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Chapter Six

Dark Dan laughed as he felt the amulet slip around his neck. He knew what it was, and assumed it's purpose was to send him back to his own time. He had no intention of leaving, at least not until he'd insured his existence. He grabbed the amulet and crushed it in his hands.

"You didn't think this was going to work did you?" He said in Danny's ear. "You aren't a fool enough to think it would be so easy to get rid of me?" He laughed and Danny's heart sank. He tried to go intangible, but something was stopping him. Dark Dan had a good firm grip on him and there was no escape. Danny turned his head and looked at Sam who was looking back with a fearful expression on her face.

"You want your friends to witness your destruction?" Dark Dan asked as he caught the line of Danny's vision. "I think that's something we can manage." He grabbed a hold of the Speeder and pulled it with him along with Danny through the portal and into Vlad's lab.

"Holy Cow!" Valerie said as she surveyed the lab. It'd looked like it'd been blown to bits. Vlad was laying tied to a table, and floating not too far away was a strange looking apparition, it looked like Plasmius, but not quite. It was being held in place by something that looked a great deal like one of Jack's containment fields.

Dark Dan ripped away the bonds holding Vlad to the table and shoved him away. Vlad was still too weak to do anything but cry out and flail weakly. He landed on the floor with a thud and a whimper.

"Don't worry Danny Fenton," Dark Dan said. "This is going to hurt so bad that when the newly made me comes to kill you, it will be a mercy."

Danny closed his eyes and thought and thought. What could he do to prevent this from happening? Nothing. He couldn't move. Dark Dan was starting up the machine to rip his ghost half from him. He took a deep breath and steeled himself to fight as hard as he could. He wasn't going to make this easy. He felt a cold beam hit him. It felt like the skin was being ripped from his body. Then he heard a ping and a pop and a whirring sound. Dark Dan cursed.

"Vlad!" He yelled. "You can't even make a machine that's not going to break after one use!" Dark Dan started tinkering with the device and Danny turned his head and sought out his friends. Who were now tied to the wall. How did that happen? Did he blank out at one point? Why was he still screaming?

"Looks like you are off the hook," Dark Dan said as he leaned down and whispered in Danny's ear. "I'm going back to your father's lab. I'll probably dispatch him while I'm there. When I return, we'll finish what we started." With that, he was gone.

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"Danny! Are you all right?" Sam called in concern. He had screamed for what seemed an eternity. Her heart felt like it was breaking as she witnessed his pain.

"I'm okay," Danny called hoarsely. "How about you guys?"

"We're tied up tighter than Thanksgiving turkeys," Valerie answered angrily.

"I can't even reach my PDA!" Tucker lamented.

Danny took a deep breath. "Vlad?" he asked. "Vlad are you there? Are you okay?"

"I'm here Daniel," came Vlad's weak reply from the floor. "No I'm not okay. Do not ask me if I can get up and release you. I cannot move. I am too weak."

"Blah blah blah!" Valerie called as she struggled to free herself. "Are we supposed to feel sorry for your bad self? If I could get untied I'd be kicking your evil butt from here to China!"

Tucker sent Valerie an amused glance. "You're certainly obsessed with kicking butts," he said.

Valerie turned and gave Tucker a smug look. "That's because I can."

"Danny," Sam said trying to remain calm and level. "He's going to rip out your ghost half!"

"I know," Danny said trying not to sound as hysterical as he felt. "But I'm going to do everything I can to make it hard. Maybe I can break the machine again." He doubted it. He was feeling light headed and his skin felt like it was on fire.

"Isn't the fact that you're not going to let go of your ghost side without a fight good?" Tucker asked. "I mean considering what you told me Clockwork said."

Sam looked at Tucker. "What do you mean what he told you Clockwork said? Danny what did Clockwork say?" When had he had time to talk to Tucker without her?

Danny sighed. He knew he was going to be in trouble with Sam when and if he got out of this predicament for confiding in Tucker and not her, but some things just needed a guy perspective. He had to gather his strength together in order to talk.

"Clockwork told me that my ghost half is neither good or evil. It's what I make of it. It amplifies my character. It's me, just more so." Danny started. "I think in the timeline where Dark Dan happened, I wasn't so good inside anymore. I was wounded inside from losing everyone. My thoughts were dark and I was in pain. I wanted to be rid of my ghost half because I thought it caused all my problems. I betrayed it, and allowed the evil to grow. That's why Dark Dan is how he is. Of course Vlad has a lot to do with it too. His evil side overpowered any goodness left in my ghost half and so there you have Dark Dan."

"Oh nice," Vlad said from the floor. "Blame me."

"If the shoe fits!" Tucker yelled.

"Bite me techno geek," Vlad spat.

