12/2/24: I have been awake since 2:30 this morning. I hate insomnia.

SamXDanny commended me on the song "Die For You" by Starset for chapter 21. Hopefully, you like this one just as much!

The song theme for this chapter (and the song in the chapter) is called "Love you Anyway" by Luke Combs. It's a switch up as it's country, but I also love country, ESPECIALLY Luke Combs. I hadn't actually heard this song until 11/15/2024, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I wrote the scene below with it on that very day, knowing instantly I wanted to incorporate it into this story. It just fits so perfectly with this. I also think it fits really well with Danny's voice and I think he wouldn't sound too far off from it; perhaps not as raspy, but definitely that deep. Please give it a listen, it really does make the scene. Also, this song is going to be their song for this story, the 'theme' of their love, if you will.

Also, this chapter is SO MUCH longer than I intended it to be. They were talking and just…kept talking. So, enjoy this second long chapter in a row!

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of previous suicide attempt.

Also: Don't get TOO used to the super fast updates. They will slow back down from here.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

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Chapter 27: Love you Anyway

–

Sam and Danny's place was deemed no longer safe since Mira knew its location and had confirmed it was being watched. For now, most of their bedroom and other needed items had been teleported to Vlad's place. None of them had been to Vlad's house since he bought it, something he insisted on in case something just like this happened. He wanted to keep its location a secret until it was needed, and it had been the right move.

One of his many guest rooms was where they'd put Sam and Danny's bed, rocking chair, clothes, and everything they needed for the twins. The room was extremely spacious, making what little they had look ridiculous in the large room, even with the extra chairs for anyone who wanted to sit in there with Sam.

Vlad had gone to retrieve his God children from Clockwork, allowing Danny to remain at Sam's side as she was still critical.

Everyone was actually currently staying there for safety's sake. They didn't know if Mira knew the location of the Fenton's home, or Jazz and Tucker's. Dash was there as well since his home was compromised, and Bruce by extension. It also helped that he was so close while Sam was recovering. Thankfully, Vlad enjoyed the space large homes provided, and so it didn't feel crowded.

Sam still hadn't woken up, but Bruce assured him it hadn't been that long. The battle had happened less than 24 hours prior, meaning it was now the afternoon of the day before Christmas Eve.

While she would be home for Christmas, Danny didn't feel like it was a celebration. He knew it hadn't been long, but the longer she was unconscious, the more worried he got that she had severe brain damage and would never wake up.

And then the other worry was, what if she did wake up but was still brain damaged? Would she hate him for disabling her in such a way?

Her heart had been stopped for nearly six minutes by the time the Asian man had been able to revive her, which was pushing into the 'likely' brain damaged category.

The doctor had also said that it was a good sign she was breathing on her own and was surviving without the need for any machines. But that still didn't mean there weren't other forms of damage.

DJ was out of sorts as well. His excitement over seeing his beloved owner was initially strong, but now he sensed something was wrong. Danny was rubbing the whining collie's head as he sat next to the bed, head resting on the sheets looking at Sam.

"I know, bud," the ghost said in a gentle tone. "I want her to wake up, too."

Danny's arm was bandaged up and wrapped. It still smarted like a mother but it already felt better than the previous day. His chest was also wrapped and it stung when he sat up too straight. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt as well to hide the burns; he was a bit self conscious of the wounds.

There was a light knock on the door frame and Danny looked up to see Vlad standing there in the open doorway. "May I?" he asked, coming in and pulling up an extra chair at the young man's nod.

"Still no change?" he asked.

Danny shook his head.

Vlad hummed. "How are you holding up?"

Danny shrugged.

"Not much of a conversationalist, hmm?"

The young man sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just…" he trailed off.

"It's alright, my boy. I understand. However, sometimes it is good to talk about other things to calm the mind," Vlad ventured.

Danny glanced at the black-haired ghost and gave him a small smile. He understood what the man was trying to do and he appreciated the effort. "How are you getting along with Dr. Tanning?"

