Chapter Six: Past Malice

Okay, I'm trying to get a head start on chapter six today, so I can update it soon. This chapter's about Sam secretly meeting up with Danny on Saturday morning in Masters' backyard. They meet up in the gazebo where they can talk privately. Sam tells him of her painful memories throughout her childhood and she tries to coax Danny to tell about his, but she'll regret it when he gives her every detail of what happened. Rated for violence, child abuse, and graphic rape. Also, this chapter isn't rated M quite, but it's about… 15+ for older teens. (I'm almost 15 XD) You have been warned. XD But enjoy, read and review, please!

"Daniel! Get over here!" Vlad cried out from the living room. Danny walked in, his face already blacked with dirt. He spent the entire morning rearranging and planting flowers in the garden. It took him about 3 hours, starting at around 5 in the morning to finish up.

"Yes, Master?" He asked, playing with the miniature shovel in his hand. Vlad yanked the shovel away and tossed it outside. "I need you to tend to the house while I'm gone- that means, by the time I return tonight for dinner around six, you'd better be finished with everything. Then, after you eat, you may retire to your room. Understand?" He explained.

Danny nodded. He knew his entire day would be wasted by cleaning, cooking, and whatever else needed to be done. He only wished there were some way he could get away from it all.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the telephone rang. Vlad walked over to the phone. "Hello?"

Already uninterested with the conversation between whoever was on the other line, Danny went to pick up the shovel and return to his work.

"Daniel, you filth! Come here!" Vlad shouted, covering his hand over the receiver. Danny sighed and reentered the room, with a questioning, yet annoyed look on his face. "Yes, Master?" He said again. "I thought I'd never say this but… here. It's for you." He handed him the phone. "It's Samantha." With that, he grabbed his car keys and exited the room. "I'll be leaving soon."

Danny stared at the phone for a second. He wasn't sure what to say to Sam after yesterday and their first meeting. He took a deep breath before pulling the phone to his ear and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Danny. You remember me, right?" Sam asked, with a twinge of humorous sarcasm in her voice.

"Well, duh. Of course I do." Danny replied, with the same tone.

"Well, Danny… I was wondering… do you want to meet up with me today?"

"Well, I dunno… I'm not allowed to have company, plus M- I mean, your uncle, is going to be out for the day." Danny said, hesitating for a moment. He knew that if he didn't finish his work, let alone follow orders about staying away from Vlad's niece, he'd be beaten even worse than before.

"C'mon, Danny. You're my friend and I really wanna hang out with you. It'll be just our day, and I promise that you'll have everything finished up today." She reassured him. Danny was still reluctant after he slipped out "okay." and hung up. He perched the shovel against the wall before leaning against the wall himself. "Damn… I'm really gonna pay for this." He whispered. He went closet, grabbed a broom and began heading out to the doorstep to brush it off.

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

"Hey, Danny." Sam said in an unusual cheerful voice.

Danny felt a soft smile creep up on his face as eh stared at his new friend. She couldn't look even more beautiful than yesterday, if that was even possible. Her lavender blouse was caressed below her shoulders and a black skull design was decorated over the chest. Her black jeans hung loosely over her lower waist, almost appearing too big for her. A gold and platinum chain with another diamonded skull hung from her belt. Her black metallic boots peeked from under the legs. If you didn't look at her shirt, she would've appeared as a tomboy goth. Her long, shiny black hair glided over her shoulders and her violet eyes complimented her entire outfit.

"You look really pretty," Danny said, a shy blush forming on his face. Sam looked down and smiled, a blush also appearing on hers. "Thanks." She whispered.

Danny, on the other hand, figured that he couldn't compare his appearance to hers. He looked down at his own white, button-down t-shirt with the sleeves pulled up; a black tie that he basically stole from Vlad and painted white and neon green x's all over it. He didn't want to look sloppy in front of her, so he tucked it in his blue jeans, which had worn holes in the knees and ripped at the bottom. A black belt hung loosely from his waist and his checkered skater black and white shoes were a size too big.

