This chapter is dedicated in part to Enigmatic Penguin, who felt I copped out in my characterization of Ghost Writer.

Chapter Three

The Fright Knight knelt before Vlad, he did not cower at the blast of rage directed his way. He simply waited for the storm to pass.

Vlad was beyond livid. "You betrayed me! You have lost your honor! You vowed to serve me! You vowed to do my bidding! You are bound as my servant! How could you?"

"I should be destroyed for my failure my Lord," The Fright Knight said as he bowed his head.

Vlad cursed under his breath as he floated above his henchman and threw his cloak over his shoulders. "I want an explanation. I want a good reason why you did not kill my stepson as I ordered."

"He found a weak spot my liege," The Fright Knight replied. "He asked me to tell his sister he was sorry about what happened to Bearbert Einstien. I-I was moved beyond compare and was compelled to free him."

"You let him go," Vlad exclaimed in a halting tone, "Because of a teddy bear? All of this over a teddy bear?"

"Forgive me You Majesty," The Fright Knight said and bowed lower. Vlad muttered something under his breath as a bright red ball of ectoplasm formed in his hands. He was going to blast The Fright Knight into oblivion, but he stopped.

"I may still have use for you," Vlad said angrily. "Go. Out of my sight. Should you ever betray me again you will regret it for an eternity." The Fright Knight rose to his feet and walked from the room without another word.

"Sometimes," Vlad said as he rubbed his chin. "To get a job done right. You have to do it yourself." He floated to his tower window and looked out upon his kingdom. "I wonder where you have run off to Daniel."

The villain floated to his laboratory and activated the portal. He sighed for a moment as he watched the green tendrils of light swirl and move in a dance of intricate patterns.

"Portal," Vlad ordered. Immediately the portal stilled and awaited his command.

"Tell me," Vlad said evilly. "Where has my stepson Daniel fled to?"

"Master," The portal began. "He has flown into the arms of those discarded. He dwells in the sweet embrace of death's outcasts, watched over by those unloved and forgotten."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Enough of the dramatics," he said. "Tell me plainly. Where can I find him?"

"A vow protects them," The portal responded. "Due to a failure on your part I am unable to reveal his location plainly. I can only offer to you the fact that he now abides under the care of death's outcasts. They will guard him jealously. His life force gives them hope."

"He's with ghosts?" Vlad asked. "Is he in the Ghost Zone? How would he get there? You are the only portal in existence."

"I cannot answer your question," the portal answered.

"Then what good are you?" Vlad yelled as he stalked out of the lab and toward his chambers. He needed to find Daniel before the effects of the Plasmius Maximus wore off.

Danny laughed as he watched Skulker chasing butterflies through the meadow. Dora sat beside him smiling. It was a comical sight watching the deadly ghost hunter stalking the colorful flying insects.

"Our lives," Dora explained. "Are usually not this idle. We spend the majority of our time in the abandoned mine. We are attempting to construct a ghost portal so we can each get back to our lives, or what has become our lives. Perhaps I should say existence."

"A ghost portal?" Danny asked then shivered. He'd been to The Ghost Zone several times, it wasn't one of his favorite haunts.

"I understand," Dora said. "Ghost portals are a necessary evil unfortunately. The Ghost Zone is the one place we can escape from Vlad without question."

Danny sighed then smiled as Desiree and Ember joined Skulker in his hunt for butterflies. He felt comfortable and safe for the first time in a very long time. It was strange that he found refuge with a band of ghosts. His father would be freaking out.

The thought of his father made Danny sad. He missed his parents desperately. Jazz was all he had left in the world, plus she was the only living person who understood and accepted his half ghost status. He thought of her languishing in Vlad's castle, alone, scrubbing the floors until her knuckles bled and tears sprung to his eyes.

