A/N: So now I only have two active stories. I just finished "Behind the Looks" last night. If you missed it, go ahead and check it out. It's waiting right down there for you. : ) I asked if I'm making a sequel, but I don't think I will.
Now that that's finished, let's finish this one as well.
*Disclaimer: okay, do I really have to? No? Okay, because you all get it.*
...
Chapter 12: Long Way Down
~Danny~
1 Year Later
Danny began tapping his foot impatiently, watching his best friend eye him suspiciously in his peripheral vision.
"Man, you seriously need to relax."
"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm just nervous."
"It's just Sam-"
"Who's been gone for a year, with our child that she doesn't even know half belongs to me. How can I relax?"
"You don't know that she knows that," Tucker shrugged. "Besides, it's not like she can't say you didn't try to tell her. Stuff has been coming up, things keep intervening… maybe as fate has it, she isn't supposed to know, and that's okay."
"Yeah, well maybe it is to her, but it's not to me," he turned to him. "I just… I…"
"You what?" Tucker asked confusingly, then leaned back in exasperation. "Don't tell me. You want her to know? So that what? You can marry her? So you can all be one big family? So you can have a happily ever after?" He shakes his head in disbelief. "You've got to be the most sensitive guy I've ever met."
"Are you saying that it's impossible?"
"Impossible? Nah, I wouldn't stretch it that far. I'd probably go more along the lines of… unreasonable."
"What are you trying to say-?"
"Danny… wake up. The woman is married to her jobs; it's the whole reason why she juggled them in the first place. Between those and her family and her friends and now her baby, she'll literally be swimming buck naked in stress. I mean you saw how she was the night we offered to take her out-beneath all of that nice elegant make-up and that good-looking outfit were bags under her eyes and a whole lot of hair that's long fallen out. One baby is going to blow everything she's ever worked for out of the water."
"So why would us getting married be a problem? Wouldn't she want help for something like that?"
"That's not the point. The point is you can't fight someone who isn't willing to get in the ring with you. She's not for marriage Danny; you already know that. And even if she was, she'll arrange it with what money? You really think you and Sam will be a permanent thing? We don't even know how she'll react if she finds out about that night, about you being involved-"
"She'll understand-"
"She'll be pissed, Danny! Pissed that you didn't tell her sooner. Pissed that you let it happen in the first place-"
"I was drunk too-!"
"You think that matters? It goes both ways."
"Sam wouldn't just blindly point fingers like that. Not without having all of the facts."
"I'm not saying she would. I'm just saying that… well, you're just using a little too much of your right brain and not enough of your left."
The air was quiet after that. All the men could do was count the tiles at their feet.
"I'm going to the vending machine," he spoke out of the blue. "You want anything?"
"No… thanks."
He sighs and stands up, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You know… I don't do this to bum you out… I do this to prepare you for what could be."
Danny doesn't respond. Tucker, afraid that he's disappointed his friend, walks away from him, leaving Danny to be alone with his thoughts.
"You… what?"
It didn't take a brainiac to figure it out: Danny's pretty much scared out of his mind, like Sam herself. What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to yell for Cecilia? What was she supposed to tell Danny?
"Danny," she growled, "do I really have to repeat myself?"
"No, sorry, I heard you loud and clear… what are we supposed to do?"
"Let me go get Cecilia-"
"Sam don't move around too much! You're gonna start having contractions soon."
"I'm fine for right now. Besides, I need help, right? I have to go get her."
"Stay on the line with me."
"I'm not going anywhere."
Sam, while holding her stomach, rushed to her door, out of the room and right to where Cecilia's was, banging on the door. Danny was silent, probably because he was just as shocked as she was.
"Cecilia!" Sam called. "Cecilia, open up!"
After a slight pause, the door opened with a drowsy blonde woman yawning and blinking tiredly in her presence.
"Sam… do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Cecilia, I wouldn't just bother you like this for nothing. My water broke."
In an instant, Cecilia's eyes snapped open and she froze. "W-What?"
"Why is this so hard to comprehend? I'm around my due date anyway."
"I'll throw something on real quick and grab my keys. Just hang tight."
