No killing me for this one guys. I know I could have made this very emotional and well...you know, but I hate putting Danny through too much hell. Also, remember that I'm sick and really just can't stop writing and well, I already have a deep dark angst story my mental state cannot withstand another.
Man…I am really, unsure about how the plot is developing here. If you think it's stupid. Let me know…I'll just rewrite the whole thing. I of course like it but well…you'll see. I feel like this is a filler chapter, but there is some interesting plot development. I am feeling woozy here so, if this chapter is off, trust that things will get better.
Chapter Sixteen
Jazz still couldn't believe it. She had witnessed Sam's death in the ghost portal with her own eyes, yet it still seemed so unreal. Jazz considered that denial was one of the stages of grief, however it just seemed to impossible that Sam's life of all lives could wink out in an instant. No warning. No feelings of impending doom. Nothing. Just gone in a flash. She knew that's how life worked. Everyone was happy and laughing one minute, and the next someone was gone, but knowing didn't lessen the pain or the shock.
Tucker was utterly inconsolable in a way that began to frighten Jazz. He was afraid of what Danny would do to him. He was mourning the loss of someone he considered a part of himself. Jazz, for all her training and studying, didn't know how to reach him.
"Jazz," Tucker asked. "Is Danny here yet?"
"No," Jazz answered soothingly as she continued to stroke his face as he rested his head in her lap. "We're still in Vlad's lab. Danny probably doesn't even know we're gone." She was about to say something else when something began moving in the nonfunctioning portal.
Her eyes widened as a large beastly ghost emerged, looked at her with his glowing green eyes and said, "Saluton! Ĉu vi bonstatas?"
Jazz blinked and said, "Hi." She saw another figure emerging from the portal. It was Danny, he was holding someone's hand.
"Sam?" Jazz said in disbelief. He heart paused mid beat and gripped painfully. "Danny?"
"Hey Jazz," Sam said as she walked forward and stood over her and Tucker. She frowned as she knelt down. "What happened to Tuck? Did Vlad do something to him?"
"We," Jazz began her voice conveying her shock, "saw you in the portal!
"I know," Sam said. "Wulf got me out just in time." She put her hand on Tucker's shoulder and he looked up at her in fear.
"You don't have ghost powers now do you?" Jazz asked still in shock.
"No," Sam said wryly. Jazz stood and walked over to Danny and put her arms around him. Usually Jazz refrained from touching Phantom, as Danny matured the white hair and green eyes and tall lanky Phantom's presence grew as well, and he was extremely intimidating.
"Are you all right?" Danny asked her softly.
"I will be," Jazz answered.
"Sam," Tucker said miserably. "You're a ghost now?"
"No," Sam laughed. "I'm the same old Sam I always was, now get off the floor you big dork." She helped Tucker sit up and he pulled her down beside him and hugged and hugged and hugged her.
"I thought you were dead Sam," Tucker cried as he closed his eyes and held her tight. Sam closed her eyes as well and held back the tears which threatened to escape and run willy nilly down her face.
"Yeah I thought I was a gonner there for a minute too," she said as she let Tucker hold her.
"I love you Sam," Tucker said. "I got you in trouble. I'm sorry."
Sam took a deep breath and pulled away from Tuck. "I'll kick your butt later !" she promised as she smiled then kissed his forehead. "Lets just hope Danny doesn't decide to kill you for bringing my name into this and nearly turning me half ghost."
Wolf turned to Danny and said, "Mi devas foriri nun."
Danny nodded his head and bade the ghost wolf good bye, thanking the creature as he went, then turned back to Tucker and Sam who were still sitting on the floor. Jazz shook her head. "You know," She said. "If I didn't know those two. I'd be really jealous."
Danny smiled. "They are twins, separated at birth," he said happily.
"What about Vlad," Jazz asked. "Do you know what he was going to do?"
"Sam said something about changing you into a ghost hybrid and marrying you," Danny replied. "Very strange stuff Sis."
"So what are we going to do? Do you think he'll come after me again?" Jazz asked nervously. "Right now he's off hiding somewhere but…"
"I'll deal with Vlad later," Danny said. "Meanwhile, let's get Tucker home."
