Taking Over Me
Summary: With Sam gone, Danny has enough to deal with. At the same time he runs into the first ghost he can't beat, and that's Danny Phantom.
Rating: PG-13 for mature themes and language.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, Butch Hartman does. I do not own Taking Over Me, Evanescence does.
Chapter Four
I'll give up everything just to find you.
Danny stared open mouthed at himself and felt terror wash over him. "No," he whispered. "No." He stared at himself unblinkingly, crimson of the reflection burning into his vision. He closed his eyes for a moment, counted to ten, and opened them again. Staring back at him were the neon green eyes that he had always associated with being spectral.
He sighed. Tucker must be right. The stress of not having Sam around was getting to him. He wanted that to be true. But if that was the truth, why had Tucker run away? Why had the ghost told him to take a good look at himself? Something was definitely wrong here.
Danny changed back dropping lightly to the floor with a muted thud. He walked over and dropped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. He cleared his mind and closed his eyes. He was dwelling and everyone knew it. Everything was getting harder for him. Eating and sleeping were becoming two things that were happening less and less.
Amanda told him Sam was doing well all things considered. She had good grades, she was starting to put on the weight that came with being pregnant, and she was starting to smile and laugh more. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He wanted to be the one making her smile and laugh, he wanted to be her lab partner and assure her that she didn't look fat, which she was complaining about. It wasn't fair. He'd gone through everything with her and now some total stranger was the one holding her hand through it.
He opened his eyes and rolled over scooting forward until he could reach around to get under his bed. He felt around blindly until he felt the edge of an old shoebox. Sam and him had organized it together while she was staying here as something to do so they didn't have to think. He pulled it up onto the bed and ripped the lid off, casting it away.
Inside were countless envelopes. At certain intervals were index cards standing up, labeled in Sam's flowery cursive. The first one was entitled Kindergarten, the last one emblazoned with 'Freshman Year'. He ran his finger over the first three sections of envelopes before pushing them forward. He looked through the third grade envelopes reading each title to himself. Halloween, Sam's Birthday, Tucker's Birthday, Misc., Christmas, He finally found the one he wanted. Our first sleepover/Danny's Birthday.
He pulled it out and gingerly pulled out a roll and a half worth of pictures. They hadn't planned on having an overnight but Sam's dad had been in an accident and while it hadn't been bad, he had stayed overnight to be monitored. His parents had taken her home, helped her pack a bag and let her stay in Danny's room with him for the night.
Considering the circumstances, the two of them had gotten away with murder. They'd eaten almost all of the rest of Danny's birthday cake, jumped on his bed for almost an hour and stayed up to ten-thirty, an eternity to two kids who had an eight-thirty bedtime. He pulled out a picture of him and Sam taken while they were trying to eat the whole cake. They had got into a frosting fight and both their little grinning faces were just coated in it.
He grinned at the image they made tired, yet on a sugar high, leaning on each other to stay upright. Both of them grinning, standing in their PJ's. His a little pair of blue sweats and Sam in a little tank top that was light yellow and pale green Pajama pants with Yellow butterflies on them. Her hair was up in high pigtails at the back of her head, reminding him very much of how she wore it now.
He wished she was here now. Being the one he could lean on so he could stand. He had no one. He rubbed his thumb gently over her little face in the photograph as if just by doing that all the icing would magically be gone. Tears welled up in his eyes. The part that he remembered vividly was lying there talking till they fell asleep.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Danny closed light blue eyes, exhausted. "Danny," came the soft whisper, almost hesitant. He opened his eyes and looked over the edge of the bed at his best friend in a sleep bag that almost swallowed her tiny form.
"Yeah?"
She blinked up at him, lavender eyes sparkling in the light given off by the little nightlight on the wall. "We're gonna be best friends forever right?"
He slipped out of bed and sat down Indian-style next to her. "You bet!"
"Even when we grow up. Like in high school or when we get really old?"
He grinned at her while she pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Sure! We'll be best friends for ever and ever!"
Sam looked contrite for a moment, looked up with pleading eyes. "What if bad things happen? Like a car crash with my dad, 'cept what if that's one of us?"
"We'll still be best friends. Even if bad stuff happens, I'll always be here okay. I pinky promise."
Sam shifted her weight of her elbow and linked her small finger with his. She gigled as they shook on it. The both jumped as they heard the footsteps coming towards the door. Danny jumped into bed and closed his eyes yanking the covers up to his chin. Sam rolled so that her face was away from the door. Jack poked his head in the door. "I thought I told you kids to—" he trailed off upon seeing the two 'sleeping' nine-year-olds, one of which hadn't even been nine for a day yet.
The door eased shut and both of them waited a split moment before giggling. "'Night, Danny."
He leaned over and stared down at amethyst eyes. "'Night, Sammy."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Danny blinked back the tears looking at a picture of the two of them sitting on the sleeping bag leaning against the bed, taken only minutes before that conversation. He couldn't help the wave of guilt that washed over him closing his throat. Now they were in high school, and something had most definitely gone wrong. He'd let them take her away. Danny started slipping pictures back into the envelope. In that moment he decided something. If Sam couldn't be with him, he was going to be with Sam. Tomorrow, he was going to go find her.
Another chapter, another happy little flashback. You realize we haven't had one of those since three chapters into Hello? Oh well, we have one now. Thankies to everyone who reviewed this time: Rabid-Tortise, RainbowSerenity, autumngold, Spice Of Life, The Good Girl, Wind Cat, Sakura Scout, Silverflare, gothmiko, getfuzzyfan04, Kagome51, Hiyume, aeris9919, Coldplayer813, Fox of Light, Mrs. Granger-Weasley, audi katia, MayB, Moody Maud, RavenForever, and KittenGoMoo. Power to the people who review!