I haven't proof read this very thoroughly cos sleep deprived, but nothing quite beats the time I said beefeaters instead of deatheaters (cos that's all us English peeps ever think about :P) though I've edited that out now so don't try and look for it. I was embarrassed... okay?

Anyhoo, sorry I've taken a week more to update but I do have two legit excuses, a) I had a cold (cos apparently you can get those in May) and b) I had 3 exams. I don't think you guys really care as long as I get the chaps out eventually and I have to say I was actually pretty bummed that I couldn't write.

Now for the shout outs: to the self proclaimed 'Biggest fan' of mine, I have to admit your conjunctions are beast (beast means 'good') and I think I love you. Not in like a romantic way or anything just kinda in general. Pretty much I don't get many reviews, so the people that do I can pinpoint and thank them.

On that note thank you The-Amazing-Gracie for shipping Jelly! It means a lot to know that I could make a couple that was likeable and believable enough to the point that some people (if only a few) would actually care about them.

Okay notes too big now, time for disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I don't own the following things: Danny Phantom, phones, speakers, Mother Teresa, termites, computer systems, monster trucks, safes, steel, voodoo and syringes (plus anything that isn't mine blah blah blah)

It's Not What You Think…

I knew I shouldn't have got him involved! It was pretty clear that I was putting him in way more danger hanging around with me. If only I hadn't taken the damn thermos!

But this wasn't the time to dwell on my mistakes. I had to focus on saving him.

I had pretty much bolted my way out of my house, I don't know whether I went intangible or not. There could have been a gaping hole in my bedroom, but I didn't care as long as I found Jeff. When I got to his house, it was trashed pretty horrendously and there was definitely a supernatural sense that some shit had gone down here.

But he wasn't here. He had taken him.

I picked up Jeff's phone that had been left on his bed. Looking at his call history, I saw my number and when our phone call had ended. So the sadistic bastard would capture Jeff and keep him hostage, but was nice enough to save him on his phone bill? What a creep.

I figured I better get outta of here and start looking for him in the ghost zone, but just as I was getting ready to bounce, I was met by the last person I wanted to see right now.

My dad. Godammit.

I don't know what happened. Like, he literally just suddenly materialised. However the scowl he was giving me was not the one I was use to. The one I was familiar with was when I'd done something bad and was a 'you're grounded for a month' scowl. This was a 'you're the scum of the earth' scowl. It made me look down in shame.

'What have you done with him scoundrel? What have you done with the boy?!'

'Nothing! I swear! Please Da…Danny please!'

'Don't you call me that…' an ecto-shot was slowly charging in his hands, 'Now we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Where is the boy?'

'I'm telling you I have no idea! I… I came here to help him, not capture him!' I was stuttering, trying to sound as sincere as I could, but nothing seemed to convince him. How did he know about Jeff so quickly?

'Oh of course, I know what you do Shadows! You act like Amity's new, hip, young saviour who will always do what's best for mankind. Well trust me… I know that act and I sure as hell know when I smell a rat!' Either my dad was jealous or super paranoid.

'But isn't that what you do? Don't you want to help mankind more than anyone? I'm much more like you than you realise Mr Phantom. I… I have people I care about.'

'Listen to me pip-squeak! We are nothing alike, I think you'll find that I know how to control myself in difficult situations and right now I can see you're weak at the knees. So tell me where he is and I'll let you go.'

I get why Dad was talking to me like this, I mean, this isn't my dad. Or at least how my dad is with me. This was my dad facing his enemy. Strong, resilient and most of all… scary.

But if I was going to get anywhere I had to tell him the truth. 'I. Don't. Know.'

'So you're gonna be that way huh? Fine.' He fired an ecto shot at me which I quickly dodge. I didn't fire any back. He's my Dad for God sake! 'Oh c'mon! Aren't you gonna be even a little bit of a challenge! You're no fun!'

That was when I saw the emerald spiral forming behind my father. No. I wouldn't let this happen.

'RUN!' I screamed. Mechanical arms reached out of the portal and grabbed my father by the neck; they were trying to pull him in. I started to fire shots at them, and forcefully pulled my father out of their grip. He landed on the floor, shocked by the force that had tried to take him down.

