly when she finally released him. He glanced up at her with his wounded blue eyes before looking back at his feet. "You can say 'I told you so' now."
"Somehow, knowing I was right just doesn't feel as good as I thought it would be," she said sadly, ruffling his hair.
"I don't have anywhere to stay tonight," he murmured, eyes half-lidded.
Now that he'd released his grief and anger at the betrayal, he felt exhausted. Sam's acceptance and understanding was more than he had hoped for.
"You can stay here," she said, standing and getting blankets and pillows from the closet.
Danny remained where he sat, staring silently at a photo on the coffee table. It was a picture of him. Well, technically it was two pictures of him. He looked up as she handed him the blankets, mumbling a "thanks" before setting the pillow on the arm rest and laying down on the couch, shivering a little as the wet and cold of his clothes finally registered in his numb mind.
"You can't sleep in those wet clothes," Sam chided gently. "You'll get sick."
"I don't have anything else," he said after a pause.
"Hang on." Sam disappeared into her room then returned with a pair of Danny's old clothes. "After the whole fight I… well, I kind of put all your stuff in a box. I was planning to ceremoniously burn it, but well…"
A small smile graced his lips, making her smile too. "Couldn't find a goth ritual for losing your best friend?" he joked back.
She didn't say anything, shaking her head a little but still smiling. What she hadn't voiced was that she couldn't bring herself to rid herself of anything that reminded her of Danny. She actually had the other shirt he'd left behind. She was wearing it as a nightgown right now. She tightened her robe around her just in case.
"I'll go make you something warm to drink while you change," she mumbled, blushing a little.
It wasn't that she wouldn't mind watching Danny undress. It was something that often snuck into her fantasies, but he had fallen for someone else. She was just his best friend. She sighed, filling a cup with water and putting it in the microwave. She leaned against the counter while she waited for the water to heat up while mixing together her own special hot cocoa mix. She mixed the hot chocolate then waited a few more minutes before slowly entering the room. Danny was shirtless, wearing only the pants and staring out the window at the storm.
"Hey," she said gently, smiling softly as he turned.
He managed a weak smile, thanking her as she handed him the hot mug. He blew on it then took a careful sip. "This is good," he commented, trying to get his mind off his situation.
"Thanks. It's my own recipe," she admitted.
He looked up at her, impressed. "Really? I didn't know you did things like this."
"It's just something recent," she mumbled, not wanting to get into it. She didn't want to tell him that it had been the hobby that replaced ghost hunting after their fight.
Danny, however, seemed to understand and looked back at the ground. "I should've never said what I said that day," he said softly, referring to the fight that hung between them like a dark cloud covering the sunlight. "You were just trying to warn me, and I should've realized that you weren't trying to be cruel."
"You didn't want to think badly of your fiancée. It's understandable," Sam said gently.
"A fiancée that I knew was a cheater and a slut," he muttered, eyes flashing green for a moment. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "I didn't tell you this, but she was dating me while still dating Dash."
The news struck her hard, and she blinked. She hadn't known that Danny had been dating her then. But after Dash and Paulina had broken up, their hook up had seemed pretty fast in her mind. It suddenly made sense. Paulina had been a player from the first moment they'd gotten together, but Danny had been blind to it and was now paying the price, a price that was almost too much for even Sam to bear. She moved to his side, rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort him.
He looked over at her, smiling weakly. "Guess I should've known then, huh?"
"Love does crazy things to us," Sam murmured, knowing from experience.
"I guess." He leaned back on the couch, setting his cup on the coffee table. It was empty. Sam couldn't remember him finishing it. "So, what have you been to these past few months? Aside from making award-winning hot chocolate."
She blushed at the compliment. "Not much," she admitted. "Working myself through school and fighting with my parents. They want me to move back in."
"I would've thought you'd be married by now," he said, looking at her. "You're so beautiful, I would've thought some guy would fall in love with you by now."
"I think someone might have," she mumbled, blushing a little. Danny hadn't even seemed to notice that he'd said that about his best friend.
"Oh?" His interest masked his disappointment. "Who do you have wrapped around your little finger, Sam?" He smiled a little. Just being with her seemed to lift his spirits and knowing that she had someone else put a slight damper on that.
She smiled, shaking her head. "I said I think I've got someone looking. I can't be sure."
"Why not? Is he too macho to admit his feelings?"
She nearly laughed. "That might be it, but, well, he's kind of going through hard times too. Besides, he only sees me as a friend." She looked away.
If he couldn't piece it together from those hints, it was hopeless. His silence didn't help matters, and she jumped when his hand suddenly touched hers. She turned to him, gazing into uncertain, fearful blue eyes.
"Maybe if I had admitted my feelings, none of this would've happened," he whispered.
