Possession. Marie had heard it tossed around before, between ghosts and even demons. Something having to do with a spirit creature and taking control in the inhabitation of the body of a human body, like a marionette. She felt her head swim, surely this wasn't some sort of Exorcist styled case. Surely all along Vlad couldn't have been controlled by a ghost, what would a ghost want with a teenager?

"Stay where you are." She barked, no need to lose her head, not in a moment like this.

But the red eyed man made no attempt to obey. His movements were slow and nerve-wracking, but as sure as ever. "I said stand down!" She snarled her finger beginning to apply pressure to the trigger. The last thing she wanted to do was shoot Vlad, if he was in fact possessed then it'd be like taking down an innocent man. Something she couldn't do.

But the closer he got the more the desprate she became, he wasn't going to stop for any reason. Marie didn't know why, but she knew the what. And it was Danny. Taking aim for a leg Marie fired one shot, it would've been a direct hit, had the leg not disappeared. Wide eyed and stunned the experienced investigator gaped at the sight.

"But...but..." She stammered her frightened brown eyes staring into Vlad's piercing red ones. How could you take something like that out?

"Come now dear, did you really think I was going to let you shoot me?" He asked calmly in a mocking fashion pausing for a moment to enjoy he new power over her.

The woman had to stall for time, Tucker was bound to return any minute with the Fentons. "Why the kid? What do you need with Danny?" She demanded, throwing a glance over her shoulder, but her vision line wasn't wide enough for her to actually see the boy on the ground, for now she'd have to assume he was there.

The possessed billionaire laughed lightly at her. "There's not an explanation for the likes of you, it'd go beyond your naive comprehension. Besides, don't you think it's rather rude to pry into other people's affairs?"

She glared at him. "You made it my buisness by taking Danny." She stated firmly, he cocked an eyebrow at the nervous woman. There was something about the eerie unthreatened look that gave her the chills.

Swallowing a lump in her throat she continued to stall for time, if not to save Danny, but herself as well. "Then why Vlad? Why are you taking his body?" She asked wishing he'd give long answers.

"I don't believe any of the answers you are looking for are any of your business my dear. Now kindly step aside and let me handle my matters." He replied a tight frown drawn upon his features.

Marie shook her head. "Never. You'll take him over my dead body." She growled holding her ground firmly.

A twisted smile snaked across Vlad's pale lips as a dark light formed around his waist, making a bluish tint envelope his skin and replace his human side with a much more unearthly form. "That can be arranged."

With clenched teeth the woman stared fearfully at the ghost she'd only seen once before, then it was true, he was possessed. The flight or fight response kicked in, and she wanted nothing more than to dive for the open hole in wall and run as far as she could go. But Danny's safety ranked higher than hers so she had no choice but to fight.

She prepared to defend with everything she had when a loud voice rang out from the back of the lab. "Get down!" Instinctively she dropped to the floor hands covering her head. Vlad turned, shocked, at the voice, his attention had been slightly diverted on the woman the whole time he hadn't even noticed anything else.

Marie glanced upward to see a bright green ray of light streak from the back of the lab straight into Vlad knocking him over so easily he seemed defeatable at that moment. Getting to her feet the woman saw something else that she'd never dreamed of, a white haired boy with striking green eyes, he almost looked heroic, but the tattered outfit and open wounds made him appear vunerable.

"...You...saved me?" She stuttered, the bright glow outlining his physical body was brilliant and angelic, he too could not have been human.

"You've got to get out of here." The boy panted his voice nearly lost in his own fracture breaths. She nodded and turned around to grab the helpless teen and take off, but found he was missing. She tossed her head over her shoulder and began looking this way and that to find no one there.

"Danny?" She exclaimed looking around terrified, how could he have gotten away, and better yet why?

A loud scream of agony broke her thoughts and she saw the white haired boy's body thrust upward with a hard punch in the stomach. Vlad drove him upward and knocked him down somewhere in the dark with a shattering sound. A faint glow told her he did not hit the floor, she guessed he had hit a table.

"Why you rotten little..." Vlad uttered darkly stomping toward his fallen victim, cape swishing back and forth. Immediately the man grabbed Danny in a choke hold, holding the boy down by his throat. She could hear the strained choking sounds coming from the shadows.

"You simply want to die don't you?" He mocked fiercely his hand glowing a dangerous red as he fired up a rather large ecto-orb capable of disintegrating the teen.

Shaking Marie fumbled for her gun, somehow she had to find Danny and protect her savoir, human or not. Finally her hands clasped the cool metal and she quickly tried to grasp it in her clammy hands. "No leave him alone!" She shouted firing a bullet right into Vlad's arm just as he was about to thrust it into Danny.

