A/N: Damn the plot bunnies…damn them all.
Okay, on a more serious note, this chapter was extremely hard for me to write due to its nature. We, meaning my family, recently just lost our dog of ten years to intestinal cancer and I'm feeling anything but hopeful right now…hence the angst overdrive I was put into against my will. With that said, I really hope that you all understand the reasons why this chapter took so long to come out…it's hard to write a chapter about the power of being hopeful when events in your life make you question if it makes a difference.
Enjoy and please review!
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Ashes to Ashes
Part Fourteen: Flicker
Sam really didn't have a clear idea of what she was doing, especially now that she had gone out and basically dared Plasmius to kick her butt, but there was nothing for it now. She promised Danny on top of an apartment complex nearly three months ago that she would protect him…and she meant to keep that promise. So, here she stood, dangling her pendant, the apparent cause of nearly everything that had happened this summer, in front of a homicidal maniac who looked like he had been run over by a semi twice over. Maybe that's why she didn't feel all that afraid…
"Sam!" an agitated voice hissed from behind her…she didn't turn to see who it was, she already knew. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"
"I know what I'm doing, Tucker," Sam replied in a low voice, not tearing her purple gaze away from the limping half ghost for a second. "I'm trying to get this town out of a jam…and buying Danny some time."
She heard him begin another protest, but she began to walk away from the Fenton doorway and wasn't able to catch the rest of it…he was slowed by Valerie and she wasn't. She shifted her hold on the pendant and gripped it in her left fist instead of dangling it; that was pretty much just for show anyway. She narrowed her eyes at the repulsive being not standing more than fifteen yards from her and waited for him to close the remainder of the gap between them. He stopped when he saw that she had, and Sam thought that they had a very distinct western moment as they simply stared at each other.
Danny had really done a number on him, that much was for sure, and Sam almost felt something akin to sympathy build inside her at the sight of the bedraggled man. His normally coifed hair was in disarray about his bruised and scraped face, one red eye leaking fluid and starting to close. He was grasping his right arm in pain, and Sam could see the green ectoplasm leaking in between the fingers, and had barely looked to be walking typically as he favored one leg over the other. His clothes were ripped and shredded in so many places and he generally looked about ready to keel over…it was a wonder in and of itself that he hadn't yet; guess he was determined.
The sympathy vanished as her mind provided an image of what Danny must look like if this was Vlad…this man didn't deserve her pity. Danny had just recovered from something no person, much less an eighteen year old, should have to go through, and now he was fighting for his life again. It wasn't fair, and this monster in front of her was to blame. No, he didn't deserve anything from her…
"So, Miss Manson," Vlad spoke aloud after several moments of tense silence, his voice raspy and cracked, nothing like the smooth and oily voice he usually exuded. "Do you really intend to fight a crippled and injured old man with that destructive crystal or yours? Funny, I didn't think you had it in you to be a killer…"
"Nope, that honors all yours Plasmius," Sam responded lightly, refusing to rise to the bait he offered her. She knew how people like Vlad worked; they used words to belittle and cut down a person until said person was twisted inside from all the poison fed to them. She knew that without all his words, Vlad was nothing more than a slightly demented man who had a control issue…the fact that he had powers was inconsequential due to his recent thrashing by Danny.
"Then, what are you exactly hoping to accomplish by facing with me here and now?" Vlad asked with a sorry attempt at his evil smirk…now it just looked weak and pathetic. "I hope you aren't counting on negotiating the safety of your precious town or something as foolish as that."
"I want you to leave Danny alone," Sam replied with an iron tone to her voice…looks like she could imitate her mother after all. "You've made him suffer enough, and guess what Vlad? He's still not broken…and he's still not defeated by you. Just face it, you've lost…and all I want is for you to fade into your money and riches and never bother him again."
"A steep price my dear," Vlad began before being interrupted by the raven-haired girl.
"Not really. You aren't going to accomplish anything more here either…the ghosts and spirits who are fighting on our side are more powerful than the ones who fight for you, Amity Park isn't going down today. So, let's review really quickly: you're about to lose an army, you've already lost Danny, and oh yeah, Maddie FENTON still doesn't want you…I think that it's safe to say that you're running out of options to turn towards, Plasmius."