Vlad bobbed his head a bit in a noncommittal gesture. "He's a good man. It's just hard relinquishing the care of one of you to someone else. I had gotten quite used to being the pseudo doctor after you were found. But he has far more experience than I and the medical training to back it up. She's in good hands."

The young man grunted his agreement.

"How are the little ones?"

Jackson and Aurora were napping in the bassinets on the other side of the bed. They'd been really good since coming back from Clockwork's, fussing very little. "They seem good. They've been in good spirits," he responded.

"That's very good," Vlad smiled. "That Clockwork fellow gave me the creeps, though."

Danny actually chuckled at that. "How so?"

The billionaire raised a brow. "He knows just a little too much."

"He is the Master of Time. He probably knows everything about you," the young man responded with mirth.

"I felt like I was being judged."

"Nah, that's just his face," Danny said, causing Vlad to chuckle.

"You better be careful, he probably saw that," Vlad countered.

"Oh, I'm sure he did."

They both chuckled before going quiet again, Danny continuing to pet DJ. After a moment, "Your mother wants–" Vlad started, but stalled when they heard the raven-haired girl moan.

Danny instantly shot up and sat on the bed, grabbing the goth's hand. "Sam?" he said tentatively.

Vlad went to the door and called for Bruce. DJ stood at the edge of the bed, ears perked, whining once again. The billionaire then grabbed the collie by the collar and gently led him out to the living so he wouldn't be in the way, and went back to the room.

"Sam?" Danny tried again when she didn't move. He was starting to think they'd heard incorrectly when her brows scrunched. The young ghost brightened and squeezed her hand.

"Nn," the goth groaned again.

At this point, Dr. Tanning arrived, walking to the bed, putting his stethoscope in his ears and listening to her chest. "Sam? Can you hear me?" he called.

She didn't respond verbally, but her brows scrunched again, which Bruce took as a sign that she had at least heard something.

Her heart sounded good and strong, breathing quickening as she came to wakefulness. He put the stethoscope back around his neck and then started feeling around her neck with his fingers. "Keep talking to her," he encouraged Danny.

"Hey, Sam. I'm here. Can you open your eyes?" the young man asked with another gentle squeeze.

This time, her whole face kind of scrunched in rebellion against waking. "Ki…Ki-oh?" she whispered, voice hoarse.

Danny wasn't sure if what she said was even English, but the fact that she was trying made his core soar.

"Good, that's good," Dr. Tanning said. He then pulled a thin flashlight from his jacket pocket and pulled one of her eyes open, flashing the light onto her pupil a few times.

Sam shrinked back, trying to close her eye. "What the hell, Ki-oh?" she said weakly, but with an attitude, which was also a good sign.

Danny cocked his head, hearing that word again. In this context, it was obviously a name, though whether it was masculine or feminine, he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was a doctor who had replaced Dr. Tanning given the context?

Bruce stopped and allowed her to shut her eye again. "Pupil reaction is good, if a bit slow. But that's not unexpected."

She groaned again. "Am I restrained?" she asked softly. "I can barely move."

Danny looked at Bruce in confusion, but the doctor didn't betray a thing. "Can you move your feet?" he asked.

They saw light movement under the covers, to which Bruce nodded. "And your hands?" He nodded again when her fingers and wrist moved some. "Can you move anything else?"

They saw the strain on her face, and her legs and arms twitched, but didn't make any coordinated movement.

The young ghost looked at Vlad worriedly, who gave him a reassuring smile in return. "This is not unexpected," the billionaire said.

"It's not," Dr. Tanning confirmed. "Her basic functions are intact and so is her speech and personality. But her brain was oxygen deprived for quite a while, longer than I had planned. It's actually very common for people to have to do physical therapy and relearn things like walking after a prolonged cardiac arrest," he explained.

"Will she walk again?" Danny asked, almost afraid of the answer. Of course, he'd love her and take care of her no matter what, but he at least wanted to be able to set his expectations.