Sam felt as though her heart was going to thump out of her chest as his lips met hers in a gentle kiss. Slowly the kiss deepened, her arms wrapping around his neck as he kissed her passionately, a fire rising in her body. She barely registered that he had stood, her legs wrapping around his hips as he walked them slowly to her bedroom. She broke off the kiss slowly, her lips glistening. She gazed into his eyes as he hovered above her on his hands and knees on her bed. His eyes were darkened by the passion she felt in her own body.
She didn't object to his wandering hands, her own beginning a slow journey of their own. His eyes left hers for only a moment, smirking when he saw she was wearing his shirt. "Put all my stuff in a box, huh?" he teased, his voice husky and deep from his desire.
She playfully slapped his shoulder. "Shut up," she muttered, her hands slowly trailing up and down his chest.
The years of ghost fighting had been good to him, and he had the body to prove it. She loved the feel of those muscles beneath her fingers. Danny's breathing quickened slightly as her hands slowly moved downward, stopping just above the waistband to his pants. She smirked as he growled slightly while she teased his waistband. She reluctantly gave up on the teasing when he pulled her night shirt up over her head. She wore nothing underneath and was now bare to his gaze.
His eyes roamed her body appreciatively, making her blush. "God, Sam, you're beautiful," he whispered, leaning down and kissing her lips.
Her hands made their way downward, tugging on his waistband. He took that as a hint and pulled the pants off, tossing them carelessly to the floor. She shuddered as his bare skin touched hers, the feeling sending sparks throughout her entire body. Her eyes closed as his kisses trailed down her neck to her shoulders, one hand fisted in his hair. She had never felt anything like this before; she had never done anything like this before. She gasped as he ground his hips into hers.
He raised his head to look into her eyes, his own clouded with worry. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I-It just startled me is all," she whispered. She gripped his shoulders, unconsciously spreading her legs so he could nestle between them. "Danny, I-I've never done this before," she whispered.
"I'll go slowly," he whispered back, nuzzling her cheek with his. "I'll be gentle," he promised.
She nodded again, trust shining in her eyes as she gazed into his. He moved forward slowly, keeping his eyes locked on hers. Her eyes closed, and she bit her lip, whimpering slightly, as he broke through the barrier. Her first instinct was to pull away, but Danny's voice in her ear soothingly told her to stay still. She relaxed as he gently rubbed her arms, kissing her neck, cheek, and lips tenderly. He was so gentle, and Sam had a sudden desire to kill Paulina. How could she need another man with someone as gentle as Danny?
She moved her hips experimentally, letting out a light moan as he slid deeper. She opened her eyes to gaze into his. His eyes were so bright, so intoxicating. She moved her body with his, lacking the experience she assumed he had from being married. She pushed that thought from her mind though as she gave herself whole-heartedly to her best friend. Their pace quickened, only intensifying the strange sensation building in her abdomen. Her grip on his shoulders was so tight, she was afraid she would hurt him.
Suddenly, the sensation burst into a million tiny sparks, sending a wonderful sensation throughout her entire body. Her eyes closed, and her head snapped back as she cried out his name in absolute pleasure. She was dimly aware of Danny whispering her name in her ear as he found his own release. She smiled at him as he rolled off of her, both of them trying to catch her breath. Sam snuggled close as he pulled her to him, pulling the blankets up over their naked bodies. She could hear his heart beat as she drifted off to sleep.
Sam woke in the morning with a groan, rolling over to avoid the sunlight peaking through her curtains. Then she realized there was a body missing beside hers. She sat up, wincing slightly. Danny wasn't in the bed, and he wasn't in the room. There was no water running in the bathroom so it was safe to assume he wasn't there either. She stood, wrapping her robe around her naked body and making her way through her house. Danny was nowhere to be seen. Had he just come to use her and leave? She bit her lip nervously, blinking back tears. How could you misread someone as gentle as Danny?
She whirled around as the door opened, and Danny entered with a bag. "Hey, you're up," he said, smiling at her.
Sam couldn't help herself; she practically threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I thought you'd left," she whispered softly, eyes closed as she rested her head on his chest just breathing in his familiar scent.
"I'm not going to leave you, Sammy," he whispered back, his arms wrapped around her as he kissed the top of her head. "I had to go to the courthouse early this morning then go get breakfast."
She pulled back as he mentioned the courthouse. She had completely forgotten about Paulina, Danny's pain, and the divorce. "Oh," she said slowly.
"I gave it all up."
She blinked. "What?"
"I told the judge she could have it all."
"But Danny that was… that was everything you had!"
He shook his head, stepping closer to her and resting his forehead against hers, taking her hand and entwining their fingers. "I have you," he whispered, "and that's all I need."