Sam walked into her bedroom, exhausted after the long day of abuse from her peers. As she dropped her spider backpack to the floor, she rolled her shoulders, getting some of the tension out of them. She crossed the room, her boots making a soft thud against her plush carpeting as she neared the bathroom. She glanced into the mirror, wondering if her weariness and pain was reflected in her violet eyes.

Her creamy skin was paler than its usual Gothy tone, and her dark makeup was smudged so badly she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. Her full lips were bitten and chapped, evidence of the stress she'd been under. Her gaze returned to her eyes, and the pain it seemed only she could see in their amethyst depths.

Why don't they notice? she wondered. Tucker and Danny are my best friends, and yet keeping this from them has been all too easy. I understand that they're busy, but still—don't I matter enough that they'd see this? This aching, echoing emptiness. This hurt, this self-hatred?

Maybe it's because they don't care, the little voice whispered in the back of her mind. Your parents obviously don't—they can't even be home and around you for more than a week at a time. And they're supposed to love you. Danny and Tucker—all you guys have in common is being rejects. And ghost hunting.

No, Sam denied stubbornly, refusing to believe that Danny—whose very name could send tingles of warmth through her, almost bringing a smile to her face—didn't care about her. Surely the warmth she'd seen in his beautiful eyes indicated some sort of affection. Or the way his face brightened when he saw her—what else could it mean?

Maybe that he thinks you're hot? Or at least, attainable. It's not like his crush on Paulina is ever going to pan out, but he's still a hormonal teenage boy. And you do wear skirts a lot…

She was distracted from her gloomy thoughts by the sudden feeling of being watched. She glanced around, disturbed. Seeing no one, she turned back to the mirror, but before her gaze reached it again, it was distracted by a glimpse of her razor.

No, she thought, fighting what she knew was going to happen. I don't need to. It's okay.

But her hand seemed to move of its own volition, drawing relentlessly closer to the sharp blade.

Stop, she screamed in her thoughts. Please, stop.

But she couldn't. She didn't really have control anymore. Instead, she felt like she was floating, looking down on herself, as some stranger's hands—she wouldn't call them hers—dragged the razor across the fragile skin of her wrist. Her chest ached, a numb spot where a heart usually is throbbing as her blood blossomed, garishly red against her pale skin.

No more, she wailed.

Not deep enough, her other side said, and drew the razor back for a second swipe. She was just about to yank it across again, harder than before, when white gloved hands grabbed hers with gentle firmness.

"Sam," Danny Phantom said softly, heartbreak in his voice. "Stop. Please."

She looked up into his emerald eyes, his angular features framed by his shock of white hair, and felt something inside of her break. Her eyes welled with tears, and she dropped the razor, her hands going limp in his grasp.

"Danny," she said. "I-i"

"Shh," he murmured, pulling her close. "It's okay, Sam. I've got you."

Feeling his arms around her, comforting and safe, Sam wasn't able to hold back tears any longer. She melted into his sculpted chest, relaxing fully for the first time in God-knows-how-long as he stroked her hair, soothing her.

Danny tried to ease his mind, but it kept spiraling back to the scene he had glimpsed when he flew by on patrol: Sam, her eyes glassy, blood dripping from her wrist as she readied the razor for another go.

If he hadn't already been half ghost, he would have had a heart attack from the sight. As it was, he nearly started crying himself. He'd had no idea Sam was feeling so bad, but he was determined to fix it. The thoughts of the things he would do to the person causing her such pain spun though his head, but they were interrupted by a particularly loud intake of breath.

He looked down at her, forcing himself to ignore how right she looked—and felt—in his arms. She returned his gaze, and he found himself getting lost in her gorgeous eyes. She sniffled, and burrowed closer to him. He tightened his grip, giving her a hug.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "You shouldn't have had to see that."

"Sam," he said, saddened. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have been in so much pain. And that, I should have seen. I'm so sorry."

She shrugged. "It's okay."

"No it's not. Thank God I got here when I did, but still…Sam. I couldn't bear to lose you. What's wrong?" Up until that point, he hadn't realized just how much he cared about her. How much it would destroy him if she was gone. She, despite being a Goth, was his bright point in life.

"School. Parents. Not sleeping. Everything," she said, running her hand through her hair.

He frowned. "How can I help?" He wanted to protect her more than anything, to never again let her feel so low that taking a razor to herself felt better than what she did.

She looked at him. That was not the reaction she had expected. She expected him to run, to call her a freak—anything but this. That he wanted to help…did that mean he cared? As more than a friend?

