Another chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm finally free from the barrage of English papers I had to wade through, so I'll probably have much more time to update now. Thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 13! This will be a special chapter. But beware, what comes next might possible shock you…unless of course you were expecting it. It all depends how you think I guess…

Shameless Advertising: I've been doing this a while, but I'll say this again anyways. I've got some other Danny Phantom stories if you want to check them out.

Disclaimer: I have never, in anyway claimed that I own Danny Phantom and I never will. Even though I am grieved by this sad declaration, it would be even sadder if I was sued, since I'm broke anyway.

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Death's Castle

Ch. 13

Danny dived down and spun in a roundhouse kick to Sam's head, driving it off course to crash into the wall a full five feet away from Paulina, crumbling some of the previously smooth stones. The girl heaved an audible sigh of relief and flew as far from the monster as she could, into the corner on the other side of the dining hall. Danny waited, his mind racing, trying to find a way to get the amulet without losing a few limbs in the process…while protecting Paulina at the same time…

Thinking took time, and there wasn't enough of it. The dragon was barely fazed by the impact, so she almost immediately swung her head around, aiming to take a chunk out of Danny. He almost wasn't fast enough, but he managed to snap back into reality just in time to dodge by the merest of fractions. Enraged even farther, the dragon turned her head and shot a scorching breath of fire at him. He dodged that too, just in time to get slammed into the ground by the mammoth force of Sam's tail.

With no obstacle to stand in her way, Sam barreled towards Paulina, who had made herself as small as possible, curling up in a ball and wedged as far as she could go in the corner. Dangerous, glinting teeth big enough to run someone through hurdled rapidly towards the cowering girl. Sam's raged eyes widened in an almost palpable delight as her target came ever nearer to oblivion. Paulina closed her own as she saw the sword-like fangs mere inches away. She screamed.

Time seemed to slow down at a painfully slow rate for Danny, as if the moment had such a heavy weight that it weighed down time to the point where it could go no faster. He bent his knees, preparing to spring into the air. Danny launched off of the floor with a speed he never thought he had, blasting chunks out of the floor with the sheer force of his takeoff. One hand reached forward desperately, just barely able to grasp the end of the dragon's tail. The other swung up to grasp more. With a mighty effort, ghostly muscles straining, he used her momentum against her to throw her sideways into the wall. There was a tremendous noise as the behemoth had her full body slam into one of the longer walls. The whole room seemed to shake, and bits of stone rained down to the floor.

Paulina had fainted from shock, and the dragon screamed in a furious roar before getting up with a little less grace. With speed to rival that of Danny's previous feat, she whipped her body around and pounded Danny into the floor with a clawed hand, taking him from his place in the air. He was pinned, looking up into the merciless eyes of his captor. In an ironic twist of fate, another friend was about to betray him, albeit not through her own unclouded decision. The other hand rose up to the ceiling. She was poised and ready to tear him to shreds.

So there they were, in a potentially calamitous event in time, but it seemed that time had frozen. They staid there in the same position, one ready to kill and the other ready to die once more. To any sensible person looking in on that moment, Danny was defenseless in the claws of a monster, and he had no hope.

Danny saw something else, however, in that seemingly suspended moment. He had seen her hesitation. Her eyes had changed somehow, still angry, but not as before. Sam was reluctant. In that moment, Danny found hope. Sam was still in there. She had a chance.

"Sam?" He called gently, "Do you remember me?"

The red eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected move, and a soft growl emitted from her throat.

"You know," he continued to speak; "I think you're the only friend I have."

The growl got louder, warning him to stop, but it almost seemed half-hearted.

"You're one of the few people that didn't shun me right away."

The claws dug into the stone floor and her eyes shut, her serpentine face contorted into a grimace.

"If you want to kill me, you can. It wouldn't be the first time"

The growl became almost pained.

"At least I know you didn't plan this."

With an uneasy rumble, she dislodged her hand from the stone and unpinned him. She stood on all fours, her wings spread majestically about her, watching him warily. Danny stepped forward. Her wings rustled. He took another step, she shifted nervously. Yet another, and the dragon took a step backwards, she shook her head slightly in confusion.

"It's all right, I won't hurt you." He spoke soothingly.

Sam calmed down, but she still fixed him with a wary look. Danny took another step forward, making the dragon step back once more and shake her head, much harder this time. He waited for her to settle down, still murmuring soothing words. He held up his hand, she lowered her snout. They were only inches away. Their eyes staring deep into each other, each trying to figure out the other's intensions. He stepped forward once more. Her hind leg shifted backwards. It hit the wall. She was cornered.

Her eyes flashed, turning crazed and panicked. With a bellow, she suddenly descended upon him, her claws slamming into his side and ripping through it, causing him to be flung into the wall. As he slid down, a thick trail of green ooze flowed to stick against the stone. The dragon stood there one hand outstretched, pieces of flesh and green blood grotesquely decorating her wickedly sharp claws. She stared at it as if entranced, watching the gory mess drip downwards. The giant serpent swiveled her head to stare at Danny. He lay there like a puppet with its strings cut, limp and unmoving. The ghostly blood formed a pool around him, soaking his clothes and turning his white hair green. His eyes slowly opened and he looked into Sam's horrified eyes. He could see the humanity still lingering in them, fighting to get out.

"Sam…" he choked out, before his eyes fluttered shut once more.

The dragon quivered, and her head rose up to the ceiling. Sam howled in anguish, letting the other emotions flood her, erasing the anger until it was almost non-existent. The only anger she felt was towards herself. With this flood of emotion, her body began to shift again. The dragon melted, folding in on herself, until the true form stood in her place. There stood Sam Manson, a terrified girl who had her hand coated in her friend's blood.

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Wow. This turned out just a bit different than I expected. It actually fits better with the plot than my other idea though, so it works.

Was this good? Bad? Decent? Depressing? Please tell me what you think, and don't be afraid to be critical. In fact, I would love criticism. It will help me get better.