Chapter five: Special Visitations

Well, that last chapter didn't go very well, but this one is the main event. :D Yep, this is the chapter when Sam comes in! *happy dance XD* Anyway, I know how you guys were waiting forever for her to come in… so here ya go! *this may be the longest chapter I'm ever gonna write XD* There probably won't be any real DxS romance for a while because they gotta adjust to be friends and whatnot, y'know? :D Anyway, here you guys go!

"Daniel!" Vlad called out from the dining room.

Daniel peeked from the pantry. His face was covered with dirt and a feather duster was gripped in his right hand. He spent the entire morning cleaning almost the entire house, top to bottom. He walked from the room and entered the dining room, coughing a little from the dust.

"Yes, Master?" He asked, placing the duster in his back pocket. Vlad sat at the table and twiddled his fingers. "Daniel, I have a special visitor today. Are you aware of the Manson family; my sister?" He asked. Daniel nodded. He knew of the Mansons very well. They were part of the richest royal family in the country, heir to the Masters' estate. Vlad's sister was married to a major business tycoon and her daughter was best friends with the nobleman's son, the Foleys.

"Well, my sister and her family are coming for a visit this afternoon and I want everything in tip-top shape. So, when they come at around 2pm, don't screw this one up: stay completely out of sight and out of mind! Got it?" He demanded, finally standing from the table.

Daniel nodded, stuffing a rag further into his holed pocket. He jogged off into his room to get ready. He carefully locked the door to his room, reading the bloody, dry words on the wall once again. The phrase that he wrote a few days ago was still etched into his mind. 'Murder on my soul'. The pain of the words was inflicted forever into his fragile being. He tried to quickly tear himself away from the pain he once went through and pulled up a clean pair of pants, followed by a button-down shirt and some underwear. He picked up his washcloth and headed to the bathroom. He sat his clothes down on the counter, pulling his clothes off carefully. He knew the bathroom wasn't specially made for him, but he was still allowed to use it.

He ran the water into the elegant bathtub, watching lavender, soapy substance flow from one of the holes as well. He made sure to make the water extra hot; just to help his body relax and return to reality. After the training he received a few days ago, Daniel still needed to adjust himself to his ghost powers.

When the tub was finally filled, Daniel stepped inside. He immediately felt the heat of the water singed his body, but he quickly recovered from it. He slid down further into the soapy wonder and sighed. The bath was really soothing, considering all the pain that he's been through lately. Just yesterday, Vlad beat him for spilling an entire jug of milk all over the clean counter and floor. He spent the next 3 hours cleaning the entire kitchen, top to bottom. Today wasn't much better. He dropped one of the precious teapots on the carpet of the pantry because he was still having trouble controlling his intangibility. Vlad saw the mess after Daniel tried to cover it up and beat him extra hard: one- because he dropped the teapot and hid the accident and two- because he wasn't keeping his powers under control like he should have.

Daniel shook away the memories and tried to heal his injured back with the water. Unfortunately, all he could really do with the water was bend it. That's what Vlad called it before-

Waterbending.

While thinking about it at the time, Daniel lifted his hands and swirled his hands around. Beads of sweat popped up on his forehead as he struggled to twist the water and form a mini whirlpool. He smiled at the accomplishment as he made beads of water float in midair. He released the water from his control and let it fall.

"Wonder what the Mansons are like…" He randomly thought to himself. He hoped they weren't anything like Master was. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to know because Vlad clearly stated 'stay completely out of sight and out of mind'.

Finishing up, Daniel let the water out down the drain. He grabbed a towel from the rack and tied it around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom and headed towards his room. Suddenly, he heard Vlad faintly talking to someone on the phone.

He quickly hid behind a wall. He could hear him clearer now.

"I'm telling you, you must keep her by your side at all times!" Vlad shouted into the phone. Since Daniel had his hearing enhanced with his ghost powers, he could hear the other person on the other line.

"Vlad, what's so serious about it? Why do I need to protect Samantha during our visit? Is something the matter?"