"She still has control of her limbs, so I do find it likely. We still need to watch her though, the chances of coming out of a cardiac arrest that long without any form of neurologic symptoms is extremely low, and it's hard to get a true baseline on her neurologic state in the first 72 hours. However, with being half ghost, she should be able to recover more swiftly than most."

"Neuo-neurolo–what? Ki-oh, what are you on about?" the goth asked, trying to open her eyes on her own now. She was pretty sure she was hearing more than just the Asian's voice, but all the big words were getting jumbled in her head and she was starting to get anxious.

"She doesn't remember, does she?" Danny asked, gaze on Sam though his question was directed at Bruce.

"Not likely," he said. "Her memories of that fight may come back, or they may not; it's different for everyone."

"What fight?" Sam asked, annoyance creeping into her tone. At least her voice seemed to be getting a little stronger.

She opened her eyes into slits, scowling at the bright light. Vlad, in response, turned off the large overhead light, keeping just the side table lamp on. That helped and she was able to crack her eyes open a little more.

She could tell there were three people in the room, but they were unfocused and misshapen. She blinked several times, her vision starting to clear a little.

Danny scooted closer, keeping her hand in his, and reached out his free hand, but stopped just short of actually touching her cheek. She seemed to think she was somewhere else and he didn't want to startle her too badly. "Sam? Honey, it's me, it's Danny," he said in a soft voice.

Her brows drew down in confusion. That voice…that deep rich voice…was she hallucinating? She blinked again, looking at the blob the voice came from, and then squinted.

The young man then carefully placed his hand on her cheek and she tried to jerk away from the cold sensation. "Wha–?"

He then brought her hand up and placed it on his cheek. She stopped trying to pull away and stared at where she thought her hand was. His face was cold and the beard scraped against her palm. Realization slowly began to dawn on her that she was not hallucinating.

She shook her head a little, blinking several more times, scrunching her eyes shut hard, before trying again. It was still fuzzy, but she could see it now, his white hair and beard, his strong jawline, those toxic green eyes. "Danny?" she said.

"Yes," he answered, his voice barely a whisper, a sob breaking through as he said it.

He could feel her weakly trying to grab his beard and pull him to her so he obliged and put his forehead on hers. From this distance it was much easier for her to see him and she smiled tiredly.

Bruce patted Vlad on the arm and pointed towards the door, before turning and softly saying, "If you need us, we'll be outside." They left, unsure if Danny had even heard it.

The young man couldn't hold back anymore and his lips met hers. He'd been dying to feel her this close again since she'd left. He pulled back and she looked up at him breathless.

Then: "How did you–wait, did Mira find you?" Sam asked, her brain unsure if she needed to panic.

"No, no," his deep voice reassured her. "You're home."

"But…I'm me," she responded. Her clearly confused amethyst eyes darted between his green ones.

"You mean not Shade?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

He smiled that winning smile that lit up a room. "It's over, Sam. Mira brainwashed you, but we fixed it."

She wanted to smile back but she felt like there was a hole where the last few days should've been. "I don't remember…" She winced; trying to think about it hurt her head.

"Hey, it's okay," he said soothingly. "Don't worry about it right now; what matters is you're here and you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" she asked, an edge of panic in her voice. She hated that she couldn't remember.

"You don't need to worry about that right now," realizing he'd said the wrong thing and now she was focusing on it.

"No, Danny, why wouldn't I be okay?"

He sighed, once again underestimating her stubbornness. "I will tell you, but you have to promise not to panic or Dr. Tanning is going to drug you."

She pushed her head back into the pillow to get a better look at him and gave him the side eye. "Saying that makes me want to panic."

Danny growled in frustration at himself. 'I really wish I had a filter between my brain and my mouth!'

He sighed again, before sitting up and taking her hand in both of his. "Mira has this power that allows her to brainwash people," he started, pausing to let it sink in.

She nodded. "I know."

He furrowed his brow. "You know?"