Their gazes met, and suddenly Danny couldn't think. She was so beautiful, and she was in his arms. He moved his face in to kiss her, not even realizing what he was doing. He was momentarily saddened when her eyes fluttered close, but then her lips met his, and his closed also.

Sam, he thought, drinking her in. Her taste was more addicting than any drug, the feel of her lips against his more pleasurable than he had ever imagined it could be. He cupped her face with one hand, feeling her hands tangle in his hair, pulling him closer. He lightly ran his tongue over her upper lip, tracing its curve. She gasped, allowing him access to her mouth, and he explored there too.

Her free hand dug into his back, sending tingles all over. He pulled her closer, and she obliged, straddling him. He let out a moan as he felt her heat against him, her body flush against his. He ran his hand down the curve of Sam's waist, discovering her body with his fingertips.

Deciding that wasn't enough, he moved his mouth from hers, albeit regretfully, and nuzzled his way down her neck, breathing warm air onto it before licking it and biting her gently. She moaned his name, and he felt himself growing harder against her.

She rocked against him, and he stopped for a moment, stunned by how good it felt. "Sam," he growled. She looked at him, and grinned wickedly.

He smiled back, and pulled her down on top of him to kiss her again. When they came up for air, he paused before continuing.

"You know, this isn't how I planned on my evening going," he said.

"It's a nice change," Sam replied glibly, going in to kiss him again. This time, he controlled himself enough to keep it sweet and gentle, as that matched what was on his mind at the time.

"Sam, stop a sec," he said, pulling away from her.

It was as if he had poured ice down her back, as she disentangled herself from him.

This is the part where he tells me that I'm just not good enough for him, she thought. Or worse, that it could screw up our friendship, so let's pretend it never happened. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

Her thoughts were almost loud enough to drown out his words, but his touch drew her attention back.

"Sam," he said, his voice and hand gentle as it cupped her face. He looked at her with such wonder, such softness, such—Don't. Don't say it. There's no going back if it's said. "I don't want to go any further than this right now. I don't want to be taking any advantage with you, Sam. You matter so much more to me than that, and I don't want to cheapen this. I love you."

His words crashed over her, each one a blow of rejection. She could feel her eyes welling up again, and almost missed his last words. When they registered, she looked at him with shock.

"You…love…me?" she repeated, not sure which part confounded her most. That he, the amazing Danny Phantom, who was also her best friend Danny Fenton, could love her, the disturbed, freaky Goth chick, was totally mind blowing.

He smiled, and phased back into a human, his eyes going from a glowing green to a deep blue within seconds. "Sam, I love you so much. How could I not? You're amazing, smart, funny, drop dead gorgeous, brave, caring, sweet, impassioned…I could go on and on, Sam. I love you. And I don't want us to be just a one night stand, only because you were vulnerable. I want us to last."

Knowing that someone cares so much made Sam's heart swell. "I…I didn't think I mattered to you."

"You thought what?!" Danny said, looking at her, shocked. "Sam, how could I not care? If not like this, then as a friend? Because no matter what, I'm that."

"I figured you'd get over it if I…" she mumbled, looking away.

If you what? he wondered. And then the pieces came together: the razor, the depth of the cuts, her surprise that someone cared, that he would just 'get over it'…

"Oh, Sam, no," he said, his voice breaking. "No, no, no. Please don't." He didn't realize it, but tears were running down his face.

She glanced up at him, and saw him crying. Guilt hit her in the stomach like Skulker's fist. She moved over to him, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder.

"I won't," she promised.

"Good," he said, returning her embrace, and holding her tightly before scooping her into his arms and carrying her over to her bed.

He set her down on it, and lay down next to her after kicking off his shoes.

"What are you doing?" she asked warily, her eyes drooping. Crying and cutting and kissing had taken a lot out of her that day—and she'd been exhausted when she walked in to her room.

"Sleeping with you," he murmured in reply, pulling her close to him.

"Why?" she asked, curling into him. She inhaled his smell, spicy and clean.

"Because I'm too tired to fly home, and this is the most relaxed I've been all month," he replied drowsily.

"Mmmm," Sam said, drifting off to sleep, finally at peace in Danny's arms. He smiled, looking down at her beautiful face, before he joined her.

Neither of them noticed the malevolent figure watching them for a little longer before flying back to its master.

A/N This is just chapter one, I hope to update with chapter two in a few weeks! Stay tuned! :)

Also, if this was too fluffy or angsty for you, I'm sorry, and the next few chapters aren't as drastic as this one!