A/N:

Chapter 9

"It's a good plan, Sam, it'll work. Nobody has to get hurt his way, and we'll free the boy without causing him any further harm," Danny said, peering around the corner of the alley they had taken up position in.

Sam looked at her friend who was standing with his back against the wall, obviously trying to stay out of sight while still keeping an eye on the jewelry store across the street. On any other occasion, the half ghost would have just gone invisible and simply stood right in front of the store or whatever other place would be convenient, but the fact that the they were standing in plain view of the black Crown Victoria of detective Sawyer prevented him from using any of his ghost powers.

Danny frowned in annoyance at the car, then looked at his watch. "Four twenty-five," he muttered, "Still nothing."

Sam, seated on the ground next to a trashcan and ignoring the dirt and the grime in the alley, made no attempt at trying to see what was going on out in the street. The street was well taken care of in the observation department by the two detectives in the car and the grumbling Danny.

"Detective Sawyer said the break in occurred around half past four," she said reasonably, "If this is the one, he'll show up." She shifted a little. "It is a good plan, Danny, with the way the ghost has integrated into the boy this is probably the best option, I just think I should be the one..."

"No."

Tucker, standing next to Danny and holding the bag with, as he called it, ghost hunting goodies, seemed to agree with Danny's flat out refusal, because he nodded. Sam felt the anger rise again and tried to suppress it, knowing that now wasn't time time or the place to start a discussion on women's emancipation.

"Danny," Tucker said, "Not that I don't agree with you..." He winced when he caught sight of Sam's glare, "But seriously, you should let one of us..."

"Which part of 'no' don't you get? Sawyer said the guy who robbed the store had a gun that night, that he threatened the owner of the store with it. I'm not gonna risk one of you getting shot and that's final."

"No because you getting shot is so much better," Sam muttered.

"I'm not getting myself shot."

"This is the guy that stabbed you, remember?"

Danny winced. His hand moved to his left arm and he rubbed it. "I was slow, then," he said, "It won't happen again."

"You," Sam said, pushing her feet into the dirt and working herself up against the wall, "Have a serious hero complex."

Danny said nothing, but his eyes flashed green, showing his annoyance. He held out his hand to Tucker, who wordlessly unbuckled his specter deflector and handed it to Danny.

"Do you have any idea what you're getting into?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Danny said.

Something in his tone made Sam look up at him sharply, but he had already turned away from her to peek around the corner once more. She glanced at Tucker instead, to ensure he had heard it too, but the techno-geek seemed oblivious, engrossed in something that showed on his PDA. She frowned, then retrieved her cell phone out one of her many pockets. She had long ago learned that cargo pants were the way to go when ghost hunting, because it allowed her to carry a great number of useful items on her person instead of in a purse.

"Haven't heard from Roger," she muttered.

At that precise moment, her phone buzzed. She almost dropped it, but then quickly pressed the green button.

"Yes, Roger," she whispered, taking note of the fact that both Tucker and Danny were watching her now.

"I'm... I think we've arrived somewhere," came Roger's whispered reply, "He's... just standing there, watching... no... he's moving. He's crossing the street. Gotta go."

"No, wait," Sam whispered loudly, "Roger...?"

At the same moment Danny, who apparently had gone back to watching the street again, raised his hand. "Here he comes," he said softly.

"Damn it Roger," Sam muttered, closing her phone, "Why won't you listen?"

Somebody next to her snorted, but when she looked at her partners, they were both looking seriously into the direction they had seen the boy cross the street moments before. Sam stepped next to them. The black Crown Victoria's window rolled down. Across the street, another, shorter, figure crossed, obviously trying his best to be sneaky and failing. Danny stepped forward, apparently not caring that he was now in plain view of anybody that cared to look his way, and leaned forward to speak to Sawyer.

"Change of plans," he said, "Stay here. We'll catch the ghost. Tucker?" He turned around and looked up at his friend. "You come with us, grab Roger and take him back here." He turned back to the detectives in the car. "Do not, I repeat, do not approach. Let only Sam and me get within range of the... thing."

"Now wait a minute." From the passenger seat, Jake Tannenbaum leaned over to look up at the ghost hunters, "This guy probably has a gun, if I'm to go with the whole 'ghost on a quest' thing. That means you'll need some sort of protection, you can't just walk in there and..."

"Yes we can," Danny said, "I don't want you to shoot an innocent boy."

"What if he shoots you?" Sawyer asked, "Are you willing to take that risk?" He glanced at Sam. "Or her?"

Sam wanted to stamp her feet, but kept her cool. She could protect herself just fine, why couldn't they see that? And besides, she would...

"She'll stay out of sight," Danny said coolly, "I'm the one taking a risk here. No way I'm gonna take a chance with her." He pointedly ignored Sam's glare. "Now please, please don't come any closer. You'll ruin everything if you do. We'll get him, I promise."

