Hello again! Finally an update, woo-hoo! I finished writing this chapter last night but was too tired to proofread it before I posted it, so here it is now. Thank you to all my reviewers, particularly those that have expressed dealing with the subject matter in their lives. The topics addressed in this story are also important to me as well, and I will explain why at another time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, in whole or in part. I also do not own any of Paula Abdul's work.

Danny remained in Sam's bed with her for much of the evening, although not to do what they'd done earlier. He simply wanted to hold her, to make her believe that somehow everything would be alright.

As his curfew neared, Danny was forced to leave his lover, but he feared to leave her alone. He called his parents and made some lame excuse about having to stay at Tucker's house to practice for a class presentation the next day.

Sam breathed a massive sigh of relief as he talked on the phone, discerning from his words and tone of voice that he'd successfully convinced his parents with his made-up alibi. More than anything, she wanted and needed Danny to stay with her, to take care of her.

Danny hung up and slid closer to Sam, wrapping his arms securely around her waist. "I love you," he whispered, nuzzling his face into her neck. "And I'm going to take care of you."

"I love you, too. And I'm going to start therapy. I promise," she whispered back, pressing her nude body to his, causing her to instantly notice his physical reaction.

"Not now, Sammy," he told her. He hated denying her one of the most basic of human needs, especially when he craved the very same thing she did. But in her already weakened state, he feared that he was somehow taking advantage of her.

Taking note of the lateness of the hour, Danny suggested that they turn in, and Sam readily agreed. Stifling a yawn, Danny got up from the bed to use the restroom, making a point of first going to Sam's closet, pulling out a nightgown and tossing it to her.

When he got back in bed, he realized she hadn't dressed yet. "Don't you want to wear your PJs?" he asked, point-blank.

"I want you to see me for who I am. I don't want to hide from you anymore," she explained, smiling weakly.

Danny flashed a toothy grin in response before running to the bed and jumping on it, bouncing Sam a little. He crawled under the sheet with her and began to explore her body with his hands, prompting several moans from her.

"Danny," she finally said, "I don't want you to stop, but it's getting extremely late."

"You're right," he answered, looking at the clock. "I just couldn't resist."

Sharing a kiss good-night, the two pulled the sheet up higher. Danny laid on his back, and Sam snuggled up next to him and laid her head on his chest. Exhausted from the events of the day, the two quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.

Sam awoke to the alarm at 6:00, realizing that she was still in Danny's arms. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she turned off the alarm and nudged her lover awake.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," she whispered, turning onto her other side to face him.

"Hey, you," he murmured, giving her a kiss before reaching up to stroke her face. "Did you sleep well?"

"How could I not?"

"True," he grinned. "I slept well, too."

Sam gave him a kiss before getting up to take a shower. Danny got up as well and dressed. Fortunately, he'd changed before his driving test the previous day, so he wouldn't be wearing the same outfit to school two days in a row.

Sam came out in a towel and went to her closet. Pulling out a dress for once, she let the towel drop to the floor, as she had no reason to hide her body from Danny now.

Danny walked to her and touched her playfully, kissing her neck as she started to dress.

"You'd better stop before we're late to school," Sam told him, a warm feeling beginning to spread throughout her body.

"Aw, boo," Danny pouted, causing her to giggle. "And here I was, hoping I could convince you to ditch with me."

"But you and Tucker have to do a presentation today," Sam teased.

"Hey, that was a good excuse. And even if it sounded pathetic, my parents believed me, did they not? That's all that matters," Danny said in his defense, helping Sam slip the dress over her head so it wouldn't rub against her wounds so much.

Once she was dressed, Sam showed Danny her arms. He was relieved to see that some of the more shallow wounds looked to be almost healed. He gingerly kissed around them, then gave her a warm hug. After breaking their embrace, the couple finally went downstairs to eat.

Danny drove himself and Sam to school, picking up Tucker along the way.

"Wow, you're in a car, Sam," Tucker commented.

"I told her about the hybrid car, and she caved," Danny explained, as he and Sam exchanged knowing glances. He eclipsed his free hand over hers, squeezing it gingerly, a moment of affection that was not lost on Tucker.

"It's about time you picked Sam over Valerie," he proclaimed.

Sam turned and glared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, please. It's so obvious you two are lovebirds."

"Tucker," the other two said in a warning tone, which seemed to escape him somehow.

"Daniel and Samantha, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"TUCKER!"

Danny pulled into a space in the student parking lot. As the three got out of the car, Danny pulled Sam aside to ask her something.

"Mind if I confide in Tucker about both you-know-whats?" he whispered.

"Not at all," she whispered back, grinning as she thought about how close they'd gotten since the previous afternoon.

As the day wore on, Danny spent as much time with Sam as he could. Come lunch, however, he was relieved to know that she had a meeting with one of her instructors regarding starting a new school club, as it at last afforded him the chance to talk to Tucker in private.

"Hey, man," Tucker greeted Danny, who had just set down his lunch tray and was sliding into a chair. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you, about me and Sam," Danny answered, blushing.

