Hello readers! Hope you're enjoying this story so far! Thanks to my reviewers!

Author's Note: I often use music to inspire action scenes or background music for certain slower ones. So, with that being said, this chapter is brought to you by You Me At Six's "Suckapunch" which has the right energy for an action scene, while also having relevant lyrics. *Warning* It contains language, for those of you who aren't into cussing.

Previously In The Love We Had Before: With new information about Infe's whereabouts and a plan formulated by Jazz, Danny and Amor prepare to confront Infe.

Chapter Nine

The door to 917 Maple Street always creaked when it opened, setting the scene for a very obvious arrival. Danny couldn't help but cringe as the noise echoed through the hollow walls of the house. If Infe was here, he'd know Danny was too. He'd wanted the element of surprise.

Too late now.

He entered slowly, one glowing hand at the ready in case Infe indeed had heard him come inside and decided to attack first and ask questions later. He remembered the layout of the house from when he'd tried putting together a haunted room for Lancer. It was still so dark, still just as eerie as he recalled. Dust coated the floors but he could see his parents' footsteps in it, the only signs of recent inhabitants.

The door slammed shut behind him and he couldn't help but get spooked by the sudden noise. It was late summer but the warm temperature didn't seem to reach the interior of the house and Danny knew without seeing his breath that a ghost was within range.

"Well, well, well…" a voice said in the darkness, making him start a second time. "Look who we have here." Infe stood at the top of the stairwell to his right, leaning on the balcony railing. His icy eyes stared at Danny, one blonde eyebrow raised. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" Very slowly, he descended a step, then paused, waiting for Danny to answer.

"Is this your idea of a lair?" Danny asked instead, looking around. If he didn't know any better, the whole building looked close to falling in on itself. It had fallen into major disrepair since the last time he'd been in here.

"It suits my needs," Infe replied, shrugging.

"It's creepy."

Infe laughed, a noise akin to nails on a chalkboard. "I'll admit I'm impressed that you found me. Did Amor tell you or did you guess on your own?"

Danny hesitated only a second. Had Amor known all along where Infe had been hiding? Or was Infe just trying to manipulate him again?

"I figured it out. All you bad guys have the same taste in decor. The more disturbing, the better, isn't that right?"

"Hilarious." Infe took a step down, his playful mood starting to vanish. He scowled as he primped his hair back into its posh style. "Where's Amor?"

"I don't know. He said he had stuff to do," Danny replied.

Infe seemed to believe his answer, taking another step down the stairs toward him. "You came here alone, knowing what I'm capable of?"

It took all his nerve not to move from where he stood. He knew exactly what Infe was capable of but wouldn't let him intimidate him that easily. The plan would work.

"I came with a warning. I don't care how powerful you are. This is my city. This is my world and I'm fully dedicated to protecting it. I will find a way to stop you. Give yourself up now and we don't have to do this the hard way."

Infe took another step. "You're tough. Or stubborn. Or both. I'll give you that. But I doubt that speech works on any other ghost, so why would you assume it would work on me?"

"Because it's a promise I intend to keep," Danny told him.

"Mmm yes. You're all about promises, aren't you? What if I just want to talk for a moment?" Infe offered, halfway down the staircase. He paused again, leaning on the wooden wall behind him. "Just you and me, no interference from Amor?"

"What makes you think I want to hear anything you want to say?"

"Because otherwise you'd be fighting, not making threats. Hear me out, Phantom kid."

Danny wondered if listening would be a big mistake but he needed the time. "What do you want?"

Infe smiled and the gesture looked strange on his face, as if the movement of his lips and teeth was actually painful. "For you to answer me something: do you think Wreckers are incapable of love, Danny?"

That hadn't been the question he'd been expecting at all. "Are you?" he returned.

"You're not sure, that's good. Amor hasn't filled your head with absolute nonsense. The truth is that I feel plenty. Do you think everyone on the planet is continuously a happy-go-lucky drone, never having a bad day, never thinking a singular negative thought? I am the very embodiment of justice served, moments of fighting passion, and the truth, whether it hurts or not. Love is like yin and yang. It needs creatures like Amor to fuel its light side. It needs Wreckers like me to nurse its darkside. I'm not evil, Danny. I am capable of love, I assure you."

"You also enjoy pain and fear," Danny retorted.