Her cheeks tinged pink and she looked down. Well…as down as she could when lying in a bed. "I wasn't Shade all the time. She would put me in this room and it would make me me again."

Danny looked horrified. "Did you…did you remember anything?"

He saw her eyes start to water and she sniffed. He knew she'd been blaming herself for everything while she was isolated in that room. "Oh, honey. No matter what, I love you," he said. The young ghost smiled sadly at her and then stood, pulling the covers down.

"What are you doing?" she asked, voice gravelly from emotion. She was trying really hard not to cry.

"I want to be close to you," he answered simply.

He reached over, hooking one arm under her knees and the other around her back. Sam tried to snake her arms around his neck but she was struggling to lift her arms at all. She didn't need to worry though, as Danny lifted her as if she weighed nothing. In reality, his injured arm hurt like a bitch, but he wasn't going to show that. He walked over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room and sat down with her in his lap so that her legs draped across his and her side was snuggled into his stomach and chest.

Danny sat there with her head against his chest and stroked her hair while rocking in the chair.

They were quiet for a moment before Sam spoke up. "I don't understand how you could forgive me and say you love me so easily after what I did to you," she said softly, voice shaking.

He paused in his movements. "How do I put this?" he asked out loud. He'd never been the one to sing when things got hard, but perhaps now was a good time. He started to rock again and began to sing.

"If your kiss turned me to stone,

I'd be a statue standing tall in Ancient Rome.

And if your touch shattered me like glass,

I'd be in pieces trying to make the breaking last."

Sam sniffed, a bit surprised that the roles had been reversed and that it was now Danny singing to her. She didn't mind, though. He sang beautifully and his voice just seemed to fit the song, even though it was one she'd never heard before.

"If it took one look to turn my days to night,

At least I'd have the stars that sparkle in your eyes."

Tears once again sprang to her eyes as she listened to the lyrics. It was so well aligned with what had happened. He'd picked the perfect song, in her opinion. He continued to rock, now completely enveloping her in his arms. She seemed so small when he did that.

"There's just some things that leave a man no choice,

Like a compass needle needing its true North.

Even if I knew the day we met you'd be the reason this heart breaks,

Oh, I'd love you anyway."

Sam started sobbing now, unable to reign in her emotions at his words. Danny leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He looked down at her fondly, but she was unable to meet his eyes as she was just trying to hold herself together. He continued, leaning his head back against the chair.

"I know just trying to write a song,

I run the risk that I could get your perfect wrong.

And well, I guess what I'm trying to say,

Is there ain't words been made could shoulder so much weight."

Danny didn't realize his family had the sound on for the baby monitor in the living room. They hadn't intentionally been listening in, but the moment they heard him start singing, Jazz couldn't help it. She picked up the monitor and they listened, tears in their eyes at not only the song, but also at the stunning way he sang it.

The words 'there's just some things that leave a man no choice' resonated with Jazz as she remembered Danny had said exactly that the day he'd gone to surrender to Mira. As he sang, she began to realize exactly what he'd meant that day.

"And if you turned your back on me and walked away,

Not a thing about the way I feel would change."

Sam clenched her eyes shut, hand gripping his shirt over his chest tightly. She couldn't understand how this man could love her even after what she'd done.

"There's just some things that leave a man no choice,

Like a compass needle needing its true North.

Even if I knew the day we met you'd be the reason this heart breaks,

Oh, I'd love you anyway."

He leaned his head forward, laying it so that his cheek was against her forehead, his beard gently tickling her pale skin.

"There's just some things that leave a man no choice,

Like a compass needle needing its true North.

Even if I knew the day we met you'd be the reason this heart breaks,

Oh, I'd love you anyway."

She sniffed, listening to the deep rumble of his voice as it vibrated in his chest. Despite the chill of his skin, she'd never felt such warmth. She knew this man would go to the ends of the Earth and back for her.

"Even if I knew the day we met you'd be the reason this heart breaks,"

He squeezed her in his arms gently.

"Oh, I'd love you anyway."