"And what about you, Miss Manson?" Vlad asked in a quiet tone, his voice regaining some of its coldness and sneer as the tone was lowered. "Have you ever thought for a moment that my goal for these past few months was never Daniel, but what was you?"
"No," Sam answered with a glare, her hands tightening into balls and her left hand pricking itself on the stone clutched therein. "If that was true, you never would have hired a sicko like Riley to do your dirty work…you've been scheming for the past four years to try and break Danny so he would join you!"
"And how do you know it was me who requested Mr. Riley's…expertise…in the first place?" Sam deepened her glare at the man's smarmy response.
"Because only you have the kind of technology capable of creating something like the Spectral Inhibitors those monsters collared Danny and Bruma with!"
"What a clever little investigator…it's no wonder you did so well in school, Samantha, my dear. All right, I confess…it hasn't always been you, just recently. Would you like to know why?"
Sam didn't deign the man a response, partly because she thought he was full of bull and partly because a part of her recognized the truth ringing from his oily voice. Not speaking seemed like the safest route. She was still plenty angry at the man, but she felt some of her bravado seeing away as he continued to speak with her as if they were discussing the weather…maybe asking to see him cower was a bit much, but anything other than this damn indifference would have been nice! He laughed in a broken way at her silence before pulling his battered frame up into a haughty stance and pulling a sneer onto his features; even in almost utter defeat this guy always had to look like an ass.
"I'll take your silence as an affirmative answer," Vlad spoke when he received nothing but wind for an answer from the slight girl. "It's because of that pretty little pendant clutched in your hand, and what you did with it in that corridor on the day you and your merry men rescued poor Daniel from a dastardly fate. Would you like to tell me what that pretty little stone does?"
"I-someone told me that it created a bond between the giver and the receiver," Sam answered with a small hint of confusion in her voice. Knowledge hadn't told her about the bolts of energy it could send out, and they had surprised her when they first appeared, slamming into and effectively killing Riley. Funny, she hadn't really thought about it too much since Danny had woken up, the fact that she had killed a man, even in a round about way. The blasts scared her…why did the villain always seem to know all the answers?
"Ah, that is true, my dear," Vlad answered with a wave of a shaky hand, grinning at her in a way that made him seem whole and unharmed; she knew she didn't stand a chance against a fully powered Plasmius…the grin was unnerving. "It can create a link between the two individuals, be it friend or foe, that allows the receiver into the giver's mind and also let's the giver feel the other's presence, no matter the distance. But, those are but trifle measures of the power that little stone contains…as I'm sure you know all too well." They always knew…never failed. "But, I digress…tell me, Samantha, how you managed to send out a bolt of pure emotional energy in that fish factory corridor that killed Mance Riley?"
"What?" Sam asked in a bewildered tone, her eyes going wide and darting down to her left hand unconsciously before fixing back on the knowing crimson eyes. "How did you know--?"
"I know quite a bit more about that stone than you would think," was all the answer she received before he launched into a story. "And I'll tell you its story now. Once upon a time, a great mage created a little talisman made from a semi-precious gemstone as a gift to his lover, a beautiful woman whom he loved with all his heart. It was designed so they would always be connected, even in death…which unfortunately was the case when a horrible creature was unleashed upon the world and killed the woman as she attempted to defend a village under attack. The mage, whom I assume you know as Merlin, banded with other of like power, those who called themselves the Bloodlines, and helped seal away the monster, the Abomination, away…and then he sealed away his precious talisman along with other Bloodline families who had like talismans.
"These talismans, for there were many, each did something different that was relatively mundane, and each had a hidden ability that could only be unlocked by one of similar Bloodline…an heirloom of sorts. Now, years past and many of the Bloodlines who had such heirlooms, powers dwindled as the family tree grew…until nearly all of the Bloodline families were diminished but a few…that magic died out one could say."
