The next few days pasted uneventful aside from the occasional ghost. Sam still maintained a quite nature and avoided staying with Danny too late so he would not have to walk her home. Danny on the other hand was becoming increasingly concerned. "I don't get it. What happened?" Danny asked Tucker as he washed the morning's dishes. As he looked out the window he could see dark storm clouds rolling in over the area.
"Well when did she start acting so distant." Tucker asked as he cleared the table.
Danny sighed as he placed the last dish on the drying rack. "I guess it was about a week ago, right after we caught that eel again." Danny answered drying his hands.
"Did you guys have a disagreement or argue?" Tucker asked sitting back at the table.
"Not that I remember." Danny said sitting across from Tucker. "Unless she was mad that I accidentally let that eel out."
"I don't think she's upset about that." Tucker responded.
"Then what?" Danny cried in frustration letting his head fall to the table.
"You think," Tucker said softly to get Danny to look at him. "Could she be pregnant?" Tucker asked maintaining a serious look.
Danny eyes bulged out of his head as he lost his breath. "What." He gasped looking at Tucker like he was crazy. "No. Of course not." Danny said not believing what Tucker had suggested.
"What? How am I support to know what you two do when I'm not around." Tucker laughed at Danny's reaction. "So I take it you two never, you know?" Tucker chucked rising his eyebrows.
"First of all it's not of your business." Danny started giving Tucker a discussed look. "Second, no. I respect her, I don't want to make her do something she may regret." He said more quietly.
"So she doesn't want to?" Tucker continued pry.
"Actually, it's never come up." Danny sighed pleading for the conversation to end.
Suddenly a crack of thunder roared though the building and at the same time there was an unheard knock at the door. Both Danny and Tucker jumped in surprise at the loud sounds. "It's going to be a lousy day." Danny moaned as he looked to the window seeing rain racing down the glass with a strike of lighting flashing in the background. All of a sudden there was a louder knock at the door. "Who could that be?" He said as the two looked towards the door. Danny got up and went to answer the door. As he opened the door another flash of lighting cracked though the sky as he looked onto a very drenched girl. "Sam, your soaked." Danny almost yelled. He immediately stepped aside letting her in, out of the rain.
"I thought I could beat the rain." Sam said untruthfully as she shivered slightly.
Danny immediately noticed her chill. "Here, come dry off." He said taking her hand, leading her to the bathroom. "I'll get you some clothes to change into and I'll put your clothes in the drier." He said handing her a towel. Sam began to run the towel though her hair as she waited for Danny to return. "Here." Danny handed her one of his t-shirts and jeans.
"Thanks Danny." Sam thanked gratefully as she closed the bathroom door so she could change.
"What was that all about?" Tucker asked seeing Danny walking back into the living room where Tucker was waiting.
"I have no idea. It's been pouring rain since late last night, what was she thinking." Danny sighed sitting down on the sofa. "She just been acting so strange I don't know what to think."
"I'll be right back." Tucker said getting up leaving Danny with his thoughts. He headed towards the bathroom just as Sam was emerging wearing Danny's clothes that were about two sizes to big for her small frame. "Sam you got a minute." Tucker asked quietly making sure Danny wouldn't hear.
Sam looked at him curiously. "Sure." She said not knowing what was going on.
Tucker led her to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "Alright Sam, spill it. What's going on?" Tucker asked looking at her sternly.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked trying to hide her nervousness.
"You've been acting strange all week. Danny is going nuts worrying about you, what's going on?" Tucker asked again never looking away from her.
Sam took a deep breath trying to decide what to tell him. It had been over a week since she was forced to leave her home. She was staying just outside of town in a small forest, staying in her dragon form so on one would bother her. She hadn't been able to sleep very well and she knew it was starting to show. But she still held on to her thoughts that Tucker and Danny should not be concerned by her situation. "I just haven't been getting any sleep lately." Sam only half lied, but Tucker still gave her the same demanding look. "That and I haven't been feeling well, I think I'm coming down with something." She added seeing Tucker not fully believing her.
