OOC warning here. Jack and Maddie have been SERIOUSLY falling OOC in this story. Frankly, it's only because they're not really that developed in the show. This story calls for a more in depth look at Danny's parents and that's why they are different. I'm trying to keep key characteristics the same, but…it's just not possible to keep them as such shallow undeveloped characters at this point. Please forgive me. I'll do my best to keep them on track.

I've also been struggling quite hard with this chapter. I, the person who never does re-writes, has erased this chapter three times and did a complete cold re-write. Four times is too many, so this is how it stands. I appologise if this chapter isn't good. I hope you will forgive me and continue reading...

Chapter 11

Maddie Fenton felt confused as Dark Dan laughed and flew off with her in tow. She knew something she had said set him off but, she wasn't sure what it was. This creature, even for all its few similarities, was not her Danny. Or was it? Was some part of him left in this pitiful creature?

Dark Dan stopped and let go of Maddie. There wasn't anywhere she could run. So she just looked at him and waited. Either he was going to kill her or not. She was prepared for either decision. Of course she was scared, but Maddie Fenton's creed was to show no fear, so she faced him defiantly.

"So," Dark Dan said slowly as he turned on her his face closer to hers. "Do you think there is some part of your boy left in me? Do you think it's possible that ten years of anguish and sorrow and emptiness have not burned away all traces of your precious son?"

"I'm not going to stand here and have some sort of heart to heart with you about the inner workings of your twisted little soul." Maddie told him angrily as she folded her arms across her chest and attempted to turn away.

Dark Dan laughed again. "Oh Mom," he said, then asked, "Can I call you Mom?" Maddie only stared blankly at him. "I like you," he continued. "You and I are going to have a little more of a chat before I dispatch you all together. Maybe I'll wait for your family to arrive before I kill you."

"What ever you do," Maddie said as she floated fruitlessly in the ether of the Ghost Zone. "There is nothing I can do about it. I won't fight with you."

Dark Dan eyed her for a moment. "How long ago did your Danny tell you his secret?" He asked. "You obviously know."

"I've known for awhile," She answered flatly. "But he told me recently."

"And you accepted him?" Dark Dan asked in disbelief.

"Of course I did!" Maddie said. "I'm his mother. There is absolutely nothing he could do that could change that, or the love I feel for him."

Dark Dan floated around her, thinking. "And what if he did something very bad? What if he caused your death? What if he caused the death of everything and everyone you love? What if he committed acts of unspeakable horror?"

Maddie looked into Dark Dan's expressionless face. She was glad for the time she had with Danny, and glad he had taken the time with her and Jack to explain everything he could about Dark Dan and who he was. She knew Danny well enough to understand what the creature had gone through at the loss of his family and her heart felt very deeply for him, but she didn't know this ghost side so well or how it worked. She didn't know if there was any spark of her son left in this creature which called itself by his name. She had met Danny's ghost half while they was separated before and loved him not an ounce less than his human half, she saw no difference between the two. But, this creature she did not know or understand, because so much of the boy she knew was gone.

"Well?" Dark Dan asked forcefully. Beginning to feel frustrated. The tingling of emotional sensation, which Maddie's treating him as her son had caused, had begun to fade and he wanted it back, even though it hurt. It was like a little splinter in his hand, he couldn't resist worrying, even if it made him hurt and bleed.

Maddie took a deep breath and whispered so softly that Dark Dan had to move ever closer to hear her, "Soren Kierkegaard once said, 'Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low, could still be saved; the bitterest of enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle.' I would never stop loving my son. If there is an inkling of him in you, there you will also find my love."

Dan moved away from Maddie wearing such an expression of hatred that her façade of courage slipped and her eyes betrayed her fear for the first time. Surly now he was going to strike her dead. Her only thoughts were of Jack, Jazz and Danny. She was sure her children could go on fine without her, but she worried for Jack. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the blow soon to follow his roar of anger or was it anguish? She waited…and waited. And when finally she opened her eyes resolute in facing her fate, Maddie found that he had gone. She floated alone in the shifting formlessness of the Ghost Zone.

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Danny stopped as he saw his mother floating. Alone. She was using a swimming motion to try to move, inch by inch. He smiled slightly, then wondered where Dark Dan was. There was no way that Danny was going to buy for an instant that rescuing his mother was going to be that easy. Nothing had been so far.

