Hey all! So, here I am, with another chapter. And I'm sorry for the wait, but finals were killer. Yuck. But I'm still alive. For now. And I just kept forgetting to write this. Heh, heh. Don't be too mad! Please! Let's see here, chapter nine, chapter nine. What was it supposed to be about again? The last chapter after all the fighting? Oh, ok. Here it goes! Enjoy!

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Danny slowly opened his eyes, and—what was that? Wrong chapter! Oh, sorry. So I HAVEN'T done the fighting yet. Oh. Ok. ;) hah, got ya there. Ok, so maybe I didn't, but I came close! I think. So is this enough random rambling for ya? Cuz I don't have anything to say, so enjoy the chapter! Oh, and I now I'm not supposed to do review replies, but live with this one. She didn't leave an email address! So live with it.

kristle: I'm glad you got it! I think you're the only one who did. Well, there was one other person, but yay! Someone noticed! Yay Monty Python! And you'll just have to wait to see what I do DxS – wise. But there is DxS, I'm just not gonna say how much. For the Inspector Gadget movie, it was ok. I think the cartoon was way better, but the original always is, isn't it? Thanks for reviewing all of my chapters! I'm glad someone is besides my sister. :D :P Here's chapter 9 for ya!

Ok, now that that's done, on with chapter nine! And I hope you like it. Oh, yeah. I'm back-tracking a bit to before the laughter started, so that I can get all of this in. Just fyi, so you don't all yell at me for back-tracking and confusing the poop out of ya. And I'm only using two POV's in this—Danny's and Maddie's. Well, I think that's all I'm doing.

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Lancer and Maddie were frantically digging at the lock, trying everything they could to get it open, but it wasn't budging. Maddie sat back with a sigh of frustration.

"It's not working. I don't know how we'll ever get out of here."

Lancer looked up at her from where he was squatting. "Don't worry, Mrs. Fenton, we'll have you out of here in no time! Why, you've made it this far already, and with the help of Phantom over there we'll be sure to get out of here!"

Maddie turned and looked towards where Tucker and the ghost boy were deep in conversation.

"I still don't trust him. I mean, he tried to hurt our mayor! And he almost destroyed last year's Christmas, too! And how in the world did he figure out how to work our speeder? He must have been the one who put all of those uncharted miles on it. What reasons, besides being here now, has he given for us to trust him? How do you know this isn't some part of his plan? And what about Danny? Why isn't he here with you?"

Lancer's head shot up and looked around the cage.

"They're not here? Grapes of Wrath, I hadn't even noticed! But if they're not here, then where are they?" he mused. Maddie gave him a strange look.

"Who are you talking about?"

Mr. Lancer looked at her face searchingly. "Danny and Valerie were captured about three days ago by a ghost with cheese on his head! You haven't even seen them?"

Maddie reeled back from Lancer with shock. "Captured? But I don't understand it. They weren't captured with us! They were both right there when it happened. Do you think he—" she stopped and looked toward Tucker and "Phantom". The ghost was staring off into space with a look of shock and dismay on his face, and Tucker was leaning down towards a piece of old, hard cheese that was sitting on the bottom of the cage.

Maddie's mind was reeling with questions. Tucker was so excited when he saw the speeder coming, he thought Danny was coming. But it turns out Danny was captured too, and Tucker doesn't even seem to be phased by the fact that his best friend isn't here. Phantom surely told him what happened as soon as Tucker found out they weren't in the speeder, but he's chatting with that ghost like, like they've known each other forever.

She was pulled from chasing her thoughts by a maniacal laughter that seemed to fill the air. She spun around and was faced with a tall, floating figure wearing a long, flowing deep blood-red cloak and hood shrouding its face. She could see glowing green eyes inside the hood, but she couldn't see any facial features. The figure was holding a small grey cat in its arms, stroking it with its hidden hand. The cat seemed to be laughing at them as well; its deep red eyes seemed to be cutting into her very soul. She heard the people around her gasp and stumble, but no one seemed to be able to do anything about it. No one except the ghost boy.

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Danny looked up and saw the figure that had been haunting his dreams. The one that had Sam. He jumped into a defensive position and glared at the floating figure.

"Where's Sam? I know you have her! Where is she!"

The figure floated towards him and stopped it's cackling.

"Aah, I see you remember me. And as for your little girlfriend, she's, well, let's just say she's a bit…busy at the moment."

Danny snarled at the figure and lunged, throwing ecto-blasts left and right. "DON'T YOU HURT HER!" he yelled. The figure just disappeared, the laughter lingering in the air. Danny stopped in his tracks, looking around.

"Did we get rid of it?" he mused. He was answered when he heard the laughter resume behind him. Spinning around, he saw the figure grow in front of him.