Cecilia quickly turned on her heels and dashed away from the door, running off to her bedroom. Sam placed the phone up to her ear, hearing a slight crackle over the other line.
"You still there?"
"Of course I'm still here. Are you alright?"
She told him that she was before hearing the closing of a door. "I wish you could be here."
"I know Sam, but even if I were to leave right now there's no way I'll make it there in time."
"This isn't fair. This job… I can't believe it's taken me miles from home. This baby is coming, and I won't have anyone here to be with me."
"Oh, Sam… you know I'd be there for you, if I could be."
"Yeah… yeah, I know."
Danny felt hopeless, almost completely lost. He didn't know what to tell Sam other than that he was sorry; there was nothing else to say. But then he got an idea.
"I'd… be there… if I could! Sam, I have to let you go, okay?"
Sam's response sounded shocking, almost indignant. "What? You can't leave me to-"
"I promise I-I won't leave," he half-laughed. "Just hang in there, okay? I'll call Cecilia later to check up on you."
"Daniel James Fenton, if you're messing around with me-"
Danny began to make hissing and crackling noises into the microphone, then began breaking up his words. "Oh kee what keeee Sam you're breaking up keeeeee I can't here you."
"Danny?" she responded. "Hello? Hello, are you there?"
Then abruptly, he hung up.
Sam scoffed. "Thanks a lot, Danny."
…
~Sam~
Awaiting her arrival back home wasn't easy, especially since she had ended up staying a little longer than expected. Cecilia was more than willing to help cover whatever expenses she could, including buying as many diapers as possible. Sam contacted the hotel she was staying at and requested a room that was child friendly, and while she couldn't leave the hotel room, Cecilia became her courier, delivering her canvases and masterpieces to the clients and trying to make ends meet.
When all Sam could do was breastfeed.
She cradled her baby in her arms, shushing him and rubbing his back as she kissed his head. The cabin lights dinged and she let out a deep, heavy, angry sigh as she gazed at the features of her infant below her.
Growing up, her and Danny had been especially close, with the exception of Tucker. It wasn't ever fair to leave him out, but one way or another he always ended up the third wheel. Sam had been in love with Danny since the day she figured out what love even was, and yet she still waited for his approval. For him to meet her halfway. As the best friend that they were, Danny and Sam lived by three mere rules: respect, loyalty, and above all, honesty. The third one was more Sam's idea.
She hated being lied to. The first time she interactions with someone, she looks to see if they're hiding something from her. Something important that she feels she should know about.
The night that her and the men went out for drinks, it was supposed to be harmless entertainment. It was supposed to be fun, something that they could remember for the rest of their lives. But this wasn't what she had in mind. And she had pondered, for the majority of her pregnancy, beating herself up over what should have been a lost cause. She didn't know who the father her child was, and she really wish it would've been kept that way.
But one look at little Nolan a few months in… and she knew.
It was Danny.
The whole time, it had always been Danny.
He knew, and he never told her.
And it sickened her.
She practically hit herself because she knew she should've seen it coming.
"Sam," Cecilia opened the door softly, as to not wake the baby. She knew Sam had been up all night trying to get him to fall asleep. She had decided to check up on her, however, because she heard what sounded like crying coming from her room. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?" Sam repeated in spite. "No. No, Cecilia, I am nowhere by definition okay. I'm not even remotely in the same area!" She half-chuckled. It made Cecilia a little worried with her current state of mind. If she wasn't okay, what the hell was so funny?
"Do you, uh… want to talk about it? I mean because… I'm normally in bed around this time, but I can stick around and here you out if-"
"It's Danny… the whole time… when I didn't know who the father was… it's always been him. He lied to me, Cecilia. He knew it was him, and he lied…"
"Oh, my God… Sam…"
"I expected so much more of him… I just wanted him to be honest with me, that's all I'd ever asked of him… and he broke his promise."
"Sam… do you need anything? Is there anything at all I can do for you?"
"Reverse time? Stop all of this from happening? I mean… I love my son so much, with all of my heart. I wouldn't have asked for him to never have been born; that's not what I mean. I just mean that-"
"You just wish it would've happened later," Cecilia nodded, "when you were better established."
