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 Twenty-three

I'll give up everything just to find you.

Sam put the keys in the ignition and carefully started the van. She grinned. She couldn't believe it. She finally had her license. She was sixteen. She wished she'd been back in Amity Park so she could have a birthday party. But she couldn't. Her birthday had been okay. She had gotten a chocolate cake that Tammy made. Her and Everett had gotten her a

Blake had made her a beautiful play dough person and a picture of a tree. She had them both proudly displayed on her dresser in the attic. Ryan had had saved two dollar allowance for the past few weeks and got her a cheap little ring at Mega Mart, but she loved it all the same. It was a silver-tone setting with an amethyst with a tiny piece of cubic zirconium on each side. But somehow this little eight dollar ring was worth more to her than the hundred dollar ring her parents had given her for turning thirteen. That ring was meant to be showy; it hadn't meant anything to them. In fact, Sam had never taken it out of the ring box. Ryan had sacrificed his allowance for a whole month to get her the ring and he had picked it out himself.

She twisted it on her finger before backing out carefully. Until she found out if the boys counted as family, she couldn't get stopped. With that stupid 'one passenger with exception of family' law looming over her head, she couldn't get caught with more than one person in her car. It didn't really matter anyway. She reached over and shifted the van into drive. She couldn't believe that she got the van for tonight. And the boys were actually keeping the noise level below ear-piercing for once. Could life get much better?

"So," Ryan started, leaning forward from the middle seat in the van. "Has your boyfriend called you yet?"

Sam rolled violet eyes. "Danny is not my boyfriend!"

Ryan puckered up and started making over-done kissing noises that would have been worthy of a 1960's Mickey and Minnie Mouse cartoon. Sam sighed as she looked both ways before pulling out of the library parking lot. Blake was sitting in his car seat making up a song as he went along, just sort of singing softly to himself in a none-sense kind of way. Sam smiled. This is what she had to look forward to with Jacob. Suddenly it didn't seem that bad. She didn't know who she could have ever imagined giving him up.

She lost herself in a thought train about the baby. It wouldn't be that bad. When she was re-evaluated she would either continue living with the Carters or go back to stay with Danny. Either way she wouldn't be doing this alone. Jack, Maddie, and Jazz had sent her a birthday card, Danny hadn't sent her one. She couldn't say she could blame him. Lying in bed Saturday night, she couldn't believe how cold she was with him.

She hadn't meant to snap. Her freedom over the past six months had kept getting smaller and smaller. She was loosing control over her life. In that split second Danny had stepped up and challenged Chris, she got scared. Then when he'd latched onto her arm, it brought back the feeling of being helpless against the monsters who'd raped her. Feeling cornered, she'd lashed out. She knew with everything in her that Danny would never hurt her but it was like a reflex she couldn't help but feel.

She turned into the driveway, pushing away the thoughts as she turned off the engine and tuned into the boys arguing. She turned around leaning over and unfastened Blake from his car seat. He hopped out all too willingly and darted off after Ryan toward the front door. Sam followed a little more slowly. Ryan twisted the knob, making a face. "It's locked." A funny feeling settled in Sam's stomach. Everett and Tammy should both be home by now. She walked over and dropped her book bag. Unzipping a smaller front pocket she pulled out a house key. Shouldering her bag once again, she unlocked the door.

All three gasped at the sight in front of them. "Somebody trashed our house," Ryan said. Sam looked around at the destroyed living room. The heavy weight in her stomach increased tenfold. She had a really bad feeling about this.

"You two stay here," she said. And with that Sam started into the house. She walked further in. She swallowed hard. She walked slowly forward. Her eyes then caught a sight that she didn't want to see. A dark stain that she couldn't make out in the darkness marred the off-white couch. Please don't be blood, Sam thought desperately. She took two steps towards it and suddenly a crunching, almost musical sound came. Sam let out a strangled scream startling both the boys into screaming as well.

A quick glance down showed the glass from the picture window scattered all over the floor. Sam swallowed hard. "It's okay, guys. I just scared myself." They didn't say anything but she heard Blake give a small frightened whimper. She walked over to the coach, the sound of broken glass under her feat seeming overly loud. Sam put her fingers gently against the stain. She lifted them closer to her face and looked at them. The sight of the garnet liquid and the faint metallic smell told her all she needed to know. Her stomach churned.

Sam dropped her hand to her side, willing herself to forget the sticky substance clinging to her fingers. She slowly skirted the coach. Blood pounded in her ears, seeming unearthly loud. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs. She glanced down again. Lying on the floor in a puddle of crimson was Tammy and Everett. Sam screamed loudly this time. Her breath quickened as she began stepping backwards. She was only vaguely aware of the boys at the door screaming at her, asking what was wrong. She backed up a few more steps shaking her head mutely.

Suddenly, two gloved hands curled around both her wrist and she was pulled hard against an unnaturally cold figure. "There not dead," hissed the voice in her ear, yet there was no breath against her check. Sam's eyes went wide, placing the voice instantly. "At least not yet."

Another chapter complete. Yay. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Thanks to my reviewers this time: q.t a.k.a spice, The Fuzy Llama, RainbowSerenity, RavenForever, Spice of Life, none, KittenGoMoo, Hwoarangsquardie, Mr. Delmont, cheerin4danny, Sakura Scout, autumngold, Mujitsu Yume, Storm Sword, Danielle Phantom, MayB, Silverflare07, The Good Girl, Samster The Hamster, Medisti, Moody Maud, Random Reviewer, Medisti, getfuzzyfan04 x2, Chibi Millenia Phantom, and Mrs. Granger-Weasley. Yay boi!