Chapter 1 – Nightmares and Portals

Sam was woken by the sound of piercing shrieks coming from the bedroom of her 14 year-old daughter, Lillith. Sam raced out of the room – her husband hot on her heels – to find her daughter tangled in her blankets, screaming and crying.

"Mom?"

Sam held her daughter tightly as she collapsed into her arms, sobbing.

"Was it him again?" Sam began to stroke her daughter's hair as the wracking sobs turned into the occasional hiccup.

Lillith nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Oh, mom. I was so scared. His eyes were blood red, and so were his hands. I tried to get away, but he cornered me."

Sam felt her daughter shudder as she continued fearfully. "He wasn't even standing – he was hovering! I think he was a ghost."

"Shhh…" Sam attempted to soothe her daughter as her own suspicions were confirmed. She glanced uneasily at her husband. "It's okay now. There's no way he can hurt you."

Sam noticed her husband's troubled glance as she coaxed her daughter to try to go back to sleep. Her head spun dizzily as she began to realise who her daughter had just described.

'It can't be… it just can't be him…'

Later that night, after leaving Lillith peacefully asleep, Sam turned to face her husband. Her fear became etched into her face as she considered her daughter's dream.

"I'm worried about Lillith, Danny. This is the third time she's had this nightmare. And they become clearer every time. First, she only saw his eyes, and…"

"I'm confused too, Sam." Danny replied, running his fingers through his dark hair absentmindedly. "How can she be having nightmares about him when she's never seen him? We haven't even seen him in over 20 years."

Sam's eyebrows furrowed together thoughtfully.

"I think you should go see Clockwork."

Danny nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. Only problem is, should I risk opening my parents' portal? I'd hate to imagine what might come out this time."

"I know." Sam grimaced. "It's a shame you don't still have the Infi-map. It would make this so much easier."

Sam paused briefly as an idea suddenly emerged. "What about Vlad's portal?"

Danny's face brightened at the thought.

"Skulker would never expect that." The smile on his face quickly faded as he realised a flaw in the plan. "But I don't know how to get to Clockwork's tower from Vlad's portal."

"But you do know how to find your parent's portal, and from there you can find Clockwork." Sam beamed triumphantly. "Problem solved."

Danny nodded in agreement. "True. But will you be okay?"

Sam smiled brightly. "We'll just be fine. If the worst happens, I call Jazz or Danielle. They're always telling me to call if there's a problem, so if anything crops up, I will take them up on the offer."

The two familiar white rings appeared around Danny's waist as he transformed into his alter-ego, Danny Phantom. Once complete, he reached out a white-gloved hand to touch Sam's cheek.

"Please be careful, Sam."

Sam wound her arms around his waist. She leant into his well-muscled chest, savouring the warmth his embrace provided. Sam bit her tongue, as she willed the tears that were filling her eyes not to fall.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just worry about finding Clockwork."

"If I'm not back in a week, I want you to open the portal." Sam could faintly hear his anguish as his voice cracked. "Take the Speeder and find Clockwork. And make sure you bring Dani. I may need all the help I can get."

Danny smiled sadly as he tilted Sam's head up to kiss her tenderly on the lips.

"And when I go," He continued sombrely, "Tell Lillith and Ayden everything."

"Everything?" The surprise in Sam's tone matched her expression.

"Everything." Danny looked away, a depressed expression in his eyes. "If something should happen, they need to know."

"Stop it! You're scaring me." Sam cried anxiously, the tears that had been threatening to fall suddenly spilling down her face. "Nothing's going to happen to you."

Danny smiled ruefully, wiping the tears from Sam's cheeks with a gloved finger. "I love you Sammy, and the kids."

"I love you, Danny." Sam hugged him tightly before allowing him to fly out the window. "Please be safe…"

Danny rarely fought ghosts anymore, since he closed the portal twelve years earlier. He wasn't completely out of practice, as natural portals still opened up in Amity Park on seldom occasions. But Danny hadn't seen ghosts like Skulker, Technus, Spectra or Ember in years. Sometimes he missed the exasperation that came with being woken up in the middle of the night by his ghost sense, only to hear the familiar voice of the Box Ghost crying "BEWARE!"

But only very occasionally.

It had been a long time since his flying times had been recorded, but even then, he could clock speeds of over 120 miles per hour. The long road trip to Wisconsin could be reduced from several days to about six hours at that speed. Danny was much faster now, but he chose not to go at top speed to conserve his energy. The night air was cool and the only thing Danny could hear was the wind rushing past his ears. Any other time he would have enjoyed this feeling – the sense of absolute freedom, nothing standing in your way – but tonight, his only thought was getting into the Ghost Zone and…

Vlad did still have a portal in Wisconsin, right?

It had been twenty years since the "disasteroid" incident when he and Vlad Masters had revealed their ghostly alter-egos to the world. Twenty years since Vlad Plasmius had disappeared into space after failing to turn the asteroid intangible. Twenty years since Danny had inherited a third of Vlad's incredible fortune. Who could say if his ghost portal was still intact?

There was only one way to find out.

The sun began to rise as Danny flew over the Wisconsin border. He slowed slightly, flying lower as he followed the semi-familiar route to the castle that was thought to be haunted by the ghost of the famous Wisconsin Dairy King. Coming to a halt, Danny phased through the front doors of the empty mansion. Danny glanced at the Packers memorabilia that filled the large foyer for a moment before flying silently through the hallways towards Vlad's underground lab.

So many memories…

The lab was exactly how he had left it. A part of Danny's huge inheritance had been the Wisconsin mansion. Back then, his only interest in the place had been the ghost portal. Bu the lab had brought back haunting memories of numerous imprisonments and unwanted experiments. Alternate timelines were cruel – only you could ever remember.

Danny's feet came to rest on the ground in front of a large computer. Switching it on, Danny entered the password into the verification box.

"MaddieMasters"

Plasmius was so predictable. Danny still considered Vlad's obsession with his mom as being creepy. As he searched for the ghost portal program, Danny began to wonder about the older ghost hybrid. Danny doubted that he could have survived all these years in space. Well, Plasmius could have, but his human half would have died instantly if he ever tried to change back. Twenty years without food, water or oxygen – Plasmius may as well have been full ghost by now.

Danny opened the ghost portal program and activated it. He flew over to the portal as the doors opened, revealing the swirling green ectoplasmic entry to the Ghost Zone. Danny hesitated momentarily before flying head first into the open portal.

A/N: The first chapter out of a potentially interesting story... Any thoughts? Should I continue it? Please include suggestions on where this could go... I like to leave my options open. Read and Review!