The Art of Science
By Lacey52

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

A note: Ah! So short again, but it's soooo jammed packed with information! AND there's another little cliffy for the third arc in here between Danny and Vlad! Yay!

Lots of love to you guys and I seriously hope you love this chapter. We finally find out what's up with Sam!

Not edited, so hit me up with the typos!

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Chapter Fourteen: Speculations

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

The night was stretching on at the hotel ballroom where the convention for the prevention of the destruction of the rainforest and other diverse landscapes was taking place. In short, it was known as the Land Preservations Dinner, held once every other year, and not once had Sam ever missed it, nor left early from it.

Whatever was wrong with her, was either serious or made up, though she definitely had a very plausible excuse. Whatever the case, Pam Manson decided that her daughter would be dealt with accordingly. Lots of sympathy and chocolate, or grounding until the end of summer, or maybe both for leaving so uncouthly.

Whatever happened, that would certainly teach her little rebellious teenager a lesson.

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Sam," Jazz sat heavily on the coffee table some few moments later, phone in her hand a rather pleading look in her eyes, "You should probably let your parents know where you're at."

"They're not home, and they'd just get upset if they found out," Sam didn't turn her head from watching Danny pace, "If I called the staff or my grandmother and my parents found out that they knew I was here and didn't come get me, they'd be in more trouble than I'm gonna' be."

"I can take you home," Danny offered as he stopped moving for a moment, "I'll just walk you if you want me to."

"I really don't want to go anywhere," Sam shook her head, watching as the halfa started moving again, her eyes following him as she sat trying to work some things out in her mind, "I mean, really where's safer than here right now?"

"Somewhere were there's no ghosts," Tucker quipped, pulling Sam attention off of Danny effectively and engaging her in a conversation, "Too bad we don't have access to a place like that, huh?"

"Yeah," Sam turned a bit, feeling a bit more at ease than she had the past hour or so, "Tucker…can I ask you something?"

"Shoot, Sam," he grinned and winked, "I'm all ears."

"I know that," the girl teasingly flicked an earlobe, "but seriously. Everything that's happened since I met Danny the first time, or at least the first time I remember, do you think it was just because he was pulled to me like the other ghosts?"

"What makes you say that?" Tucker wondered, thinking back over all the times Danny had played hero to the girl before she had figured out that Fenton and Phantom were one and the same, "Sam, Danny plays hero, plain and simple. He would have saved you all those times, even if you didn't have this weird problem with ghosts. It's probably just a coincidence that you have this 'pull' and Danny showed up to help you."

"No, I don't believe in coincidences," the young woman stubbornly shook her head, "Everything happens for a reason, Tucker, you should know that by now."

"And maybe Danny being around to protect you and for you two to fall in love with each other was one of those reasons," the boy shot back, rolling his eyes even as Sam blushed prettily, "Listen, Sam, I know you're probably thinking up all these reasons and excuses about what happened and why, but the fact of the matter was that Danny started falling hard and fast for you before you even figured out his little secret. Before all these ghosts really started coming after you, even though Sydney Poindexter said something about it starting when you two met as girl and ghost the first time."

"Tuck," Sam heaved a deep breath, "Do you really believe that?"

"I really do," he pulled her into another hug, a loving hand gently smoothing down her hair, "Things work out Sam…try to see the bright side."

"I'm a goth, Tucker," the girl laughed gently and snuggled into his side to rest, "The brightest it gets for me is the purple of the couch."

"Or the unbelievably white hair on a certain halfa's head?"

"Maybe, but you're pushing it pillow boy. Now hold still so I can get used to human contact, and don't expect this to ever happen again in the near future."

"Aye, aye, ma'am!'

"Tuck…"

"Shutting up!"

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

"Danny," Jazz's hand landed smack on the back of his head, propelling the boy forward slightly as he turned with a grimace, "Stop glaring at Tucker, and stop being jealous. If that wasn't the most brotherly hug in the history of hugs then I don't know what is."

"I'm not jealous," the halfa lied badly, pouting when Jazz looked at him knowingly, "Okay, so maybe I am a little, but that's my job, not Tucker's. He doesn't get to sit on the couch and hold Sam…"

"Yes, he does," Jazz rolled her eyes and pulled Danny further away and into the kitchen, leaving Sam to balance herself out with the help of her friend, "He's one of her best friends, isn't he? That means he gets to give her a comforting hug whenever she needs it. It also means that she's starting to get over everything and open up to us again."

"Yeah, okay," Danny groused, still rubbing at the sore spot Jazz had left on his scalp, "Still…"

"Still nothing little brother," Jazz frowned heavily, "Why are you so sore about it anyways?"