Sam gave a nod. "But I think the thing I wish most of all was that Danny never lied to me. That he just would've been honest. I don't even know what to do from here. How do I even approach him about it?"
"How do you approach him about it? The way I see it, the asshole lied to you. You know what I say?" The green-eyed woman pops a squat right next to her co-worker. "I say the next time you see him, give him what's coming to him."
And she will.
Oh yes, she will.
…
~Danny~
"Teleporting, huh?" Clockwork held his staff firmly. "Does it look like I run a Stargate Atlantis line or work here? I'm the master of time, not the master of teleportation."
"But do you know someone who is?" Danny asked, practically pleading with the ghost. "Anyone that can help me out?"
"As far as I know, there is no ghost in The Ghost Zone that knows about anything even remotely close to teleportation except for Frostbite, yielder of the Infi-Map."
"That doesn't help me-"
"Too bad. It's true."
"Look, one way or another, I have to be there for her. I just have to see what's going on… I mean even if I'm not actually there, in the flesh, I want to at least feel like I am. If there's anything that you can do, which I know that there is… please Clockwork, I'm begging you to help me."
Clockwork resumed the form of a toddler, letting out a deep sigh. "Fine."
"Fine? Well that was easy."
"You and I go back, Daniel, so for old time's sake, I'll help you."
"But?"
"Under no conditions. Just shut up and quit whining."
"That I can do."
He held his staff up to his crystal ball. It went from an idling, relaxed green to a swirling blue, and suddenly in it, it exposed a very tired-looking Sam lying in a hospital bed, with a doctor and a nurse with her. She had been through her dilating process early and the contractions were less than a minute apart now.
She had just been ready to have their baby.
"Alright Sam, I'm going to need you to start pushing, okay? When I say so."
Sam nodded in understanding, her head falling back onto the pillow.
"Okay Sam, now."
With as much strength as she could muster, Sam pushed as hard as she could. She could hear the nurse counting out, the sound of the heart monitoring beeping a bit faster. She groaned, trying to look down below to see if she had been making in progress, but gave up when she obviously noticed she couldn't see for sure.
"Wait for another contraction. When you feel it, push again."
"You're doing so good Sammy," Danny whispered to himself. "You're doing so good."
Assuming Sam felt another contraction, she pushed again, Danny the whole time praising her and whispering his own words of encouragement.
"You're doing great Sam; the baby will be crowning before you know it. I just need you to focus on this. Steady your breathing."
"I feel… like… I can't breathe," she panted.
The doctor turned to the nurse. "Run oxygen."
The nurse nodded and grabbed the oxygen mask, wheeling the machine closer to the bed and turning it on, adjusting the levels before helping Sam put it on. She grabbed a cloth from the side table and folded it up a little, dabbing Sam's forehead. "You're doing great hun."
"I can see why this is important for you," Clockwork interrupted.
"It's more than that," Danny responded.
"Alright Sam, just a few more big pushes and the baby will be out."
Once Sam hit another contraction, she took a deep breath and pushed with such effort that a vein had been exposed at her temple. She was crying, something that she never did. It made Danny's heart split in two, knowing that he couldn't be there to calm her.
"Do you think… if I would've flown, I would've made it there in time?" Danny asked.
"To Nevada, yes. To the hospital, probably not. I can't show you where precisely she is; I can only give you a visual. Finding out what hospital she's in would take a while; it looks as if Samantha is going through a fast labor. She'd be done by then."
"The baby's crowning," the doctor said. "You're not too far now; just a couple more."
"I can't keep… doing this... shit," she cried.
"Yes you can, Sammy. Come on," Danny soothed.
"Yes, you can Sam. You can't stop now; you're almost done."
"You're doing great Sam," the nurse whispered. "Oxygen levels stable, Doctor."
Sam pushed again.
And again.