"You look really nice, too." She said. He was about to reply, when he noticed the troubled look on her face. "What's wrong?" He asked curiously. He watched her circle him for a moment before pulling out his tucked shirt and loosening his tie. "It doesn't look like you," She said. She removed the belt and tossed it aside. He felt much comfortable without the tighten feeling in his clothing. "Thanks." He said.

"Do you… I dunno, wanna hang out in the garden?" He asked, motioning her to the backyard. Sam nodded and followed him outside.

All the times she's been to her uncle's house, she never realized what a beautiful garden he had. Just like Danny was, she too was mesmerized by the thousands of flowers, trees and various other plants that grew in the backyard. She followed her eyes to the fancy gazebo rested in the middle of the garden.

"Over there," She gestured towards the gazebo. Danny smiled. That was one of the only fond memories he shared with Vlad once before.

It was the only time he could feel real.

Danny followed Sam to the gazebo. Her boots made a comforting clicking sound when they hit the white wood. She sat cross-legged on the floor while Danny balanced himself on the ledge and crossed his legs over the railing. She raised a curious eyebrow at him and asked, "Doesn't that hurt?"

Danny shrugged. "Things have hurt worse that this. I'll be fine." He reassured her.

For a while, the two teenagers remained silent. The sound of faint chirping and the wind blowing were the only things that occupied the deaf space.

"So…" Sam said, playing with the bracelet around her wrist. "Is there anything on your mind?" She asked.

Danny sighed. "I want you to go first."

"You sure?"

"Trust me; it'd be best if you do."

Sam took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll start. But my experiences aren't nearly as bad as yours.

"Well, a few months ago, I turned 15 years old. I might be older than you, right?"

Danny nodded.

"Anyway, my parents knew I was of marrying age. I told them I didn't want to be married yet; I'm still somewhat of a kid. But by my great-great grandfather, who used to own this place, ruled that girls of 15 years old are to marry and have a groom selected for her.

"My father went out and found one of the noblemen's sons one day. His name's Gregory and he's really attractive, but… over the past few months that I've met him- he's been aggressive."

Danny held his hand up. "Wait- what do you mean by 'aggressive'?"

Sam's eyes went downcast. She hesitated for a moment before pulling her sleeve up and showing a large bruise. "That's what I mean."

Fire grew in Danny's eyes. For a second, he could've sworn that his eyes glowed neon green. He shook the feeling away and asked, "He beats you?!"

She nodded. "I tried to get away from him one afternoon. We had an argument and I really wanted to leave him alone before I became aggressive, myself. He grabbed me by my arm and punched me. Then, he pushed me against the wall and whispered, 'What I'm about to do to you- never and I mean I never tell anyone.' Then, he beat me several more times before he grew tired and quit. He led me to the infirmary and lied, saying I accidentally fell down the stairs. After that, I cried in my room silently, so my mother wouldn't hear me. I'm her 'entire world' so to speak. She loves me so much and…" Before she knew it, she began crying.

At first, Danny was surprised to see her cry. He figured that a strong girl like would never cry. Then again-

Maybe that made her even stronger.

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You'd rather stop?" He asked in a soft voice.

She quickly wiped away the tears and took a deep breath. "No, I'm okay."

Danny returned to his spot on the railing and sat down once again.

She continued. "Well, I didn't tell anyone about what Gregory was doing, so I let it go for a while. He stopped in that span of time, but just before I paid my visit to Uncle Vlad, he took me aside and told me not to mention anything about what he was doing and to tell how 'happy' I'm supposed to be when we got married. But Danny…" She stared into his eyes. "I can't marry a man who wants me to hide everything and hurts me. I can't be with him, but…. I have no choice, do I?"

Danny stood from the railing once more and this time, knelt beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "You have to stand up for yourself, Sam. Even if everyone in the world doesn't believe you, there are two people that will- your mother…and me." He said reassuringly.

Sam smiled through her oncoming tears and hugged him gently.

"Now," She said, pulling away from their embrace. "It's your turn."

Danny spread his legs out. "Well… when I was four…"

Flashback: 10 years ago

"Danny sweetheart… come here!" Alyssa called out to the four-year-old boy.

