Chapter Six
Tucker took a deep breath as Sam's house came into view. He wondered why Sam would break up with Danny. He knew it had to be the Nanny. Tucker wanted to talk to Sam himself and see if he could figure out what was going on. He was almost to the walkway of the house when something caught his eye. It was the princess ghost and she was motioning to him. He hesitated a moment then walked over to her.
"Dear Prince," She said in an alarmed tone. "It would not be wise to enter the grounds of the evil witch!"
"Evil witch?" Tucker asked. "Sam? She's not a witch. You know that! You saved her life…"
"No, no!" The princess said. "The evil witch, Spectra. She has put a spell on Samantha. I can't even get in there to try on my dresses for the ball! I want to go to the ball so much." Tucker eyed the princess with pity. He wanted to bring up the fact that he was going to the ball…err dance with Valerie and…well that might make her angry and they needed allies.
"Do you know why Spectra is placing a spell on Sam?" Tucker asked. The princess shook her head. "I need to go tell Danny." Tucker said. He thanked the princess then started to walk away from the house. Standing in the walkway was the nanny.
"Are you here to see Samantha?" the nanny asked.
Tucker stuttered, "I-I-I-I umm yeah."
"She's not accepting visitors young man." The nanny said as she walked closer. "You don't want to visit Sam anyway. You don't want to visit anyone. You want to go home and go to bed."
"I'm going to um…go!" Tucker said quickly. "I'm tired."
"Yes I know," The nanny said soothingly. "Forget Samantha. Go home."
Tucker took off running for home. He didn't look back.
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Jazz walked into Danny's room. Danny was sitting at his desk staring out into space. "I thought you were tired," Jazz said. "I thought you'd be asleep." Danny just looked at her for a moment.
"Something isn't right Jazz." Danny said. "There has to be a ghost involved. I know it. I'm going to go over to Sam's house and confront Miss Hesslop and reveal her for the ghost she must be."
Jazz sat down on Danny's bed. "But what if she's not a ghost Danny? Are you prepared for that?" Danny gave Jazz an thoughtful look. "I mean it's completely possible that Miss Hesslop is just a normal human and Sam has decided that being in a relationship is too much for her. Consider it for a moment Danny. She was nearly killed. You couldn't even save her, so she knows she really can't depend on you to keep her out of danger. Then you nearly go evil and she feels she's responsible for it. That's a lot of stress for one girl to take."
Danny sat with his hands in his head as he listened to his sister continue to talk. "I mean really Danny," she said. "Have you stopped and considered how hard this is on all of us? We have this tremendous secret to keep. All these ghosts keep coming through the portal just to give you a hard time, and then there is Vlad."
"What about Vlad?" Danny said angrily.
"Well do you think he'd be bothering us as much as he does if it wasn't for your ghost powers? I mean I know he loves Mom, but isn't the fact that you're like him coupled along with his wish for a son make him more likely to attack? I mean he would love it if you were just like him. He'd love to have someone by his side to teach all his tricks to, to plot with. To conquer the world with. I mean face it Danny. You really are a liability to all of us."
Danny closed his eyes. What Jazz was saying made sense. He did bring a lot of stress on his family. It was tremendous pressure of them to have to hide the secret of his powers, and deal with the ghosts. He stood and walked to the window. Maybe it would be better if he left for awhile. But first he had to find out if Miss Hesslop was a ghost. He changed to ghost form.
"Where are you going?" Jazz asked.
"To check on Sam. To see if I'm right." Danny answered with determination then phased through the window and flew away.
Jazz shook her head as she watched him go. "Poor, poor Danny," She said as her eyes glowed red and her pity turned to Vlad's laughter.
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Danny flew over to Sam's house. He watched through her bedroom window for a moment while she worked at her desk then knocked on the window. Sam looked up and a momentary flash of fear flitted across her face. She walked to the window and opened it.
"What are you doing here Danny?" She asked.
"I think Miss Hesslop might be a ghost." Danny told her.
"That's ridiculous Danny. Miss Hesslop is kind and caring. There is no way she's a ghost." Sam started to close the window but Danny stopped her.
"Can I at least test her?" Danny asked. "Just to make sure." The distance and unsure look on Sam's face made him feel sick and weak.
"All right," Sam said. "But don't hurt her."
"I wouldn't hurt her." Danny said in an angry tone. "What makes you think I would hurt anyone?" He reached over to touch Sam's hand but she pulled away as if he was poison.
"Come in," she said as she moved aside. He wouldn't look him in the eyes. "How do you plan to test her?"
"I'll appear to her just like I am," Danny suggested. "As a ghost. If she's human she'll be frightened of me. If she's a ghost she won't be able resist attacking me."
"Just promise me you won't hurt her," Sam said again.
"Don't worry," Danny promised. "I'm not going to hurt her." He flew out of Sam's room and went in search of Miss Hesslop.
Several minutes later a horrified scream resounded through the house and a half maddened Miss Hesslop flew into Sam's room.
"A ghost!" The woman cried. "There is a ghost in the house Samantha! I don't know if I can protect you, but stay behind me." Danny appeared in the room and the woman screamed hysterically and pushed Sam behind her. Sam gave Danny a look that said, "See you were wrong."
"Ok," Danny said to Sam who was beginning to look angry. Miss Hesslop was rubbing her wrist as she stood between Sam and the ghost.
"Go away," Sam said angrily. "And don't come back. Ever." Her eyes locked with Danny's for a moment. He could feel something inside him growing tighter and tighter, like a spring getting ready to snap. He said nothing as he flew from the room, and didn't look back.
"You can come out now Bertrand," Miss Hesslop said. "He's not coming back." Bertrand exited Sam's body. Sam fell to the floor, unconscious and both ghosts looked at her unemotionally.