Danny's heart was beating faster and faster with passion. In less than a few minutes, their baby would be here. He couldn't wait to see him. He started imagining what the baby would look like, wondering if he would have their mother's eyes or his, how dark or light would his hair be, how soft his skin would turn out to be. But most of all, he wondered what it would be like if Sam and her had a thing, and he got to stay. How much time would he get to spend with the little one? What kind of things would they like to do? They'd go out to play baseball or toss around a football or whatever he wanted to do.. He couldn't wait to see where life would take them.
He had been so deep in thought that he didn't realize Clockwork calling out his name.
"Daniel," he called again. Danny whipped his head toward him and Clockwork gestured towards the ball. Danny looked to see the doctor and the nurse fumbling around, surveying a complication that had just arisen.
"What's going on?" Sam asked in a slight panic.
"Stop pushing for a second Sam; the cord is around the baby's neck."
In shock, Danny walked closer to the ball. Sam was practically in hysteria. "No… please don't say that-"
"The baby will be fine Sam; we just have to untangle the cord first."
The doctor began fumbling around at the cord, doing a few loops and twists before the cord fell loosely. "Alright Sam, the baby's alright. You're good to go."
Sam continued pushing again, but she didn't feel the baby going anywhere. She kept trying, but the baby wouldn't budge.
"The little one is stuck," the doctor said, "doesn't seem to want to come out."
"Would you like me to hold the baby's head?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, please. I need to dislocate the shoulder."
The nurse came up and around, holding the baby's head. Danny turned his head. He didn't want to see the doctor practically break his child's bone. He himself even began crying. This is such a difficult labor for her. All he wanted to do was hold her hand through it all. He heard a crack and the sound of the baby crying even louder. Then Sam continuing to push.
And push.
And push.
Soon, the doctor taking a sigh of relief. "You're done Sam. You're all done."
The nurse takes a breath. "She's stable."
"Cut oxygen. Start prepping the baby for verification." He looks at Sam and smiles. "You've got a boy."
"Yeah… I know…" she grins, her breath starting to steady.
The nurse nods and takes him from the doctor's hands, cleaning the infant off and setting it down on the scale. "And... seven pounds and six ounces."
"A nice, healthy weight," the doctor smiles.
"This little guy really wants his Mommy," the nurse laughs. She dips his finger in ink and presses it up against the paper, doing the same with his feet before cleaning them off and handing him over to the doctor.
"Alright Sam," he starts. "Don't be alarmed okay? I'm just going to relocate his shoulder; it'll only hurt him for a second, I promise."
She looks away, giving a nod of approval.
"Oh my God, I cannot watch this," Danny turns and steps away from the ball. Clockwork wields his staff and clears the ball, turning towards the halfling, who gives a breath of relief. "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"No, I mean… for everything."
"And I mean… you're welcome." Clockwork smiles. "Now get outta my tower."
Danny smiles and turns intangible, flying up and out towards the ceiling. Clockwork is left with a small smiles on his face. "Congratulations."
…
"Flight 231 from Las Vegas, Nevada has now boarded at Gate 5," the intercom called out.
"She's here," Danny stood up, moving a bit closer to the gate entrance. Tucker sighed, moving next to him and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'd just… look, just do me a favor and be prepared."
"For what?"
"Sam's been gone for a year now. She's a smart girl; I'm sure it hasn't taken her long to catch on to anything. If she didn't, oh well. But if she did… be sure you're ready for what comes next. That's all."
Danny's began to drift towards the floor.
The doors opened and many people poured from the tunnel, splitting off in different directions and going to family members, embracing them in big, open arms. What Tucker had said previously left Danny in questioning. If Sam had figured it out by now, how would she react? Would she be more upset? Angry? Disappointed? Would she even talk to Danny or Tucker after that?
Soon enough, out comes Cecilia, her blonde hair done-up in a nice, tight elegant bun. Next to her, Sam's longer, slightly curled hair fell to her back. In her arms, she was cradling a baby.
Their baby.
Danny's son.
His heart dropped seeing them. After so long, he finally got to see them.
The women caught a glance that Danny had been eyeing them, and Cecilia turned her head and whispered something to Sam, but all she could do is angrily stare at Danny. Tucker seemed to notice this, as he cautiously called Danny's name, but Danny was so caught up in passion he didn't notice. Sam turns and hands the baby to Cecilia, marching straight towards Danny. As she got closer, Danny spoke up.