"Remember the boy I adopted years ago?"

"Of course. He was such a cute little boy."

"Well, that boy grew up to be dangerous! You have no idea!"

"Oh, Vlad, he is not-"

"This is extremely serious, Pamela! I'm talking about Daniel! At first, he came here kicking and screaming! Imagine what he turned into now!"

"Vlad, get a hold of yourself! Daniel is just lost and confused. Half the time, he's not sure what he's doing. He's been through everything known to man."

"That's no excuse! Now, sister, I suggest you and Jeremy keep Samantha safe here before Daniel becomes reckless and hurts her! Understand??"

"Very well, Vlad. But I must tell you one more time- he's lost. You could at least light the flame in a direction for him to take!"

"He burnt out that flame long ago…"

With final goodbyes, Vlad hung up the phone. He walked towards Daniel's direction, giving him enough time to dart to his room. He eased the door shut and sat on the floor, unwrapping another piece of butterscotch. "He thinks I'm a monster…" He whispered, his eyes glazed in tears.

"Daniel?" Vlad called out from the hallway. Daniel wiped away the oncoming tears and slipped the wrapper under his blanket. He stood up, opening the door. "Yes, Master?" He whispered. "Daniel… I know you heard my conversation with my sister…" He hissed, a heavy frown etched on his face. Daniel held his breath, awaiting the blow of Vlad's fist to his face.

But instead, Vlad walked away from him. "You may briefly acknowledge the Mansons… but not for more than 5 minutes." He warned.

Daniel meekly nodded.

"Now get dressed. They arrive in half an hour." He disappeared into his own room.

Daniel closed his room and locked it tightly. He looked himself over in the mirror, seeing the same face he never really looked at. His baby blue eyes were still dulled, but they had a slight twinkle in them. The dark circles under his eyes were faintly there, for he was able to squeeze in some sleep at night. His once pale, bruised skin was almost completely healed, thanks to his healing abilities. He was able to button up his shirt properly, tying up his tie carefully. He brushed down his black jeans and cuffed the bottoms to keep them from dragging. He brushed the dust from his shoes, making sure they were perfectly shined. He took a deep breath, ran his fingers through his thick, wild hair, and plucked the collar of his shirt out.

"Here goes nothing." He whispered, exiting the room.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Your house looks to be in perfect shape," Pamela commented her brother, as he was giving her and her husband and daughter a tour of the mansion. Her husband, Jeremy, looked on and nodded approvingly while their daughter walked along, already bored. Her violet eyes stared at her uncle with the opposite gesture her father had given him. She was personally uninteresting in her Uncle Vlad's riches, even so, her own.

"Samantha?" Vlad turned to his niece with a questioning frown on his face. "What seems to be troubling you?" He asked.

Samantha rolled her eyes and sighed. "This place is nice and all, but don't you have anything… fun, Uncle Vlad? I mean, it's pretty boring here." She replied, staring at her long, black fingernails.

Unlike her parents, Samantha didn't wear the same clothing as they did. She wore a black and purple decorative flared dress with black, metallic boots. Her sleeves were a fishnet style with fingerless gloves on her hands. Her shiny, black hair flowed down her shoulders and back. Her eyes coordinated perfectly with the purple in her dress and eyeshadow on her eyelids. She had a gothic feel to her personality.

"Well, Samantha," She frowned at the use of her full name. "What do you want to see?" Vlad asked.

She looked around for a minute, before asking, "Do you have any children here? Someone about… my age?"

Pamela gave Vlad a glare, mouthing to him. "Tell her!"

Vlad narrowed his eyes, replied inaudibly, "Why should I?"

Samantha noticed her mother and uncle going at it, and raised an eyebrow. "What are you two doing?" She asked cautiously.

"Vlad, why don't you introduce a certain member of this household to her?" Pamela suggested, still glaring at her brother.

Vlad growled angrily and sighed. "Very well, sis. Samantha, follow me." He gestured her towards the kitchen. She gave him a small smile and followed him into the kitchen. "So… who do you have here, Uncle Vlad?" She asked, as they reached the kitchen.