G.W. who was sitting on the other side of Danny narrowed his eyes. "The other ghosts do not believe," he began. "That the Princess of The Kingdom of Amity Park could have a solution up her sleeve. But trust me on my word. Your plea for assistance shall be heard. Do not be filled with despair, at the very least you now are among those who care."

"Shut up!" Technus yelled from his perch on the roof of the porch. "Your incessant rhyming is driving me insane. Your obsession with the princess is over the top G.W. Give us a break!"

Dora smiled crookedly as she looked from Technus to G.W. "You're back on your rhyming game I see." She laughed and stood.

"This princess," Danny said. "Who is she? I lived in Amity Park for most of my life, yet I never heard of her."

G.W. smiled and took a deep breath. "The princess is of the modest sort. She does not flaunt her wealth or make light of her obligations in sport. She is kind and loving and true, a better person I could not imagine you'd wish to help you."

Danny looked at G.W. like he was insane. He sent Dora a questioning glance and she simply put her hand on his shoulder.

"I imagine you are hungry Danny," she said as she sent G.W. a withering look. "Why don't you come inside and we'll find something for you to eat and arrange a comfortable place for you to sleep." Danny nodded his head and followed her eagerly.

"See," Technus said from his perch on the roof. "You chase people off with that horrible rhyming of yours." G.W. simply snorted in reply.

Vlad was surprised when he found Danny amongst the ghosts he had all captured and discarded. He quietly cursed The Fright Knight, he had been failing miserably at his job.

Seven ghosts, Vlad counted. There was nothing he could do at this point. He couldn't take on all seven creatures at once. He remained intangible as he flew closer. He recognized both Dora and Skulker. There was no way he could take on both ghosts on his own, he would need back up. Though now he knew he could not depend on The Fright Knight to help him. He would need a different plan.

It was unfortunate that his stepson would regain use of his ghost powers before Vlad would have any time to implement any plans, but if he worked quickly and quietly, there may be no need to worry about the boy's ghost form.

Vlad arrived in his lab and began pacing as he thought. Daniel had to have a weakness. His sister for sure, but Vlad felt that using Jasmine as a pawn would have to be a last resort.

"If I could just poison him and be done with it!" Vlad said to himself then smiled. On a high shelf in the lab, he kept a very dastardly poison. It's only antidote was something that there was no way Daniel could come in contact with, especially on such short notice.

"But how would I deliver this poison to the boy?" Vlad asked. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and then laughed. Danny's favorite fruit was an apple. He never turned them down.

"I know exactly how to act," Vlad said then walked to the window and looked out across his kingdom a evil grin on his face.

"Yo! Sam," Tucker said as he walked into the princess of Amity Park's room. "I have another letter from your secret admirer."

Sam looked up from the book she was reading and frowned at the scroll Tucker was holding out toward her. The seal had a large elaborate G.W. on it and she smiled as she reached for it.

"Ah ah ah!" Tucker said as he pulled it away from her. "Tell me who this mysterious G.W. is."

"Tucker!" Sam growled as she stood and walked forward. "It's none of your business. G.W. is just a good friend of mine."

"Who writes you letters twice a week," Tucker added. "Who is he?"

"You assume he's a he!" Sam said angrily.

"Well?" Tucker asked. "Who is G.W?"

Sam looked around warily then bent forward and whispered. "He's a ghost!"

"A ghost!" Tucker shrieked. "You've been consorting with a ghost?"

"I've not been consorting with a ghost," Sam denied then laughed weakly. "Okay I have, but it's not what you think!"

"You've been consorting with ghosts!" Tucker shrieked as he ran around the room. "You the princess of Amity Park!" He put his hands on his head and Sam watched him impatiently.

"Are you finished yet?" she asked angrily.

"No!" Tucker said as he adjusted his hat. Sam rolled her eyes and he walked up close to her, his eyes wide and worried.

"Ghosts Sam! G-h-o-s-t-s!" Tucker whispered.

"I know how to spell ghost Tuck," Sam informed him tiredly. "And contrary to popular opinion, not all ghosts are bad. You should know that just as well as I do."