"Then why were you out in the rain with out a coat." Tucker asked folding his arms over his chest. "Even if it wasn't raining, it's the middle of October, and it's getting cold. If you were sick you should have had a jacket on." Tucker explained. Tucker took a deep breath, letting his irritation leave. "Are you upset with Danny? Is there something going on between you two?" Tucker asked more quietly.
"What." Sam almost lost her breath. "No, of course not." Sam assured him. "Look I don't feel well and I thought I would beat the rain so I forgot my coat." Sam said sticking with her original story.
Tucker shook his head not sure if she was being completely honest with him. "Look Sam." Tucker started lessening the frustration from his voice. "Danny is really worried, and it's not fair that he doesn't know what's going on. Even if you really are sick, you haven't told him that. He loves you, and I know you love him, he deserves to know." Tucker finished placing his hands on either side of her shoulders. "I'm worried about you too." He said gazing into her eyes.
Sam almost broke down right there, but she managed to hold on to her invisible shield. "I'm fine Tucker, I just haven't been feeling well, and I haven't been able to sleep because of it."
Tucker lifted one of his hands and rested it on her forehead. "I guess you do feel warm." Tucker said feeling a slight fever. "Alright Sam." He decided to back down and released her. "But you know you can talk to us right?" He added as he walked towards the door.
Sam nodded in a yes direction. "Of course I know. Thanks Tuck." Sam said softly as she followed behind him.
"You two alright." Danny asked seeing them walking back into the living room.
"Yeah." Sam said softly taking a seat next to Danny.
"I found a rainy day movie marathon on, want to watch?" Danny suggested looking towards Sam.
"Sure." She responded happily.
"Tucker you in?" Danny asked seeing him walking towards the kitchen.
"Yeah, I'll grab some drinks." He called from the kitchen.
"Nice a dry now?" Danny asked smiling at her comical appearance.
Sam smiled happily at him and reached up, placing a kiss on his check. "Yeah. Thanks Danny." She sighed happily resting her head on his chest.
Danny sighed cheerfully seeing her in a much better mood then what she has been in the past few days. "Feeling better?" He asked wrapping an arm around her waist holding her to him.
Sam looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't been in the best mood, I just haven't been feeling that well." Sam said nuzzling close to him. "Thanks for putting up with me." Sam whispered softly giving him a quick kiss before Tucker walked back into the room.
"Here you go." Tucker said placing two drinks on the coffee table before the couple.
Sam sighed softly as she watched Tucker take a seat on a reclining chair on the other side of the sofa. She rested her head on Danny's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him as he gave her a gentle hug as the first movie started playing. The combination of her exhaustion and the warmth Danny radiated quickly lulled her into a peaceful sleep that had evaded her for the past week.
Danny noticed right away her body relaxing against his own. "Is she sleeping?" Tucker asked quietly not wanting to wake her.
"Yeah." Danny whispered. "She seems to be in a much better mood today, don't you think?" Danny asked as he pulled a throw blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped Sam and himself in it.
"She said that she hasn't been feeling well, and that she hasn't been getting a lot of sleep lately." Tucker said smiling at his gentle actions.
"Well that would explain why she hasn't been staying late." Danny said resting his arm back around her sleeping body.
"Yeah I guess she did feel feverish too." Tucker explained. "But she's resting now." He added smiling at his two friends.
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As the storms raged a shadowy figure made it's way up to a mansion in Amity Park. It moved quickly as it got closer to the door. He knocked a few times and waited for the door to be answered. "I've been expecting you." Vlad's voice hissed as he opened the door to his mansion allowing the man to enter.
"And I've been waiting to meet you." Freakshow's voice orientated form under the cloak. "You've released me from jail, bought me my train back and supplied me with cages and weapons to control ghost and paid a ghost staff to work for me." He explained lifting his hood. "Why?"
"In exchange for your old circus life back, I only ask if I can suggest an addition for your show." Vlad started explaining as he activated a TV screen behind him. "I assume you know who this is." Vlad asked showing a picture of Danny Phantom.