"Do you think it's ok to kill her now?" Bertrand asked.
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Danny flew home, but instead of returning to his human form he remained intangible and flew through the portal into the ghost zone. He didn't know where he was flying to, only that he needed to get away.
He stopped at a dark green door. He didn't enter or knock. He just stood there thinking. He didn't belong in the Ghost Zone. He didn't belong with his family. There was only one other place he could go. Danny thought for a moment then flew to the only other place he knew he would be accepted…somewhere in Wisconsin.
He would have thought Vlad would be there. Waiting for him. But the mansion was empty. Danny walked around until he ended up in Vlad's lab. He checked out a few of the devices Vlad was working on and smiled to himself. They were simply bad copies of the things his father had been making. Of course there was quite a few stolen pieces with Fenton Works stamped on the side. Vlad really did pale in comparison to his father, Danny thought as he continued to look around the lab. Yeah his father was a dork most of the time, but his mother was right, he was a brilliant man.
In the corner of the room, hidden from view by large cabinets was a huge green chalk board. Danny walked over to it. It seemed Vlad had been using it to brainstorm and come up with an elaborate plan. Danny walked closer and began to read. "Overshadow Jazz. Overshadow Tucker. Employee Penelope Spectra. Sam Manson out of Danny's life. Access Dark Danny. Off Jack. Win Maddie's heart. Own Green Bay Packers. Rule both worlds. Live happily ever after." The first five goals had checks beside them.
So Vlad was plotting again. The next on the list was for Danny himself to slip back over to his evil side. Danny could feel his blood boiling. If Evil Danny was what Vlad wanted. Evil Danny was who he was going to get. Danny pushed the chalkboard over. But in obtaining that goal, Danny decided that Vlad would be denied the others.
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"Mom," Jazz said as she sat at the table watching her mother working on a new device. She had sent Jack to the electronics store for a desperately needed part. "Why didn't you marry Uncle Vlad instead of Ja..um..I mean Dad?"
"Because I love you father Sweetie and because you're dear Uncle Vlad is a creep," Maddie answered, not looking up from her work.
"Uncle Vlad is not a creep!" Jazz said angrily. "He's a very nice man."
Maddie looked up at her daughter and looked at her for a brief moment. "Well, Sweetie you are entitled to have your opinion. My opinion is that he's a creep." She smiled for a moment then turned back to her work.
"But isn't there something he could do to win your heart?" Jazz asked.
"No." Maddie said in an irritated tone.
"But what if…" Jazz started to say but was cut off by Danny in ghost form flying into the room. He attacked her and pinned her to the wall.
"Danny!" his mother exclaimed. "You do not attack your sister while in ghost form." She stopped and thought about it a moment then revised her statement. "You do not attack your sister!"
"Get out of her Vlad!" Danny growled his voice was dark and sinister. Chills went up Maddie's spine as she listened to her son speak. She was frozen where she stood. Unable to move. Why? Danny hit Jazz against the wall and demanded again. "Get out of her! Now!"
Finally Vlad released Jazz. He laughed as he let her go. Danny felt his sister go limp and he let her fall to the floor.
"Vlad?" Maddie gasped.
Vlad looked at Maddie a moment and smiled. "Yes it's me My gorgeous butter bean. I will get back to you as soon as I've dispatched your son."
"You mean as soon as I dispatch with you!" Danny yelled and fired and ectoplazmic blast at Vlad. He went skidding across the kitchen. Vlad recovered and them zoomed downstairs and through the portal into the Ghost Zone.
Maddie ran over to Jazz who was just now coming to. "What happened?" she asked groggily.
"What happened isn't as important right now Sweetie," Maddie said as she belted the Fenton Specter Deflector onto her daughter. "I need you to answer some questions for me."
Jazz looked at her mother blearily then sobbed. "Yes, Danny is half ghost!"
"I know that already Sweetie," Maddie said gently. "Tell me about Vlad."
"Vlad is half ghost too!" Jazz cried. "He had an accident with one of Dad's devices while in college. He's a creep Mom."
"Yes I know Sweetie," Maddie said soothingly as she stroked her daughters hair. "Can you stand?" Jazz nodded her head and Maddie helped her up. "We need to call Tucker" Maddie continued.
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"So," Vlad said as he turned to Danny. "Back to your good old evil self I see. But I can still tell you are holding on to something. It's not that girl is it? She doesn't want you in her life you know."
"Sam is irrelevant," Danny said. "I'm here to make sure none of your plans come to fruition. I am here to make you miserable. I am not here to turn into some evil being and fulfill your sick, twisted fantasies."
"Oh darn," Vlad said. "So does that mean I have to kill you? Cause I really don't want to have to eliminate you Danny. You have such wonderful potential."
Danny didn't respond in the way Vlad expected him to. In fact, Danny's response sent chills down Vlad's spine and caused him to back away. The sound of Danny's evil laughter even caused other ghosts in the zone to hide.
"I'm finished talking with you now," Danny said when he was done laughing. "I'm going to give you a five minute head start. After that, you're toast."
"I'm more powerful than you are Danny," Vlad warned. He was smart and wicked, but Vlad was a vain man. He didn't like being challenged by Danny in this way. "I've been at this game much longer."
"One two three four," Danny counted quickly. "Time is running out for you Vlad. You've messed with me one too many times. This time I'm finishing the game." Vlad was again taken aback but the unwavering hatred in Danny's eyes. He felt it was better to run and regroup than to fight Danny now. He needed to be at a place where he would have the advantage.
Danny laughed to himself as he watched Vlad disappear through the ghost portal. "One two three four five," He counted. "I know I said five minutes , but as you pointed out before. I'm bad at math." With that he flew through the portal after Vlad.
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