"Oh be glad I can't get down from this wall you vile piece of human waste otherwise I'd be kicking your butt from her to China and back!"

"Ha!" Valerie said. "I'm not the only butt kicker around here!" Tucker sent her a charming smile.

"So," Danny continued. He paused a moment to make sure no one was going to interrupt him. "If I can focus all the goodness possible into my ghost side, then maybe we have a chance. If I can just hold on to it I will. I don't want to be separated from my ghost half. I may have felt a time or two that it would be easier to have it gone, but it's me now you know? I wouldn't be me without it. It's a part of me. I don't want to let it go."

"Mind if I throw up now?" Vlad asked. "Because it's getting too damn sweet in here. I can't breath from the stench of it."

"And I love you Sam." Danny said as he ignored Vlad. "The ghost part of me loves you too and I'm not going to let go of that, even if I'm pulled in two."

"Romeo! Romeo! Oh Romeo!" Vlad called from the floor.

"Shut up!" Sam shouted. "Or I'm going to be first in line for your butt kicking to China."

"Oh I'm so scared," Vlad laughed then closed his eyes and said, "Oh that hurts."

"Tucker," Danny said as he continued to ignore Vlad. "You are the best friend ever. If I don't make it out of this alive. Take care of Sam for me. Don't let her forget how much I love her. She gives me courage and strength." He turned his head and looked at Sam who had burst into tears. He really wished he could comfort her.

"Oh can we just get over the melodrama already?" Vlad asked. "What's next a declaration of love for me?"

"Vlad," Danny said tiredly. "When I get out of this, and I will…I'm going to kick your skinny little ass all the way to China and back three times."

"Oh well," Vlad laughed weakly. "My feelings are hurt then."

Danny didn't get a chance to say anything more. Dark Dan returned. He said nothing as he fixed the device. Everyone eventually fell into a daze as time seemed to inch by. Danny watched and waited partly in fear and partly in resignation.

Danny shouldn't have been tired, he'd had a great deal of sleep in the last 24 hours, but laying there in slight tingling pain caused his eyes to grow heavy and he drifted to sleep. It wasn't long until he drifted into the land of dreams, or was it reality? Was he really dreaming? Maybe it had all been a nightmare and he was still sleeping at Sam's house after running away from school.

Danny opened his eyes and looked around the room. Yes, he was still at Sam's house. He sat up and looked around. He was alone. Sam must still be at school. He looked at the clock, no, she should be home by now. He picked up the phone with the intention of dialing her cell. But there was no dial tone. He hung up and tried again. He began to dial the number, but he couldn't remember it. He knew Sam's cell by heart! He hung up to try again, yet there was no dial tone. He tried one last time. The phone rang.

"Hello Danny," Jack said as he answered the phone. "Why aren't you in school my boy?"

"Dad?" Danny asked in confusion. "Why are you answering Sam's phone?"

"Sam?" Jack asked. "Who's Sam?"

"You know, my friends? Sam and Tucker?"

"You know Danny," Jack said ignoring Danny. "A fool and his ghost half are soon parted."

Danny hung up the phone and turned around. He came face to face with his ghost half. He stood there just staring with those glowing green eyes. Danny looked at him in confusion, the ghost's expression mirrored his own.

"What are you doing?" Danny finally asked.

"Is that the best you can do? Ask me what I'm doing?" Phantom asked. "You are a fool."

"I'm not a fool!" Danny said. "It's just that…how are you doing that? How can I be standing here talking to myself."

"I don't have the answers," Phantom said. "I'm you. I just know that soon we'll be separated and then what will we be?"

"How can we be separated?" Danny asked. "I am you. You are me. Right?"

The ghost shrugged. "So what about Sam and Tucker?"

Danny felt confused. Why was Phantom asking about Sam and Tucker?

"We are going to fail them!" Phantom said. "I can't prevent this any more than you can. What should I do?"

"We can't fail them," Danny answered. "It's not an option."

"I don't think there's a choice!" Phantom replied.

Danny shook his head in bewilderment. He walked to the window and found Sam standing outside. He tried to open the window to let her in, but the window was jammed. She put her hand against the glass. She was crying. Danny blinked in confusion. Since when did Sam cry? He put his hand against hers on the glass.

"We'll never be able to reach her again," Phantom said. Danny kept eye contact with Sam who was looking over his shoulder at Phantom. She looked back at Danny then mouthed the words, "I'm so sorry Danny."

"Do you love her too?" Danny asked Phantom.

"Of course I do!" Phantom answered in a tone that said he'd been asked a silly question. "I'm you!"

"And if we are separated?" Danny asked.

"We are forever bound in brotherhood," Phantom answered.

"Brothers." Danny answered. "We can fight."

