I am so sorry! If you haven't noticed, I have this new story up and when I started it I got distracted from this one. Not to mention I was suffering from a lack of creativity. It's not writer's block because I know what is going to happen. I was just having a hard time writing it out.
Also I'm afraid Valerie's character may be a little OC. I don't know her character as well. Since she is older I suppose there are a few things that could be different, but I don't know if any changes you spot will be believable. It's for you to decide if she is OC.
Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet I couldn't put all of the phone call in the chapter(see reference above about lack of creativity) I'm glad you are enjoying my story, though. Thanks for the review
Lightning Streak It took you five hours to come up with that summary? I didn't mean for you to use so much time on me. What a waste of perfectly good time youcould have used to do something constructive. Thank you so much for the summary, though. :) Here's more. Thanks for the review.
Professor Fishmeister My secret? I don't have one! I'm just as surprised as you are! I see your point about the name Amy now. If I'd known I would have come up with something more original. Thanks for the review.
Chaltab I'm glad you liked it. I realized that Tucker was absent from my fic a few chapters back and decided I just couldn't leave him out. And at least in To Charm A Ghost you have him in a role where he isn't dead. :) Thanks for the review.
Lateraina Wolf Liked that line, did you? So did I. I hope you got a chance to read the rest of it. Thanks for the review.
Kairi7 Thank you so much for the praise! I love that it's summer, too. I'm sorry for the long wait. Thanks for reviewing.
CelloSolo2007 Pizzazz? I have no Idea if you spelled that right, but thank you! I hope you like what I came up with for the Tuckercalling Valerie dilemma. Thanks for the review.
dark-aura314 Uhh…no. Vlad wasn't listening in. Thangs may become clear in this chapter. Maybe. Thanks for the review.
Disclaimer: see previous chapters
Chapter 10-Something Gained
Valerie's phone rang as she headed towards her dorm room.
"Hello?"
"…Hey, Valerie."
The caller was Tucker, she knew. What was puzzling her was the tone of nervousness in his voice. She'd never known Tucker to be hesitant to talk to her since…ever!
"Hey, Tucker. What's up?"
"Listen, Valerie, I've go a huge favor to ask of you."
"You're trying to cancel tonight's plans, aren't you?'
"No! In fact, why wait until tonight! This will let us spend even more time together. Won't that be fun?"
"What are you talking about?"
You see, I need to go to this place and I thought you might like to come."
"When?"
"Um…now?"
"I have classes, Tucker!"
"I know. I do, too. I really need you to come, though."
"Why?"
"Um…can I tell you on the way?"
"No."
"Well, you see, there's this ghost and…"
Tucker usually enjoyed flying through the air. He'd loved being able to fly when he had been given ghost powers by the ghost Desiree, and flying with Danny was cool, too. But standing on something while it sped through the air at high velocities was unnerving him. He didn't have control and Valerie may not see him if he lost his balance and fell off. Though, he thought she might notice he was gone with the way he was hugging her waist. And the board, he reminded himself, was pure technology and technology had never failed him before so maybe the chance of falling had slightly lessened. With this thought, Tucker relaxed his death grip and opened his eyes to look at the scenery below him.
"Tucker, let me run this by you again for confirmation. Danny, his girlfriend, and Danny's family were attacked and kidnapped by a ghost?"
"Uh…right!"
"And, at the same time, Danny's niece was kidnapped by a different ghost?"
"Yes…."
"And tell me again how you knew I was a ghost hunter."
"Well…Sam saw you working when we were fourteen, and I knew only you could own such a cool outfit?" It came out more as a question and Valerie turned to give him a skeptical look.
"And," he hurried to explain "Sam thought it sounded like your voice when she saw you."
Valerie was still very skeptical, but she turned back around. She'd been around Tucker enough to know when he was lying. However, he had known she was a ghost hunter. She couldn't understand why he wouldn't tell her the reason, though.
They were coming up close to the house. Tucker found it ironic that it was so close. The house was set in the woods that were located one hundred and thirty-five miles outside of Amity Park. After getting the entire story from Sam Tucker figured Vlad had placed Sam and Amy here to throw Danny off. Danny would probably be in such a panic that he wouldn't think of the idea that they might be close by. Not to mention that the house was in the opposite direction from Amity Park that the city (Tucker had racked his brain but he couldn't remember the name) Sam had had her interview. Tucker had to admit that Vlad was a good strategist.
"Is this the place?" Valerie asked.
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
"Sam believes the two ghosts are planning this out together. They had Sam placed here until early this morning."
"The ghosts are working together?"
"Yeah. Strange, isn't it?"
"I can believe it." Valerie was thinking of the ghost dog and Inviso-Bill. The two had been awful friendly with each other even if he had been telling the truth when he had said that it wasn't his dog. They weren't exactly enemies again, but she was reconsidering her agreement to have a truce.
"This should be it," Tucker was saying. "It matches the description Sam gave me and he owns it." Tucker glanced down at the plain two-story house. "Probably the simplest thing the guy owns."
"What do you mean? Who owns it?"
"Uh…the ghost?"
"Ghosts don't own things!"
"It's complicated," Tucker replied weakly.
Valerie gave a weary sigh. Here was another thing Tucker wasn't telling her. Maybe she should re-think this relationship.
"The ghost is inside, right? Do we just barge in?"
"We should try to find Amy first. She's supposed to be in one of the rooms on the second floor."
Tucker clutched at Valerie as they moved closer to the house. Tucker glanced through a window as they became level with the second story. The room was empty and Valerie started to circle the house. The other rooms were as empty as the first, and Tucker wondered if the whole place was this bare. Finally, he stopped Valerie as they passed by a window.
"There she is."