Vlad opened the door and replied, "See for yourself."

Samantha peeked through the door, her eyes widening in amazement. A boy, about the same age as her, was at the stove, heating a pot of tea. He was dressed nicely, but the clothes just didn't seem to fit him. He looked more like the… laid back type. But when he turned around, she saw the most beautiful thing her eyes had ever seen:

His icy, baby blue eyes.

She couldn't help but gasp out loud. "His eyes…" was all she could say. They hid perfectly behind his long, messy black hair. His somewhat pale complexion seemed to glow in the light as he moved from one end of the kitchen to another.

"That's Daniel, the dangerous little imbecile that your mother forced me to introduce to you." Vlad scoffed in disgust. Samantha looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean, Uncle Vlad?" She asked. After all, he looked pretty intelligent to her.

"Trust me, Samantha, when he arrived here, he was kicking and screaming, making a scene, no doubt." He continued. "Ever since, he's been nothing but a menace. I would have given him up for adoption, but after I… 'Straighten' him out; he seemed to be the perfect… help." He chuckled darkly, emphasizing the words 'help' and 'straighten'.

Samantha frowned a little. She knew her uncle was up to something. But before she could ask, her parents were behind them. "Ready for tea, my dear?" Vlad asked his sister, giving her an acknowledging smile. Pamela nodded. She was relieved that Vlad seemingly introduced him to his niece.

"Did you meet Daniel?" She asked her. Samantha glanced up at Vlad, who gave her a smirk. "Uh… yeah. He seems nice." She said nonchalantly.

"That's nice." She replied. She turned to Vlad and asked, "Are the tea and gingerbread cookies ready?"

Vlad nodded causally. "Daniel is right in the kitchen. Shall we?" He allowed them to enter first and followed behind.

Daniel was setting the plate of gingerbread cookies in the middle of the table. He poured 4 cups of tea for everyone as they sat down. "Thank you, Daniel." Pamela said sincerely. Daniel nodded and walked back to the stove, switching it off.

"So, about the business…" Vlad began. That was Samantha's cue to drown out the adults and their boring conversation about business and entrepreneurship. She picked up her teacup and stood from the table. "May I be excused?" She asked. Her mother nodded and went back the the conversation.

Samantha walked off and causally left the kitchen. Strangely enough, Daniel disappeared as well.

She walked down the hallway, sipping her tea. "Hello?" She called out. She eased opened a few doors out of curiosity, finding the bathroom, Vlad's room and the pantry.

Finally, she stopped at a door that seemed to catch her attention. She glanced around before jiggling the knob, finding in locked. "That's odd," She whispered to herself. She took one last look around before igniting her finger with an electrical charge and picking the lock with her fingernail. She unlocked the door and eased it opened.

"Hello?" Samantha called out again. She walked in, only to find an empty white room with a dirty pillow and a blanket. A small dresser sat on the other side of the room, followed by a mirror just above it. A window lay just above the 'bed'.

"This must be Daniel's room…" She thought to herself. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror as she spotted the bloody writing on the walls. She slowly walked over the wall and read the first lines of the writing:

I've never felt any kind of happiness in my heart.

I've never even felt joy or compassion in my soul.

It's like… something died inside me; something that may never return.

"Damn…" she whispered to herself. Suddenly, the door slammed behind her. Her eyes widening in fear, too afraid to turn around.

"So… you found me, huh?" A dark voice whispered. Samantha didn't recognize the voice, but for some reason, it sounded familiar. She finally took a deep breath and turned around, seeing the beautiful boy standing in front of her.

"Uh… hi. I-I was just-" She tried to explain, but Daniel cut her off. A dark scowl etched his face. "I know who you are," He slowly approached her as she backed away slowly. "You're Master's niece. You're the one he was actually trying to impress." If you didn't hear his voice before, you'd think his eyes were somewhat of a clue. Now, his voice was dark and brutal.

