Cold As Ice
Author's Note: School is almost here. The final chapters will, thusly, take longer to write and post. We have DP news now, though! September 16, a new TV movie. Already! Danny Phantom and the Ultimate Enemy, it looks fantastic. Why? Because I saw a clip of Danny cowering in fear so you KNOW it's good. Hopefully we get more out of this D/S wise than Reign Storm. :-) Anyway, I'll be answering reviews this time. That's a first, isn't it?
Sam Manson Rulez: Yeah, I did do those searches actually. Funnily enough, the first result was my story. Thanks for reviewing all my chapters so far.
Kats02980416: I really enjoy all of your reviews. The way you analyze the D/S thing is pretty much right on the nail. Danny doesn't want to tell Sam, though, because he "knows" she doesn't like him since she's with Ash. He's mad at Ash but he's being respectful and not messing with them. Too bad, huh?
Zelda-Rules: School takes away from valuable fandom time, doesn't it?The lastchapter was fun to write because of the twist and I knew you all were so positive it was Ash. He still plays more important part, though.
Hope this is to your liking.
Search for Rachel
"At eight o' clock this morning, Fred and Holly Kline reported that their thirteen-year-old daughter, Rachel, was missing." A woman with flaming red hair that was obviously dyed was speaking into the camera, a channel 5 logo spinning in the corner of the screen. "The Klines were here along with teachers and four other families who had received from their school a week long vacation here before the school year started.
"Many in the area will remember previous missing cases from this same resort. Tourists staying here have heard through the grapevine what they didn't know of before arriving: the legend of the Avalanche Specter. Fear amongst the parents and friends of young boys the age of Kline is rising above the rest, and many residing at the resort wish to leave immediately. However, no one is allowed to exit the building unless accompanied by an authority figure, and the process of leaving the resort is now a slow and messy one.
"Search teams are being organized as we speak, and many from nearby homes are joining the search. The urgency in the area to find Kline is fueled by fear for the girl and a sense of responsibility."
A clip of the police officer Danny spoke to, Tiffany Newhart ran. "The more people we have looking, the better. It keeps morale up and the chances of finding her before something bad happens are better."
"When asked about the legend," said the reporter, "Officer Newhart showed obvious distaste."
"I don't have time to be considering, 'Hmm, I wonder if a zombie, or ghost, or whatever had anything to do with this.' Yes, I know about the supposed ghost attacks that happen in Amity Park, and I still think they're all just clever hoaxes that some people –"
The screen went black. Danny threw the remote at the floor and rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah. This," he transformed into ghost mode, "is a cleverly made hoax. Wow, I must be a genius to do that." Neither Sam nor Tucker laughed.
Sam was on her bed, her knees curled up and her chin resting between them. "We have to do something. That girl is only thirteen."
"What are we supposed to do?" asked Tucker. "Join a search party? They're going to notice if we're gone by ourselves. They're checking the rooms every hour."
"I can go," said Danny. "I can leave a duplicate here. Just dress him in normal clothes and put a hat on him and he'll pass for human."
"Are you sure you want to go by yourself?" asked Tucker. He was sitting in a chair at the table, doing his duty as a techno geek by filling in to the GPO that the ghost was haunting yet again.
"There's no way around it for you guys." Danny, still in ghost mode, closed his eyes and concentrated on a duplicate. When he opened his eyes, there was another Danny Phantom in front of him. "He can stay here while I go."
Sam stood up and picked up a hat from the dresser, placing it on Danny Two's head. "Yeah, he can pass, I guess," she said. "But there is a way one of us can go with you."
Danny cocked his head to the side. "How?"
"You can say I'm in the shower."
No one said anything as Sam smirked at them. "Well, if you want to do it the easy way," said Tucker.
Defeated, Danny sighed. "Fine. Who's coming first?"
"I will," said Tucker and Sam simultaneously. Tucker looked between Danny and Sam, shrugged, and said, "She can go. I'll stay here and make sure Two doesn't do anything stupid."
"Hey!" said Danny Two. Danny's duplicates were able to say simple phrases and understand a few things. They could only work properly if Danny was somehow telling them what to do telepathically.
"In a few hours we'll come back," said Danny. He checked his watch. "It's almost one now, so I'll say around four or five. After that, the shower excuse probably won't work anymore. I'll take Tucker with me tomorrow if we don't find anything tonight." He looked at Sam and noticed she was smiling at him. "… What?"
"Nothing," she said. "It's just that two years of ghost hunting have done you some good."
Danny used all of his might to keep the blood from rushing to his cheeks. A little comment like that shouldn't have that affect on him. "Uh, thanks."
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Tucker sang.
"Ash," said the person behind the door. "Can I come in?"
Danny immediately changed back to human mode, which resulted in Danny Two disappearing. That was good, since at that moment Sam had rushed to the door to open it. In walked Ash, who immediately kissed Sam's cheek. "I'm glad you're safe. I hadn't seen you at all today and before I learned the girl's name I was scared to death it was you." Sam smiled and led him into the room where the two boys were. Ash met Danny's eyes for a few seconds, and Danny felt as though he were mocking him. Stupid, Danny. Don't let jealousy rule your logic.