He had just about reached her when a blast hit him and he went flying. Danny just barely managed to reorient himself when another blast hit, and another and another. It took a great deal of effort but little by little he began evading shots and again came face to face with the one who had been haunting his nightmares for months. Dark Dan.

"Little Daniel Fenton," Dark Dan said as he smirked. "Back to rescue his mommy from the big bad monster."

"Just let her go," Danny ordered angrily. "You're problem isn't with her. It's with me."

"My problem," Dark Dan drawled in his extremely slow and sinister tone. "Is with the whole world."

"Great," Danny said as he shot a few blasts at Dark Dan dodged them with little effort. "Well since the whole world can't be here, your problem is with me."

"Why should you have everything?" Dark Dan asked angrily as he shot blast after blast. "Why should you have the happiness, the contentment, the life! While I had to languish in misery and darkness? I'm going to make you feel what I felt. I'm going to make you watch me take them away from you. One by one."

Danny forced himself to still his fears He watched Dark Dan stop his attack and circle around to the other side of Maddie. Danny knew if he moved toward her, she'd be gone. So he stayed where he was and watched.

"Is there anything I can do to spare her?" Danny asked in the most emotionless tone he could muster.

Dark Dan laughed and laughed and laughed then said, "No."

"What if I give up?" Danny asked. "If I let you do to me what you will?"

"No!" Maddie yelled. "Sweetie it's not worth it."

"But it is," Dark Dan said. "It would hurt wouldn't it Mom? Losing your son. I can take him away from you. Leave you to live just as he lives, just as I live, in the deep pit of agonizing despair. You would grow to hate him then Maddie, I promise. Because he's willing to do this to you. To himself. Yes, you will grow to hate him."

"Never." Maddie whispered her voice shaking for the first time.

"I think we may have a deal," Dark Dan said slowly. "If you care to follow me to the old man's lab, we can get to work." Danny didn't dare look at his mother for fear his resolution to carry through with this plan would fail.

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Jazz watched with everyone else as Vlad worked. Valerie treated him cruelly, she didn't seem the forgiving type. Tucker and Sam treated him with indifference but Jazz watched his face. He was hiding pain of his own. Had he recovered from the ghost half being torn from him? Or was he just playing at being all right? Was he mourning the loss of his ghost half, the one he destroyed with his own hands? If so his stoic facial expressions betrayed nothing.

Jack had shifted from being angry at Vlad back to his generally good natured self, if not anxious. He sat next to Vlad and they were both soldering wires together onto a green electrical panel as they reminisced about their college days, which caused frequent bouts of booming laughter from Jack. Valerie continued to watch him like a hawk, determined that he had some plan and was up to no good. Sam and Tucker were sitting on the floor with their backs leaning against the speeder. They were deep in a conversation Jazz didn't feel like she would be welcomed into. She sighed then started upstairs. Something stopped her and she turned and looked at the portal. She gripped the stair rail so hard her knuckles turned white. Her knees went weak so she sat down. Tucker and Sam jumped up and ran to her.

"Mom," Jazz said as she leaned into Sam who immediately sat beside her. "Danny. What if they don't come back?" Sam looked over to Tucker who was clutching on to his PDA as if for comfort. Someone had to say something. They couldn't let Jazz fall into hysteria.

"Jazz," Sam said then looked again to Tucker for help.

"It's going to be all right," Tucker said. "When has Danny ever failed?"

"He failed his vocabulary test!" Jazz cried as if failing a test in school was relevant in this situation.

"I think we need to do something," Sam said. "Find Clockwork. Doesn't he know what's going on? Why hasn't he done something to stop it like he did before?"

"He's testing Danny," Tucker said. "That's the only explanation."

Jazz took several deep breaths. "Okay," She said. "I'm okay now." She stood and continued up the stairs. Tucker and Sam watched her go then started back toward the Speeder. Tucker turned and looked back toward the stairs.

"Sam," he said sadly. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone."

Sam hesitated. She really didn't want to leave the lab. What if Danny returned? She wanted to be there when he did. She needed to know he was all right, and sitting upstairs away from the portal would do nothing more than make her more anxious.

