The royal blue crystal was placed carefully on top of the staff. Freak Show watched with complete interest, "Now are you absolutely sure that this is more powerful?"

"Of course. Your circus won't undergo the same humiliation as it did last time." Vlad Masters laughed, "Just be sure to follow up on your end of the deal. I want the ghost boy."

"Yes, yes." Freak Show grinned, "You'll get him in the end…"

"Danny, they're torturing me!" The violet eyed girl wailed into her cell phone, "Can't you go ghost and rescue me?"

A laugh came from the other side of the line, "It's just the circus, Sam. And I believe you got yourself into this when you said you saw a Cirque Du Soleil video in French class. Your parents are just trying to bond with you… Again. At least it's only the opening ceremonies."

She let out an exasperated sigh, "You're no help. I hate you."

"I love you too. Have fun!" the line went dead, leaving Sam alone with her parents as they arrived at the circus.

A few miles away, Danny was rolling his eyes and laughing at his girl friend's expense. He had fun being "cruel" to her, but he planned on helping her out all along, "I'm going ghost!" Danny Phantom flew off into the noon sunlight.

Something was off and Sam knew it. The show she was watching was nothing like the Cirque du Soleil show she saw in French. The ringmaster looked freakishly familiar… She racked her brain to find the memory she need to figure out the mystery.

"And now, to end our little party on the high wires… The Grim Reaper!" The ringmaster gestured upwards.

Standing on the high wire, Danny dressed as Death… The rope being cut from under her…"Freak Show!" Sam's eyes widened. How did he get out of jail? Why is no one else recognizing him?

"Excuse me, miss, but you look absolutely miserable. Would you like to get out of here?"

Sam shivered, "Danny?"

His breath tickled her ear, "Nah, it's Vlad. You want to get out of here or not?"

She nodded, knowing what danger he was in if Freak Show was nearby. Her body shook in the cold air as he grabbed her hand and made her disappear. Together they flew out of the tent and into the summer air. Sam smiled, "Take me to our spot?"

He winked at her and soared to the park. They quickly landed under the tree on the hill, and he phased back into a human teenager, "Was it really that bad?"

"Worse. It's Freak Show."

Danny grinned and nudged her playfully, "That's not very nice, Sam."

"Not a freak show. The Freak Show. Remember Circus Gothica?"

"That Freak Show?" His eyes widened, "I thought he was in jail. Someone must have let him out."

She sighed, "Who's the only man we know who had the money to pay his bail?"

Danny's eyes flashed green, "Vlad, but why? He's not very popular in either world." He growled, "I have to stop them."

"Stop them from what? We don't even know if they have some diabolical scheme."

"Since when does Vlad not have a scheme of some kind?"

Sam sighed, "You're right. But be careful, Danny, Freak Show should not be underestimated. You remember what happened last time."

He paled, "I won't that that happen again. It can't happen. Besides, the crystal was destroyed. How could he hope to control ghosts now?"

"Just… Stay away from the Cirque du Soleil, kay?"

Danny smiled and kissed her quickly, "Don't worry about me. Freak Show will never have the opportunity to hypnotize me or whatever he was doing last time. Plus, I have better control over my abilities. He won't have any power over me." Suddenly, the area got so cold that he could see his breath, "Ghost sense? Great." He jumped to his feet, "I'm going ghost!"

Sam loved watching Danny Fenton turn into Danny Phantom. Her eyes were so used to the flash of light that she could actually see the changes to his body as they happened. His hair gradually faded to white to her, although it really happened in a split second, and his eyes flashed a dozen of different shades before they were actually green. It was as if Fenton disappeared to allow Phantom to save the day.

Danny Phantom smiled at her before he took off into the air, searching for whatever or whoever set off his ghost sense. A guitar blared from inside the local bank, causing his attention to be drawn to the sound. After a few moments, a group of ghosts led by Ember McLain flew out of the building, bags of money in hand, "Oh. Great." Danny sighed and took after them.