He lifted his head and pulled back to try and look at her. "Does that answer your question?"

She sniffed, doing her best not to look him in the eye. "You should sing more often," she said softly.

He chuckled. Sam lay there with her ear against his chest soaking up the sound of it. "I wasn't sure if we'd ever go back to this."

He squeezed her lightly, once again resting his cheek on her forehead. "Me neither. It feels like a dream."

"I still can't understand how you can forgive so easily," she whispered.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, something that felt odd on the ghost after she'd been sitting there leaning against his still chest. Old habits, she guessed. "Despite everything I've done, and what you've seen me do, you still love me," he said simply.

"You're a good man," she said, slowly splaying her fingers out on his chest. "Everyone does things they're not proud of."

He pulled one side of his mouth up in a lopsided grin. "Sounds like you need to take your own advice."

"I tried to kill you," she argued.

"I did kill you," he said back firmly.

That stopped her. She'd actually almost forgotten about that. "But that wasn't me," she reasoned.

"First of all, that doesn't matter because I thought it was you. Second of all…I actually did kill you," he admitted softly.

She pulled her head back to look up at him, annoyed with the effort it took. "What do you mean?"

He looked down at her lap, unable to meet her eyes. "The only way to remove Mira's influence on you was to kill you," he said so softly she strained to hear him. "Dr. Tanning said her power would remain even if you killed me, and the only way to stop it was to reset your brain. And the only way to do that was to stop your heart for four minutes."

She blinked up at him, trying to comprehend his words. "Is that what happened to me?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. It was obvious he struggled with it. "Yeah. But it took longer to revive you than we expected. I…I thought I was going to lose you."

"But you got me back," she smiled.

He cleared his throat. "About that–"

"Why is there extra material on your chest?" she asked, unintentionally cutting him off. She felt him go rigid. "I hurt you, didn't I?" she asked softly, lowering her head and looking at his chest in front of where her head still lay. Her hand was resting on an area that felt too thick to be just shirt material. She'd suspected it was a bandage and she was right.

"It's not your fault," he said quickly. "I let it happen because I needed to get close to you."

"Did I put my hand through your chest again?" He could tell by her voice that she was choking up.

He wrapped his arms tighter around her. "No. No, you didn't. It's not that serious, I promise."

She didn't respond, but she didn't cry either. He took that as a good sign. They stayed in relative silence for several long moments, simply enjoying each other's company, though Sam was frustrated that she could barely move her body, and when she tried, it was jerky and uncoordinated.

Finally, "Who is Ki-oh?" Danny asked. "Is he the doctor they replaced Dr. Tanning with?"

She pulled her head back again, the movement a little choppy. "How do you know that name?"

"You said it a few times when you were waking up. I think you thought Dr. Tanning was him."

She looked away from him, thinking. She wasn't sure if Ki-oh's story was hers to tell, but maybe Danny could help her get him out of there–once she was better of course. "I guess you could say he's the doctor they have now. He was studying to be one, but never became one. He's…Mira's brother."

He went rigid again, except this time she could tell by the different way his muscles tensed that it was in shock and anger. "She has a brother? How did I not know this?"

"I don't know, but I got the feeling he tried to stay out of it before," she answered.

"Just what we needed: another one of them," he said, his deep voice full of resentment.

"He's not a bad man," she defended.

"And what kind of name is Ki-oh?" he asked. "The Headmaster had a thing for weird names."

"He's Korean, actually. She adopted him, so he's not actually related to them by blood." She realized something was wrong when he went deadly still. Suddenly, he stood, picking her up with him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, slightly panicked at the sudden movement.

He took her to the bed and gently placed her down on it, making sure she had pillows behind her to keep her sitting up on her own. His gentleness was a stark contrast to the rage on his face. "I have that bastard locked up in the basement. I'm going to go beat some answers out of him. Or better yet, maybe I'll just kill him."

He noted the look of terror on her face at his words. "No, Danny, you can't!"