"Shouldn't you be in your own room?" asked Tucker. "They told us to stay put."
"They already checked my room," he explained. "They should be here any minute. Am I interrupting something?"
"No," all three of them said.
Someone at the door knocked again. "Attendance!" they called. "Open the door, please."
This time Tucker ran to open the door. A man with a clip board stuck his head inside. "Danny Fenton, Tucker Foley, Samantha Manson?" They all nodded. "Who is he?" the man asked, indicating Ash.
"Ashton Highlander," he said.
The man looked down his clipboard. "You've been checked off for this hour. That doesn't mean you can go about everywhere. Get back to your room; this is for your own safety."
Ash shrugged and kissed Sam's cheek again before walking out of the room with the man.
"That was an unnecessary interruption," commented Tucker, who had hardly looked up from the computer.
"We won't have anymore," Danny said, changing back into his ghost mode. He concentrated and another duplicate formed. He tossed a sweater and a hat at him and said, "Put those on. Tucker? If someone knocks on the door again, turn the shower on." Danny took Sam's hand and led her onto the balcony. "Are you ready?"
"Have I ever not been?" she asked, gripping him as he flew off of the balcony with her.
Tucker looked after the two of them and shook his head. "Why was I dumb enough to let them go off alone?" he asked, turning back to the emssage boards. "Because I'm just too good of a friend, aren't I? Yeah, that's it."
The chill air along with Danny's ghost form being so close made Sam shiver as they flew above the mountain tops. They'd been flying for an hour and thirty minutes so far, stopping every now and then to search beneath thick tree branches. It had been easy to avoid search parties spotting them, Danny making them invisible whenever they were seen nearby.
"How far could she have gotten in six hours?" asked Danny incredulously.
"She was kidnapped by a ghost, remember?" Sam asked. "She could be anywhere."
"And anywhere is a very big place."
"Don't you love our job?"
Danny looked sideways at Sam. "Our job? All this time I thought it was my job."
Sam rolled her eyes and laughed. "Come on, Danny. Tucker and I have been with you all this time. The ghost hunting is kind of a team thing, you know."
Danny smiled to himself, still trying to focus on finding searching for Rachel. They were only a couple of miles away from the resort, since they'd been searching each mountain as thoroughly as possible. They'd searched five. Conversation, however, was a way they'd learned to keep themselves from becoming lazy or distracted by anything else. "Yeah, I know," he said. "If it weren't for you guys I probably wouldn't be here. But it isn't so much your responsibility as it is mine. I appreciate the help, though."
"What are best friends for?" she asked. "Fighting ghosts, breaking magic spells, saving them from their doom… you know, the basics."
Danny laughed. That's usually what they did. Unfortunately. These days they were lucky if Danny had time to watch a movie with them, what with the increase in ghost activity over the months and his ever failing attempts to finish his homework. "Along with letting them copy your notes, because if you don't, they fail miserably." He spotted a small jut in the rocks, hiding what looked like a cave. "Let's look in there," he said, pointing towards it. Sam nodded in agreement.
Flying down and into the cave, Danny lit the dark space with a glowing hand. He set Sam down carefully and walked forward, looking around. "Rachel," he called, the sound echoing back to him.
Behind him Sam watched silently. The green light that illuminated the space they were in seemed to suit Danny's ghost form. He'd long since been able to make ectoplasm rays while in human form, but the way it shone off his white hair and matched his green eyes…
Okay, she thought she'd stopped thinking like that a long time ago.
But she had to notice how ghost fighting had changed Danny not only mentally but physically. He was no longer the lanky teenager, nor was he the bulky jock like Dash was (and getting bulkier by the day).He had a rougher look to him, but still the laid back and still slightly klutzy Danny Fenton. The skintight suit didn't help either...
"Sam? Saaaam?" Danny noticed Sam staring at him like he wasn't really there, and was beginning to get a little freaked out. "Are you with us?"
"Huh? Oh," she said, shaking her head. Ew.Why the hell was she thinking like that?
You know why…
Shut it.
"We ought to go look some more," Danny said, ignoring the fact that Sam had been staring. "Or do you want to take a break? You looked cold up there, and it's kind of warm in here." The sun was shining in the very front of the cave, and that small warmth spread into the dry crevice.
Sam nodded. "Just for a few minutes, though." She sat down on the outside of the cave, at the line where the snow stopped. Danny sat next to her, a few feet away. "We haven't really spent much time together lately, have we? It seems I've been with Tucker more than you. Which isn't bad," sheadded quickly,"but it's different."
"Yeah," he said. "What with my snowboarding, your hikes, along with Ash… so, what, are you two planning on staying together? You look awfully close." He gritted his teeth and mentally slapped himself for bringing this up, but he had to ask while he could.