"You go to her Tuck," Sam said. "I don't think I'd be that great of a help right now." Tucker looked at Sam a moment then debated with himself about who needed comfort more. Sam or Jazz. He knew Sam was strong and held to the belief that Danny was going to be fine. He took a deep breath and headed upstairs and out of the lab, to keep Jazz company.

Sam watched him go then looked at Valerie she was in the thick of things with Jack and Vlad at the moment as Jack was instructing them via some wires about the mechanical workings of his device and what he needed to get it working. She bit her lip. Part of her was tempted to jump in the Speeder and go find Danny. The rational part of her knew it would only make things harder for him. She sat back down with her back against the side of the vehicle, and waited. She really hated waiting.

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Dark Dan laughed as he forced Danny to change back to his human form and tied him against the wall with ectoplasmic bands. He promised that if Danny dared to go ghost that Maddie would be toast.

"Rhyming?" Danny asked. Dark Dan had no sense of humor, well no regular sense of humor. He only looked at Danny in disgust. He seemed not to fear much from Maddie and let her wander around the lab at will. He kept his eyes on her, so she didn't have much opportunity to do much at all.

Danny wondered what was next. If Dan was going to keep him here in Vlad's lab and subject him to a creepy staring match for the rest of his life. He watched the Dark creature for awhile, then his eyes lit on the D on his chest. The one tangible thing they had in common. Why was Dark Dan still wearing the logo Sam had made?

Maddie had taken off the hood of her hazmat suit and seemed to be fiddling with her goggles. Dan was watching her untrustingly. Danny wondered if distracting him would allow his mother to either escape or strike against Dan. Danny hoped it was escape. He took a deep breath.

"Dan!" he said in a challenging tone of voice. The creature turned his horrible eyes back to Danny. "Why do you still wear the D Sam made?"

Dark Dan put his hand to his chest and looked back at Danny and smiled his slow sinister smile. "It's a reminder," he answered. "Of what a futile effort life is. You see I once knew this girl, who put so much effort into me and then poof gone. All her work was for nothing."

"It doesn't look as though her work was for nothing. You still honor her," Danny said as he gestured to the Danny Phantom symbol.

"Yes," Dan said as he narrowed his eyes and floated closer to Danny. "But she did not stop me when she had the chance did she? And now even memories of her cannot stop me from my course." His eyes began to gleam with evil thought.

"I remember things about this Sam," he said as if realizing something very important. "You harbor deep feelings for the girl. She is important to your existence." Dan laughed. "You should never have brought up her name Danny. Never."

Dark Dan grabbed Maddie and secured her against the wall. He looked at Danny for a moment his expression filled with evil glee then he transformed himself into the likeness of Danny Phantom. He said nothing as he fled through the ghost portal, laughing as he went.

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Sam felt she was about to doze off when Danny came flying through the portal. He said nothing as he flew up to her and grabbed her hand.

"Hurry," He said. "I need your help." Sam stood and followed him without hesitation. The group working at the table looked up, but before they could say anything Danny and Sam were gone.

"Where did he take her?" Valerie asked in confusion. Jack shrugged his shoulders and looked to Vlad who was shaking his head as he focused his attention back down to his work.

"I heartily doubt that was Daniel," Vlad said as he continued working on the device. He was close to being finished. "I think we've just seen Samantha taken by the enemy."

"And we didn't do anything?" Valerie said in outrage. "And how would you know anyway?"

Vlad looked at her with a defeated expression. "I have been around ghosts long enough that I don't need powers to distinguish one being from another. That was not Danny. What would you have us do Miss Grey? What power do we have over the likes of that creature?"

Valerie growled something under her breath then walked away. "I'm going upstairs," She finally said out loud.

Jack watched her go then quietly went back to his work. Vlad said nothing as well. He felt it was better the child was finally out of his hair. Now he could really pick Jack's brain and get to work without interference .

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"Danny where are we going?" Sam asked as they flew through the Ghost Zone.

"It's a surprise," Danny said. Sam squeezed his hand and he faltered a little.

"You rescued your Mom?" She asked as she looked into Danny's face. "Why didn't you bring her back? Where is Dark Dan?"