With a scream of pain Vlad back stepped, dripping blood, and lost control of his own power. It missed it's target, but made equally devastating damage. The deadly orb, instead, was rocketed into two supporting beams and took them out easily before making another hole in a wall across the lab. The ceiling above began to crumble and it started to cave in on the three.

Danny got to his feet and ran toward Marie, intending on at least saving her from being buried under Vlad's extra layered ceiling. He pushed her forward, too weak to use any powers. "Get out, while you still can." He said shoving her toward the opening and falling to the floor a few feet away.

"But what about Danny and you?" She asked stopping to a dead halt before him, outstretching a hand. She refused to just leave someone behind, and he sensed it.

"Forget about me, I'll find Danny. You just go." She stayed still, angering him. "I said go." He demanded and fired up a feeble ecto-blast just powerful to knock her away. She was pushed by the power out of the hole, she barely even got a glimpse behind her as the entire ceiling came down, destroying parts of the empty lab as well.

Marie gasped as she skidded into the floor and up against the table, her head pounded violently and resonating thuds echoed. Suddenly it sounded like a stampede was going to trample her, but upon looking up she saw everyone she arrived with. She was almost excited to see the girls, but she remembered the target of her whole mission.

"Oh damn it!" She snarled as she lunged forward toward the settling rubble. Her mind burning with the image of tired green eyes and pained blue ones.

Maddie arrived at the frantic woman's side. "What's going on?" She demanded grabbing Marie's shoulder. Marie jerked her head up her eyes wild and frightened.

"No, no, no!" She yelled. "He's still in there!" She cried pounding her fist against the tile, pieces of dry wall stuck to her skin as she did.

"Who?" Tucker shouted from the back of the filed in family.

"Danny." She said under her breath, as gasp echoed through the room. "The white haired boy said he was going to save him, but I think he was too weak..." The defeated woman explained and hung her head, her ears were nearly shattered by the loud wail that sounded from the goth girl. "I had him, I had him."

"Are...are you sure?" Jazz asked nervously clutching Tucker who was holding Sam. Jack leaped forward and moved over to the rubble to dig. He mirrored the actions the investigator had been taking only moments ago.

"Jack wha..what are you doing?" Maddie questioned her lip quivering as thoughts of her only son being crushed crowded her mind.

Jack didn't even send a glance her way. "I'm finding my son Maddie. I'm not leaving until I find my son." He stated firmly, the determination in his voice made Maddie move forward. Ultimately movitivating everyone else to join in as well.

Their hands were bloody from digging through the twisted shattered remains of the room. Above them broken pipes leaked and dripped and pieces of the broken floor still fell in small rubble piles. They each took spots around the mess of a pile, it wasn't too deep, but deep enough to hide two bodies. They all hoped that neither of them had been victims.

Through their excavation, Marie had explained that she believed Vlad to have been possessed. The only proof the ghost hunters had to go on was the odd reason for Vlad having Danny and her witness account of the ghostly hold on the billionaire. But the Fentons were concerned with Danny, according to Sam, Jazz, and Marie it seemed that he was already wounded, he wouldn't last long buried.

Jack found his location to be futile so he moved and began digging again, he was so frightened and yet so impatient to know what they might find. No parent wanted to lose a child, it seemed as if it would be better if they never knew, but he wanted to know. He remained as hopeful on the outside that Danny was alright, that his tough boy had made it.

The man looked up as he saw Sam being dragged to the non-destroyed half of the lab by Jazz. He could see a large piece of twisted metal sticking from the girl's hand, and although she wanted to continue searching, Jazz refused it. It made Jack wonder how those kids seemed so well adjusted to tragedy. Almost like they'd prepared for it long ago.

Timidly Jack went back to work and found a large piece of wood, he stood and grabbed the edges pulling it up to reveal more broken pieces and something else beneath the scattered fragments. He blinked at first almost not believing his eyes, it looked like his son's hand. He brushed his fingers over it gently to see it respond with a subtle flinch. He began digging faster and soon found a shoulder blade.

"Maddie!" He called in excitement and worry, this had to be Danny, but how damaged was he? Jack couldn't quite tell whether or not the boy was even moving under there. He figured it would take delicate precision to free him.

A thought crossed Jack's mind. If he was alive, how much time did they have?


::hides in fear:: I am soo sorry it took so long to update, forgive me!!!! Don't you hate how life gets in the way? I'll try my very very hardest to update the next (probably last) chapter of this story as soon, which I hope is soon, as possible. I'm really sorry cause you guys have been so comitted and good to me, and you don't deserve to wait this long. I value my readers. So thanks for being patient.