Ember felt Sam's scream in her heart. It was anguish, it was rage, it was frustration. It was fear. Ember pulled Sam into her arms comfortingly, crying. Sam's tears streamed from her eyes. "Shh… shhhh it's okay." Danny said as he rubbed Sam's back.

"It's not okay. It will never be okay again." Sam sobbed. "Never, never, never!"

Vlad chose that time to come through the roof. "I took care of Nevermore. Fought the bitch to a draw, what…" He saw Sam and backed up a couple paces. "No…"

"Yes." Danny stood. "Looks like there's another halfa in town."

"Halfa?"

"Half human half ghost. It's a slang term." Danny replied.

"I prefer the term Phantom." Vlad replied. "It's much more proper."

"So do I, but halfa they called us, so halfa it is."

Sam couldn't stop crying. Ember didn't mind Sam snuggling into her shoulder. She turned Sam's face up to look at her, dabbing away the goth girl's tears. Secretly she was jealous. At least Sam HAD powers.

"My condolences child." Vlad said softly. "I know what it's like… if I could undo it I would."

Sam knew he meant it, and so she didn't comment. She knew that while Danny had used his powers for good, and had accepted them as part of his life, Vlad had mourned his humanity and used his powers for personal gain. Which extreme would she embrace? One thing was for certain. While she mourned her humanity, Sam would NEVER use her powers for her own gain the way Vlad had.

Sam tried to wipe her tears away on her arm. "I'll get Nevermore. I'll train my powers to the maximum and then I'll take her down!" Sam growled, then sniffled.

Ember had never quite seen this side of Sam. In fact, she still wasn't sure she was seeing it. She tapped Sam and tried to say something, but a squeak was all that came out.

"You haven't seen Sam when she's angry have you?" Danny asked with a chuckle. "Sorry, it's nothing to laugh about." He pulled Sam into a hug. "We'll find a way to reverse what Nevermore did."

Ember snatched up a sheet of scrap paper and scrawled. /It's a gift Sam! At least you HAVE your powers/

"What's wrong with her?" Vlad asked, as Ember handed the sheet to Sam.

"She lost her voice when she fought Nevermore." Replied Danny. "And got turned into a human."

Vlad whistled. "I'd love to have seen that."

Ember growled, shaking her head.

"You would just have wanted Nevermore to turn you back into a human." Tucker accused. "You think we don't know you by now?"

Vlad sighed. "Alright, I admit it. I'm hoping that I can get Nevermore to make me human again. But that doesn't mean that I can't help you all in the process."

"Vlad we can handle this on our own." Danny told him.

Vlad shook his head. "No, you need help. In battle Nevermore has NEVER been beaten."

"That's what they said about the Pariah Dark and I still beat him."

"You wouldn't have without me." Vlad reminded him.

"I'm not teaming up with you Vlad." Danny told him. "Do what you want."

"And what I want to do is help you." Vlad replied.

"Vlad, do you know what happens to the ghost half once it's removed?" Danny asked. "Because it has to go somewhere. And do you know what it does? It seeks to be complete. And in the process it either destroys you, or the world and everything and everyone you care about. Our ghost halves are PSYCHO Vlad! Trust me, I've been there." Danny ranted.

"I don't CARE alright!" Vlad demanded. "I never asked for this! And I've had ENOUGH! You hear me? ENOUGH!"

Danny sighed. Something was bugging Vlad, bugging him big time. "Alright, what's happened to make you give up?"

Vlad's head jerked around, startled. "What do you mean?"

"You normally wouldn't care about your ghost half. Normally you'd keep it and consider it a gift."

Vlad looked at the ground, then out the window into the distance. "I… I never told you Danny. I have a son… about your age. His mother died when he was born. But recently, recently he got bullied and… and his ghost powers began to surface. I want him to be normal… To live the life I never got to live… I don't want him to share the burden that I have."

"And who's going to train him?" Danny asked. "Who's going to teach him how to control his powers if not you? You're his father. It's up to you to teach him these things. He's lucky. He doesn't have to learn alone the way you and I did. If you lose your powers who's going to teach him to control his?"

"I don't know and I don't care!" Vlad shouted. "Don't you GET it? If it weren't for my foolishness he wouldn't BE like this!" He growled, went ghost, and flew away before Danny could say any more.

"Talk about angst." Sam commented.

Ember laughed soundlessly. Didn't Vlad realize that his powers, and his son's powers, were a gift? It could be worse, he could be in her boat, no powers at all. But… wasn't being human a gift too? Confused, Ember sighed, lying down on the bed next to Sam and snuggling into the pillow.

"Tucker, why don't we go someplace where these two can be alone. Maybe rent a movie or something." Danny suggested, nodding meaningfully in the girls' direction. "Sam, we'll be back in a couple hours. You get some rest, your body needs time to complete the transformation. And if Vlad decides to check in on you tell him that Danny said to fuck off and leave you alone." Danny said that last with a low growl.