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Tucker sat the kitchen table the next morning looking into the cup of coffee Sam had made him and frowned. Danny was sitting across from him and weirdly enough Sam was cooking eggs and bacon, a direct violation of her code of ethics. Tucker wondered if the world was about to end as he watched her. It was hard for him to keep his eyes from her. Part of him still felt shattered at her loss, numb and tired and grieving, even though she stood just a few feet away. Danny caught Tucker watching Sam and Tucker felt all the worse hoping Danny didn't think her was, you know, admiring Sam's backside.
"You know," Tuck said as he looked away from Sam and back down to his coffee. "I thought I got over the whole running my mouth too much thing, but I guess not."
"Don't worry about it," Danny said as he watched Sam who smiled at him as she caught his gaze. "Everything turned out okay."
Tucker continued to stare into his coffee. "What if it hadn't Danny? What if Sam had been killed?"
"I'm not going to worry about it Tuck," Danny said as he stood and helped Sam finish cooking. She tried to push him out of the way but he bumped her aside and made her sit.
"Tuck," Sam said as she shook her head. "The worst that would have happened is I would have turned into a ghost hybrid. I think. I doubt the machine would have killed me. Besides, you were trying to buy Jazz time. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I've changed my mind about moving out," Tucker informed them. "I think it's better if…"
"Damn it Tuck," Sam growled. "Don't be such a baby! You've been wanting your independence for a long time. Don't let one stupid situation take it away from you." Sam watched a look of hurt wash across Tucker's face and she sighed. "You're welcome to live with us as long as you'd like, but really what happened to bugging Jazz about moving in with you?"
Danny dropped the spatula he was using to scramble the eggs and turned to look at Tucker menacingly. "You were bugging Jazz about what?"
"Cool down Dan," Tucker said and half laughed. "I asked her to marry me too."
"You what?" Danny asked in surprise. He looked at Sam. "Why didn't you tell me this?" She only smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "What did Jazz say?" Danny asked.
"She said it wasn't sensible to say yes at this point," Tucker said. "But she said yes quick enough when Vlad was holding us captive."
"Well you know how Jazz is," Danny said. "She never jumps without looking four or five times and without long and careful deliberation. But she can be very unpredictable sometimes. You just have to catch her in the right mood."
"What about Vlad?" Sam asked.
Danny smiled bitterly. "I'm sure we'll hear from him again. Jazz said something about some legal documents she signed. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to lay some sort of claim on her and…" Danny stopped as Tucker jumped up and ran from the room. Sam and Danny looked at each other in surprise then heard Tucker dialing the phone. They both started laughing.
"I'm surprised you haven't gone after Vlad to kill him yet," Sam said softly and worriedly.
Danny was quiet for a moment. "I'm lulling him into complacency, " he said. "Vlad will get his. I promise." He smiled again as they heard Tucker talking to Jazz.
"Poor Tucker," Sam said. "I think Jazz needs to just put the poor boy out of his misery."
"Or I will," Danny growled threateningly then abruptly changed his mood and smiled sweetly at Sam.
"You're a lunatic you know that?" she asked as she reached forward and pinched his side.
"It's all your fault Sam," Danny said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair, spun her around and started tickling her.
"No!" She yelled and giggled and tried to break free. "I hate being tickled you jerk."
"Yeah it totally messes up the Goth exterior," Danny teased as he turned her around again and kissed her.
"You really are a jerk," Sam said as he sat her back down in her chair then placed a plate full of eggs and bacon at Tucker's place and smiled.
Danny sat down with his own breakfast and looked at the fruit Sam had on her plate. He waited for her to look out of the kitchen toward Tucker then used his invisibility to swipe a piece of strawberry.
"I saw that," Sam said as she looked at him. He smiled, and tried to hide the fact he was chewing the pilfered berry. She then picked up her glass of orange juice and swirled it around thoughtfully.
"Vlad told me what he found out in the Ghost Zone relating to marriage," Sam said in what she hoped was an offhand tone. "It looks like you and I are just going to…"
"I've already talked to Gaspar," Danny told Sam who looked at him in shock. "Who?"
"He's one of the law makers in the Ghost Zone I think," Danny answered he paused a moment. "It looks to me like we have three choices."
"Three?" Sam asked in confusion.
"You become a ghost hybrid." Danny started.
"Yikes no!" Sam said as she shook her head fearfully. I'm never going near a powered down ghost portal again.
"We don't marry," Danny continued.
Sam nodded her head, after all that's what she was preparing herself for. "That's perfectly acceptable," she replied.