"The dam ghost who ruined my life." Freakshow said harshly. "So you want me to capture him?" he assumed.
"Actually, no." Vlad said changing the image to one of Danny Phantom and his dragon. "Capturing him will not do any good with that dragon of his still around. She's stronger then he is, she just lacks ghost powers."
"So capture both?" Freakshow said again not quite understanding.
"Not quite." Vlad said playing a video in the screen. "We already know that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are one in the same." He started to explain as the image showed Danny changing from human to ghost. "But that Goth girl that he's grown fond of…" He started as the image changed from Danny to Sam. "Has secrets of her own." Vlad said zooming in on Sam's pendant that she no longer hid.
"The 'accursed'." Freakshow uttered recognizing the pendant.
"She's able to live with it and control it." Vlad said as the screen showed Sam transforming into her dragon form. "Imagine having a dragon, the cursed dragon, as your main attraction, and you the dragon slayer. That would make your ghost take a back seat." Vlad described.
"Why do you want her out of the way and not the ghost boy too?" Freakshow asked still picturing taming the dragon.
"If you take both it will be twice as hard to control them both. But by only taking the dragon it will be much easier to control. And with her missing Danny Phantom would be too distracted and will give me time to work with them breathing down my neck." Vlad explained.
"And how do you suggest I 'control' that dragon? My equipment is meant for ghost." Freakshow asked.
"With this." Vlad said handing him a metal collar with a control. "Get that around her neck. The collar grows and shrinks as she does so it will stay on her if she human or dragon." Vlad started showing him how the collar works. "And then these needles will embed themselves in her neck." He said pressing a button causing 5 large needles to shot out. "They will strike her spine and attach to her nervous system. And if she's being bad," Vlad said took the collar from Freakshow and tossed it up into the air. "Press this button and she will receive electrical volts right to her nervous system and spine." He explained as the collar lit up as it fired the electrical current. "And if for some reason you need to get ride of her." He said showing him another button. "This will behead her instantly." He said as three blades shot out from the collar. "You could have her trained in no time with this baby." Vlad said proudly handing the collar back to Freakshow. "My sources tell me that she is no longer living at her parents home, and has moved to a less elegant location in a forest just outside of Amity Park. All I ask is that you keep her out of my hair. What do you say, do we had a deal?"
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Storms still raged outside as the day quickly fell to night. It was getting late into the night and Sam still hadn't woken up. "I'm going to call her parents." Danny said quietly slipping out of Sam's grasp.
"Why?" Tucker yawned from the recliner.
"It's still raining, she doesn't need to walk home in that. And besides she's still sleeping, I don't want to wake her up." Danny responded smiling at her sleeping form. Danny walked into the kitchen and picked up his cell phone and called her parents house.
After a few rings her grandmother answered. "Hello?"
"Hey grandma Manson, this is Danny." Danny spoke a little louder so she could hear him clearly.
"Oh Danny. Hi. How are you?" She asked happily.
Danny smiled at Sam's grandmother; she was the only one at that house besides Sam that was happy to talk to him. "Oh I'm fine. I was just calling to let you know that Sam is going to say the night. It's raining too hard." Danny told her.
"Oh that's fine, you two have a good night." She answered.
"Thanks grandma Manson. You have a good night too." Danny said getting ready to hang up the phone.
"Oh and Danny." Her voice pulled Danny back to the receiver. "Take good care of her." She added before she hung up the phone.
Danny looked at the phone strangely. He shook his head figuring she was just being over protective of her granddaughter.
"Alright now that's settled lets get you into bed." Danny said quietly to Sam's sleeping body. Danny gently lifted her off the sofa and into his arms. She moaned slightly and gripped in the front of Danny's shirt in response, but did not wake.
"Where are you going with her?" Tucker asked yawning tiredly.
"She can stay in my room, I'll take the sofa." Danny said softly as he headed to his room.
"Alright, well I'm going to bed too. Night Danny." Tucker said rubbing his eyes.