"Fool, you cannot beat me that easily! Minion! Get me Danny Phantom." It flicked its wrist, and the Box Ghost appeared next to it. Danny stared in shock at the Box Ghost. Oh my gosh! What happened to him? He looks like he did when…when my evil self ruled the world. How did he get so powerful so fast? It's only been a week or so since I last saw him.

He glanced at the cage and saw the shock on Valerie's face, even through the mask. Neither of them had been expecting this. But it's only the Box Ghost. He shouldn't be too hard to beat. That ghost must not be very smart if it thinks the Box Ghost can beat me. This'll be easy. The last time I fought him like this I was tied up, he shouldn't be a problem.

He wiped the shock from his face and got into a defensive stance, ready to avoid anything the Box Ghost might throw at him. He called out to the figure behind the Box Ghost.

"Hah! Is this the best you can throw at me? A box-obsessed ghost? You have got to be kidding me!"

The figure floated forward a bit. "Oh, but he's no longer that weak pathetic specimen you used to fight. I have given him more power than he could have ever hoped to gain on his own. Now you will suffer defeat at the hands of one you once scorned!"

The Box Ghost advanced on Danny, readying a pink glowing cube-shaped blast in his hand. Danny wondered how powerful the Box Ghost really was. He dodged the first two blasts fairly easily, returning a few of his own. Definitely not as powerful as tall dark and stupid over there is making him out to be.

Just as he thought that he immediately saw how wrong he really was. The Box Ghost started to glow, expanding and growing before their eyes. He started pummeling him, and then threw a huge blast that knocked him off of his feet. He flew backwards and slammed into the ghost shield protecting the cage. He heard Tucker gasp behind him, murmuring to himself.

"Woah, maybe it's got something here," he muttered. He barely avoided another attack from the Box Ghost, who was throwing more and more powerful blasts. Taking advantage of the momentary reprieve, Danny fired his own attacks at the Box Ghost, throwing him back several feet.

"Your puny blasts cannot defeat me, for I am the Box Ghost! Master of all things cubical and square!"

Unfortunately for Danny, it looked like the Box Ghost could be right. He was throwing blast after blast, never giving Danny time to return attacks. Oh this is just great, he thought. He's beating my butt, and there's nothing I can do to stop it! He suddenly dodged another attack, only to be hit by a second. I can't do this on my own! Where's Valerie?

"VALERIE!" he yelled. He glanced over to the cage, where she was guarding the others. He could tell she wanted to help, but wasn't sure if she could leave them alone safely, especially Lancer. Seeing her reluctance, he called out again.

"Don't worry, they can—woah!—take care of themselves! OOF! I need you to—yikes!—help me!" Just as he got out the last words, he was thrown back by a huge blast from the Box Ghost. Uprighting himself, he shook his head and faced the Box Ghost. Valerie still hadn't moved to help him, and he wondered if she was under some sort of spell. They floated in front of each other, taking a breather and waiting for the other to move first. Danny was readying a huge blast in his hand when the Box Ghost was suddenly knocked out of the way. Looking up, Danny smiled when he saw Valerie's smoking gun.

"Just waiting for the right moment," she said. "Let's get 'em!"

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Maddie watched the ghost boy easily avoid the first few attacks thrown by the other ghost, returning a few very powerful attacks of his own. Seeing that he appeared to have the situation under control, she turned her attention back to the lock on the door. Lancer was still working away at it, but to no avail. There just didn't seem to be any way to open the door. Looking up into her husband's face, she saw him watching the ensuing battle with shock and confusion.

"Jack, what is it?" she asked. "You look horrified, dear, why—" she stopped suddenly as she turned around and saw what had put that look on his face. The Box Ghost was pummeling Phantom, not even giving him a chance to fire back. She watched in horror as he slammed into the shield around the cage, muttering to himself as he got back up. Barely avoiding another attack, the ghost boy fired at the Box Ghost, throwing him back several feet.

"Jack, what if he doesn't win? Will we be able to get out of here?" She didn't expect an answer and didn't receive one.

"Your puny blasts cannot defeat me, for I am the Box Ghost! Master of all things cubical and square!"

The ghost started hurling shots again, not giving his victim any chance to retaliate. Maddie gasped in shock as he was pounded again and again. She had never really trusted or liked the ghost, but for some reason it felt wrong for him to be hit so much. She felt connected to him somehow, like she did to her own children when they were in trouble. She felt she had to help him, but there was no way she could until she got out of the cage. But the ghost boy wasn't done yet. Even while he was being pummeled, he called out to his partner. "VALERIE!"

Wait, Valerie? That's the same name as Danny's new friend. And the ghost boy and the hunter only just became friends. Maddie stared at the ghost hunter, who appeared to be frozen to her board.