"Do you not grow stronger from it? Especially you, Phantom, you who endures physical pain on nearly a daily basis as you face your foes. Does your body not become more resilient? Do you not mentally grow from the pain inflicted upon you during your darkest moments? You suffered from not telling your family about your abilities, but learned they accepted you for who you are regardless. You've understood the need for sacrifice time and time again when saving the Ghost Zone and your town from countless enemies. You mourned for the loss of your first real relationship but came to realize it put you on the path to a better one."

By now, Infe was on the ground floor, at his level. Danny knew he should have been on his guard but he was slightly transfixed by what Infe was stating. None of it was untrue. None of it felt like Infe was just riling him up.

"You've faced your fears before, too. And now they don't scare you. I shouldn't scare you. Do you know why?"

Danny wasn't sure what to say and Infe knew, so he continued. "Because I think you see with more than just your eyes, kid. You see both sides to the story. Amor doesn't. Tiffany Snow knew she was too good for her fiance, who doesn't have an ounce of responsibility in him. She was miserable. She paid for everything they owned and didn't ever get gratitude or appreciation in return. I tipped the scale. Made her brave enough to say she'd had enough when he accused her of cheating. Oh, and did you know that Ed Moore's only son had no interest in taking the theatre over for him? Even if he does get a good run in for a few more years, he's too close to retirement and too stubborn to just hand off his family fortune to some stranger. That theatre won't last long. You've just delayed the inevitable."

"That sounds a lot like pessimism to me," Danny remarked.

"It's solid truth. And you know that. You and me are a lot alike, you know. I've seen your memories. If you stopped letting Amor fill your head with lies, you'd see me for who I am too. I think that's why you came here alone."

At that, he stood up straighter. "You're wrong."

"Am I?" Infe challenged.

"I'm not alone."

Infe's expression turned to confusion right before there was a loud cracking noise behind him. The gauntlet of the Fenton Peeler tore through the dilapidated wall and seized him around the neck, pulling him back through the new hole and slamming him onto the ground. Jazz couldn't help but give a battle cry as she picked him back up again and tossed him into the wall.

Before Infe even had the chance to react, Maddie was there with the Icer, firing off several rounds that pinned Infe to the wall by his sleeves, collar, and pant legs. He struggled against them for a moment, his teeth gritted in anger.

"You were just stalling me, weren't you?" he demanded.

Danny watched him with his arms crossed while his mother and sister flanked both sides of him. "Oh, yeah. Like I said, all you villains are all the same. Get you talking and you're easily distracted."

"Yeah, but I'm not that easy to beat, kid," Infe challenged back. His eyes lit up like neon lights and he grinned wickedly, but then frowned when he realized he wasn't able to phase through the restraints and escape.

"Anti-ghost walls," Danny explained. "Channeled through the electrical wiring of the house."

Infe turned his head just to see Tucker Foley enter the room, PDA in hand. Tucker grinned triumphantly and said, "That's right baby. I can plug in anywhere."

"Little caniculas," Infe growled. "No matter."

He pulled himself free from the ice with a grunt and flew right at Danny, who switched to a fighting stance in anticipation. But before he could get there, Jack Fenton rushed into the scene and threw a punch, catching Infe right in the face with the Ghost Gauntlets. Infe reeled backwards as Jack yelled, "Boy, I love these things!"

Danny threw out his hand and hammered Infe with an ectoplasmic blast in the chest. Infe stumbled back to his feet, his eyes glowing with frustration. He raised up his hand, his palms cracking with electricity, but from behind him came a grappling hook, which twisted around his wrist several times. It was now Valerie Gray who stood in the shadows, her weapon locked on Infe and tugging him backwards as he fired. The lightning bolt went wide and hit the ceiling instead, creating a small hole.

"Nice try," Valerie commented, reeling him in like a fish.

Infe, forced to the ground, grabbed the hook line and summoned his lightning, causing sparks to launch down the line towards Valerie, still attached to it. She gasped, trying to disconnect, but before the energy could hit her, there was a blast of green ectoplasm that snapped the line in half. A shield appeared to block Valerie from the ungrounded shockwave that followed, which rebounded right into Infe, who shrieked as his own lightning fizzled through his body.