He looked at me with eyes filled with confusion. They read, 'why are you helping me?'

The arms, unsatisfied that they hadn't grabbed their culprit, now went from just arms to a full body suit of armour with Walker in the controlling seats.

'Awww, does Phantom need a sissy little girl to do his battles nowadays? Getting too old for this gig eh?'

'I'll have you know I'm strong enough to take you on!'

'Bring it.' Walker arrogantly stated.

Dad began to fire shots at the suits cockpit, trying his best to break the glass. I knew it would take more to bring down that piece of junk, but it was worth a shot. Haha, get it… shot? Okay maybe it's not the time for lulz.

'Why are you helping me?!' He bellowed as he dodge Walker's attempt to blast him into another dimension.

'Because, I know I need you and your organisation to help me find Jeff!' I roared over the chaos.

'But why do you care so much about a human?'

'Didn't you in your time?' And I thought he would be the most understanding of this.

'I had an excuse. I was half human. You can't come here and mess with our people like that!'

'But I...'

'Children, please! Save the family feuds for later.'

'What are you talking about Stalker?' Dad was just about to try and hit Walker with a devastating blow, but then he grabbed him in one of his robot hands the size of a crane.

'You're coming with me!' My dad started to wince in pain as Walker squeezed him like a grape.

'NO! I won't let you take him!' I needed to find a way to shut down this suit! A cheat code or some wiring.

'Hush now!' He turned back to my father, 'Now I wouldn't get too stressed Mr Phantom, at least it's only you we're taking' He tried to assure him. My father's scowl seemed to remain on his face.

'If you touch my family I swear to God…'

'Oh I wouldn't worry about your family Mr Phantom!' he interrupted, 'I think you'll find they are more of a danger to themselves.' He looked at me as I was frantically trying to get my dad out of his grasp, messing around with a section of the suit I'd forced open.

'You won't get away with this!'

'Hey! You know the rules of Ghosts. No mixing with people! And you've been violating that law for years now!'

'I'm not one of you.' He said defiantly.

'You will be once the boss is done with you.' And with that they were gone, before I could even begin to disarm him. Why couldn't I protect anyone I loved anymore?!

I fell to the floor and began to weep hysterically. How could I make so many mistakes in one night? How was I ever going to help them?

I was in such a state in fact, that when the GIW forces came looking for their highest ranking agent and found me sobbing, they immediately accused me of kidnapping both Jeff and my dad, and put me in custody. They also disabled my powers.

So not only was I in ghost form so I couldn't prove my identity, I was in ghost form without my powers. I begged them to let me find them and once again insisted I didn't know where they were, but they wouldn't listen to me. I guess in a code red, nobody listens to anybody. They just run around in circles and convict the first person they find.

'No! Please listen to me! I don't have them, there in the ghost zone! You have to believe me!' I had been tied up (with like high tech rope and stuff) and thrown into the back of their Jeep like a dog going to the pound.

'And why should we trust you? You destroyed our city, put thousands of lives at risk and we find you at the exact location that two people went missing and you expect us to believe you? You've really got a nerve…'

'I'm telling you, I was trying to help them!'

'Oh that's always your excuse! "I was trying to help them."' He impersonated my voice in an insulting manner. 'Well I'm not taking any of that crap, you've put the whole world in grave danger.'

'Listen to me, I'm not the enemy! It's the man. He's taken Phantom and Jeff…'

'See she knows the hostage, there must be a reason she's taken him…'

'Probably to get back at us… but why Agent Magnolia?'

'I haven't taken anybody!' I was insisting.

'Hey these are all questions we ask when we get there. In the mean time, Agent Vanilla, please shut that thing up!' He gestured to me. What an ass! I never liked Ivory…

'Gladly sir.'

The next thing I knew I was incarcerated in a glass container with a few holes punched in. What's the point of air holes? We're ghosts… we don't breathe. I wasn't tied up, but I was sectioned off pretty bad and I couldn't fly or anything.

I saw the door open and few figures walk in, some I knew pretty well. There was the Fed, Agent Ivory, Magnolia, Eggshell (Uncle Tuck), and worst of all… my mom.