"Don't worry, they can—woah!—take care of themselves! OOF! I need you to—yikes!—help me!" he yelled. Maddie saw the hunter still unmoving, seemingly willing to let her partner get pummeled. She looked back at the fight. Both of the ghosts were staring at each other, waiting for the other to move.

Suddenly, the Box Ghost was thrown back by a pink blast, followed up by the ghost hunter. They looked at each other and simultaneously started firing on the Box Ghost. Maddie noticed how well they worked together, when one was firing the other was distracting. She spared a glance at the figure floating a ways off. It didn't seem to notice Lancer working on the lock, or any of the occupants of the cage. It was just watching the fight unfold, thoughtfully stroking the cat in its arms. It wasn't making any move to send in reinforcements or help sway the fight back in its favor, it was just floating, observing.

If this figure want's to have revenge on Danny Phantom so badly, why is it not doing anything to ensure that? Maybe it's waiting to wear him down so it can capture him. But he looks fairly beat, even with the ecto-suit. Why isn't it doing anything?

Turning her attention back to the fight, Maddie saw that her short thoughts had taken up more time than she had thought. The fight was pretty much done, the ghost hunter had her gun trained on the Box Ghost, who was cringing in front of her, and Danny Phantom was panting behind her, trying to catch his breath.

"Alright, ghost, you're through! If you even think about moving I'll blast your brains out!" the ghost hunter screamed. Maddie still couldn't bring herself to call her Valerie, even if that is what she heard Danny Phantom call her. "Now why did you capture them? What in the world possessed you to do something as stupid as that?" she asked him. The Box Ghost was about to answer when the figure spoke up from behind them.

"Because of what you destroyed, Danny Phantom. You destroyed my entire future, everything I had ever wanted is gone because of you."

Danny straightened his back and looked at her confusedly. "But I've never even met you before! How could I have destroyed your future if I don't even know who, or what you are?" he asked.

Maddie gasped when the figure floated closer and threw back its blood-red hood, revealing a beautifully deadly face. Smooth, long, brownish blond hair flowed out of the cloak, falling down to the middle of her back. Her glowing green eyes were framed by long eye-lashes, and her high cheekbones were flushed with rage. She held her head defiantly and pointed a long, slender finger at him accusingly.

"You fool! Do not insult me, for I am Aradia, the goddess of the seven ghost witches, and I have the power to destroy you where you stand!"

Who is this ghost? Her voice is so golden, if she was talking to me I'm sure I'd do whatever she told me to. What has Danny Phantom gotten us into, and if it's after him, why did it capture…us?

"Sorry, I think," he said. "But I still don't understand what I did to you!"

"As the goddess of the ghost witches, I can see into the future. I was the most powerful ghost in the Ghost Zone, next to my husband, and together we ruled the world without opposition! I gave him more power, and he in return made me next to him alone in rank and strength! But you destroyed it all when you changed your future, depriving me of my husband and power!"

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When did I change my…..future! Oh my gosh, she's talking about my evil self! I married her? Eew!

"Danny, what's she talking about?" Valerie whispered. Danny shook his head and turned back towards Aradia.

"But if you wanted revenge on me, then why did you capture my—I mean these people? They have nothing to do with this fight!"

Aradia grinned at him. "Because I want you to suffer as much as I will. When you changed your future, you changed mine as well. I was to be one of the most powerful ghosts in the world, and now I am doomed to an eternity of anonymity! I will never become so powerful, and it's all because of you! So I decided to change your future again. I had this pathetic excuse for a ghost capture all who you held dear so you could watch them die one by one! But my plans have changed. You may be able to save your family and friend, but you will never save your girlfriend!"

With that said, Aradia cackled gleefully and started to fade into the Ghost Zone. Danny rushed at her, fruitlessly trying to stop her.

"NO! SAM!" But Aradia was gone, taking all Danny's hopes of ever seeing Sam again with him. He turned back to the shocked faces of his companions, but ignored them as he floated back to the speeder. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he barely noticed the little black box that was floating in front of him until it hit him.

"What the…" he murmured. Looking at it, there were two buttons: on and off. "I wonder what this is for." He pressed the on button, and nothing happened. He moved his thumb over the off button, and just as he hit it the green glow surrounding the cage disappeared.

"Hah, just like the Box Ghost to be so careless as to loose the controls to his own ghost shield." He swooped down into the cage and phased everyone out of it and into the speeder, Lancer and Valerie following right behind him. He set his parents, sister and friend on the floor and backed up. They were all just staring at him, but mostly Maddie and Lancer and Jack. They seemed confused, scared, but thankful.

"Um, yeah, I'm going to go get out of this," he said nervously, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "Be right back."

He floated into the bathroom and changed back to normal. Stepping out of the suit, he picked up his train of thought where he had left off.

