A/N: Hey so I lied. I seem to have gotten my mojo back, though I still don't think this chapter is as good as that first one, but I'll let you be the judge of that. I suppose I just needed to get back in the swing of things. School's in it's 3rd week, I've had a 4 day weekend to relax and I've done some brainstorming. Still know that most chapters won't come as fast as this one did. I just had already known what I was going to write (more or less).

No Hiatus! Yay for you all!
I just want to say how grateful I am to all those that leave reviews on this story! I love reading them! I'll try live up to your expectations!

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Chapter 3 – I feel the earth rise around me…

"Okay I think that's everything," Tucker said as he slung a bag of ecto-grenades over his shoulder. He doubled checked the Fenton thermos strapped to his belt, making sure it wouldn't fall off, then turned to the door where Sam stood carrying an assortment of other supplies.

Maddie Fenton poked her head around the door of the kitchen when the two teens came up from the basement. "You know I really wish you two would let us help. We are professional ghost hunters after all." Behind her, Jack Fenton fiddled with some gadget. The small machine beeped loudly before squelching ectoplasm all over his face. He ran from the room yelling "My eyes!" Maddie pressed her fingers to her temples, "Well I am anyway…"

Sam smiled, "Sorry Mrs. Fenton, but we're so used to doing it without you guys by now that it just wouldn't seem normal."

Maddie smiled her understanding, then put her hands on Sam's shoulders, holding the girl so they stared right at each other. "Just promise you two will be safe," she looked over at Tucker as well while she said this. The teens smiled and said they would be careful. Neither could bring themselves to promise safety after what happened. Even though Maddie noticed the change of wording, she didn't stop them, but she also wouldn't sleep that night until she knew they were both safe at home.

"So what's the scanner say?"

"Three readings," Tucker announced looking down at the green blips on his ecto-detector-wrist-watch. "Two are nearby but the third is on the other side of town."

"So taking the scooters?"

"Yeah." They hopped on the scooters that Tucker had suped up specifically for ghost hunting and buzzed down the road.

The two points that were nearby were Johnny 13 and Kitty. The ghost couple was arguing as they always were. Johnny had sent his shadow after some human guys that had made the mistake of hitting on Kitty. The female ghost wasn't exactly thrilled that Johnny continuously alerted everyone in the vicinity that they were both ghosts, while Johnny argued that Kitty was drawing too much attention to herself. The pair was sucked into the Fenton Thermos before they even realized that Sam and Tucker were standing nearby.

The third point that was farther away was a bit more troublesome. Though he was smaller now than the first time Danny had fought him, Undergrowth was still formidable, especially in the Amity Park Botanical Gardens where they found him.

"You head off to the left." Tucker tossed Sam the spare Fenton Thermos, throwing his own over his shoulder. "keep to the concrete pathways."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'll run through the trees to the right. It should draw his attention to me. As soon as you get an opening, use it."

"Tucker, no. This is Undergrowth. We can't be reckless."

"We aren't." Tucker reached into his bag, pulled out, and unfolded a powerful weed whip. He smiled as he gripped it. His hand slipped over the ignition and the weed whip whirred to life. The two nodded grimly and took off, leaving a small green orb confused as to whom to follow. In the end it floated up to watch the battle from above.

The plan was going smoothly in the beginning. Tucker had quickly drawn Undergrowth's attention. The ghost had gone into a furious frenzy after Tucker had whipped the heads off of a patch of tulips. Large thick vines and roots lashed out of the ground, attempting to grab the destroyer. Tucker managed to dodge all the ones flying at his face and torso. He jumped over all the roots that came up to trip him. He even managed to dive away from the creeper vine that dropped from the branches above him, trying to encircle him. Everything was going just how it should, until one of Undergrowth's plant clones popped up, blocking his way. The clone smiled evily.

Watch out! The orb tried to yell but its voice went unheard.

Tucker was so busy staring at the clone he didn't see a small thin vine slithering through the grass. The instant the vine had a hold on his ankle, it tightened and dragged him up into the air. Tucker let out a yell of surprise as he was flipped upside down. The weed whip fell from his hands. Hundreds of small vines poured down from the trees, wrapping themselves around the struggling teen.

The orb flew angrily at the vines, but passed right through them without the slightest resistance. Huh?.. Tucker groaned in pain as the vines squeezed the air from his lungs. The orb floated by him for a moment, until vines covered his face, then it sped off to find Sam.

Even staying to the paths, the Goth girl had not avoided notice. She had been stalled by trying to free human bystanders that had been caught by the vines. She darted off from the exit the moment she was sure that the two children she had just freed would be safe. She sprinted to make up the distance and time she had lost, hoping that Tucker was still holding his own. She stayed to the path like they planned even though it was roundabout and took her farther than she would have liked.