"Or," Danny said and paused. "I could give up my ghostly powers."
"No!" Sam said quickly and forcefully. "No way!"
"Why not?" Danny asked. "I would be perfectly happy to…"
Sam slammed her hand on the table and said, "No! No way!"
"But," Danny started to say.
Sam interrupted. "Have you considered how vulnerable you would be if you didn't have your ghost powers? There are half a million ghosts in the Ghost Zone who have some sort of vendetta against you who wouldn't hesitate to attack once you were defenseless, and lets not get into what evil Vlad would start plotting."
Danny sighed. "You're right. But still I need to check with Walker myself. I don't want to take Vlad's word for anything."
Tucker returned to the table with a smile on his face. Sam and Danny looked at each other for a moment then back at Tucker. He simply smiled and began to eat.
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Vlad sighed in relief as he watched the tape of Danny and Sam arriving through the portal. It was a relief to know the girl had survived. As maniacal and crazy as Vlad tended to be, he did have an incredibly soft side. He had a fondness for Daniel and deep down really wished him the best. However, his feelings of tenderness failed to extend past his other desires.
He leafed through the legal documents Jazz had signed. He was going to lull them into complacency and strike when they least expected it. Of course Vlad was upset that he had to alter his plans, but that did not change them. He still desired children and was determined that Jasmine Fenton, daughter of his beloved Maddie would mother those children. Whether she liked it or not. He just had to wait for the right time.
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And so, as time goes by quickly a month and a half passed. Jack Fenton recovered marvelously from his heart surgery, even managing to lose fifteen or so pounds, but that was thanks mostly to Maddie's extreme vigilance against Jack's desire for cookies and fudge.
Tucker and Jazz danced and flirted around the subject of love and marriage as their relationship deepened and became serious. However, Tuck's recovery from nearly losing Sam was slow. He postponed moving out, and though he said nothing to Danny or Sam. He missed the three in the morning conversations, but those stopped after Danny moved into Sam's room. Tucker acknowledged that it was for the best and that Danny and Sam were happy, but he couldn't escape feeling the loss. Well, some of the time.
Jazz herself was a little leery of her happiness. She felt like a shadow was hanging over her and for the first time understood Sam's belief that she and Danny were star-crossed. But Jazz herself refused to believe in such things. Of course there was always going to be something. Everything was going beautifully with her and Tucker and she really was seriously considering accepting his proposal.
Sam and Danny avoided the subject of weddings and marriage. They decided they were going to live life just as they were. So the Ghost Zone was against them, that didn't stop them from living their lives and accepting happiness and joy when they found it.
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Jazz Fenton looked at her face in the mirror and frowned. She'd been feeling very tired for the last few days, but she'd chalked it up to working too much and too many late nights with Tucker. But her intuition began telling her something else and the cold reasoning hit her last night on the way home from work.
She looked down at the little white stick laying on the sink and sighed. She could have done this at work, but she needed to know sooner rather than later, she'd confirm it when she got to the hospital, but really she didn't need to. The double line on the pregnancy test told her exactly what she already knew.
"Oh man!" She said as she rested he head against the mirror. She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. Was she happy or sad? As it was, she should have known better. She should have been more careful, but conceded that the mistake happened after Vlad had kidnapped her and…well.
"And it's really not a mistake," She said. "I'd just rather have planned this out." She looked at herself in the mirror again and sighed, then smiled. She couldn't wait to tell Tuck.
Jazz donned her coat and adjusted her I.D. and headed out the door to work. Unfortunately for Jasmine Fenton, she was being followed.
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Tucker looked at the time and frowned. It was ten am and he'd usually had a phone call from Jazz by now. He suspected that she was having a busy morning so he quieted the concerned little voice in his head and concentrated on setting up the new computer network at the real estate office he'd been sent to by his employer.
Surfacing from his work at twelve forty five, Tucker began to feel alarm. Jazz always called him at twelve on the dot. Like clockwork. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the hospital.
"Doctor Fenton didn't show up today," he was told curtly by the woman on the phone. Tucker immediately called Fenton Works only to be told by Maddie that Jazz had left early that morning for work.
A call to Danny found him in a meeting that he couldn't be disturbed from, so Tucker called Sam.
"Calm down Tucker," Sam said as she tried to understand what Tucker was frantically trying to tell her.
"She's gone!" Tucker exclaimed. "Sam I think Vlad took her again."