"Because, after everything we finally got to talk about tonight…," he trailed off for a second, causing Jazz to prompt him to continue with a jab to his side, "Ow…jeeze, alright. We finally got to talk and she admitted that she's afraid of me when I'm ghost. Then that stupid mermaid thing had to show up and ruin everything! How am I supposed to help her get over fearing me when I did something that's been one of her deepest, darkest fears since Undergrowth used her?"

"For one thing you didn't know it," Jazz started listen reasons, ticking them off with her fingers as she went, "Sam already accepted your apology and hasn't been acting too badly around you, you've been doing your best to stay calm about everything, which has helped Sam, and you've been keeping the ghosts away from her."

"Keeping them away isn't enough anymore," Danny shook his head, then slid a sideways glance to the door leading to the lab, 'I think it's time I paid a visit to everyone's least favorite free-loading jerk of a fruit loop. He has a promise to keep, and he had better keep it or else.'

"Danny?" Sam's voice came from the living room, prompting him to hesitate. He couldn't wait any longer though, and in truth he'd been putting it off for far too long as it was.

"I'll be back in a while Sam," he called out, pushing past his sister and changing at the same time, walking to the door with deadly determination, "Stay put."

Striding confidently, Danny went through the door and glided gracefully down the stairs, coming to a stop in front of the containment cube Plasmius was currently pacing around in. A sneer was exchanged between the two, then hateful, heated looks before Plasmius finally moved forward to speak softly, as the Fenton elders were in the teepee set up on the other side of the lab, "What do you want, child?"

"I want you to pay your debt," Danny's voice was ice cold and demanding, leaving no room for interpretation, "I got you Masters days ago, so tell me what you know about what's happening to Sam."

"Now why would I want to do that and ruin all the fun that's been going on?" a stray piece of what appeared to be lint was plucked from the edge of his cape, the light catching it as it drifted down to the floor, "It's been keeping you so very busy after all."

"If my parents don't have a problem using the Attitude Modulator on you, what makes you think I will?"

"Oh my," the ghost mocked, bringing a hand up to his mouth in false horror, "You, brave, heroic, Danny Phantom would stoop to the level of threats? Why I never…"

"This isn't funny anymore," Danny viciously shot back, trying his hardest to keep his voice down and his emotions under control, "Sam is in real danger, more everyday, and I can't keep tabs on her twenty-four, seven. Tell me what you know."

"Don't dare to presume that you can threaten me child," fang-like teeth were bared and Danny felt his eyes changing into a rather sickly yellow in response as his anger grew, "There is no love loss between us, no matter what you used to think of me when I was still half of the mortal world. I would sooner rip you apart and be done with it than stand here and listen to your idle threats."

"I assure you," Danny pulled back a hand, already glowing and ready to strike, "I'm not making idle threats right now, Plasmius."

"One day," the ghost haughtily turned his back on the boy, "I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Fool," the man spun around again, "You so desire information? I will give it to you. There is a pull of some sort around your dear Miss Manson, which acts as an attractant to all ghosts. Whatever their obsession, they feel it coming from the girl, only ten fold, or even a thousand fold as the power grows. Do not think that you are not effected boy. Even I went to see if what I had learned of her was true on the night you caught me."

"But Clockwork said…"

"Clockwork will say whatever it takes to get a time stream back to the way it needs be child," the message was spit out, as though he was disgusted by the very mentioning of the time ghost, "So clever Daniel, but so gullible of you to seek him out."

"I don't believe you," Danny fought back, "You lie all the time, I have no reason to believe you."

"Even young Danielle was here, was she not?"

Danny didn't deign to answer, causing Plasmius to start raving again, though this time it helped Danny's breaking spirit, "You may have not even noticed the pull, seeing as you've been around the girl for so long. It may have seemingly not affected you, may not have pulled you in the same way because you lack an obsession, but even I can see that your powers have been growing, boy."

"So…it may not have 'pulled' me because I'm not your typical ghost?" Danny's eyes faded into their natural green quickly, his heart rising in his chest at the news, "Sweet!"

"Boy!"

"Whatever Plasmius, you've told me enough," the halfa shook his head, and started back upstairs, ignoring the threats and words hurled his way by the ghost, "I'll figure something out on my own. I don't need you to do that."

Phasing back into the kitchen, Danny slumped against the door he'd just passed through, glancing around and happily noticing he was alone. Talking to Plasmius had offered few answer…but there was one other person who would know just as much and, due to the way things had been going, might be willing to give them up a little easier.

Danny only hoped that he could get the man talking, and unsteadily headed towards the phone as he let himself change back into a human, 'Hope I don't wake him up…I hate having to deal with a grumpy Vlad…'

.o.O.o.o.O.o.