He pulled the covers up to her lap. "Why can't I? He's one of them!"

"So was I!" she said desperately.

"That was different!" he nearly shouted.

Sam couldn't even reach out to him to try and stop him and it pissed her off. "He was my Dr. Tanning," she reasoned. "He helped me like Dr. Tanning helped you."

Danny made his way around the bed and turned back briefly to wave his arm. "He's her brother, Sam."

"He saved my life!" she shouted as he made it to the door and wrenched it open to startled faces out in the living room. They'd heard the argument start over the monitor, but hadn't expected the door to fly open.

"I know, I was there!" he said, which only confused her.

"No, you weren't," she said, completely lost by his statement. "Vlad, please stop him!" she shouted when Danny went to go out the door.

The billionaire, unsure of what, exactly, was going on, came over and stood in the young man's way. Even if he didn't understand the situation, it was obvious Sam was in distress.

"Move," Danny said in a warning tone.

"I don't think I will," Vlad said, crossing his arms.

Danny raised a brow. "Funny that you think you have the strength to stop me."

Vlad frowned. He hated to admit it, but the young ghost was right; he wasn't as strong. And Danny was damn scary when he got like this. The only one who could truly match him was Sam–and she could even before she was half ghost–but she was in no condition to go toe to toe with him.

"Danny, will you just listen to me!" Sam pleaded.

Bruce came quickly from down a hallway where his bedroom was. "What's going on?"

Jazz, now thoroughly pissed off at her brother's actions, answered: "Danny is getting the patient all worked up."

His gaze turned to the intimidating ghost. Danny was humming with energy, his eyes like suns. Bruce walked over to him, hoping he was using his best 'doctor' voice. "Danny, she just woke up from a six minute cardiac arrest; she's lucky to even be alive and we still don't know if there's any permanent damage. You need to calm the situation down," he urged.

His words struck a chord in Danny and he powered down his core, his glow dimming.

"Danny, you weren't there when he saved me," Sam tried again.

The young man sighed and reentered the bedroom. "Yes, I was–wait, how do you know he saved you? You said you didn't remember?"

Her breaths were coming quickly and she looked hopelessly lost. Bruce, seeing her labored breathing, grabbed his stethoscope and went to her, placing it on her chest.

Now Danny felt the guilt take over and he deflated. He just couldn't stop hurting her, could he?

"I don't understand," she said.

He walked over to the bed, his demeanor and voice more gentle, but still firm. "We didn't save you, Sam. We tried, but we couldn't start your heart. Then an Asian man–a half ghost–showed up and said he could save you. He used some kind of electric power and restarted your heart."

She looked down at the bed, her breathing starting to calm. "That's it, my dear," Bruce encouraged.

"So, that's the second time he saved my life, then," she said softly.

Danny's brows drew down before he sat down and reached out, taking her hand again. "Second?"

Bruce took the stethoscope away, satisfied she was okay now, and quietly left so they could talk, though he left the door open in case another incident occurred.

"You and I had that encounter where I was myself for a short time, and then I…" she swallowed, unable to finish her sentence. "I wasn't supposed to be out there; I had snuck out. When I got back, Mira was furious. I–I mean Shade–provoked her. She hit me with an ecto-blast and broke my wing. Ki-oh stopped her," she said.

"He prevented her from killing you?"

Sam shook her head, a look of guilt crossing her face. "No, she never intended to kill me. Ki-oh patched me up and left some pain meds for my broken wing…he walked in when I was trying to take the whole bottle," she admitted, voice shaking.

Danny looked stricken. "You tried to kill yourself?"

Tears were falling down her cheeks before she knew it. "I realized how you must have felt all those years…unable to get back, thinking you killed your friends and sister." She looked at him with so much sorrow in those beautiful eyes. "I almost killed you and I believed it was only a matter of time before I did. I thought it was the only way…" she looked down, ashamed.

He scooted himself up on the bed and put his arms around her, pulling her to him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think of the possibility that she had you become yourself. I didn't think you could, not unless knocked out or something like that one time."