"S-sorry… I-I just wanted to-"Samantha tried to search for words, but Daniel pointed a finger at her. "Let me speak." He demanded.

Samantha held her breath, waiting for him to speak.

Daniel sighed. He sat down across from her. "Do you really want to know?" He whispered.

She nodded.

"Well… what do you want to know?" He asked, resting his arms across his legs.

Samantha thought for a second before cautiously asking, "Uncle Vlad called dangerous and… a monster. Why?" Her last word died into a whisper. Daniel closed his eyes and sighed, unaware that his eyes burned neon green for a second. He finally replied, "He doesn't see me like your parents do. He just… treats me like the 'hired' help, minus the pay. I do everything around here: clean, cook and even serve him in any way I can."

She thought for a second before she continued. "Does he hurt you?"

That question caught him off guard.

"No… why?" He said in a deeper, hoarse voice. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to grow with fatigue along with his responses. He moved his knees closer to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rested his chin on his knees, awaiting her answer.

"Because… look at your arm."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise. "What about it?" He snapped, pulling down the sleeve of his shirt to hide the bruise. "That was just an accident." He lied.

"Really?" Samantha said in an unsure voice.

"Yep. That sucks, huh?" He said.

She nodded once more.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Anything else you'd like to know?"

"No, Danny."

Suddenly, Daniel shot up, which slightly frightened her. He walked up to her, staring at her face to face. "What did you call me?" He hissed.

"I-I just called you Danny… I'm sorry if I offended you." She whispered.

Daniel dropped his glare and lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry… It's just… my mother called me 'Danny', so did my foster mother when I was younger." He whispered solemnly. He turned away from her, but felt a hand pull at his. He looked up, seeing Samantha's eyes staring into his. "Do you prefer Daniel?"She asked, placing her hands on his shoulders. He finally looked up, a small smile placed on his lips for the first time since he met her. "Yeah, I'd like that." He replied.

Suddenly, her next action surprised him. She pulled him into her arms, giving him a warm, heartfelt hug. Slowly, Daniel wrapped his own arms around her. It was the first time in so many years that he ever felt another person touching him gently, even into a hug.

It felt… special.

Once they pulled away from their embrace, he smiled fully and said, "Sorry about before. Would you like to start over?" She nodded and took his hand, gently shaking it. "I'm Samantha, but please… call me Sam because Samantha just sounds so…" She curled her lips at the name is disgust.

Daniel chuckled. "Hey, whatever works for you is good. I'm Danny."

(A/N- I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your reading, but this is the point when I refer Daniel and Samantha as 'Danny' and 'Sam', just like in the show.)

Sam smiled, but it disappeared as she noticed the bloodied writing on the wall once again. She walked over to the pale, white wall and carefully fingered the writing. "What's this about? Why'd you write it?" she asked, turning back to him.

Danny walked beside her. He placed his own hand on the wall. "Well…" He began. He started reading the words on the wall:

"I've been to about 20 foster homes. Not one of them wanted me. Probably because I was useless. One after another they misused me, discarded me and hurt me.

My first foster home has the kindest lady who ever lived. Her name was Alyssa Chapelton, but she preferred me to call her mother.

Anyway, she would always care for me. She fed me, washed me, tended to me when I was sick, helped me with my schoolwork, even tucked me in at night.

Yeah, she was a true angel from Heaven…"

Sam stared at him in wonder and pain. "Danny…" She whispered, touching his shoulder gently. He pushed away and said, "Let me finish."

"Afterwards, they all hurt me. One by one, home by home, they didn't treat me like he did, but they hurt me bad.

They made my outlook on the world worse than what it really is."

Danny knew he skipped the part where Mr. Chapelton abused and raped him, but he'd go back to that some other time. Sam of course with her intelligence and curiosity, noticed this and asked, "Why did you skip the other part?" Before he could stop her, she went to the wall and read on:

"But her husband, yes, her husband.

He was a true bastard from Hell.