"If you have a point, that would be fantastic," Sam snapped irritably as she glared anew at the seemingly insane man before her. He was spouting off something that sounded like it belonged in a fairy tale…talking about Merlin and Bloodlines, which she could only assume meant witches in his story, and how their magic had died out. It was crazy people talk for goodness sakes! And the whole time, she could feel the stone tingling in her hand…that had to mean he was full of it or something. At least, that was what Sam was telling herself as she felt the annoying feeling of doubt and belief tug at her mind.
"Oh, but I do Miss Manson," Vlad quipped amiably as he gave her a strange smile. "You see, that blast you created when shooting both Riley and myself was created out of emotional energy, most likely righteous anger your type always seem to have hanging around you at all times, and is NOT a common ability the stone provides…it is something only the heir of the stone can do…so I can assume you're smart enough to fill in the gaps yourself."
Did he…did he just imply that he thought she was some long lost heir to Merlin? Sam just shook her head as she stared at him…it was like being trapped in some horrible sci-fi movie. She really didn't know how to respond to such a statement, so she opted for the short and sweet method. "I'm not a witch, despite what some people at school think. I don't have any powers like Danny does or whatever…"
"Did you not listen to what I told you, girl?" Vlad asked with a little snippet of impatience to his voice now. "I said that the magic had flowed out of most Bloodlines many years ago, so you are correct in your self-assessment; you're not a witch. Nevertheless, you are still the heir of that talisman and the power you bring out of it attests to that. So, whether or not you have 'power' as you so aptly called it or not, matters not when it comes to that stone…it's your very blood that elicits the response."
"So you want the power it gives me then?" Sam asked logically, almost just asking herself as she thought over the new information. She still wasn't sure that she believed what Vlad was saying, the man didn't have qualms about lying to achieve his goal, but some of it felt right. Maybe that was why the stone kept thrumming in her hand…emotional energy. "I don't see how it would do you much good…I don't think you're some distantly related cousin, Plasmius."
"Of course I can't use it by myself," he responded with a shaky laugh, a laugh that really wasn't comforting. "And that is what I propose in a trade off for the protection of your little town and leaving young Daniel alone. You help me, and I help you…quid pro quo."
"You want me to run off and join up with you?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling the heat of her ire in the gem held in her hand. "Danny's right…you are a seriously crazed up fruit loop. If you think that I am even going to think about that, you have more issues than even I thought."
"Then you can almost guarantee my interference in the future," Vlad replied with narrowed eyes. "I have no intention of just relinquishing my claim on Daniel, if you want me out of his life than I need something just as good as his powers…yours, in a way. Take it or leave it, Miss Manson…I'm not going to wait here all day for you to decide, as you can see, I am in a rather large amount of pain currently, as is your dear Daniel."
Sam really didn't know how to respond now…fighting she could handle, him trying to take the stone was manageable. But, he wanted her to come along with him. The thought made her nauseous on so many levels. She knew what her answer was, no doubt in her mind, but now she had to come up with some way to keep an angry and disappointed Vlad from taking off…better to ask questions than answer his. "Why do you want this particular talisman so bad? Aren't there others?"
"Yours is different, my dear." So far so good, Sam thought as he looked ready to launch into another story. There was a thought skittering across her mind and she felt that if she could just get him to talk more about the stupid pendant, it would come to her. "There's a story behind it. You see, there is an ancient tale that the descendants of your line will mingle with that of another…one that the Bloodlines once thought as enemies. Now whether or not that is true, I don't really know, but I do know that the power to create pure emotions into a force is something to be reckoned with. Don't you see, my dear? You could have all the power in the world if you truly wanted too…"
Power made from pure emotions…my emotions. Sam had it then, the thought that had been elusive and hard to grab hold of. She could mold any emotion she felt into a form of power that was tangible, like giving heremotions a steroid boost. She opened her left hand and brought the small amethyst to her similarly colored eyes and stared into its facets. If my anger can be molded to make something so powerful, what else can my emotions do? Words spoken to her earlier that night suddenly leapt before her, words spoken by an interesting looking being who spoke to her through the pendant.
"…and then you must trust what your heart and feelings tell you when the storm hits."