"Sam… man I'm so glad to see you! Welcome home! I didn't think that-"
He stopped talking when she flattened her hand tight and gave him a good stinging slap on the cheek. Taken aback, Danny gulped a little, his gaze slowly focusing on Sam again. He gave a slow nod.
"Okay… I deserved that."
"Oh, you deserve more than just that," her eyes began to water. "Why didn't you just tell me?! I mean that whole… phoney act you put on… about wanting to be around and wanting to be there-"
"That wasn't an act Sam; I really do want to be-!"
"You wanting to put your name on the birth certificate… acting like you weren't the father, but it just felt right to be one… how could you do that to me?!"
"Sam, I…" he tried to console her, but she smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch me," she snipped.
"Sam, please just listen to me-"
"That's just it, Danny… I would've! I would've if you just would've told me!"
"I tried! Sam, I tried. I didn't know how. Will you please just let me explain-?"
"Well then you'd better explain fast-"
"You were busy, Sam. You said so yourself: you didn't want a baby yet. Do you know how guilty I felt, day by day, watching him grow and seeing you become miserable? Sam, I never asked to bring something like that upon you, and I know that you didn't either. But I was scared. I was afraid that you'd get so upset with me, you'd never speak to me again, you'd never let me see him… and I couldn't have that. Not only that, but you hurt so bad. You said you hated the guy that put you through that. That means that you would've hated me. I know you didn't mean to, but you made it so hard on me-"
"Oh, don't even start with that bullshit, Danny," she hissed. "You could've still told me if you really wanted to."
"Excuse me," Tucker butted in, "I couldn't help but overhear; no mean to interrupt. But Danny did try to tell you on multiple occasions and-"
"Wait a minute…" Sam eyed him. "You knew? Tucker, you knew and you didn't tell me either?!"
"Wait, wait, wait, now hold on a sec-" he tried to defend himself.
"Jesus, I can't trust either of you!"
"I wanted Danny to tell you on his own; it was him who ended up taking too long!"
"Whose side are you on?!" Danny offendedly turned to him.
"Mine!" he said.
"Guys," Sam started, but now the boys were going at it.
"At first you were like 'don't tell her' then you said 'do tell her', then just hours ago you hoped she hadn't found out by now and now all of a sudden, you're gonna try to play the good guy?"
"I told you to tell her in the beginning, but did you listen to me? No."
"You also said, and I quote: "she can't say you never tried to tell her because you did.""
"That's because it's true!"
"Guys," she said again, to no avail.
"So it's all about truth now? If you're so honest, why didn't you just tell her when you finally figured out that I couldn't?"
"Because do you know how bad that would've been coming from me? "Hey, I'm just here to let you know: your best friend is the one that knocked you up when you were super drunk and he's the one you can't remember sleeping with and, oh yeah, did I mention you're carrying his child?""
"It's not like you would've said it in that manner; you could've just been easier on her. Or just support for me, Tucker, did you ever think about that?"
"Don't turn this around on me-"
"Turn it around? More like finding ways around this! Because of you, Sam is pissed off at me for not being able to spill the beans about all of this!"
"Oh, yeah? Well it's because of you that she even got pregnant in the first place!"
Danny gave him a shove, showing that he was getting seriously agitated with the guy. "You're better shut your damn mouth before I-"
"GUYS!" Sam separated the two men, "shut… the hell.. up. Both of you."
The air was dense around them, and they had drawn the attention of a small crowd with their verbal drama. Cecilia had no longer been standing at a distance; she had gone off, possibly to take care of the baby elsewhere, where he didn't feel the pressure of many strangers around him. And Sam was still heated.
"It doesn't. Fucking. Matter. Whose fault it is. The fact is I was lied to regardless. You" she pointed at Tucker "were supposed to be a good friend. You were supposed to have not just Danny's back, but my back, Tucker! The friendship does not revolve around just you two. What I have ever done to sabotage that? Do you think I deserve that?"