When the shield withdrew, Danielle stood defiantly behind it, a smile on her face. She darted towards Infe, grabbing both his feet and swinging him hard into the other room where Danny waited, his foot slamming down into Infe's chest as he landed, pinning him a third time.

"You see, the difference between you and I is that I have friends," Danny said down to him, flipping a switch on his suit so that the Fenton Thermos whirred to life on his arm.

Out of breath, Infe sputtered out, "This time you're wrong, Phantom. I have plenty of friends. Allow me to show you."

He whistled and a shiver crawled up Danny's spine as several mischievous shrieks filled the house. Several shapeless ghosts appeared out of nowhere and went straight into attack mode, including the one that slammed into Danny from the right side, knocking him right off Infe.

Around him, his family and friends went into action, dealing with the new ectos in the only way they knew how. There were constant noises of fired weapons, tactical shouting, and the occasional thump of someone hitting the floor. In the center of it all, Infe stood, dusting off his clothes while never losing eye contact with Danny. No wonder Infe had chosen this place: it was literally a haunted house, there were bound to be ghosts around willing to do his dirty work.

With a wave, Infe took off, headed for the stairwell. He couldn't go intangible with the walls locked in with Tucker's anti-ghost technology, but that didn't mean there weren't holes in the floors above that he couldn't escape through. Against all Amor's warnings, he took off after him, knowing he couldn't let Infe get away.

Instead of using the stairs, he jumped to his feet and took flight, launching himself right into Infe's retreating figure. They crashed together through a wall and ended up in a room with a floor that had caved in. Infe nearly rolled off the jagged ledge, peering down into the darkness the hole had created. It seemed to extend into the earth despite it only being three stories up, like a giant abyss waiting to swallow them all.

Danny floated to his feet, trying to maintain as much distance as he could without letting Infe out of his sight. He'd already risked enough earlier but he was sure he'd be able to trap Infe into the Fenton Thermos. Now the odds were stacked against him. Down on the floor below he could still hear the fighting and he knew he had to trust that his family and friends were doing fine without him. And that he'd be okay without their backup.

Infe seemed to notice how far out of range Danny was keeping, because he chuckled as he pulled himself back onto the ledge. "Did Amor tell you not to get too close? Smart move, I'll give him that. But where is your lovesick ally now?"

Danny didn't want to admit aloud that Amor had elected to stay behind, claiming he wasn't necessarily useful on the battlefield. But the way Infe said it made it sound like he'd abandoned them on purpose.

"Courage isn't his strong point," Infe continued. "But it's yours, I can see that. Which is why I'm going to offer you a solution to all your problems. Join me, Danny."

"You've gotta be kidding me," he scoffed. "No way."

"You haven't even heard the benefits. Do you even understand why Amor thinks I'm so evil? Or do you just take him at his word? You're smarter than that. The good outweighs the bad. Wreckers are the balance in the world. If you join me, I can show you that. I can show you power you've never dreamed of. Chances you'd never think to take. Endless possibilities."

"Never."

"You're not listening, boy. I'm offering you the opportunity to be seen and heard, to feel needed. I can show you what it feels like to be the hero again. I can make you relive that moment in Italy when you realized you were absolutely in love with Sam. I'll show you how to see the light at the end of the tunnel. To give you what your heart wants now and forever more," he said.

"Stop talking," Danny insisted, feeling his head spin and heart twist. In anger, he fired a few jets of ice toward the Wrecker, who had to jump to avoid them.

Infe frowned as he dodged the final shot, facing off against him from across the room, a new haze to his blue eyes. "You'll see what I'm saying soon enough. Until then, I know exactly how to coerce you."

With a ferocious grunt, he skimmed his hand across the air and a rip appeared in the space, revealing another place and time. Danny gasped, unable to believe what he was seeing. The only ghost he knew that had the same ability was Wulf. Infe grinned and shoved his hand through and when he pulled back, there was suddenly someone locked in his grip.

"Deep in your heart, Danny Fenton, you know you'd do anything for her. Now's your chance to prove it." And before he'd even finished talking, Danny had realized who now stood before him, locked in Infe's rough embrace.

Sam Manson.

Whee, that was longer than I anticipated but still just as fun. I love cliffhangers. Hope you all do too. I'm hoping to have an update for you sometime next week. Until then, thanks for reading and reviewing.

Kat Day