Jazz returned to the kitchen twenty minutes after Danny had gone downstairs, praying that he wouldn't disturb their parents and be caught off guard. Sam and Tucker had continued to talk, but this time it was about the passing of summer and the coming school year. Sam could hardly believe that she'd only met them all at the beginning of the spring semester and was already so deeply ingrained in their lives.

Tucker just laughed, downed the rest of a soda he'd been working on, and said something along the lines of Danny's life having a tendency to suck other people in without his permission or control. Jazz laughed and opted to get another drink for them all, moving back into the kitchen to find the boy hanging up the phone with a deathly pale expression on his face.

"Danny?" Jazz moved forward as he let his head hit the wall, closing his eyes and grimacing about something, "What's wrong?"

"I think I just made a deal with the devil," the boy turned worried eyes towards Jazz, laughing slightly, "No one can ever tell me that I don't care about Sam though. I just pretty much sold my soul for her. Let's go into the living room so I don't have to tell this more than once…"

The story that followed had Jazz, as well as Sam and Tucker, on the edge of their seats, as both worry over a promise made and pride at Danny's cunning shot through them all.

"I called Vlad," Danny started in on the story with little pretext, "Plasmius wouldn't help me out, so I figured that with the way Vlad has been acting…well, I was right at least…"

"Daniel, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late night call?"

"You were right…about Plasmius," Danny screwed up his courage, waiting for the onslaught of laughter and mocking, but received nothing more than a 'hm' and so continued on, "He won't tell me anything I need to know."

"And what do you need to know?"

"What's going on with Sam."

"Ah, yes," the man on the other end of the line sounded delighted that this was being brought up, "I know a great deal about our favorite Manson, and as a matter of fact, I was on my way to investigate on the night you happened to catch me."

"I heard about that," Danny rolled his eyes, grateful that he'd caught the man before he'd made it to Sam's house, "What do you know about Sam's….well, 'pull' for lack of a better word. Why is she attracting ghosts?"

"Danny," a stern warning voice sounded through the line, and the halfa didn't know what to think about what Vlad said next, "I cannot simply tell you this information for nothing. I believe an equivalent exchange in is order here. A promise."

'A promise,' Danny echoed in his mind, recalling what Clockwork had said and realizing that he'd wasted his time when it came to Plasmius. Here was the person he was supposed to talk to all along, the most obvious being in the world sitting under his nose the entire time. Danny had just been too proud, or perhaps too cautious to even consider this option, and here it was turning out to be the best, "What sort of promise?"

"That's better boy, use your brain when beginning negotiations," Vlad's wicked smirk traveled through the tone of his voice and had Danny wincing, wondering just what he was getting himself into, "I simply want your word that when I ask you to do one thing for me, just once, you will do it, no questions asked."

"That's a little broad," Danny's grip tightened on the phone, wondering just how big a moron Vlad thought him to be, "You could ask me to take over the world or rewrite history or break laws for all I know."

"Oh yes, and you'd be honor bound to perform them, lest I decide to spill the beans about your little secret," Masters chuckled darkly, then began speaking again in a far more businesslike tone, "If you make this promise to me, I assure you that I will have you do nothing illegal, harmful, or damaging to yourself or others…you can even make the call about it. If you think it would be detrimental to yourself or anyone else, you can simply say no and give me the reason and I shall think of a different task for you. Does that sound like a good agreement?"

"About as good as I'll get out of you," Danny grumbled and shifted to stand more comfortably, "You tell me what you know about Sam, all of it, and it has to be helpful information, not just 'she has a pull' or 'she attracts ghosts and haflas' or anything like that."

"You've impressed me yet again Daniel," the older man chuckled, making Danny worry, "I believe I am making the correct choice when I say this: Sam was not just possessed when Undergrowth tore his way through your town, boy."

"What do you mean?" Danny started to panic, thousands of implications flying through his head, "Vlad tell me, or so help me, you're going to have one pissed off halfa on your front door step…"

"I simply mean that she was not overshadowed as it would be normal to do," Vlad paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, then continued when he was mostly assured that Danny was calming down, "She was imbued with a large portion of Undergrowth's power in order for her to become the 'queen' he wanted. It was this fact that I was studying when you caught me, and I've come to some very interesting conclusions since I've been split."

"Such as…," Danny pressed, feeling that he was nearing the answer he desperately needed.

"Perhaps we should go back to when you defeated the ghost," Vlad leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath before continuing his story, "He was basically destroyed, yes, but his power which had been stored in a human form was still there. Sam basically became a storage cell with the energy laying dormant. She could not detect it or do anything about it or with it, and so it basically sleeps in her body…until a ghost comes along."