Tucker looked to the floor guiltily.
"If Danny has something to tell me," she tries to calmly explain, "and he's just not nutting up, you need to be there to deliver the bad news… and you" she turns to Danny "I… I trusted you… more than anything and anyone, I trusted you and you did this to me?"
"Sam-"
"Shut up. Listen." She commanded. "You lied to me. After everything we've been through, you lied to me. All I have ever asked from you Danny… was honesty."
"I know."
"You know?"
"I know," he repeated.
"Then why didn't you do it?" She looked at him, waiting for a response.
But Danny couldn't think of one. All he could think of was guilt.
"Why?" She asked again, even though she knew he wouldn't respond. She just scoffed and shook her head. "Whatever. It's whatever, right? You can't change the past, and frankly… I wouldn't even if I could… because I have him."
She turns to walk off.
"Sam," Danny calls.
"What?" she practically spits.
"Can you at least… tell me his name?"
Sam shakes her head. "Look Danny… you'll be happy to know that your name is on his birth certificate. I'm not the kind of person to keep a child away from their father; that's below me. No matter what you do to me, as long as you pose no threat to me or our child, you will be involved with him… but as far as we go… it's done. We're through." She sees Cecilia near the restrooms. She's beckoning her towards the luggage claim. Before Sam starts off towards her, she turns to Danny.
"Nolan."
"What?" he asks.
"His name is Nolan. Nolan Davis Fenton. There, see? He even gets to keep your last name."
Then she leaves, and Danny doesn't stop her. Not like he really saw a point.
"Danny, dude-"
"Let's just go," Danny stops him. "Let's go."
"I didn't mean for-"
"No, you know what, no one meant for anyone to do anything. This just turned into such a shithole of a mess… forget about it. Just forget about it."
And so it ended there.
…
That night, Danny made the conscious decision to go to Sam's house and, after a couple of exchanged, bitter words, there was absolute silence between the two as he gathered a couple of outfits and put them in a duffel bag, flying away from the premises as briefly as possible. He decided to go the one place he knew: his parent's house.
And so he did.
An unexpected thunderstorm had struck Amity Park that night, leaving Danny a drenched, heartbroken mess. He had lost the only woman he's ever loved, compromised a possible long-lasting relationship between them and now he was practically homeless. He no longer had an option but to return to his childhood home.
The same place. Jack and Maddie never moved after all those years.
He flew to the porch step and transformed, knocking on the door, waiting patiently. He was already soaked; it wasn't like it mattered if someone rushed to the door for him.
Jazz had gone off to live on her own, moving to Florida and starting her life as a psychologist, so it wasn't like she would be opening that door for him. She probably lived in a big house with a husband and a child, doing more successful than Danny could ever dream to be. How had he fallen on such a hard time when he had an older sister like Jazz to guide him?
Finally, his mother came to the door, tired, weary and messy-headed, in her turquoise bathrobe and white slippers. When she finally saw who it was, and the look on the visitor's face, she instantly awoke, rubbing her eyes.
"Danny? Baby, what are you doing here? What's going on?"
"Mom," he started, "remember when I graduated from high school and struggled getting into college and I thought I hit rock bottom?" His eyes began to water. "Well… I don't think that was rock bottom."
"Aw, Danny, baby… come in and talk to me; you're gonna catch a cold."
He stepped in and dropped his bag; she closed the door behind him. And she didn't care if he looked like he took a swim in the Dawson Lake-she hugged him anyway.
"Talk to me. Tell me what's going on…"
~Sam~
After laying Nolan down in his crib, Sam made sure the baby monitor was turned on and left the door creaked open, proceeding to her room to change into her pajamas. She went to the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth as she gazed at herself in the mirror. She had bags under her eyes, a common sign of exhaustion. Perhaps a factor of practically being a single mother. She loved Nolan with all of her heart. Though he wasn't planned, he was the best thing that's ever happened to her.
But every time she looked at him
All she could see was Danny,
And it sickened her.
In her peripheral vision, she saw a flash of light, and she rolled her eyes, spitting out the toothpaste from her mouth.
"Your bag is at the foot of the bed."