A shy smile crept across Sam's lips, which she immediately tried to hide. Girly feelings were forbidden."I don't know, really," she admitted. "I think he considers us to be together, and I really do like him. I wouldn't mind being his girlfriend. But as for it going beyond this trip, I don't know. He doesn't live anywhere near Amity Park."
Danny didn't know whether to cheer or rage about what she'd said. "Well, he does seem to be your type, doesn't he?"
"Yeah," she said, not wishing to drag this conversation on. "You know, I think we need to start looking again." He nodded and stood up, also grateful for an excuse to not continue hearing about how great Ash was.
Danny exhaled and his ghost sense went off. Suddenly alert, he held a hand out to Sam to signal her to be quiet. He flew up and out of the cave and hovered in the air, looking for signs of –
"FEAR ME!"
"Are you kidding me?" Danny cried, slapping his forhead.He turned to the right and there was the Box Ghost, flying towards him. His hand automatically flew to the Fenton Thermos, which had been with him ever since they'd left the room. This time, though, he wasn't going to suck him into the thermos so quickly.
As the ghost flew closer to him, Danny easily punched upward into his jaw, sending him backwards. Yelping, he righted himself in midair and flew towards Danny again. He smiled smugly and sidestepped, the Box Ghost's momentum carrying him past. He grabbed the ghost's wrists and held them behind his back.
"All right, listen up," he said. "Tell me how the hell you keep getting out of my thermos!"
"Never!" Danny sighed and tightened his grip on the ghost, he cried out again.
"Tell me that and whatever it is you know about the Avalanche Specter," he said threateningly, "and I won't put you in my little cylindrical prison."
The Box Ghost gasped and seemed to debate within himself. "Okay, okay!" he exclaimed. "I, the Box Ghost, was released by my partner, much as the last time!"
"Who's been doing that?" Danny asked, frustrated that he had to deal with him all over again. "What's his name?"
"I've been sworn not to speak his name to the ghost boy."
"Whatever," Danny said, impatient, "just tell me what you know about the Avalanche Specter."
The Box ghost started to squirm in his grasp. "I do not know of his plans," he cried, "all I know is that the trap for the boy has been set. I swear that is all I know! Now release me child, for I am the ruler of –"
"Yeah, I've heard you before," he said, letting go of him. "You're not off permanently. Next time I see you, it's in the thermos you go," he said, smiling and waving the thermos in front of him.
"Foolish ghost child!" The Box Ghost began to fly away as fast as he could. "You shall be defeated someday soon! You shall, for I am the Box Ghost! Beware me and my new box of power!"
Sam, who had been looking up at this event the whole time, sighed loudly. "What the hell was that about?" she asked loudly as Danny flew back down to her.
"I don't know," Danny said, "but he sure wasn't any help." He held out his hand to her. "Come on, we've already wasted enough time." Sam took his hand and the two of them became invisible, flying up to continue searching the mountain.
Danny Two had been quiet enough as Tucker conversed with the online ghost geek community. Of course, he wouldn't have noticed if he were being loud, because he had his headphones in. Which is why he didn't know the phone had rung until he glanced up and noticed Two with the phone to his ear.
"Yo!" he yelped, jumping from the chair and snatching it out of the confused duplicate's hands. "Hi. Who is this?"
"Tucker, put Danny back on the phone, will you?"
Tucker gasped. "Mr. Fenton!" Danny Two reached out for the phone, but Tucker pulled away. "How are you? It's been a while!"
"Young man, put my son back on the phone! There are rumors of ghost activity on the news and he doesn't sound very well."
"Oh... well," Tucker stuttered, "he's got a cold. He's sort of delusional, not able to speak a lot." He glared at Two, who was now trying to wrestle the phone from his arm. "Danny, stop! You need your rest."
"What about the ghosts?" asked Jack. "Do you know anything? Maddie and I are preparing to startdriving upthere!"
"Uh... I don't know anything about it, but--"
"Oh, Jack, give me the phone..." He could hear noises on the other end that indicated Mrs. Fenton was trying to take the phone. "Tucker, we're going there no matter what. If my baby's sick and there are ghosts... we'll be there in a few hours."
"But Mrs. Fenton, I--" He heard a click. Sighing, he put the phone back on the reciever. Great. Another complication. Danny wasn't going to like hearing about this. Oh, well, at least Jazz wasn't going to be coming. Like that was so much of a sweetener to the bitterness of their situation.
He pulled out his cell phone to tell him the news. With his finger over the talk button, he paused. Danny should be back before they got here, right? He could tell him then.
Author's Note: If you didn't realize that this was coming, shame on you! Actually, I didn't realize it either until halfway through this chapter, but oh well.Okay... next chapter, Danny's parents get there and, well, act like themselves if you know what I mean. Danny and Tucker sneak away to search for Rachel more while Sam holds down the fort and has some alone time with Ash... (o.o) Look out for that!
XKismetX