"Until I came along," Danny stated knowingly, feeling horrible that he'd brought that on Sam somehow, "How did I…or, um, what did I do?"

"I believe, and mind you this is just a theory, that the more ghostly influence around her, the more the energy reacts," a thoughtful hum was heard over the phone then, "Basically, since ectoplasm seemingly has a mind of its own when all is said and done, it reacted to the source of energy you provided. The more you, and other ghosts, were around her, the more the energy stored inside of her grew. The more it grew, the easier it became for others to detect, though it was probably difficult to tell exactly what it was because it's hidden behind her human exterior."

"So…sort of how Danni and you never would trigger my ghost sense?"

"Exactly," Vlad sounded proud, and that made Danny worry more, "The only difference is, you are in control of your energy and Sam is not. It is reaching for an outlet, for something that can take control of it."

"For a ghost."

"Yes, for a ghost," Vlad nodded, "Ectoplasmic energy is alive in a way, and is constantly seeking out a host that can manipulate and use it. It is how ghosts gain energy and power. The more they can attract and control, the more powerful they become, thus Sam is the ultimate prize for any ghost. The more the energy she holds grows, the more powerful the attraction becomes."

"So, Sam's a battery, and the ultimate prize for ghosts," Danny cocked his head and winced, "She's not gonna' like hearing that."

"I imagine she won't," Vlad chuckled, "You have my condolences."

"Not sure what they're worth, but thanks anyways."

"You will be hearing from me soon Little Badger, do not forget your promise to me," he could almost see the malicious smirk spreading across the man's face, "After all a man's word is his bond, and I've done my part, Daniel. Goodbye."

"Bye," but the phone was already dead and Danny wasn't sure which emotion to feel first. Elation that he knew what was going on with Sam, dread over such a generalized promise, or fear that something was going to happen to her because of this power she unknowingly held. It was all too much and Danny just sunk against the wall.

"And that's pretty much the whole story," the halfa winced, stopping his pacing as his blue eyes darted over the faces of the three in the room. Tucker looked shell-shocked, which was exactly what Danny was feeing, Jazz looked worried over the promise he'd made, and Sam…Sam looked shaken.

"Sam?" the boy moved closer to her, glancing at his sister and Tucker, who promptly got the message and stood to leave, "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine, but…," she turned to face him, determination in her eyes, "I have to know, right now from you, do you like me because I'm some stupid, giant ghost battery, or because you like me for me?"

"I like you for you, Sam," the boy leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek, letting his face rest there as he spoke in a hushed voice to her, "You're funny and smart, beautiful, unique, and always know how to keep me in line. I told you already, Sam, you're perfect with the exception of being a ghost magnet, and now that we know why, we can get you fixed."

"You make it sound like I'm broken," Sam leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of his arms going around her and realizing just how little physical contact they'd shared the entire summer, "So…how are you going to fix me?"

He was, as always, surprised by Sam's tenacity, though he supposed by that point he should have known better where Sam was involved. Danny blinked once as he thought over her question, then sheepishly blushed and turned away, "Um, I don't really know…I didn't really think about that part, so I sorta' forgot to ask."

"Well, you're not calling that creep again, you dork, or you'll get yourself stuck with another promise," Sam gently, albeit a little shakily punched his arm, smiling up at the boy as a tiny flame of hope kindled in her chest, 'We may be a little strained right now, but we definitely aren't broken.'

"You got that right," Danny chuckled, holding her even closer, "No more deals with him…unless it's the last thing I can think of to save you again."

"Danny," Sam laughed gently, laying a soft kiss on his cheek in return for the one he gave earlier, "Let's see if we can figure something out on our own first. I'm sorry that everything has been so crazy lately."

"Same here, Sam," Danny scooted sideways and draped his arm over her shoulder, letting her snuggle into his side as Tucker had done earlier and feeling a thousand times better for knowing what was going on, "I promise, I'm going to get this figured out."

The pair sat for a few more minutes in silence, simply readjusting to one another's company in light of all that had happened. The answer to their problem had only created more questions, but that was alright. They had one another, and as Tucker and Jazz finally drifted back in to join them, they realized they had their friends and family as well.

A deep sigh issued from Sam as she felt herself drifting into sleep yet again, willingly surrendering her body to sleep in hopes that it would somehow lessen the effects of the news Danny had just shared. After all, who wants to be told their a giant battery? Not the most pleasing image of one's self, if Sam did say so herself, and in fact she did, just before fully falling asleep, "Stupid ghost battery…"

The three left awake just laughed quietly to themselves, agreeing wholeheartedly with the effected girl. There was plenty of time to deal with the problem, as it was only a quarter to nine, and it was best if she rested for now as it promised to be a trying night.