"You didn't."

"We did. It all happened so fast, but... wow."

"Okay, don't need the details."

"Good, because you're not going to get them. But I still have something else to tell you."

"About you and Sam? Because if you want to tell me that you two are now dating, and in love, then pretty much everyone in the school has figured that out already, myself included."

"It's not that. I mean, you're right, but I actually wanted to talk to you about Sam's wounds. You know, the ones she had bandaged the other day." Danny lowered his voice and motioned for Tucker to move his head closer, so no one else would hear. "She's been putting a razor to her wrist."

"Sam's been cutting herself?" Tucker asked, almost a little too loud. Fortunately, no one else seemed to hear him.

"Yes. She only started on the evening of the sleepover, but some of the wounds were pretty deep."

"How did you find out?"

"Yesterday, after we... well, you know. I happened to notice what had been hidden under the bandages, so I ran to the bathroom and found the razor, with a little red splotch on it. So I confronted her, and she got upset and finally admitted that she needs help."

"Did she ever explain why she does it?"

"She said she doesn't know, and I believe her. She's had to deal with so many things that I think the stress finally got to be too much for her. From the few times that I've actually bothered to listen to Jazz drone on and on about psychology, I've learned that some people are just predisposed to having compulsive tendencies. And I guess Sam 's one of those people."

"Yeah, I guess so. This really sucks, though."

"It does, but I'm sure she'll get through it. I already promised to stick by her side in all this. Where do you stand?"

"I'm not going to let Sam continue to hurt herself. Count me in," Tucker said.

"Thanks, Tuck. I knew we could count on you," Danny smiled, giving his friend a high-five.

Sam had made an appointment that morning to see her regular physician at 3:00 that afternoon, for an evaluation and a referral to a therapist. Danny and Tucker accompanied her, sitting in the waiting room and studying for a test. When Sam finally finished at 4:00, the three went out for frozen yogurt. Danny then dropped Tucker off before taking Sam to the pharmacy to have her prescriptions filled.

When they got back to her house, Danny and Sam read through the information regarding the medicines together. She had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and mild depression, and needed a medication for each. Her doctor had given her permission to wait until Friday to start her medicine, due to the potential side effects.

As Sam rested on the couch, Danny made tofu burgers, a mixed-green salad, and strawberry-banana smoothies for dinner. Despite their mid-afternoon snack, both were quite hungry and quickly devoured the meal. After they finished eating, they both cleaned up before settling down at the kitchen table to do their homework.

As they mowed through their key terms and definitions for European History, Danny used his free hand to reach under the table and gently squeeze Sam's knee. She finished writing her sentence before setting down her pen and turning to Danny to exchange huge grins with him.

"I love you, Sammy," he whispered, moving his hand up to stroke her face.

"I love you, too."

Danny and Sam managed to complete their homework before attacking each other. Sam led Danny up to her room, guiding him to the bed.

"Are you sure, Sammy?" Danny raised his eyebrows.

Sam had to laugh at this. "I just want to cuddle with you. It's that so wrong?" she smirked.

"Of course not. It's just that-"

"Oh, please, Danny. I'm still worn out from last night," Sam said with a wink.

Danny's grin seemed to stretch from ear-to-ear. "That's nice to know."

"Don't you get a big ego, Lover Boy," Sam teased, walking over to the closet to take out a nightgown. Danny watched in awe as she undressed completely, then slipped the gown over her head before turning to face him. "What are you still grinning about?"

"What do you think?"

Sam blushed a little. "Am I really that hot?"

"Of course you are," Danny insisted, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. "Everything about you is beautiful. And I don't just mean your appearance."

Sam reached up and pulled down Danny's face to hers to give him a kiss. He guided her mouth open with his tongue, and she welcomed it, sucking on the tip. After they finally pulled away, they went to the bed, crawling under the covers.

"I can't believe what we did here yesterday," Danny whispered. "Do you regret it at all?"

"Nope, and you?"

"Not in the least. Initially, it worried me that it all happened so fast. But, in hindsight, I'm glad it did happen."

"Me, too, Danny," Sam whispered, snuggling closer to him and rubbing his arms. "But be honest- what was your favorite part?"

Sam could feel Danny's skin warm as he began to blush profusely. "All of it."

"C'mon, be more specific," she prompted him.

"I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me."

"DANNY!"

"Okay, okay. Honestly, it was seeing you without any clothes on for the first time. I mean, I already knew you were beautiful, but... wow. What about you?"

"The same."

"Really?"

"Really. I can't believe how ripped you are."

"So I take it that it was a pleasant surprise?" Danny inquired.

"Very pleasant."

The two continued their talking, kissing, and cuddling until it came time for Danny to go home.

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself, Sam?"

"Positive, Danny."

"Okay, but promise me you'll call if you need anything."

"I promise."

Danny and Sam shared one last kiss before he went ghost and flew off into the night. As she watched him from the window, she missed him already. But, more importantly, she felt a happiness that had evaded her for so long, brought on by her and Danny's strong and passionate love for each other.

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