"Because…it is the Phantom which is needed to win this battle…the Phantom and the stone of Merlin working together…"
"Every person needs a light, Samantha…you are his Light, go and show him the correct path."
The words spoken by Hope suddenly made so much sense. If she could create forces of pure energy using the stone, then what's to say she couldn't put that force into someone else…someone who desperately needed it. She smiled in a knowing way as she placed the stone around her neck and looked straight at Vlad…it was nice to see that he could look confused from time to time. "I don't want power…I just want Danny."
She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in front of her heart, in an almost pray-like pose, and focused on nothing but her and her emotions being fed into the pendant. She poured every single ounce of hope she felt into that pendant, every single moment where she thought she would fall but was saved by believing in a white haired hero. She let her faith in him mingle with the hope that everything was going to turn out all right…that everything would be okay. He needed to know how important he was in bringing everyone hope…and he needed to rekindle his own.
Go help Danny…
Sam felt a shiver go through her and she snapped her eyes open in time to see a brilliantly violet light, streaked with gold ignite over the crystal and then vanish through the air. She could only hope that it helped in the way she had asked the stone to…that what Vlad had said about her ability to control the pendant ringed true and this whole mess would just be over. She shifted her eyes away from the sky and watched as Tucker and Valerie seemed to be protecting her against Vlad's weak, albeit still formidable, attacks. She felt her anger renew at the sight of a battered Valerie helping her even though she was so hurt, and Tucker looked a little worse for wear now.
"Help me one more time, please," Sam whispered into the stone as she took it off her neck and held it before her like she had earlier. "Help me protect my friends." It responded to the challenge wonderfully, forming a purple dome over the three of them, shielding them from Plasmius's magenta blasts. Tucker and Valerie looked over at Sam, who was smiling at them with a 'devil-may-care' grin, eyes alight in hope. She could see the question forming in both their eyes, and decided to answer it for them before they could ask as they waited for her other plan to come to pass.
"I think I finally got the hang of this stupid thing!"
"That's great, Sam," Tucker said after a few moments of silence passed, green eyes still clouded with confusion. "But, what are we supposed to do about Vlad now?"
"We aren't going to anything, Tuck," Sam replied, fixing her eyes back up at the sky, in the direction her beam of hope had been sent. "We're going to wait for Danny to finish what he started."
"I thought Tucker said that he fell out of the sky," Valerie said in a tried voice, her brown eyes narrowing in concentration as she tried to piece together Sam's cryptic answers. "That he had nearly killed himself, again, using his Ghostly Wail. How the hell is he supposed to defeat Vlad when he's so hurt?"
"Sometimes all you have to do is have a little hope," Sam answered with a smile, not taking her eyes away from the sky for a second.
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It hadn't taken long for both Mikey and Johnny 13 to half carry-half drag Danny to where his parents, sister, and Kitty were. And by the time they got there, it seemed nearly all of their ghostly allies had decided to gather round the Fentons in an attempt to hide Danny's identity from the other people of Amity Park. Not really for his interest, but for theirs…the last thing any ghosts wanted was for a bunch of scientists to start invading their demesne and start making a mess of everything. Plus, the spirits seemed to have taken an interest in the halfa…no one wanted to deal with a pissed off spirit in the Ghost Zone. Johnny was able to use his Shadow to block off the area from sight and Mikey carried the thrashed looking boy to where his parents were.
"Danny, oh my--" Maddie began as Jack swept their son into his massive arms, cradling him protectively as she pushed his hair away from his face. She met Jack's eyes and was met with a similar thought: no parent should have to carry their child like this, so close to death, twice in one summer. "It's okay now, Sweetie…we have you now."
Jazz watched with a horrible sinking sensation as her parents rocked Danny's broken form…if it wasn't for the strong arms surrounding her she probably would have collapsed to the ground then. She looked over and saw some of the ghosts looking at her brother in, dare she say it, pity. Kitty looked about ready to cry with Johnny looking sadly at the black-haired boy who had once been his enemy. Ember looked a little upset, which was saying something, while Skulker, Technus, and Dora all looked at each other with slightly worried faces. Walker just scowled along with his men. She didn't blame them…none of them wanted to bow down to Vlad.