"You're that happy for me to leave?"
"Oh, spare me Danny. If I wanted to fight, I'd throw a punch."
He let out a deep sigh, saying nothing as he grabbed a few clothes. Sam had had a long night, and she was fed up with petty bickering. She was just happy to be back at home, where she was comfortable, and she wasn't about to let anyone ruin her peace.
She heard the opening of a drawer and scuffling. Danny was almost done.
She took a deep breath, not entering the room until he was done. She remembered the days when they were in high school, where she, Danny and Tucker all went to play at the old playground they used to play at for recess in elementary school. Danny used to chase her around and play tag, while Tucker secretly filmed it, all the while laughing at how goofy and lovey-dovey the two were. Those were the better days, the days where they were carefree.
Now, it's different.
She wanted to hate Danny, with all of her heart, and she wanted to be mad enough at him to shut him completely out of her life for good.
But it wasn't just because of Nolan that she knew she couldn't do that.
She also knew that deep down, she still loved him.
And she couldn't keep him away from her forever.
There was a great big hole in her heart that couldn't be filled by anyone but him, and she knew that all too well.
It was only then that she realized Danny was no longer in the room. Over the baby monitor, she heard his voice, cooing at Nolan, who was breathing softly.
"I love you little guy, despite anything that happens between me and mommy," he mutters. "You and I will never be apart forever. You're my everything, just as much as hers. Please always remember that. I love you so much."
Sam wanted to roll her eyes. She wanted to think his words were more than pathetic.
But she felt nothing but pain, and her heart had hurt so bad.
Half of her had even felt guilty, even though she'd never confess.
She heard his footsteps trail from his room to Sam's, and he opened the door, his bag over his shoulder. She was able to swallow her tears and look at him with a straight face. He just shook his head, turned intangible and flew out through the ceiling. It was only then she crawled beneath the covers of her bed and sobbed, trying her hardest to mend her heart that had been cracked beyond belief. And she couldn't find any way to bandage it. Sometimes it even hurt to breathe, and Sam couldn't help but not half the time.
What was she going to do?
~Danny~
Danny spent the next two hours spilling everything that had happened, every single detail, from the night it had happened to the affair to Sam coming back. All the while, Maddie was taken aback, but had heard her son out, rubbing his back and comforting him along the way.
He was an absolute wreck, and it broke her heart seeing him in such a way. She's never seen Danny cry so hard over someone before.
"I don't know what to do Mom," he confided, his voice breaking. "I love her so much… but I hurt her… I really messed up…"
"I know honey, I know," she laid her head on his shoulder. "But it won't last forever I promise. Sam's just really shocked right now, and she doesn't know how to accept what's happened. It hit her pretty hard, you know? It's difficult to take in. But she loves you way too much to completely stray away from you like that. And she even said so herself: you'll get to take Nolan on visitation whenever you'd like. Right?"
He nods.
"Right. It just needs some adjusting Danny. But for now, all you can do is be there for your son. He needs you most."
"Yeah… you're right."
"I know I am; I'm your mother."
"But what happens if things stay this way?"
"I can promise that they won't… but if they do, then you can move into your old room until you officially get on your feet."
"Great," he grumbled, "I don't have a good job, and now I get to live with my parents again. I'm just a loser."
"You're not a loser sweetie; you're trying to get by, and that's ok."
She hugs him and kisses his head, and he wraps his arm around her.
After everything that's happened, all he wanted was to be in the warmth of his mother's arms.
It's the only place he felt accepted.
The only place he'll recover.
X X X
HELLO HELLO HELLO OH BOY OH BOY HAVE I BEEN GONE FOR A LONG TIME H'RIGHT?!
Anyway, I seemed to have died for a little bit, but I have risen especially to finish this story for you. And we're almost there! How 'bout that!
Okay so depending on how busy I am, it'll be about… a week before I update this again. And then I'm probably gonna wipe my account clean and start over, since my writing has gotten better over the years.
So anyway, let me know what you guys think!
Question of the Chapter!
Do you think Sam's reaction was reasonable or unreasonable?
Let me know what you all think!