"You're human body cannot withstand the torture of the fight," Phantom stated.

Danny watched as Sam started to fade away. "What will we do then?"

"What will you have me do?" Phantom asked.

"Fight." Danny answered. "We cannot let Dark Dan win. Protect my family. Protect my friends."

Phantom began to fade as well. "And Sam?"

"Listen to her," Danny said. "Always listen to Sam."

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Danny opened his eyes. He was being shaken. He blinked a few times feeling disoriented then disappointed that he was still bound to a table in Vlad's lab.

"All right everybody!" Dan called. "Wake up! Say good bye to Danny. Say good bye to your future."

Sam and Tucker lifted their heads and looked at Danny. "It's going to be okay," he promised them. "Everything is going to be fine."

Dark Dan turned on the machine and Danny felt like he was going to have a change of heart as fresh pain coursed through his body. No. Everything wasn't going to be fine. He was on fire. He felt like he was being torn in two. He closed his eyes tight. "I'm not letting go. I will not let go. I will hold on!" He managed to fight for five minutes and then the pain overwhelmed him and he began to scream.

It felt as if his skin was being flayed from his body. It felt as if his raw body was dipped in acid. It felt as if his poor burnt body was then set to flame broil in a barbecue pit. The pain was unbearable. Danny could feel unconsciousness creeping in as darkness stole around the edge of his vision. It would be so easy to slip into the bliss of being unaware of his pain. He tried to relax but the scream of agony was still forcing itself from his lips not unlike the ghostly wail. He did his best to focus to talk to his ghost half. "I don't want to let you go! Stay with me! Stay! We love Sam. We need to stay with Sam. Fight! Fight! We love Tucker and Jazz and Mom and Dad. We need to save them from this monster. Fight! Fight!" Danny put all his energy into his thoughts, but he had no control over what happened next as he was assailed by blinding white hot pain and he slipped into unconsciousness.

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Sam was unaware that she was screaming until Danny stopped. Tucker and Valerie both had their eyes closed and heads turned, they couldn't bare to watch Danny writhing in agony any longer. Sam kept her tear filled eyes focused on Danny as her scream died out. She watched as his ghost half separated from him and floated just above the table. It looked at her. It's eyes glowing green. She looked back. It was still Danny, even though it wasn't part of him. She could tell. It moved toward her but then stopped as if considering something.

Dark Dan turned off the containment shield that housed Vlad's ghost side, Plasmius. "Go now!" Dark Dan said to the apparition. "All you have to do is over power him and you will be the strongest creature alive."

Sam looked briefly at Plasmius then looked at Phantom. "Run!" She cried weakly. "Run run run run!" And he did. He burst through the portal and into the ghost zone at the speed of light.

It took Dark Dan a moment to realize what happened. Then he yelled at Plasmius, "After him! Now!" Plasmius took off through the portal with Dark Dan not far behind. The three friends were left tied to the wall. Danny unconscious on the table and Vlad weak and shaking on the floor.

"It looks like it worked," Tucker said softly. "Danny's ghost half didn't want to merge with Plasmius."

"But now we're stuck here," Valerie said in exasperation. "That thing's probably gonna catch up to him and then we're all toast."

Tucker nodded his head. "Val," he said in resignation. "Thanks for going to the dance with me. I had a really good time."

Valerie smiled. "I'm glad you did. I did too. I'm sorry we couldn't get to know each other better."

"Dance?" a disembodied voice asked. "I want to go to the dance!"

"Princess!" Tucker yelled. "Yes!" he never thought he'd be happy to see her as she drifted through the portal toward him.

"I want to go to the ball and dance with the prince," the princess ghost chanted.

"Untie me," Tucker told her. "And I'll make sure you get every pink dress Sam has ever owned and we'll dance until the sun comes up." The princess ghost smiled then looked at Valerie and growled.

"Oh great," Valerie said. "She hates me." Tucker only laughed as the princess released him. He quickly untied Valerie then went after Sam. She couldn't stand on her own and collapsed into his arms, sobbing.

"Come on Sam," Tucker said as he led her to the Speeder. "It's going to be okay."

Valerie ran to the table and untied Danny. She checked to make sure he was still breathing then hoisted him off the table and carried him into the vehicle. Tucker whistled in appreciation and she smiled.

"What are we going to do about Vlad?" Valerie asked as she settled Danny in a seat next to Sam. The princess ghost floated in and stood next to Sam.

"We can't very well leave him here!" Tucker exclaimed.

"Why not? Valerie asked.

"Because Danny would want us to take him," was all Tucker said.

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"Do you know how to get through the Ghost Zone?" Valerie asked as they sped through the strange darkness.

Tucker smiled. "No, but I don't need to know. The Specter Speeder has a nice little homing device." He hit a few buttons and the console beeped and the Speeder took off on it's own, taking them back to Danny's house.