The glass was sound proof, so all I saw was them discussing something as they analysed me. Whenever I caught the eye of the ones I didn't consider my family, I scowled. But then I would catch my mom's eye and notice the fear in them. God I hope I can get out of this.

Why are they wasting their time with me? If I had taken Dad and Jeff they could have rescued them by now! The Fed pressed the button on the side and there was a sudden jump of feedback. Then I could hear his voice through the speaker, 'Miss Shadows, would you stop fidgeting? We have a few questions to ask you?' And it looked like they were going to ask me more questions.

'I told you, I don't have them!' This was infuriating.

'Quiet down you little termite! We don't think you have them, but we're pretty sure you're working for the guy who does…' What?

It was then that I realised this was exactly what the man wanted to happen to me. I was his Red Herring; as long as they wasted their time trying to get answers out of me, he could do what he wanted with Jeff and Dad.

'Are you even listening?'

'Sir, if we are really going to get answers that we are going to have to allow her to answer.' My mom reasoned. Weirdly enough, in the whole mess she was the only one giving me a chance.

'I second that Sir.' Tucker backed her up.

'What 'd you think Magnolia?' He turned to the head of Forensics and Engineering.

'I just wanna get my son back.' Whoa.

Jeff is Magnolia's son? I mean anybody who works with the government is likely to know my Dad's secret, so I guess I'd always assumed that Jeff's dad could protect him in ghostly matters. But I didn't realise that he was this kind of fed, and someone I knew quite well. I guess when they're all just shades you don't realise they have surnames, and families and lives. Except for mine of course… and well my family was interrogating me right now.

'Ms Shadows the last time you made a public appearance was at a bowling alley in the city centre. A bowling alley which happened to be on the same night attacked by an army of ghosts attempting to hack into the headquarters files.'

'Why would they hack a computer in a bowling alley? Why wouldn't they go to your headquarters?'

'They were clever Ms Shadows,' Uncle Tuck began to explain; 'If they tried to hack the systems in the headquarters we'd have been able to detect them. They needed a system that was big enough to hold that much data and they needed to do as far away from the GIW headquarters.'

'Agent Eggshell, you don't need to explain anything to this scoundrel, she might get better ideas!'

So that's why they needed Technus, I thought. If I was going to get anywhere, I needed to show them I was on their side, so I decided to tell them the little I knew.

'Listen, they weren't just in there to use the big computer. They were trying to get a source that they knew could hack your files. Technus.'

'And what has that bird brain got to do with it exactly?' The Fed exclaimed, unconvinced.

'He's the only one who's strong enough to take over the entire system. He was the one I was trying to protect that day… as well as the innocents in danger.'

'Yeah save the preaching Mother Teresa,' Ivory waved off my explanation. He was really getting on my last nerve.

I gritted my teeth, 'Technus knew there was nothing to be gained from letting them take over our system, so he's been running since.'

'So clearly you're working for Technus?'

'No! I'm not working for anybody! It's just…'

'Just what? I knew you were hiding something!' The Fed had already decided what kind of character I was. What was the point of him asking me questions if he was just going to jump to conclusions? Though it turned out my mother was having similar thoughts.

'Sir, please hear her out or we won't get anywhere!'

'You may be right, Agent Cream. Carry on.'

'As I was saying, a number of ghosts have attempted to take refuge in our world because of the mess in theirs'.'

'What do you mean our world Shadows?' Ivory contradicted me.

'Would you let me finish! Some of them have even gone as far as deliberately getting themselves arrested in this world so they don't have to go back. The ones I've caught I've been keeping in a secret location, and every one of them is refusing to go back there.'

'Hold on, you're telling me that you've have been keeping ghosts as refugees?' The Fed contemplated in disbelief.

'All under our noses!' Ivory wasn't happy about this.

'If they came here there was always the risk that you would send them back.'

They all looked at each other and they stopped pressing the button that meant I could hear what they were saying. They began discussing something again. The silence was unbearable! Then they came back.

'Where are you keeping them?'

'I can't tell you! Look these ghosts aren't important right now, it what's making them run away that's scary. It's what's making them run away that's got Danny Phantom and Jeff right now!'