Sam's gone, and there's no way to track her down, unless Tucker can come up with something that can find out where Aradia went, or where Sam is. There must be some ghost around here who knows where this Aradia lives! If only the Box Ghost hadn't snuck off after the fight, I could convince him to lead us there. Or at least tell us what direction she's in. Sighing, Danny changed back into his ghost form and floated out to where everyone was digging through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. At least my family and Tucker are safe.

He watched as Jack and Tucker fought over a package of snicker doodles, Maddie and Jazz trying to get them to share, Valerie and Lancer chuckling at their antics. They all seemed so…different. He could see the strain and stress that over a week in captivity had placed on them. Maddie and Jazz looked the worst—they had probably given up some of their food to Tucker and Sam to help them out. Even Jack was different. His features were sharper, harder, even if he was only fighting over cookies. Tucker was thinner than usual, and his face showed signs of strain and worry.

And it's all because of me. If only I hadn't…what, saved them in the first place? I don't know, what else could I have done anyway? He sighed and realized there was something he could have done. He could have saved them. It would have been better for his secret to be revealed than for Sam to be missing and his family almost starved to death.

"Danny, are you ok? You look horrible." Valerie put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back towards his bunk area.

"Go lay down for a bit, you need to rest after a beating like that."

"But Sam—"

Valerie cut him off with a shake of her head. "No, Sam will have to wait. Right now you need to sleep, regain your strength. We can find Sam in the morning."

Danny looked at her covered face incredulously. "But who knows what Aradia's doing to her! We need to save her before it's too late!"

"You've done enough, I think. We can rescue Sam on our own. We are very grateful for your help, but we can handle the situation from here. And you seem to be forgetting that our son and his other friend are still missing."

Danny turned to his mother, who was giving him a mixed look of thankfulness and distrust. "Oh, yeah, I'm sure they're there too. But she seems to be focusing more on Sam. She did say 'girlfriend', even if she's not my girlfriend."

"But how do you know she's not talking about Valerie? She's missing too." Maddie argued.

"But Valerie's—" Tucker said.

"Valerie's, um, in love with, uh, Tucker! So it had to be Sam." Danny shot Tucker a warning look, hoping he would watch his tongue. Maddie still didn't look convinced.

"Be that as it may, I still don't understand this, and I would feel better if you left now." Danny started protesting again, but Maddie cut him off. "Now that's enough! We are very grateful for your help, but I just don't feel comfortable with you around. How do we know you're not planning something, or that you're not a part of all this?"

"I swear I'm just trying to help you!" Danny said. He'd never thought beyond saving everyone. He'd just assumed they'd accept him and his help without question, not thinking that they might think he was involved. He was saved from trying to argue with his mother when Jazz interjected.

"Mom, dad, I think we should let him help us. I mean he DID get us out of there in the first place. He can't be all bad, especially since he's given you many chances to either escape or hurt him. And he hasn't even tried to hurt us once. Without them, we'd still be locked in that cage. I have a feeling we'll need both of their help before we get back home. Plus, who would object to extra fire-power?"

Maddie stared at her daughter, considering what she had just said.

Please let it work! Come on, mom! If you don't agree I'll go on my own."

As if hearing his thoughts, Maddie consented. "Alright. But I'm keeping my eye on you. Any wrong move and you'll wish you'd never been born! Or died…"

"Don't worry, it'll be like I'm not even here." He sighed with relief and floated towards his bunk.

"I'm just going to go to my—I mean outside and rest for a bit." He floated out the ceiling and went invisible, going back inside and next to Tucker.

"Tucker!" he whispered.

"Woah! Whose there?" Tucker yelled. Danny cringed at his friend's outburst, hoping no one expected anything.

"Tucker! Be quiet already!"

"Danny?"

"Shh! Just go to my bunk when you get the chance. And bring Valerie with you. We need to try to track Sam down. Nod if you understand."

Tucker poked his head into a cabinet and nodded. "We'll be there."

"Good. I'm headed up there to sleep, so don't let my parents or Jazz or Lancer up there, or they'll find out that I'm—well, you know. Just keep the away."

Satisfied that Tucker would do as he asked, he floated up to his bunk and changed back out of his ghost mode. His head hit the pillow, and his last conscious thought was of Sam, lying dead in some unknown part of the Ghost Zone.

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Hah! I finally finished! Go me, go me! YES! Sorry it took so long, but the plot ghost stole my ideas and I had to chase her across half the Ghost Zone just to get them back. Chapter 10 HOPEFULLY won't be as long, but I'm making no promises. And chapter 2 of Sam's Perfect Christmas should be up soon too. But not tomorrow. It's Christmas tomorrow. Well, sorta. We've got family coming over, and I just made peanut butter cookies. Yum! See ya soon! OH! WAIT! I do have some bad news. This is the last story for the sleep warrior. If you want to know why, just ask in a review or PM me. I just don't want to put it here. See ya next chapter!