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 Eighteen.

I lie inside myself for hours.

Danny sat there looking around the cold room. The tiled floor and white dry wall gave it an empty feeling. Nothing like the courtrooms on movies with their rich wood paneling and dashingly handsome attorneys. But than again if reality was like TV, there wouldn't be anything to worry about in this world. Everything could be solved in a half an hour and the worst thing was waiting through commercials.

The judge was currently hearing the case before theirs. He glanced over at Sam. To anyone else she would have looked fine. But her jaw was set a little too firmly and her eyes looked a little too intense. He squeezed her hand and she looked over at him with a sort of scared look. Danny mouthed, 'Are you okay?' She nodded, the braids swinging forward to brush the back of her jaw.

They sat there staring at each other until Sam jumped. Danny shook himself out of the daze and saw that Bryce had put his hand on the small of her back. "It's show time, Sam." With one last terrified glance at Danny, she followed Bryce up to the front.

Danny felt his mom squeeze his elbow and tried to smile reassuringly at her, letting her know it was fine. But it wasn't fine his face showed it. He was petrified. This was it. Sam was either going to be with him or he would lose her. The judge asked for the case and the clerk read the names and the case number and introduced the attorneys. Danny couldn't have cared less at the moment. They filled in on the basic charges and case information.

The judge listened intently. "So she's already been emancipated, but we have the issue of custody?"

"Yes, sir," the clerk confirmed with a nod.

The judge looked down at the case files. "The file says she is pregnant," he directed at Bryce.

He nodded. "Nine weeks, your honor."

"And the Fenton's relationship to Samantha is?"

Bryce swallowed. "Their son Daniel has been her best friend since kindergarten." It felt weird to hear him and Sam referred to as Samantha and Daniel. His whole life they'd always been Sam and Danny. Well at least since second grade when Sam switched from being called Sammy.

The judge peered at them his head still bent. "But the child is not his according to the report."

"No, your honor."

He folded his hands and leaned back in his chair. "And what do you propose, Mr. Steiling, before I go to the defense?"

"Since Samantha is already emancipated, I don't see how the defense can object to who her guardians are. The Fenton's have done all of this the legal way. There is no reason that Mr. and Mrs. Fenton should not be given guardian status till Miss Manson finishes high school."

"Objection," called out the man who had visited them in the hospital. "Until she has a guardian, her parents are still responsible for her welfare."

The judge looked at the other lawyer. "Overruled. The emancipation went completely through."

Danny shot a confused look over at his mom. Maddie leaned over and whispered in his ear. "It means Sam is an adult in the courts eyes. Her parents can't claim her again."

He looked back up at Sam. She looked so lost and scared, her shoulders were shaking. Danny wished he could just stop time and go to her. But that of course was impossible. Instead he sat there helplessly as Bryce sat down next to Sam and her fathers attorney stood.

"Miss Manson was emancipated cause she verbally attacked her parents and when they tried to stop her, she hurt herself for attention. She lied to her parents as of the fact of who was the child's father. The same lie the prosecution is using now." Sam stiffened and everything in Danny screamed to jump up and stop him from saying this about his best friend. His mother must have been able to tell cause she put a hand on Danny's shoulder, almost as if it was a warning.

"She has a behavior problem. Even her school records show it. Disrespect, poor choices, a few rebelious displays of activism. In fact her best friend, Daniel Fenton, got suspended for attacking another student. Is that the kind of example we want to set for Samantha?"

Danny felt the judge's eyes on him but he remained staring resolutely at the legs of the chair in front of him. He had been protecting her reputation. Wasn't that what best friends are supposed to do? The lawyer continued. "I have already contacted a great foster home down near the Brightsburg Dimsdale area. The Carter family is highly religious and well structured. Mr. Carter is a professor of theology and his wife is an elementary school teacher at a local Christain academy. Where as the Fentons are inventors, not even a stable job. And already supporting two teens and are going to have to start paying tuition for there oldest in a few years. The financial situation is just not practical for them to take her in."

Danny glanced over at his parents. His father's jaw was set and his eyes had a cold look. His mom looked like she was about to cry. The judge looked at his family and Danny felt the tears start to burn his eyes. It didn't take a genius to know they were losing. He was about to lose his best friend.

Sam turned around and looked at him tears on her face. Danny bit his lip and tried to force himself to smile. It wouldn't come. "Miss Manson?" the judge called. Sam's head whipped back around.

"I've reached my decision." The clerk asked everyone in the courtroom to stand. "Until Samantha has the child, she needs a family structure to help her through this. I'm placing her in the care of the Carter's. Once she has the baby, we'll reevaluate and if at that time Miss Manson still wishes to complete her education at Casper High, we will see about her living with the Fenton's. Case dismissed." He hit the gavel and Sam literally fell to the ground with a sob.

His mother went to her but Danny couldn't move. He stood in one place, everything numb. He stared ahead at the fallen figure with glassy blue eyes. It was over. He'd just lost his best friend.

It's over. I'm seriously going to cry. I know I'm way to mean to them. But it serves my purposes. Muwahahaha. Anyways I want to thank all my fabulous reviewers for this chapter: YAY!!!!, audi katia, autumngold, Wind Cat, AngelicxDeath, Possesed Angel, Silverflare07, Medisti, IceSugarHigh, Incrediblecuznz x 3, RavenForever, Mrs. Granger-Weasley, Kagome51, Fox of Light, Samster The Hamster, The Good Girl, Spice Of Life, Storm Sword, Moody Maud, Shadow Sakura, Ryo's destiny, q.t a.k.a spice, asdfsdf, Coldplayer813, RainbowSerenity, AngelicxDeath, and Possesed Angel. You guys rock.