The green orb found her weaving around a water feature. Sam! Tucker's in trouble! Come on Sam! You have to help him! Forget Underwood! Just get to Tucker! Its calls ceased when it realized she wasn't noticing it in the slightest. Sam… if you don't do something… Tucker might… the orb flared bright for a moment then flew off back to its other friend. There had to be something it could do…

After five minutes of running, Sam made it to the garden's back end. Undergrowth sat back on a throne of scary-looking flowers. A large venus flytrap head sat on his lap like a small cat, it turned and hissed when Sam came one step too close. The hissing drew Undergrowth's attention to the human. He recognized her in an instant.

"Why if it isn't my flower child, come to rejoin the forest."

"Not likely! You give plants a bad name!"

Undergrowth laughed, a deep and throaty sound that shook the area around them. "With that frost bite out of the way there is nothing to stop me from restoring this world to its former wooded glory." Sam's grip tightened on the Fenton Thermos biting back tears.

"I got a better idea." Sam pulled the lid off the Thermos but it flew from her hands when a root came up from below and knocked her feet out from under her. She quickly hit the spector deflector and a wave of anti-ecto energy passed over her body. The vines bidding to grab her retreated. She jumped to her feet to grab the thermos, but a plant-like hand reached down and snatched it away. Undergrowth laughed at her surprise. Sam watched in horror as a giant flower rose from the ground behind Undergrowth, then opened its petals to show her Tucker's captive position. "No!"

"Come now my daughter, become the caretaker you were destined to be." Undergrowth leaned in toward the flower, and pointed his sharp woody fingers at Tucker's throat. "Or I could just use this one, even though he reeks of the filth of this world." The ghost's face scrunched up as it neared the human, as if not smelling like compost was the worst stench in the world.

Sam pressed the spector deflector again and ran forward, slamming straight into Undergrowth. The ghost let out a shrill cry from being shocked and dropped the thermos. Sam caught it and ran to suck the ghost energy out of the flower that was eating Tucker. When the thermos' light hit it, the flower shriveled up, dropping Tucker to the ground. Sam grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him away. Undergrowth growled in frustration and threw more vines at them. Sam used herself as a shield, blocking the plants before they could get to Tucker.

Even still, some roots came up from the ground and wrapped around Tucker's unconscious body. Sam pulled the belt off and snapped it around Tucker's waist. The roots immediately retreated, but now Sam was vulnerable to the roses' large thorns that scraped at her. She covered her face with her arms as the thorns ripped through her clothes. She could feel blood running down from the scratches. Thorns whipped around her and each new scratch was like a hot knife on her skin. She couldn't defend; she couldn't attack. "Danny… We need you…"

The words had barely passed her lips when a blast of blue ice shot from behind her and froze the roses solid. Sam's heart skipped a beat, she turned back, hoping beyond hope that he would be there… but it was Jazz holding a large blue and white gun in one hand while the silver armor of the Fenton Peeler covered her body. She stopped next to Sam, never taking her eyes off of Undergrowth. The ghost howled as the freezing blasts hit him.

"Sam! What are you doing!? Use the thermos!"

Sam blinked a couple times then, without responding, turned and sucked the plant ghost into the portable prison cell. Once she had secured the lid, her knees could no longer support her and she slid to the ground. Her shoulders shook with sobs. Jazz said nothing, instead going to check on Tucker. He woke and got unsteadily to his feet, assuring her he was fine. The two of them went behind what was left of Undergrowth's throne to free any remaining victims. By the time they got back, Sam's sobs had died down to a quiet hiccup.

Tucker helped her to her feet, and put an arm around her shoulder. "You okay?" Sam only nodded. Tucker gave her a comforting squeeze, careful of her multitude of scratches, "It gets easier."

"How…?"

"By just going out and remembering we're continuing where he left off."

Jazz kept a close eye on both of them as they made their way to the exit. She felt awful that she was stuck in her collage classes until so late into the night. She wanted to help them with the hunting more. If she hadn't made it in time tonight… she never would have forgiven herself.

The scooters were loaded into the back of Jazz's car and she drove them both home, insisting that whatever ghosts were left could wait until tomorrow; neither teen argued. Both said a quiet goodnight when they were dropped off, and Jazz was left to her thoughts on the drive back home. She hadn't been there for Danny… she never wanted to let someone down like that again. "Little brother… how can I help them?"

When she got home, she gave her Mom a short recap then went to bed. Jazmine was asleep before she hit the pillow. Her cheeks were wet with tears that she held back in front of everyone who needed her to be strong.

Back at the Botanical Gardens, the small green orb floated just above where Undergrowth's throne had been. It gazed off at brown remains of the flower that had held Tucker captive. A shiver ran through its essence as the thought occurred, this is what happens when something part ghost is destroyed… The orb zipped away from the flower corpses.

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