Danny skidded into the hallway, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He stopped right in front of her. "Yes, mommy?" He asked, grabbing her by the legs.

Alyssa smiled at the child and lifted him in her arms. "Hey, sweetheart," She tickled him with her delicate fingers, causing Danny to giggle hysterically.

Alyssa laughed at his amusement and swung him around, causing him to squeal in delight. She finally sat him down and whispered, "I'll be back, okay?"

Danny's smile fell. He knew she meant that she was going to leave him alone with…

Him.

"But mommy! Please can I go with you??" He whined, pulled her by the arm. "I never get to go with you!"

"Baby," She knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be back, I promise. Besides, Daddy's gonna take good care of you." She reassured him. She stood up and was about to leave, when Danny cried out, "But he does things, Mommy! He-" Before he could finish, a large shadow hung over him. He looked up, seeing the face of the enemy himself, Mr. Chapelton. "Don't worry, sweetie." He walked over to his wife and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "He'll be alright, baby. I'll take good care of him." He smiled and glanced at Danny, with a brief smirk on his face.

Danny's eyes widened in fear. He knew the one he was forced to call 'Daddy' was going to do something painful to him; like beat for torture him in any way possible.

Today, he knew, was going be worse.

"W-what are we g-going t-t-o do today, Daddy?" He whispered, his voice shaken and stirred.

Mr. Chapelton grinned. "Well… I have a new game for us to play today. I think you'll… love it." He reached over and grabbed Danny by the wrist. He jerked away, but was dragged towards the stairs. "No!" He cried, clutching onto the stair rail. He pried his fingers away and continued dragging him along. They reached the hallway and tossed opened the door to his mother's bedroom.

"Now… are you ready for the 'game' we're gonna play?" Mr. Chapelton hissed. Before Danny could wiggle out of his grasp, he pushed him into the wall, causing his fragile body to endure pain. He backed away from the enemy, covering his face with his hands. "P-please don't beat me today," He whimpered, tears appearing in his eyes. He wanted to cry so badly, but he knew he couldn't.

"But Danny… I just want to play with you…" He tossed Danny onto the large bed. Before he could escape, he pinned the boy's arms down. "You're not getting away from me. I'm gonna make sure you go through Hell no matter what. And I'll do it… by force." He pulled his knees over to Danny, to make sure he wasn't able to escape. "Daddy, please! Don't do this!" He cried, thrashing his arms around. He tried so hard to yank his way out of his grip, but it was hopeless. At one point, when he screamed for help, his 'daddy' slapped him across the cheek- hard. He could still feel the sting as he hissed, "Now you listen, you little bitch- you will be quiet for the rest of the time and you will enjoy it, understand?"

All Danny could do was nod his head and continue crying silently. He kept his eyes closed as he could feel deep kisses pressing on the face, neck, and chest. Suddenly, his eyes were wide opened when he felt larger lips being pressed against his. "N-no…" He tried to say, but his calls were blocked by a harsh "Shut up." He dug his tongue deeper into his mouth, playing with Danny's. Tears ran down Danny's face as he tried to push his tongue further into his mouth, protecting the pain from becoming any worse.

Finally, their lips broke apart, leaving the boy gasping for breath. His fragile chest rose up and down rapidly, his heart beating furiously. A heavy hand rested on his chest as he tried to breathe in the pleasant air. "That's better, isn't it?" His 'daddy' whispered. Danny nodded, praying that he would stop right now. "A-are you g-gonna let m-e g-go…?" He stuttered, trying not to cry anymore. The man grinned. "Not quite just yet. I've only touched the upper part of your body. But let's see how much you've… grown."

Even though he was a young child, Danny knew what he meant. Without thinking, he struggled once more away from his grasp. "Daddy, no! I can't! He cried, pushing away from him. 'Daddy' punched him as hard as he physically could in the chest. That made Danny fall to the bed once more, the rough sheets brushing his tender skin. "You will do what I say and you will cooperate, got it?!" He demanded. Danny nodded, clutching the sheets with his fingers. "Yes." He whispered inaudibly.