"Ok, night Tuck." Danny said as he turned into his room. Danny slowly placed Sam on to his bed, careful not to wake her. She moaned slightly but never woke. "I hope you won't be to mad with me." Danny whispered as he pulled the covers over her body, and sat down beside her. Danny watched as she settled into his bed pulling the sheets around herself as she slept. "Your so beautiful." Danny moaned quietly running his hand over her soft cheek. "Night Sammy." He whispered softly placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He quietly rose up from the bed and started out the door.
"Danny." Sam's lips uttered softly. Danny turned back hoping he didn't wake her. He looked back seeing that she was still sleep. "Danny… help." She rolled over onto her side her face looked contorted as if she were in pain.
"Sam…" Danny sat back besides her seeing that she was really still asleep. "She must be having a nightmare." Danny assumed. "Your alright Sammy. I'm right here." He whispered placing a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he contacted her shoulder she instantly relaxed. "That was weird." He though as he rose off the bed again to leave her. Danny watched her sleep a few seconds more to make sure the nightmare didn't return, then shut the door quietly and made his way to the sofa.
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Sam woke up with the sun shining in her face. She took a deep breath a stretched her back, hearing a few cracks from her spine. She then realized that she wasn't in her dragon form and wasn't in the forest. "Danny's room?" Sam thought as she looked around seeing her tucked nicely in his bed. "I slept all that time." She said getting up seeing that she was still dressed in his clothes from the night before. "At least I feel a lot better." She said to herself as she grabbed Danny's hairbrush and brushed her hair before leaving his cozy room. Sam walked passed Tucker's room; seeing the door still shut she assumed he was still sleeping. She then made her way to the living room; there she saw Danny still sprawled out on the sofa sleeping. Sam smiled and knelt next to him on the sofa. "Danny, you awake." Sam said softly poking him slightly.
He moaned in response and opened one eye lazily. "Sam…" He yawned reaching his arms up over his head stretching his tight muscles. "Come here." He said suddenly as he quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto him. Sam laughed in surprise as she found herself on top of him. "Feeling better I hope?" Danny asked softly as he pushed a stray hair behind her ear.
"Yeah." She said as she leaned down placing a kiss on his forehead. "Much better."
"Good." Danny said smiling at her. "I did call your house last night." Danny started. Sam's stomach drop, did he find out what really happened? "And I told your grandmother that you were staying over, she said that it was fine." Danny finished. Sam silently sighed in relief.
"Thanks." Sam said happily leaning back down a giving him a quick kiss on his lips.
Danny quickly responded and placed his hand over the back of her head, holding her there as he deepened their kiss. He then gently pushed them into a sitting position, never letting there kiss break. "Since, we're up, so early." Danny started in between kissing. "Why don't we go out for a nice breakfast?" He stopped kissing her seeing her giving him a loving gaze. "What do you think?" He asked placing a hand threw her hair and rested it on the back of her neck.
"Sure." Sam replied snapping out of here daze. "But I'll have to change." She added looking down at her baggy attire.
Danny gave her an uneasy look and looked away. "I forgot to put your clothes in the drier last night. Sorry." Danny confessed as if he committed a crime.
Sam smiled at his bashfulness. "No big deal. I'll just fly home and change real quick." Sam said pulling herself off the sofa.
"I need a shower anyway, and that will give me plenty of time." Danny added.
"Ok, so I'll just meet you back here in a half an hour, ok?" Sam said as she watched Danny stand up.
"Ok, sounds good." Danny said giving her a quick kiss before she headed towards the door. "See you in half an hour." He added as she walked out the door.
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Sam quickly landed in a small clearing in the very dense area of the woods she was now calling home. She had a small collection of supplies that she kept in bags tied in the trees to keep anyone from finding them. She transformed back into her human form, shivering slightly now that she was no longer protected from the cold autumn morning. "Some thing seems different." Sam said to herself as she pulled her clothes out from one of the bags. She looked around to make sure that all her supplies were still where she left them. "Must be my imagination." She said as she changed into her trademark black tank top and a pair of faded black jeans that she had grown accustom to. She also added a dark purple hoodie printed with a white dragon outline to act as a jacket that she didn't have. As she closed her bag her ears picked up a snapping sound from behind her. Sam jerked around seeing nothing behind her. "That was weird." She said to her self, but as she turned back a dart flew past her head, embedding it's self in a tree trunk beside her. "Who's out there?" Sam yelled unsure if she should transform or not.