"Desiree," Jazz asked in a thick voice laden with unshed emotion as she looked over at the genie ghost floating above them with a contemplative look on her face. "Can I wish for my brother to be better? Would that work?"
"I do not believe so, child," the harem woman answered with a shake of her head and ebony locks. "I cannot just bring someone back to full health…I can only grant you your wishes that pertain to you. He would have to wish to be better…and I do not think he will. Genies have limitations."
Jazz swallowed the sob that threatened to tear from her throat as she closed her aqua eyes and buried her face in Mikey's chest. Why did everything seem to happen to Danny? The fight was almost over, nearly all of Vlad's goons beaten and sent back to the Ghost Zone, and yet it seemed that her brother had to pay the price. She knew it was selfish to think that way, when there had been a few deaths from the citizens of Amity Park, but she couldn't help it. She was content to cry all of her frustrations out on Mikey's voice when a surprised gasp attracted her eyes upwards to watch what looked like a comet streak towards them.
It was beautiful, Jazz mused silently to herself as she watched it shatter the dome Johnny's Shadow had created and surround her brother; it was a deep purple laced with ribbons of gold that seemed to lift everyone's spirits. She let a smile slowly grace her features when she saw the light healing Danny's body, and even let out a gasp as his eyes snapped open and he sat up in their father's arms. Jack was so surprised by the change that he dropped him, but Danny just floated there before fixing his eyes on Jazz.
They weren't blue, or even green, but a brilliant gold color and he smiled before shooting up into the air, a jet of shimmering purple light trailing after him. The red-head could hear the startled gasps and mutterings coming from ghosts and humans alike, but all she could focus on was what those mysterious eyes told her to do…they told her to hope and that everything was going to turn out all right. And, the funny thing was that she believed it.
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Bruma let the children of Amity Park whom had been aiding her during the night, finish fighting off the remaining ghosts following Vlad's orders, opting to direct her attention towards the sky instead as a flash of violet streaked across the sky and towards the Fenton home. It was the first time in many days that she felt a sense of calm wash over her…a calm that signified her belief that this chapter of events was drawing to a close. She shifted her black eyes to the figure who had floated beside her, allowing a rare smile to grace her lips as she observed the unadulterated joy flashing across her younger sibling's face. Aestas was such a child sometimes.
"I suppose this means we won, eh sister?" the booming summer spirit asked with a loud voice, mirth practically leaking from his glowing yellow eyes.
"Almost," Bruma answered as a slight breeze tossed her rainbow locks in a teasing manner. "But the fight is far from over…"
"Of course not, but now we know for sure, and I'm sure the Others do as well. We will win the next battle as well, sister."
Bruma just smiled at her brother and his optimism. She wished she had that much faith as he did, but she didn't…it wasn't in her nature. But, he did have a point, and she along with her older two siblings would acknowledge it. They did know for sure that Danny was the Hybrid, and that Samantha was the Bloodline descendant…a ghost and a witch. Funny how things worked out sometimes. Now all they had to was wait for events to play out and prepare for the storm that was brewing…
"I suppose so, Aestas…I suppose so."
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A/N: I know, I know…this isn't that long, but it never was supposed to be. Believe me, everything that was supposed to be in this chapter, is.
Please do me the favor and review! I'll make you guys a deal…if I get more than twenty reviews, which will let me break two hundred for the first time, I'll get the rest of this story out within two weeks…an update a week. It's really up to you guys…so, if we want this out sooner rather than later, review!
Oh, and just as a side note, I'm sure some of you noticed that I wrote a one-shot in between this update and the previous one, three actually, but only two that I care about. One, called Snapshots, has all sorts of hints and goodies for this story's arc so I suggest you check that out for lots of goodies! The other isn't in this genre, but is, in my opinion, my best work so far on this site. It's title is the same as this stories chapter so please check it out if you have a chance…you don't really need to know the show's history to get the story !
Okay, enough shameless plugging! Review!
Osco