Little did she know, but when she'd go out and run errands for only a little while, he'd stay and 'take care of me'. Then, behind closed doors, he did the most ruthless, vile and terrible things to me both physically and mentally that I can't even repeat them.

Because of him, I am immune to pain.

Because of him, I was afraid of everyone and everything that day.

Because of him, I'm no longer 'clean', so to speak.

Because of him, I never saw Alyssa again."

Sam's jaw dropped, absolutely shocked by what she read. "He did this to you? He raped you??" She whispered in pure disgust and hatred. Danny nodded. He felt the tears well up in his eyes by remembering the horrible day, but he shook them away. "Yes. My first foster father hurt me… permanently." He said in a low voice. His eyes were well away from her.

They stood silent for a while until Sam finally asked, "How old were you?"

"What?"

"How old were you, Danny?"

"Why?"

"Because I need and want to know, Daniel James Fenton!" She cried out. But as soon as she said his name, she quickly covered her mouth.

Danny's eyes shot up, staring at her with nothing but shock. "W-what did you say?" He stammered.

"Uh… how old were you?" She said meekly.

"No," Danny walked over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and knelt to her level. "What was my name?"

Sam finally sighed and said, "I called you Daniel James Fenton."

Danny released her and turned his back to her. "Who's last name is Fenton?" He whispered, his eyes tightly closed.

She thought for a moment, before she said, "My mother knew a classmate of hers named Madeline Fenton. They weren't really close friends, but they knew each other well. One day, she found out that she died in an accident. It was the last time they spoke to each other." She pulled out a picture from her wallet and held it out to Danny. He took the picture and studied it for a minute. There were a group of teenagers, at what seemed like to be a beach. A girl with short, blond hair and pretty teal eyes had her arm wrapped around her friend, a broad smile placed on her face. Her friend had beautiful, long brown hair that tickled the sides of her bare shoulders. Her eyes were almost shut, because she was laughing so hard, but her eyes could still be seen. They were the most beautiful Amethyst eyes he ever saw. She resembled someone familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Finally, Danny handed her the picture and she put it away. "Do you know who she was?" She asked. Danny nodded, knowing that he actually saw the woman before outside the picture, but…

He couldn't remember where.

"Are you ever going to answer my question?" Sam asked once again, this time annoyed. Danny sighed. "Fine, you really wanna know?"

She nodded.

"I was… four years old." He was extremely quiet with his response. He finally fell to his knees and lowered his head. Sam didn't hesitate. She knelt down to him and rubbed his back gently. "Oh, Danny…" She whispered. He finally broke down and fell into her embrace, soaking her shirt with his tears. She placed her chin on his head, stroking his soft, ebony black hair. She allowed him to sob into her arms a while, rocking him gently back and forth.

"It hurt me…" He whimpered in between sobs.

"I promise to protect you Danny…"

But before she continued, she pulled him away, brushing his hair from his eyes. She stared into those gleaming, emotion-filled baby blue gems.

"Have you ever had a friend before?"

He shook his head.

She pulled him into her chest once more and whispered.

"I'm your first."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Those two have been gone for quite a while, now." Pamela said, with a smirk on her face. She knew that Danny and Sam would get better acquainted with each other, but not for so long. Vlad remained in the dining room, absently sipping his tea. "I'm sure they're doing fine." He brushed it off, not caring, really.

"Well, I'm sure they'd like a snack right about now." She picked up the plate of remaining gingerbread cookies and left her husband and brother at the table to chat some more.

Meanwhile, Danny and Sam were still in his room, fast asleep on the floor. After Danny was able to cry himself out, he gently fell asleep with his head rested in her lap. She went to sleep as well, just a few minutes after him. He absently draped his arm across her chest and on her shoulder while Sam placed her arms around his body and crossed her legs over him. They looked so peaceful together.

Pamela quietly opened the door. She spotted the two, a warm smile creeping on her lips. She was about to whisper, 'awww', when she remembered how her daughter hated being woken up. But she leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder. Sam blinked her eyes open, glanced at her mother. "Hey, mom," She mumbled, stretching her arms.