"Yeah tell that to your parents," Tucker said as he calmed himself down. "Tell that to Mr. and Mrs. Fenton who died because of ghosts." Tucker immediately regretted bringing up the Fenton Family. He winced at the expression of sadness Sam now wore.

"Only Jack Fenton died," Sam said softly. "Well, and Maddie. As far as we know Danny and Jazz are still alive."

Tucker and Sam had been friends with Danny Fenton. It seemed like more than a life time ago that they were spending their days fighting ghosts, and keeping all of Amity Park safe. Tucker and Sam had known Danny's secret, but Danny never knew Sam's secrets. Before she could tell him either, he was gone. Tucker found out only after Danny left and Sam broke down and confessed.

"We haven't heard from him," Tucker said feeling a little perverse and hurt and angry as he remembered finding out the startling news that Sam was the heir to the throne of Amity Park Kingdom. "He promised that as long as he was alive he'd keep in contact with us. We haven't heard from him. He's dead."

"Shut up Tucker," Sam said angrily, suddenly she was in a very bad mood. She opened the scroll her friend, the ghost had sent her and began to read. She covered her mouth with her hand then looked at Tucker and smiled.

"What?" Tucker asked as he rushed up beside Sam and tried to read the scroll. She pulled away from Tucker and walked to the window.

"Do you believe in second chances Tuck?" she asked as she turned and looked at her friend.

"Sometimes," Tuck answered. "Why?"

Sam took a deep breath and handed him the scroll. "Because we've just found Danny." Tucker looked at her with wide eyes and then smiled.

Tucker took the scroll from Sam and read aloud:

Dearest Princess,

As the dawn was breaking across the sky, I thought of you.
Thoughts which made my heart feel sad and blue.
Being trapped here in obscurity is hard for one such as myself.
My talents lay wasted, like books discarded on a dusty shelf.

I do your bidding as you require.
And my loyalty to you burns in my heart like fire.
At last, hope has come to land at my door.
And to you this hope I send, like a ship to your shore.

A friend of yours has happened by.
He is someone you love, you cannot lie.
His hair is of the blackest jet.
His eyes are the bluest sapphires I've seen yet.

Does he sound familiar my dear friend?
Is he the one you thought came to a sad end?
Half ghost he claims to be.
It was a revelation which startled me.

You must come quickly, do not tarry.
For the rest of the tale becomes quite scary.
He is hunted. He is haunted. He is lost.
His stepfather has sought to end of his life without cost.

Dearest princess he needs your help.
This poor lost boy. This wayward whelp.
Come quickly Princess of Amity Park.
Before this hope fades away like a dying spark.

Love,
G.W.

"Let's go!" Tucker said eagerly as he made for the door. Sam grabbed her friend by the collar of his shirt and shook her head.

"We can't leave just yet," she said. "As you recall we got in trouble for that little incident in the kitchen with the meat and the ghost and the vegetarian menu I wanted to institute."

"Yeah well see what happens when you try to force your lifestyle on someone else Sam?" Tucker teased.

"I know," Sam sighed. "I've learned my lesson. But since the fiasco in the kitchen, Mom wants to see me. I can't escape this meeting. We cannot travel to Danny in the dark, you know there are too many ghosts. We'll have to wait until the first thing in the morning."

"Why can't we just go now?" Tucker asked. "When have your mother's rules and declarations ever stopped you?"

"When part of what she wants to see me about involves intelligence from Wisconsin and their king," Sam told Tucker. "The more we know about what Vlad is doing the better don't you think?"

"Yeah," Tucker agreed. "But remember your friend said to hurry."

Sam nodded her head. "And we'll hurry. First thing in the morning." She walked out of the room and down the hall.

"What does G.W. stand for?" Tuck finally asked as he followed.

Sam smirked at her friend and said, "Geek Waster." Tuck's eyes widened in horror and Sam laughed.

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