"She said it was punishment," she said into his chest.

They sat there like that for a short time before he felt her trying to pull away. He let her, but kept his arms on her shoulders. "If he saved my life, why do you have him locked in the basement?" she asked.

Danny sighed. "Because he's one of them. And because he saved you. It didn't feel right to kill him after that, but I didn't want to let him go so he could tell Mira what happened. And I thought he could give me answers," he explained.

"Please, let him go," she pleaded.

"Why?" He asked. "I'm grateful he saved your life–twice–but why? So he can go back to Mira?"

"He has a wife and a baby girl that was just–wait," she stopped when she realized she didn't even know how long she was out. "What day is it?"

"It's the day before Christmas Eve," he responded.

"His daughter was born just days ago, you have to let him go home," she begged.

She could see the indecision on his face. "You really trust him?" he asked.

She nodded adamantly. He watched her for a moment before he looked away and sighed. "Alright, I'll let him go,"

She smiled and leaned towards him, trying to pull her arms up to hug him but failing. So he went to her, pulling her to him.

"I want to say goodbye, though," she said suddenly. "I need to thank him for saving my life again."

He pulled away. "Alright."

Sam smiled at him before she got another panicked look on her face. "The twins! What kind of mother am I? Where are my babies?"

Danny chuckled, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "They're right here," he said, before sweeping his arm over towards the bassinets in the corner.

"Wait, they were in the room the whole time? Our shouting didn't wake them?"

The young man stood and went to the bassinets, carefully rolling them over to the side of the bed. "You know how they are: you could vacuum next to their face and they won't wake up."

Sam chuckled lightly. "There's definitely a reason the saying is 'sleep like a baby'." She leaned a bit over to get a look at them, noting they were sleeping.

"Do you want to hold them? I can put one in your lap," he offered.

She gave him a grateful smile but shook her head. "I don't want to wake them just yet." Her eyes roamed over her kids, soaking it in. She was overjoyed at seeing them again, and knowing she'd spend Christmas with them, but there was also an underlying note of mournfulness.

"They got so big," she said sadly.

He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, his thumb gently rubbing her skin. "They grow fast, but you only missed a few weeks." He debated on telling her they were smiling now, but decided against it. He wanted her to experience it first.

Sam wanted to reach her hand up and place it on his, but her movements were jerky and she couldn't get her arm up. She growled in frustration.

"It's okay, hun," he said. "You just need some physical therapy. And you're half ghost now, your core will make recovery quicker."

She sighed.

"There's someone else who's dying to see you," he said.

At her questioning gaze, Danny left the room. After a moment she heard the whining and realized exactly who he meant. "DJ!" she yelled.

The dog barked once and appeared in the doorway, his legs trying desperately to propel himself across the room, but Danny was holding the leash tight. "You can't just go barreling into her, DJ," he said.

The border collie was shaking all over from his excitement, barely able to contain himself. He was whining and pawing at the air now as Danny held him back. Slowly, the ghost let him over to the bed, picking him up and placing him at the end of it, but keeping him back some until he started to calm.

"Sit, DJ," Sam commanded. The dog tried, he really did, but he couldn't keep his butt still on the bed, his whole body wiggling.

The goth was too weak to really reach out, so Danny let him a little closer until Sam was able to pet her dog, DJ now in heaven that she was there and petting him.

Finally, after a few minutes, DJ was calm enough that Danny felt comfortable taking the leash off. DJ immediately went up to Sam's side and laid on her legs, flipping himself over for some belly rubs.

Sam grinned, petting her dog, heart swelling at finally being home with her family.

–

12/2/2024: so this took one day to write. Granted, I had 3 pages written already but still…this turned into a bigger chapter than I originally planned.

I don't like the way this site splits the lyrics into double spaced lines. It's NOT that way in my document, but this site WILL NOT let me single space it.

I hope you're happy she's home! Well, not at her house but you know what I mean…