"Okay," Sam said trying to remain calm. "I'll send out the ghost signal and…"
"The what?" Tucker shrieked.
Sam sighed, "I was just trying to be funny. I'll call Danny and get him out of his meeting and we'll meet you at the house okay?"
"Hurry Sam," Tucker said. "Please."
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At first Jazz thought she had passed out, but then a strange feeling of deja vue passed through her. She opened her eyes to find herself laying on an extravagant bed in an opulent bedroom. Sam's painting of Plasmius, rendered in butter hung right where Jazz had last seen it, causing her to sign in resignation.
Sitting up caused waves of nausea to hit Jazz, reminding her of her current change in situation. She placed her hand on her stomach and looked around in alarm. The last thing she wanted Vlad to know was that she was pregnant. Jazz growled in disgust, she was impatient to tell Tucker the news and now she didn't know how long it would take to get away from Vlad. She stood and walked to the bedroom door. Maybe she could just walk out. No. The door was locked.
"Vlad!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. The expenditure of energy renewed her feelings of nausea, causing her to sit down for a moment and breath.
"Vlad!" She yelled and rested again. It was only after the third time that the door opened and Vlad stood smiling at Jazz.
"You're awake I see." He said then frowned in dismay as Jazz stood and threw up right on his shoes. "And not feeling too well either."
"You need to take me home Vlad," Jazz said weakly. "I'm not well. Why are you doing this to me?"
"Oh dear," Vlad said sympathetically. "What can I get for you my dear? Tea? What has unsettled your stomach?"
"You!" Jazz spat at him as she searched in her pocket for a tissue to wipe her mouth with. Vlad handed her a hand kerchief and she took it reluctantly.
"Now, now Jasmine, it isn't nice to imply such things about the future father of your children." Vlad said as he ushered her out of the room. "I'll call a doctor and…"
"I don't need a doctor," Jazz growled. "I know what's wrong with me. What I need is for you to get the sick notion that I'm going to be the mother of any of your children out of your head and let me go before Danny gets here and kicks your insane ass!"
Vlad laughed as if Jazz said something charmingly funny. "Oh dear you are funny. No, this time Danny isn't going to find you. You my dear are going to be spending a great deal of time in the Ghost Zone. Danny won't be able to find you. I'll deny I know of your whereabouts."
"You can't do this to me," Jazz said. "It's criminal Vlad. I don't want any part of it!"
"You'll change your mind after you've held our first born," Vlad said reassuringly. Jazz growled in frustration and Vlad only laughed.
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It was Danny, checking for any type of message from Jazz about her abduction, who found the positive pregnancy test sitting on the sink. He didn't know what it was, but Sam, who was standing over his shoulder did.
"Jazz is pregnant," Sam whispered to Danny as she grabbed the test and shoved it into her pocket.
"What?" Danny nearly shrieked.
"Pregnant," Sam enunciated slowly then looked over at Tucker who was sitting on Jazz's bed with a scared and worried look on his face.
"How?" Danny asked dumbly and Sam pinged him on the head with her finger. Danny's eyes widened and he narrowed them as he looked at Tucker. "I'm going to kill the ba…"
"Danny," Sam said softly as she grabbed his arm and looked into his green eyes. "We really, really need to find Jazz. I-I don't think we should tell Tucker about this." She held on to him until glowing green faded back into blue.
"You're right," Danny sighed. "But after we get Jazz back. There's going to be hell to pay." He walked out of the bathroom.
"Oh goody," Sam said in exasperation as she followed him.
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Okay, first thing I have to say is…We've come full circle. Jazz gets away and now she's captive again. I hope the whole Sam thing wasn't too anti-climactic. I wanted drama but nothing too heavy. You can find translations to Wulf's dialog if you google Esperanto phrases.
As for Jazz and pregnancy well…I've had a few people comment on Sam and that state and I thought it might be an interesting twist for Jazz to end up that way instead. I also had to share my flu (Egads me pregnant? I don't think so, don't worry), with you all via the puking scene. Wouldn't we all love to spew on Vlad's shoes?
Thirdly, some themes have come up in this story which has called my rating into question. I hesitate to change it to M, but considering the current ummm situation and a few things which are implied I'm wondering if my T rating is now inappropriate. What do you think?
Okay then. Review and I'll see you tomorrow with Chapter Seventeen.