Imaginary

Summary: Everything has a consequence now Sam has to learn to live with hers. All Danny can do is hope it doesn't kill her.

Rating: PG-13 for mature themes and language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Butch Hartman does. I do not own Imaginary, Evanescence does.

Chapter Thirteen

Lay your head down and stay awhile.

"And that's pretty much what happened," Danny concluded rubbing his left arm, a nervous habit he had picked up around fifth grade. He glanced up at the other five people seated at the table. Jazz was tearing at a paper napkin. His mom and dad were exchanging a look.

Bryce scribbled down some more notes on a piece of yellow legal ledger. "So she totally denied signing anything?" Bryce asked gently.

"She said she would never give up raising me," Sam responded softly. "But she's good at lying. Had a lifetime worth of practice at it."

Bryce ran a hand through his hair short dark hair. "But you saw a secondary signature on there?" he prodded.

"Definitely," said Danny. He looked over at Sam. She still looked a little to pale and the bags under her eyes showed starkly against it. The normal defiant spark gone from her eyes. "Sam, why don't you go to bed?"

She shook her head and started to object when she was cut off. "Danny's right," Jazz put in. "You look half dead. Let's go upstairs." Jazz got up and tugged gently on Sam's arm. Sam shot Danny a look.

"Don't worry. I'll come get you if we need you," he assured her. Sam nodded, her eyes drifting sort of half-closed. She forced them back open again and followed Jazz out of the room.

Danny watched her go, with concerned eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Mr. Steiling regarding him with a kind look. "You're a good friend, Danny. She's lucky to have you."

Danny shook his head. "But I didn't get the signatures. I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault," Bryce assured the dark-haired teen. "Some people just like to make things difficult. You're lucky you ended up with as supportive a family as you did. Letting your girlfriend stay here."

Danny stared at the table for a while. "She's not my girlfriend," he said softly, but Bryce heard him none the less.

"But the child is yours?" Danny shook his head. He could feel the three adults staring at him but he didn't look up. He sat there staring at his old red shoes. They were falling apart and the white had turned to more of a dull tan with dirt. But they were easier to look at then his family.

"If it's not your child, Danny, whose is it?" Bryce asked gently as if talking to a very small child, not a teen boy that was the supposed father of his best friend's baby.

Danny looked up and looked around the table. His father looked at him seriously, as did Bryce. His mom gave him a small encouraging smile as if knowing how hard this was for him. He didn't want to tell. He wanted the world to go on thinking that it was his child and that nothing had happened to Sam. "She was raped," he whispered. "She told me and I kind of lost it and assumed it was Dash. I punched him, that's why I got suspended."

"Why didn't you tell us," Maddie reached over and put her arm around his shoulders, and suddenly Danny felt like he did when he was five. As if just by telling his mom, everything was magically better, and if it wasn't she would fix it.

"I dunno. I thought it was no big deal. As long as Sam was fine it was in the past." He left out the part about her suicide. They didn't need to know that. That was something that was just between him and Sam. He probably shouldn't have even told about her getting raped but he was not going to lie under oath and if they kept this up, that's where the two of them would be.

"But then she found out that she was pregnant," Maddie concluded. All Danny could do was nod meekly.

Bryce hissed through his teeth. "I'm glad you told me, Danny. It's important for me to know whose child it is. Though I'm not going to lie to you. If it's not your child I highly doubt your parents can get guardian status."

Danny's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

"Danny, the courts aren't going to let her stay with you if you two aren't in a long term relationship."

Danny almost jumped out of his seat. "I've been her best friend since kindergarten, but since were not dating and we haven't had sex, she has to get shipped somewhere else?! That's the stupidest thing I've heard in my life!"

Bryce shook his head. "I'll admit it's not ideal but it's what's going to happen."

"So I'm going to lose Sam?" Danny wanted an answer. He wanted Bryce to tell him they could still win, that there was a loophole that Sam was old enough to decide where she stayed. But the older man shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's starting to look that way." At the same moment Bryce said it, Danny happened to glance towards the door. The flash of black told him all he needed to know. Sam had heard. "Sam!" he called, getting up to go after her.

Maddie caught his wrist and pulled him back down. "Give her some time. She's dealing with a lot right now. I'm sure that's what she needs most right now."

Danny fell back into the seat even though his mind screamed at him that it was the wrong thing to do. He nodded maybe she did just need time to think. It made sense, so why was he so worried?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Danny!" The hands on his shoulders shook him harder. He slowly blinked open his eye, trying to make them adjust. He looked up at his nervous sister glancing down at him.

"Jazz? Whaz da madder." He slurred, trying to force himself to focus on being awake.

Her eyes met his, filled with fear. "She's gone, Danny. Sam's not here."

"Did you check the bathroom?" He asked rubbing his blue eyes with the heel of his hands.

Jazz shook her head, flipping long auburn hair over her shoulders. "You don't get it. She's not here. Her stuff is gone. Her bed is made. The deadbolt on the front door is unlocked." She paused letting it sink in. She paused between each word as if the point had to be stressed. "Sam is gone."

Sorry, I know it's been a whole day and a half since the last update. Wow… I suddenly sound incredibly obsessive. LoL. But you all tolerate my writing anyways. My favoritest of favorite people today are: q.t a.k.a spice, Shadow Sakura, Divagurl277, Mrs. Granger-Weasley, Sakura Scout, autumngold, Spice of Life, Moody Maud, gothmiko, audi katia, Fox of Light, Wind Cat, The Fuzy Llama, Kagome51 x2, CoLdPLaYeR813, Ryo's destiny, Samster The Hamster, RainbowSerenity, IceSugarHigh, AngelicxDeath, Weeble Wobble Chic, RavenForever, and The Good Girl. Rock on my fellow Danny Phantom-ers!

P.S. Everybody's heard about the episode where Danny falls head over heals for Sam right? I so can not wait!