Valerie peered inside as she maneuvered next to the window. There was definitely a small girl curled up in the center of the room. Tucker tried the window, but frowned as he found it locked. He tapped on the glass until finally the girl shifted and looked at them as she sat up.
Valerie smiled as the girl beamed and ran over to them at the window. Amy was cute and she was happy to save the girl, but she was getting impatient. She had a feeling that Tucker didn't want a confrontation with the ghost that had kidnapped Amy. But she wasn't just going to let the ghost go free. The ghost would just go and kidnap someone else.
"Stand back," Valerie warned as she lifted her arm. A small gun appeared from the arm of her suit and she pointed it at the window's latch.
"What? Wait!"
Amy stepped backwards when she saw the gun. It was a good thing she did because, when the gun fired, the blast was more destructive than Valerie had theorized.
"Amy," Tucker called, alarmed.
The 5-year old had been thrown back, but she was unharmed. Tucker jumped through the hole and picked the girl up before turning to his girlfriend. "What were you doing? You just told him we're here!"
Valerie had already pulled out a much bigger gun and was warily looking around.
"Exactly."
Skulker was down on the first floor. He was in a rather foul mood. Hopefully Plasmius didn't think he was going to stay here and permanently keep watch over the child. He hadn't really been told anything past this part of the plan and was starting to regret his role in all in this. He was a hunter, not a baby-sitter.
He turned to look at the ceiling as it creaked, telling him that the child had moved. So far the girl had been quiet. It was a change from all the yelling he had endured from the ghost child's friend and Skulker rather liked it. Why then would the girl decide now to start moving around?
Then came the small explosion that rippled through the house and Skulker smiled. He'd been hoping that someone would try a rescue attempt. He turned intangible and flew up through the house, taking note of the human in the room with the girl before flying through the ceiling and landing on the roof to gaze at the human that was hovering in front of the demolished wall.
Skulker recognized the red suit immediately. It was the girl that had hunted the ghost child. She had seemed like a worthy opponent, so he had started a contest between them. He hadn't been satisfied with the result and had had decided to hunt them both, but the two had helped each other to defeat him. He wondered how much of an opponent she would be now after all these years.
With a predatory grin, Skulker armed his cannon and took aim.
Danny hurriedly stepped away from the door as it opened. Vlad stood in the doorway and gave the two a sinister smile.
"Catching up?"
Danny glared at him. "This doesn't make sense, Plasmius. Why give me Sam?"
"I told you, Daniel. I have Maddie and it's only fair that I reunite you with your love."
"Where's Amy?"
"I didn't move her like I did Samantha. She is still safe as long as you cooperate."
Sam stepped forward to give him her own glare. "What you said was wrong. You don't have Danny's mother. Taking her away from her home is not going to help you win her love."
Vlad gave Danny a smirk before he called out to someone over his shoulder. "There'll over here, Maddie!"
Danny looked horrified as a second later he heard approaching footsteps running down the hallway. He exchanged a look with Sam before his mother appeared. She smiled and stepped forward to embrace Danny.
"Danny! I'm so glad you're safe."
"M-mom?"
"It's all right. I'm fine. The ghost we saw at Vlad's reunion attacked us at the house. He was working with Inviso-Bill. They kidnapped me and took me here." She leaned back and her smile faltered. "Danny…your father…."
"I already informed him about Jack when I brought him here, Maddie," Vlad remarked.
"Oh, well, thank you, Vlad. You aren't hurt, are you Danny?" Maddie noticed the look of shock on her son's face and the way his jaw was a little slack and tried to reassure him. "It's going to be okay, Danny. Vlad was able to chase the ghosts away from here. And now that Vlad has offered to let me stay-"
"What!" Danny's head snapped up to gape somewhat stupidly at Vlad.
Vlad's smile increased. "I thought I might be able to help your mother cope with Jack's death. Maddie would be staying in that large house by her self and I thought the company might help. You're welcome to stay with us also, Daniel. Your girlfriend, Samantha, is welcome too as long as you do."
It was clear to Danny that Vlad's offer was really a command. He looked from Vlad to Sam and, finally, to his mother who gave him an encouraging smile. He swallowed thickly as he remembered Vlad's remark about cooperating.
"Fine," Sam's heart broke at the sound of defeat in Danny's voice. "I'll stay."
Valerie watched as Tucker used the thermos to suck Skulker's tiny form into the thermos he had. Danny had gone to the same college with him and had given it to him when he had left to go back to his apartment in Amity Park. He had told Tucker it was just a precaution, and, when Tucker had expressed that he would need it, had said he could always get another one from his Dad's lab. Valerie then looked around at the broken pieces of Skulker's metallic suit. If Tucker had told her that the ghost she was going to fight was the same ghost that had dragged her to that ghost world with Inviso-Bill then she would have been more eager to come with him.
"How did you get a thermos?" Tucker glanced up at the question as he led Amy over to the hover board.
"I got it from Danny. I told you his parents were ghost hunters, right."
"Yes." The hover board lifted up when the two were on. Tucker had picked Amy up and girls arms were wrapped around his neck. Tucker clumsily had wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Where are we going," Amy drowsily asked. It was clear the girl hadn't gotten much sleep. She was already starting to drift off as Tucker secured his hold on her.
"Wisconsin," Tucker answered.
"Wisconsin!" Valerie stopped the hover board to turn around and stare at him. "We aren't going to Amity?"
"You remember the stop I had you make at Amity before coming here?"
"Yes…."
"I know we should probably go and drop off Amy first, but I don't want to waste any more time.
'Why are we going to Wisconsin?"
"We're going to Wisconsin to help Danny get some payback."
Valerie and Skulker's fight was not in this chapter because I wasn't feeling good about this chapter already and I'm really bad at action. Plus I had no ideas. Like I said, my creativity has been cut off. I'll get it back for the nest chapter. And please check out my other story.
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