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 Fifteen
I look in the mirror and see your face.
The fall breeze brushed tendrils of dark hair across wind-stung cheeks. Sam closed her eyes, trying to lose herself in the feeling and ignore the loss of focus she had felt over the past two days. It was her first payday. Wasn't that supposed to be exciting? All she wanted at the moment was for her to get a call and have it be Danny on the other end of the line. She'd bombed her history test today. First grade of the second quarter and she had blown it completely. The sound of the sliding glass door came from behind her and she whirled around to see Chris closing it behind him.
He walked over to the balcony and placed his hands on it, leaning slightly over the edge. "You're not going to make any friends if you spend your spare time out here."
"I don't need any new friends," Sam bit out.
Chris glanced over her face. "Wow. That's harsh, Sam."
She chewed on her bottom lip. She always did it when she was nervous. She noticed this afternoon that it was all torn up from the constant abuse over the past forty-eight hours. "I have stuff on my mind right now."
"Is that the only line you girls throw out?" Sam glared over at the older boy. "I mean seriously, Sam. I got you this great job and you won't even be civil to me." She pushed away from the balustrade and headed for the door. "Sam!" She didn't even glance back. She slammed the sliding glass door. Pausing as a wave of bitterness passed over her, she reached back and flipped the latch. It was only a moment of seconds before Blake pounced on her leg.
She gave him the universal sign for one minute and scanned the room. "Ashley!" Another library employee turned across the room. "I'm going home early! I'm taking that time I comped for you on Wednesday!"
The other girl looked confused. "If you leave early, you'll have to come in tomorrow and get your paycheck.'"
Sam shook her head already walking toward Ryan. "That's fine. Don't care at the moment." She turned her attention to her foster brothers. "Go grab your coats. We're leaving."
Blake instantly darted off, happy to get to go watch cartoons. Ryan glared defiantly up at her. "But my friend is here."
"You see him everyday at school. Go get your coat."
Green eyes narrowed. "No!"
Sam leaned down and hissed in his ear. "Ryan, I am not kidding we are going home and going home now." She gripped his shoulder. He shot her a look. "You have two minutes to tell Trey goodbye and be ready to go."
Ryan shot her a look of loathing. "I hate you."
"I have bigger problems right now," she said back, her intonation bordering on sing-song. She grabbed her coat from behind the employee desk and wished for the umpteenth time that she had her license already. She sighed facing the prospect of walking home. Blake darted over, holding up his gloves to her. She pulled them over his hand as he dutifully spread his fingers.
She glanced over at Ryan. "Come on, Ryan! Let's go!"
Both Ryan and Trey shot her a look over their shoulders. Ryan said one last thing, they both laughed, and Ryan waved as he darted away. "I wanna race the elevator!"
Sam rolled her eyes. This was becoming a daily occurrence. The boys would run down the flight of stairs as fast as they could, forcing Sam to take the elevator so they could race it. "Fine, whatever."
She pushed the call button. The two boys pulled open the door to the stairwell so the second the elevator, they could take off. Sam sighed as the elevator dinged. Sam stepped inside, pushing the first floor button as the doors slid shut. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the hand rail.. It had been a whole week since Danny's confrontation with Vlad. She swallowed the knot in her throat. It had been her idea. If he was dead, it was no one's fault but her own.
She twisted the hem of her burgundy maternity top around her finger. Her hand was shaking again. She swallowed hard and curled her hands into tight fist. Her eyes drifted shut as she stood there. The floor shuddered slightly under her feet as it came to a stop and with a slight ding the door opened. Stepping out onto the tile, Sam tugged her worn denim jacket tighter.
She was trying not to complain, but she wished having more than a week worth of clothes that didn't entirely fit right. But this was something she had given up. She had always prided herself for not needing money, but she'd never realized how much she appreciated it. It was like pulling a muscle in her shoulder, she never realized how much she used it until suddenly she couldn't anymore. It suddenly dawned on her that the boys weren't down here yet.
Sam glanced towards the stairwell as a warning went off in her head. Not good. "Guys," she called softly. She walked over to the door to the stairwell and pulled the heavy door open. Instantly the sound of screaming reached her. She recognized it instantly. "Blake?" The wailing increased in pitch, though she doubted the preschooler had heard her. "Blake!"
"Sam!" Ryan called back, panic reflecting in his voice. "He's bleeding!"
Sam started up the stairs. Boys. They scrape a knee and they think they're dying. She made it halfway up when the scene at the landing came apparent. Sam couldn't stop the scream that came out of her mouth. Blood leaked from the entire right half of Blake's forehead. He had his eyes clenched shut but it looked like some had slipped in. He was gasping for breath in between wails. His little dirty blonde hair clung to the sticky substance, matted against his face.
Sam didn't even remember climbing the rest of the stairs but she was suddenly close enough to touch him. She pressed the heel of her hand against his forehead fiercely, trying to stop the bleeding. Ryan stood about five steps above the landing wide-eyed, breathing quickly, seemingly on the verge of tears himself. "Ryan," Sam said sharply. He seemed to jar back to reality. "Go to the front desk and tell them to get Karren. That your brother is hurt in the stairwell." He kept staring at her, as if expecting her to magically wave her hand and make it better. "Ryan, Go!" He took of down the stairs as quickly as he could.
Sam turned to the sobbing little boy and eased him gently into her lap, as the sound of the firedoor closing at the bottom thudded through the stairwell. The blood crawled down her wrist, sending a chill down her spine at the eerie familiarity. "Shh…" She whispered into his hair. "It's alright."
He gasped out something she didn't catch. "I didn't hear you, baby doll." He seemed to calm down slightly, his breathing still ragged. He tried to pull away from her hand that was crushing his sore forehead but she put hand on the back of his skull to still him. He whimpered and Sam shushed him again. "You have to tell me what you said."
"Somebody…push…me," he choked, out still sobbing between words. Sam played with his hair as she whispered that it was alright. Ryan had probably done it by mistake. She glanced to the top of the stairs. Violet eyes went wide. Hovering about halfway up the flight in the shadows was a figure, but the thing that hit her was the glowing crimson eyes.
Sorry! My connection hasn't been letting me upload and I finally got a hold of my internet provider to straighten it out. Much better. Hope you enjoyed. Cheers to: cheerin4danny, Kagome51, audi katia, hannahbanana3809, gothmiko, The Good Girl, q.t a.k.a spice, Chicken Person, Mrs. Granger-Weasley, Sakura Scout, Mr. Delmont, YAY!!!x4, Spice Of Life, GMGirl, WormmonABC, Ryo's destiny, MayB, Random Reviewer, autumngold x2, Medisti, Hwoarangsguardie, Moody Maud, The Fuzy Llama, RavenForever, Silverflare07, RainbowSerenity, cheerin4danny, Wind Cat, and Aeris9919. Kudos to whoever gets 400!
P.S. - To the person who commented on baby's gender, my best friends mom is a pediatrician and she says that you can still know. I made sure and checked before that chapter went out. If it is a policy, it isn't in my state.
Postscripting my PostScript – For those who have been trying to guess my gender, I'm a girl. LoL. Highly amused me.
Note to WormmonABC- Nope, don't have a beta. I've been trying to catch stuff. I guess I just need to step it up.