When he wanted to be, Danny could be very convincing. In any other area but ghost hunting, people generally ignored him, but when it came to catching ghosts he knew what he was talking about, and it showed. He demanded authority, and he got it. Sam could literally see the detective's train of thought, torn between a general need to protect citizens from harm and the conviction that what they were dealing with wasn't anything he could do something about.

"We should have called the GIW," Jake Tannenbaum grumbled, looking discontented.

Sawyer waved at him and the detective sat up straight, crossed his arms and glared out of the windscreen. Sam smirked at him, suppressing as usual a pang of fear. Danny seemed completely unperturbed by the remark, but Sam generally liked the white-clad guys as far away from him as possible. She could never shake the feeling that one day they'd get lucky and capture their most prized target. And when that happened... she shuddered.

"Alright," Sawyer said, "We'll do it your way."

Danny nodded. "Remember. Do. Not. Approach. Whatever you see or hear." He hesitated. "Not ever gunfire," he added.

Before Sam could say something, he took off, crossing the street in a slow jog, forcing his friends to run after him. Furious, Sam followed him. He didn't give her a chance to voice her opinion on that last remark though. He didn't stop at the entrance of the alley both Jay and Roger had entered a few minutes ago, but charged right in. Tucker, panting heavily now, ran close to Sam. She glanced at him once, noting the bouncing backpack on his back.

He looked back at her. "The things I do," he grumbled.

Sam wanted to smile, but they were already there. Danny stopped, looked around in that eerie way of his where she knew he was accessing his ghost powers to find somebody – sensing their emotions – and then quickly stepped behind a dumpster. He bent forward, grabbed something and retrieved a protesting and struggling Roger.

"Hush," Danny said. He beckoned Tucker, who quickly grabbed the boy's other arm. "Listen," Danny said, "You really have to get out of here."

"No!" Roger started struggling again, "He's my friend! It's not his fault!"

Danny grabbed both his arms and shook him. "Stop!" he whispered, so loudly he might as well have shouted, "We know, alright? He's possessed by a ghost. We'll free him, I promise, but you have to get out of here now!"

"You know?"

Roger stopped struggling. Danny and Tucker each took an arm and dragged the boy away. Sam watched them go. Danny looked over his shoulder and mouthed something. She didn't quite get what he was saying, but she didn't have to. She nodded, and then retreated behind the dumpster Roger had been hiding behind moments before. Danny, Tucker and Roger disappeared around the corner. Not a moment too soon.

Through the back door of the jewelry store, a hooded figure phased into the alley.

Detective Sawyer gripped the wheel tightly, trying to ignore the fidgeting of his partner. He didn't like it one bit that the tree civilians were going in there to solve a crime, something that was basically his job. He frowned, then glanced at Jake, who chose that moment to look at him.

"What if...," he said.

"What if something happens to them," Sawyer finished.

"We'll look like idiots," Jake said.

Sawyer hesitated. "This is a ghost situation," he said.

"For which we should have called the GIW, not a bunch of cowboys," Jake said. He grabbed the door handle. "I'm going out there."

The door swung open, and he was just about to climb out, when Sawyer called him back. "No, wait. Look."

Sawyer pointed at the three figures appearing at the entrance of the alley. Two men holding a boy between them. Roger Cully, Sawyer assumed. They stopped in front of the store, seemed to confer for a moment and then one of them stepped back while the other two continued towards the waiting detectives. Sawyer got out of the car as well.

"Mr Sawyer, Mr Tannenbaum," Foley said.

Sawyer saw him having a tight grip on the boy's arm. The boy seemed reluctant, but obedient.

"This is Roger Cully," Foley continued. He was about to say more, when suddenly a shot rang out.

They all turned and looked at the entrance of the alley. For a moment, they just stood there, frozen on the spot. Then they moved, as one, Jake grappling for his gun, Sawyer doing the same and Foley grabbing the both of them by their arms, trying to hold them back.

"No, no!" he shouted, "No interference, didn't you hear him?"

Sawyer stopped and turned. Jake was not so easily stopped though, and he took a few more steps.

"Hold on, Jake. Stop!" Sawyer shouted.

Jake stopped too. Sawyer turned to Foley and studied him. The man looked both grim and scared. Sawyer could have sworn he was pale under his dark skin. Roger was still standing by the car, face ashen.

"Listen," Foley said, "We're catching a ghost that is a master in overshadowing. You seriously don't want to get near him."

"But..." Jake protested, waving his gun and looking momentarily at the alley.

"What about Mr Fenton and Ms Manson?" Sawyer asked.

Foley pursed his lips. He seemed confident, but Sawyer detected a strong undercurrent of worry in the man. "They know what they're doing. They've got protection against that."

Standing in the middle of the street, their breath clearly visible coming out of their mouths, they stared at the entrance of the alley, which now seemed ominously dark. Nothing moved, no sound came out.

"What do we do?" Sawyer whispered.