'How do you know my son's name?' Magnolia suddenly gained a lot more interest and pushed his way through to confront me.

'Agent Eggshell would you check Jeff's call history, we need to see where he comes in all this.' The Fed suddenly ordered.

'Uh… yes sir.'

'I'm telling you, this isn't about me knowing who your son is, or who I am, but about finding them right now!' I'm pretty sure me, Mom and Magnolia were going through the same thing right now, with our loved ones in great peril, so the emotions were on a high.

That was when my mom moved forward and looked at me through the glass, not really saying anything. She just kept looking at me.

'Uh… Agent Cream, you might wanna take a look at this.' I heard through the speakers. Then they shut off again. In silence I saw my mom look at the phone Uncle Tuck was holding, and then in desperation she tried to grab the phone in her pocket. She held the phone to her ear and waited, heavily breathing and in a state of hysteria. She suddenly put the phone down, and ran over to the speaker.

'Where is she?! Where is my daughter?!' Oh no, how could I explain this one?

'Agent Cream, the detectives say that only two people have been captured, your daughter's phone is probably turned off.'

'No, trust me, I know my daughter. She would know something was wrong with her friend and she would come running to save him,' looks like my mom has a lot of faith in me, 'She would have gone to the scene and got captured too, I can feel it.'

'Start a search for Kelly Fenton, Agent Ivory.' He turned to my mom. 'If nobody can locate her, she's probably with your husband.' My mom fell to the floor and started to bawl. Uncle Tuck came and put his arm around her.

'It's okay Sam, we'll find her.'

'Why did I put this mission over my own daughter? Why did I let this happen?'

'It's not your fault.' Tucker eased.

'And you're not the only one to mess up.' Magnolia joined the lamenting.

'Oh, Steve.' They embraced in a mutual 'my-kid's-gone missing-and-I'm-worried-sick' fashion, my mom sobbing, Jeff's dad having too shocked to cry.

I knew it wasn't fair to lead them onto this wild goose chase, and it was especially hard to do this to my mother.

'Wait! You shouldn't be looking for Kelly Fenton! I know she's safe!' I tried to reassure, but I had no idea how I was going to convince them.

'What do you know? You've been locked up! How could you have communicated with her?' Magnolia began to question.

'I just know. Please, listen to me. We have to get to the ghost zone. Danny Phantom and Jeff Donahue are in a considerable amount of danger and we need to get to them as quickly as possible or else they're going to be toast and I swear to God that I will do whatever it takes to reach them in time if it's the last thing I do!' My speech was a crescendo, starting out soft and poignant to eventually dramatic and shouting my point.

As soon as I had finished, my mom turned to me and looked for a second or two. Then she got up and walked up to the glass, looking me in the eye and gently pressing her palm against the glass. I knew what she was seeing as she looked into my eyes. She was seeing her eyes. Although they were illuminated due to the supernatural force fuelling them, they were still the exact unique shade.

'Stop the search.' She suddenly stated. I breathed a sigh of relief.

'Why?' They all asked a mixture of curiosity and fear.

'I think I found my daughter.'

Jeff's POV

My head is killing me. I'm serious, my head feels like it's being run over by a monster truck filled with safes with heavy loads of steel being kept in those safes. I tried to think back to my last memory… I feel like I was gonna tell Kelly something. Something important. What the hell happened?

I managed to force my eyes open, and I'm telling you now I wish I hadn't. I pretty much had no idea where I was right now. I was also pretty sure that the tiny prison they were keeping me in was not big enough for the two of us in here.

Wait… two of us? Oh my god! It was the Danny Phantom, sleeping besides me, his face a mixture of anxiety and guilt. I mean, in other circumstances this would be super cool, but now I was really confused… and freaked out.

Unless, whoever was keeping us here was trying to get to Kelly? I mean, what has one person racing to you so fast they won't care about the consequences? You got that right, endangering a loved one.

As my vision got a little clearer and I was able to focus I saw a guy in the distance setting up some sort of scientific ghost voodoo. I could see him flicking at a syringe and laughing manically, which is quite frankly never a good sign. That is not cool, Dude! God I hope I can get outta this.