He closed his eyes once more, this time, trying not to feel the pain that was coming. He felt his jeans being unbuttoned and sliding down his waist. "Please…" He whispered once again, fresh tears trickling from his eyes. Mr. Chapelton grinned. "I knew you'd like it." He hissed, chuckled darkly. He slowly pulled his jeans down to his knees, revealing his white underwear briefs. "Your 'mother' dressed you nicely. It's too bad that I'm going to… 'undress' you," He whispered some more, a deeper and darker laugh entering his throat.

No matter what he said, Danny kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see what was coming next. "Stop…" He whispered feebly before completely remained silent. He felt a finger pull at his underwear but remained still. If it got any worse, he swore his was going to pee himself, just like he did when he was afraid.

Just like right now.

"Now, Danny, be a good boy and hold still… oh, and open your eyes for Daddy, okay?" He whispered in ear, the harsh laugh finally escaping his vocal chords. At least something was about to escape this room today.

Danny knew he couldn't opened his eyes, no matter what. He shook his head, his eyes remained tightly closed. Mr. Chapelton raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you don't wanna open them? Fine, I'll open them, myself!" He growled. He pried his eyes open, forcing Danny to stare at him. His baby blue eyes were washed out and reddened. His face was streaked with tears and his skin was pale. "Please… don't do this! You can't!" He cried, pleading with every ounce of his being.

"Oh, but I can."

With that, Danny let out a horrified scream as his underwear was completely swiped off. "My, my, you have grown up," He mumbled, chuckled some more. He grinned at the sight of Danny, sweaty, crying and naked on the bed. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted it all to stop; he needed it to stop-

He wanted the nightmare to end.

"Just you wait- if you dare tell anyone anything what I've done… you will regret it, understand?" He hissed. Danny nodded. All he could run through his mind was how hard it would be to go through life with this terrible event replaying in his mind, over and over again. "Besides," He said, running his finger along Danny's lower waistline. "They wouldn't believe you. You're just a kid and it's your word against mine. And if I say you 'agreed' to it… well, that wouldn't give you much of a story, huh? Tell them you wanted it; you hungered for the experience." He forced Danny's hand to his own waist. "Now, do what I did to you." He commented.

Danny just stared up at him. Who did he take him for? He wasn't going to repeat what this son of a bitch did to him. He just… couldn't.

"Do it, damn it! Do it, now!!" He screamed, pulling Danny's wrist up to his crotch and to the buttons. Danny slowly unbuttoned his jeans, crying the entire time. He pulled his pants down, trying not the touch any part of him. "Faster, damn it!" He screamed even louder. Danny pulled them down all the way and hung his own head. Tears fell on the bed as he curled up into a ball, crying.

He smirked at the broken boy. He wasn't done, yet.

"Now, the rest."

Danny's body froze. He knew what he meant by 'the rest'. But he just couldn't do it. The man was asking too much from a 4-year-old child.

"I-I can't…" He whimpered. "I don't want this. I don't wanna do this!" He tried to push himself from the bed, but a hand grabbed his arm and forced him down once more.

"You will do it and you will enjoy it." He said, his voice even darker than before. "Now, pull them down! Now!"

Danny closed his eyes and gripped his hands around the man's boxers. He pulled them down without opening his eyes. He quickly covered his eyes, trying not to take in the 'sight'.

"What? You don't want to see your 'handy work'? You did a fine job, after all," His laugh lingered in the dark room, echoing through its empty space.

Danny shook his head. "Can I please go?" He whispered quietly, his eyes still covering with his hands.

He stood up and pulled his clothes back on. "I suppose you can. Just… get dressed before you leave."

Danny quickly put his clothes on and ran from the room, crying.

He just had to tell his mother-

He just had to.

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

Danny remained in his room, crying for the past two hours. He was heartbroken and scarred from the events that happened.

"Danny?" He heard his mother call from the hallway. Danny tried to dry away the tears, but it was too much. When Alyssa walked into room, she gasped when she saw her baby boy crying in the corner. "Danny!" She ran over to him and grabbed him in her arms. "Oh, baby, what's wrong?" She whispered, stroking his hair gently.