"See you in a bit." Tucker said as he waved goodbye.

"Okay, what's up?" Tucker asked Danny.

"I think either Ember has a crush on Sam or Sam has a crush on Ember or maybe both." Danny hissed. "We need to stay out of their way, lock the door or something, until they get together."

"Are you crazy?" Tucker asked.

"No, just desperate. Maybe if she's with Sam, Ember will join us. And maybe if they're together, Sam might learn a thing or two about ghost powers." Danny suggested. "It's worth a shot."

"Yeah, but what happens to Sam's feelings if it doesn't work out?" Tucker asked. "And what if Sam is NOT gay. I mean, I could have sworn she had a thing for you."

"Yeah… but Tucker… I don't really have a thing for her… I mean… she's the coolest girl I know… but it's not like that for me…" Danny told him, stammering slightly.

"You could have fooled me." Tucker replied.

"Sorry… but its… true…" Danny stammered, turning red.

"Okay, then who DO you like?" Tucker asked as they walked. "Don't tell me it's Paulina, because to be honest Danny, she's been nothing but trouble."

Danny shook his head. "Tucker…"

"Hmm?"

"I like men…"

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Tucker cried.

"No, I'm not." Danny sighed, turning redder and redder.

"You mean all that fuss over Paulina's been just a… a front?"

"No, for awhile I really thought I liked her. But after the incident with the necklace of Eragon, I really didn't like her that much anymore." Danny replied.

"Personally, I think you're bi and you just don't realize it." Tucker replied.

"You're not angry?" Danny asked, ready to run.

"I'm a little angry, because you didn't tell your best friend. But I forgive you." Tucker gave Danny a cute little pat on the head, rolled his eyes, and finally said. "So who DO you like. Don't tell me it's Dash. Because that would be gross."

Danny made a face. "EW!"

"Okay, then who?"

"To be honest, there's nobody I really like right now." Danny replied. "I mean, you know. I don't know who is and who isn't at school."

Tucker chuckled. "Me for a start."

"WHAT?"

"I'm bi, but a tend to go for girls more than boys. And I wouldn't have mentioned it if you handn't." Tucker was laughing. "Come on, we'd better make good on our alibi." He led a still stunned Danny down the stairs and out.

Sam sighed dejectedly, lying back on the bed. Ember snuggled against her. "Ember can I ask you something personal?" Sam asked as soon as the boys were out of earshot.

Ember nodded vigorously.

"Do you… have a crush on me or something?" Sam asked, curious.

Ember started to nod again, but shook her head vigorously, waving her hands for emphasis.

Sam laughed, then yawned. "Man, Danny was right… I feel so weak." Sam snuggled close.

And she began to dream. She and Ember were one, one in heart, body and soul, their love reaching a dizzying peak… and suddenly… "AH!" Sam sat straight up in bed.

Ember was sleeping next to her, and rolled over. Danny wasn't back yet, neither was Tucker.

Ember was having a similar dream, and she opened her eyes way too soon. Sam turned to her. "I'm worried, they aren't back yet, or they are and didn't want to wake us up." Sam commented. She got up and went to the door. It was locked and blocked. "Okay, this smells of a matchmaking attempt." She stomped the floor, banged on what she could reach of the door, and shouted. "DANNY YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!" She shouted, shaking the door.

Ember was rolling on the bed laughing. Then she arched an eyebrow suggestively.

"We are NOT giving him what he wants." Sam growled. She sat down, got up, and tried to shake the door again.

Ember walked over, scooped up Sam, and placed her back on the bed. Then Ember lay down next to her and snuggled against her.

"I don't get it. You aren't upset about it?" Sam asked.

Ember leaned over to kiss Sam gently on the lips.

Sam froze. Her first kiss, with an ex-ghost no less. Pleasure rippled through her. "Oh… oh…" She moaned softly pulling the soundless ex-ghost into her arms. "Hold me…"

Ember smirked, wrapping her arms around Sam's waist, hands roaming her back as they rolled around in the bed, kissing and caressing. Ember smirked, ending up on top and running a hand along the goth's thigh as she kissed her way down Sam's neck.

Half an hour later Danny peeked in around the barrier that he'd constructed to keep Sam and Ember in. The two of them, quite rumpled, were curled up on Sam's bed. "Hey Tucker, I think your idea worked. They're curled up in bed as cute as can be."

"No sign of anything… more… ahem… intimate?" Tucker asked, peeking out from behind a monster bowl of popcorn.

"No, but it sure looks like they've gotten together." Danny told Tucker. "Help me move the barrier Tuck." The two boys shoved the coffee table they'd been using to bar the door out of the way and replaced the stuff that they'd moved off of it.

"Now we go down and enjoy our movie while we wait for them to come down." Danny said as he led Tucker back down to finish watching the old Frankenstein movie that they'd found at the movie rental store.