Sam sat buckled into her seat next to Danny. He was still unconscious. She reached over and moved the hair off of his face. She looked at Vlad who was watching with interest.

"He's not going to die," Vlad told her in a irritated tone. "If that's what you're thinking."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "I didn't think he was going to," she said. "I'm just worried about him. Is he going to hurt when he wakes up?"

"You have no idea," Vlad answered. He was still hurting himself. "Danny was a fool for resisting like he did. It only caused him more pain."

"There's nothing we can do for him?" Sam asked as she reached out and took Danny's hand.

"Gahhh!" Vlad said and tried to move enough to make Sam release Danny's hand. "Don't touch him for goodness sake! You have no idea! No idea how bad it hurts! Don't touch him!"

Sam dropped Danny's hand then looked to Tucker. "How long till we're home?"

"Not much longer," answered Tucker and he looked at Danny slumped in the chair. "I wish we could catch up with his ghost half and bring it behind the shield with us."

"He'll find his way to us," Sam said confidently. "He just has to lead Dark Dan and Plasmius on a chase first."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "And you know this why?"

"Because I know Danny," She answered simply.

Valerie was watching the Ghost Zone go by through the window. She still couldn't believe what her eyes saw. She turned and looked at the group a moment. "How are we going to reunite Danny with his ghost half?" she asked.

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Danny surfaced back to consciousness slowly. In the beginning, he would become aware of the searing pain his body was in and drifted back into the mercy of sleep, but strange pain filled nightmares began to haunt him, so he opened his eyes.

"Danny. Sweetie," Maddie said in hope as she bent over her son. "Come on Sweetie wake up." Danny sleepily opened his eyes and looked at his mother. He tried to smile but his face hurt too much.

She smiled instead. "Everything is going to be all right," Maddie told her son. "Everyone is sleeping. We are all okay. The shield is holding just fine, though no one has attacked us."

"Vlad?" Danny half whispered.

"Is downstairs making a nuisance of himself," Maddie answered. Danny tried to smile again then turned his head and looked around the room. Sam looked like she'd fallen asleep kneeling at the bed. Her head was laying on her arms on the edge of the mattress.

"Don't try to move," Maddie said. "I'm going to get you some pain reliever. I'll be right back."

If he could have laughed, Danny would have. First off he didn't think he could move, and secondly there was no pain killer in all the world that could numb the pain of having half of your soul ripped from your body. Of course he was unable to say anything as she rushed from the room.

Danny turned his eyes again to Sam. He wiggled his fingers. Well, at least they worked. He used them to move his hand over to her then touched her tear stained face. She opened her eyes and jumped. She looked at him sleepily in amazement at first then smiled shakily.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she wiped her face. She didn't want him to know she'd been crying. Tucker had already seen her break down and she knew he'd never let her live it down.

"I feel like I've been run through the Fenton Ghost Peeler," Danny joked weakly. "How are you?"

Sam smiled sadly. "I'm all right. Just scared for you."

"What happened?" he asked as he closed his eyes. It was hard to reopen them. Sleep threatened to claim him again.

Sam ran her fingers through her hair as she leaned on the bed close to him. "You separated from your ghost half. Except it was different from the time you jumped through the ghost catcher. It was you, but more. You know? I told you to run. So. You ran. Dark Dan and Plasmius took off after you. Princess showed up again and freed us. We brought you here about 5 hours ago. We haven't heard anything. So I'm hoping that your ghost half is out there eluding Dark Dan and his nasty plans."

"I hope so too," Danny said. He focused all his energy into reaching up over and brushed Sam's face with his fingers. She smiled shakily. This was not the time to break down on him.

"Everything is going to work out," Danny told her. "The first part of my plan has worked right?"

Sam gave Danny a look of disbelief. "You had a plan?" Danny would have shrugged if he could have. Sam laughed. "Some plan."

"Sam!" Tucker ran into the room. "Maddie says Danny's awake." He stopped and looked at Danny.

"Yo Tuck!" Danny said forcing himself to sound normal, not knowing that he didn't.

"Whoa!" Tucker said. "Dark Dan did a dance on your head!"

Danny started shivering. The strain was just too much on him. Sam gave Tucker a worried look. "I think he needs to rest." She said. Tucker nodded his head and left the room.

Sam turned and looked at Danny. "I'm gonna go down too. Talk to Jazz and Val."

"Please stay," Danny said as his voice shook as he closed his eyes. "Don't want to be alone Sam. Feel so alone."

Sam sat down on the floor and rested her head on the bed. "I'll stay as long as you need me." She whispered.

"I think I need you forever," Danny tried to say but drifted back into unconsciousness instead.

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