"Vlad's lab," Danny answered. "Everything is back at Vlad's lab." Sam swallowed back a gasp of fear and wondered why she didn't realize earlier that this wasn't Danny.

Dark Dan, disguised as Danny flew through the portal and presented Danny to Sam. If he was expecting her to cry out in fear or react in any way but happiness for seeing Danny he was sorely disappointed.

"Hey Danny!" Sam said cheerfully. "It's good to see you." Danny himself was a little surprised at her reaction. Dark Dan affixed Sam to the wall next to Danny just out of range so they couldn't touch and surveyed them angrily.

"So there you have her Daniel. Your little girlfriend to participate in your destruction." He waited for their reply as if he'd said something clever. Danny and Sam just looked at each other for a moment then back at Dark Dan.

"No denial?" Dan said, mostly to himself. "No blushes?" He eyed them again. Sam was watching him wide eyed and Danny looked back angrily. Could it be that these two made it past the barriers of their embarrassment and began to build a relationship deeper than friendship? Dark Dan burned inside and his hatred for Danny grew deeper. Everything that had been denied to him, when he lost his friends and his family, this alternate version of him held. He would not allow this to be! He grabbed Sam off the wall and held her by the throat.

"Let her go!" Danny yelled as he struggled to release himself.

"Should I kill her now?" Dark Dan asked slowly. "Or should I wait and use her to push you over the edge into madness?" He stared into Sam Manson's frightened eyes then put her down. Once on the floor and free of Dark Dan she stepped away from him until she was against the wall. She looked at Danny who was looking back at Dark Dan. His eyes were simmering green with anger.

"Sam Sweetie," Maddie said slowly. Sam turned and looked at Maddie Fenton. Maddie looked Sam in the eyes then over to a distant counter where something which looked a great deal like the Specter Deflector lay. Sam followed Maddie's line of vision then swallowed hard and took a few steps to the left and a few more then a few more.

"Why," Dark Dan said in anger. "Should you have these things?" He advanced on Danny. "Why should you have such happiness and be the recipient of such love and devotion?"

"Because I made the right decisions!" Danny yelled at him. "Because I'm not you! Because I'm not so stupid as to let go of my ghost half! Why do you think?"

"Danny, I don't think yelling at him is going to help you much," Maddie warned.

"Shut up Mom!" Danny and Dark Dan said together.

"She's my mother!" Danny growled. "Don't you dare try to delude yourself into thinking that some part of you belongs to her in anyway!"

Dark Dan laughed. Then flew over to Maddie. "He doesn't understand. Does he. Mom?" Maddie said nothing.

"No wise philosophies for me now….Mom?" Dark Dan asked. "No words to try to reach my stone cold heart? No tender emotions to sooth the savage beast?"

Sam stood looking at the Specter Deflector, or a reasonable version of it. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do with it. Should she use it on herself to keep herself fairly safe from Dark Dan or should she put it on Maddie? Placing it on Danny would be a big mistake. Then it dawned on her. She needed to put the belt on Dark Dan. Then they might have enough time to escape. She looked at Danny but his attention was on Dark Dan. She slipped toward him slowly. Her heart was racing so fast and so hard she was afraid that Dark Dan would hear her as she gradually snuck up on him.

Dark Dan laughed at the expression of anger on Danny's face, but he was beginning to tire of this game and his prey had stopped playing in a way which amused him. He was preparing himself to strike a blow to Danny, to end this game once and for all when he felt someone reach around him.

Sam clipped the Specter Deflector around Dark Dan. He flung his arm around and knocked her flying across the room. Danny transformed into ghost form and ripped himself out of the ectoplasmic bonds then freed his mother. Held her arm as he rushed across the lab, picked up Sam and then flew out of the portal. He knew there wasn't going to be much time. Dark Dan was going to free himself from the Specter Deflector quickly, so he moved as fast as he could through the Ghost Zone toward home, carrying his mother who was yelling in jubilation and Sam, who was knocked out.

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Okay. I am very unhappy with this chapter. But I think trying to rewrite it again would be a mistake. We'll continue on. And I say this…again. It might be awhile before I can update…there is NO way Chapter 12 is coming out tomorrow….I know you don't believe me, but so it goes.