"Looks like we'll have to do this the old fashion way." Freakshow voice laughed through the clearing.
"Freakshow! What do you want?" Sam demanded see him walking out into the clearing.
"Funny you should ask." Freakshow started walking towards her swinging a metal collar around his finger. "Lydia, care to explain." Freakshow said motioning towards Sam's side.
Sam quickly turned seeing Lydia emerging from the forest with a large group of ghosts at her side. All ghost were armed and were quickly surrounding Sam.
"What's going on?" Sam demanded as she started to subconsciously back her self into the middle of the circle.
"Now, now, that would make my job harder." Freakshow explained as he stepped into the circle. Sam watched Freakshow closely seeing him raising his lips into a sinister smirk. "Get her."
Suddenly the all the ghosts jumped for Sam grabbing her arms, cutting her, and holding her still as Freakshow walked towards her. "That's a good pet." He hissed as he raised the metal collar to Sam's neck.
"Get away." Sam struggled to free herself. As perilous as the situation was Sam was weary of exposing her secret to Freakshow. She finally managed to slip on hand away and swung it at him knocking the collar out of his hands.
"Hold her still." Freakshow commanded his ghost soldiers as he retrieved the collar. With one hand free Sam wrenched herself free from the other ghosts.
"What do you want?" Sam again demanded as she fought to keep away form the ghost grasp. One finally managed to sneak up behind her grabbing her foot. "Let go." She yelled as other ghosts took advantage of her surprise and made another move to hold her. "Let. Me. Go." Sam growled as she thrust herself away from the ghosts, knocking a few of them away. Just as Sam was about to get another chance at freedom Lydia grabbed her arm. Sam snapped her head around to her, her eyes glowing with rage, Sam could feel her body wanting to transform. "Get off." Sam growled as if she were already in her dragon form.
She raised her hand to strike Lydia when suddenly she was pulled back. "Not so fast dragon." Freakshow's voice shouted as he caught her off guard and slapped the collar around Sam's neck.
Sam's eyes went wide as she felt an electric pulse surge though the collar. "What is this?" Sam yelled pulling at the tight collar finding herself unable to loosen it. Sam looked at Freakshow seeing him holding a small black remote. Sam could feel the electricity building in the collar and was beginning to panic. "Get it off, get it off." Sam yelled suddenly allowing herself to transform into her dragon form now realizing Freakshow already knew her secret. Sam roared in terror as she fought fiercely to remove the collar.
"Now we just need to install it." He laughed as he pressed one of the buttons on the remote.
Sam's eyes went wide as she suddenly felt a burst of electricity surge threw her body. Sam bellowed in pain and started clawing at her neck trying desperate to stop the pain. Just as the electricity began to fade she felt the needles shooting in from the collar into her neck. Sam screeched in agony, blood flew from her mouth as the needles pierce her body and embedded themselves into her spine and nerves. Sam's breath was erratic as her body tired desperately to calm it's self. "I've got to get out of here." Sam shook her head trying to clear it but only resulted in coughing up more blood. She let out a growl as she beat her wings trying to take off.
"Don't let her get away." Freakshow commanded as he pressed a button on the remote that caused the collar to produce another ear splitting roar from Sam, as she was again shocked, but this time it was delivered directly to her spine. Freakshow's ghost army began to throw rope and nets around Sam as she struggled to flee. Sam fought with her last bit of energy, throwing fire and thrashing her energy tail against her captors. The ropes wrapped around her arms, horns, tail, neck, every part of her body was beginning pulled down. As the shock ended Sam found her strength leaving and slowly her mind began to black out. She finally fell, crushed from the electrical and physical abuse. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was laughter from Freakshow as he stood over her holding the remote.
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