"I see you too were getting to know each other better," She whispered, a gentle smirk placed on her lips. Sam looked down at Danny, who was still asleep in her arms. A deep blush covered her face when he snuggled in her lap and smiled unconsciously.

"Is it time to go?" She quickly asked, gently pushing Danny off her and onto his blanket. Pamela nodded and led her daughter out of the room. But before she left, she walked over to Danny and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "See you later… Danny." She returned to her mother and closed the door behind her.

"You really like him, huh?" She asked, pulling her close. Sam looked down, the blush never leaving her cheeks. "He's my friend. And… that's all I really see him as… a new close friend." She said.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

That evening, after the Mansons left a while ago, Danny slowly woke up. He stretched and rubbed his eyes, glancing around the darkened room. He slowly stood up and walked to the door, carefully opening it. He peeked out into the hallway. A faint light came from the kitchen, but the rest of the house was dark, besides the diminishing sunlight outside. He walked out and closed the door behind him. He walked down the hall, hearing music in the pantry. "Master?" He called, tiptoeing to the pantry. He knew he was walking into danger, but he just had to wonder why Vlad hadn't woken him for dinner.

He stepped into the doorway, seeing Vlad sitting by the window. He was smoking a cigar and setting down a glass of white wine. This was his evening ritual. "Daniel… come in." He whispered, not turning to him. Danny slowly walked a little into the room, but Vlad motioned him by his side. Danny walked over to the man, standing beside him. "Y-yes, Master?" He said, placing his hands behind his back.

Vlad sat down the glass. "Do you know why I called you here?" He whispered. Danny shook his head. "Why, Master?" He asked.

Before he knew it, Vlad grabbed his shirt and clutched his neck. "Listen here: I want you to stay away from my niece. She wants nothing to do with you!" He slammed his back into the wall, creating a small crack. Danny looked up, a dark, unfamiliar glare on his face. He pushed Vlad roughly off him and stood a fierce fighting position. After his encounter with Sam, he finally gained his new found courage.

"What the hell did you just do?" Vlad hissed, his eyes burning crimson red. "After today, I realized something…" Without thinking, he pulled his arms up and swirled water from thin air. He created a water whip and slapped him across the face. Vlad fell back into the chair, causing it to topple over.

"You shouldn't have done that, Daniel…" Before he knew it, Vlad shot him with a pink ball of fire. Danny tried to counteract it, but he ended up falling back into the table. His chest burned as he tried to stand up. "Can you listen to me for once?!" He shouted. He grabbed him by the arms with another water whip and pushed him down. Vlad sighed. He tried to turn the water into vapor, but failed. "Very well, Daniel. I will listen."

Danny was taken by surprise, but he quickly tore his stunned reaction away.

"Number one: please don't keep me away from Samantha. I never had a real friend before and… she's the first." His voice died into a whisper. Vlad sighed angrily, but nodded. "Go on," He said.

"And number two: call me Danny."

That made Vlad cross the line.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Daniel." He hissed. He broke from the whip and disappeared. Danny's eyes widened in shock. "What-" But before he could say anymore, he felt a electrical surge pass through him. His body fell limp as Vlad reappeared. He held the boy's limp form and carried him off into the other unoccupied bedroom. He sat him down and hissed. "You make that mistake again, Daniel. I won't go so easy on you."

With that, he closed the door behind him. "Sweet dreams… Danny."

*dies* XD Okay, I finally got Chapter 5 finished! Yay! (dances) Anyway, get ready for chapter 6! In that chapter, Sam pays Danny another visit, but this time it's unexpected. She's gonna tell him about her past and he's gonna tell her about his most painful memory- but it won't be easy. In a few more chapters (probably in Chapter 8), he's gonna meet Tucker (see, all the characters are in the story! XD) They won't really be friends until the next two chapters after that. So… read and review! I'll have Chapter 6 up by either Thursday or Friday.