"He… hurt... me… b-but I was… and he… mommy…" Was all he managed to hiccup as he continued to sob freely in her chest.

A worried frown etched Alyssa's face. "Who did what, sweetheart?" She questioned. Danny looked into her hazel eyes and took a deep breath. No matter what the consequences were, he was sure to tell his mother what happened. He remembered the word he heard once on television while watching a scary late-night TV show. It happened to a big kid, just like it happened to him. They found the man responsible and arrested him. After that, he was in jail for years.

"Mommy… today, when you left, daddy dragged me upstairs, lay me on the bed… and raped me." He whispered, being sure he said the word right.

Hatred and sadness grew in Alyssa's eyes. "He did what???" She cried in horror, hoping she didn't hear the word she thought she heard.

Danny nodded. "Yes, daddy raped me. I'm so sorry, mommy." He grabbed her tighter into a hug. Alyssa began crying herself. She couldn't believe the man she loved all these years, had done something like this to their current child. Then, she knew what she had to do.

"Stay here." She told Danny. He nodded and wiped away the tears from his eyes. He watched his mother walk off to confront her soon-to-be-ex husband about what he did.

For the next several hours, Danny sat in a corner, listening to his foster parents yelling at each other. Alyssa was calling her husband harsh, bad words while Mr. Chapelton exchanged the same ones. A few minutes later, he could hear his mother dialing the phone and threatening to call the police. He heard a crash followed by a pained scream and a frantic voice talking on the phone.

The events afterward took Mr. Chapelton in the back of the police car while Danny was led off by social workers to the foster care facilities. He saw Alyssa crying for him, calling his name and begging them to let her keep him. But after the events that happened in that house, they found in unsuitable for Daniel to ever live there again.

For that day on, Hell was the only thing that welcomed Danny. He wasn't even Danny, anymore. From that day on, he was to be Daniel James, and that was it.

-,-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Oh, my…"Was all Sam could utter out. She had no words for that story. Her lips were twisted in disgust when he described everything that happened. It was surprisingly horrifying that he remember everything from when he was only 4-years-old.

It was too much.

"Danny…" She reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away. "Please, don't sympathize me. I've already gotten over it." He sighed and stood up. "It's been so long since I've seen Alyssa. She was the best mother, besides my own, of course that I ever had. I… loved her." He could feel a tears fall down his cheek, but quickly wiped it away.

Sam closed her eyes and hugged him anyway. "It's over. You'll never go through that again." She consoled. "Yeah, but… I dunno, it just hurt me." Danny whispered, holding her hand.

"I know, Danny… I know."

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

After Sam went home, Danny was able to finish up all of his chores and retire to his room. He lay in the darkness in silence, hearing faint classical music from the pantry just down the hall. He stood up and walked over to the dresser. He grabbed the bag of butterscotch and sat down on the floor, pulling out five more. He was tempted to eat more that night, but he knew he couldn't. He unwrapped the golden paper and whispered, "This one's for my mother," He sucked on it for a while, before eating the next one. "One for my father," Then the third. "One for Alyssa," The fourth. "One for Sam," finally, he stared at the last butterscotch in his hand.

"I never thought I'd say this, but," He whispered before eating it-

"One for myself."

HOLY MOTHER OF MERCY!!!!!! DUN KILL MEH! XD *shields face from rocks and bricks*lol Well, it took over two weeks, two computers to transfer this chapter to, but it's finished! I'll have chapter seven up and running by Wednesday, just give me until tomorrow to finish. Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I don't have wi-fi at home so my internet on my laptop doesn't work- for two weeks. XD Sucks, huh? Anyway, everything for the story is typed on my laptop and it took about 3 hours to transfer the writing from it to my home computer. Damn it, you'd better be nice in reviewing! XD The next chapter's not gonna have Danny, but Sam visits Tucker and talks about him. Let's just say, Tucker doesn't say the right things and gets in a lot of trouble with her… XD *element fight!* Also, there graphic stuff in there- sorry 'bout that ^^; I can't rate it M, because that 's the only sexual scene in the story (well, maybe one more later, but it's not really graphic XD) See you guys on Wednesday!