First order of business, Thank you Nom De Plume for your beta-reading skills

Thank you to all my reviewers.

Thank you to Deeds aka divalady963, without her help, I would still be banging my head on the keyboard trying to figure this chapter out.

Chapter Fourteen

Dash looked around his room in bewilderment. He had just watched Danny Phantom fly from his room! How the heck had Danny Phantom ended up in his room? He shook his head in confusion as he sat on the bed in a state of shock.

"Sam!" he said suddenly as he put his hands on his head. Phantom had said someone took Sam. Who?

Dash knew it had to have been Errol. He hated that ghost. On one hand it was his friend, on the other it used him. It helped him, but hurt him as well. His mind raced. He wondered if he should do something. He stood and paced for a minute. Would Danny Phantom know where Errol took Sam? He didn't think he would. For some reason Dash had a connection with the ghost. He knew exactly where he would go.

"What should I do?" Dash asked out loud. No one answered. He paced back and forth fighting with indecision. He was free of that ghost. That meant his life could go back to normal. That meant he was in control once more. If he went to find Sam there was the possibility that the ghost would take him over again. If he didn't there was a possibility that Sam could be hurt, and if he went, there was a possibility that some how he could hang on to his relationship with Sam, he didn't think he could without Errol's help, but he was willing to try.

"Phantom probably followed the ghost. He's probably rescued Sam already," Dash said out loud. He looked around the room then rushed downstairs. Sitting on the floor by the couch was Sam's backpack. He picked it up and hugged it to him as if it were Sam herself. He knew deep in his heart that he needed to go, to try to do something—even if it was just to witness her rescue. He'd never forgive himself if something bad happened and there was something he could have done.

Dash decided his fear was a testament to his weakness. He felt ill. It would be so easy to run upstairs and cower under the covers. He was weak.

"No!" he said out loud as he put Sam's backpack on. "I'm not weak!" He took a deep breath and marched from the house. He was well on his way down the street when he realized he needed to be just a little quicker, so he began running.


Jazz helped Danny sit up then knelt down and handed him a glass of water. Danny took it gratefully then emptied the glass in only a few swallows. He handed the glass back to Jazz who looked at her brother dubiously.

"Do you need more?" she asked gently.

"I need to find Sam," Danny told his sister. "A ghost has Sam!" A look of horror filled his eyes and he groaned in anguish. He had no idea where Errol took her.

"You can't help her much in the shape you're in," Jazz said patiently, then looked up as her bedroom door opened slowly and Tucker peeked in his head. He was about to say something, but he saw Danny and paused.

"What happened?" he asked. His eyes widened in fear. "Where's Sam?"

"I don't know," Danny answered sadly. "He took her."

Tucker shook his head in confusion. "Who? Dash?" He looked at Jazz who only shrugged her shoulders.

"No," Danny said. "Errol. Errol took her."

"Errol?" Tucker exclaimed in fear. "That ghost we caught a couple weeks ago? He came back already? What does he want?"

"Apparently," Danny said slowly as he met Tucker's questioning gaze, "he wants Sam." He told Tucker everything he knew—and, since she hadn't left the room, Jazz too.

Tucker wanted to laugh at the thought of some demented ghost obsessed with Sam. There were a million teasing things he could say, but he knew right now things were too serious. A sick feeling of terror grew as Tucker looked at his friend lying on the floor. Danny was in bad shape. He was terrified at what Errol might do to Sam, especially if she didn't cooperate…then was horrified at the thought that she would.

"There's nothing you can do at the moment," Jazz said to Danny. "You need to go to a doctor." Danny shook his head in refusal, then looked at Tucker.

"We have to find her," Danny said as he held eye contact with Tucker. Tucker nodded his head as a tacit agreement was reached. Jazz sighed in frustration, wishing she had the same connection with her brother that his friends seemed to have.

"How are you feeling?" Jazz asked as she examined Danny's face.

Danny sighed and closed his eyes for a moment and answered, "I feel like I've been stuck in the thermos for the last almost twenty-four hours, and shaken over and over. I feel like I've been tied up, kicked and beaten. I'm tired." He didn't add that he was terrified. At the moment he barely had the energy to talk, let alone go ghost and find Sam, fight Errol, and win. At the moment, the Box Ghost would be able to kick his butt.

He sighed deeply. What was he going to do? How were they going to even find Sam? Was she okay? He knew she was hurt. He thought about the gash on her head and groaned in even more agony. He hoped that whatever Errol had planned for her, she'd be able to hold out until he could get to her.

"Sam's smart," Tucker said as he picked up on Danny's thoughts. "She'll figure out a way to fight Errol." He looked at Jazz. "I bet we get a call from her any time now, telling us that she kicked Errol's ghostly butt." Tucker hoped he was right. He believed in Sam, but then how could she defend herself from a ghost?

"I wish I could believe that," Danny said as a wave of exhaustion forced him to lay down. He hated feeling this weak and tired. He reasoned that all he needed was to sleep for ten minutes, then he'd have enough strength to go ghost and find Sam.


Sam struggled to remember what happened. It seemed that she couldn't retain recent memories at all. How did she get home? What was she doing with this strange ghost? She closed her eyes as he held her and hummed soothingly. A sense of peace invaded her being and her tears stopped.

"Where's Danny?" she asked as soon as her panic faded. She'd asked the question before, but couldn't remember the answer. Her thoughts were fleeting images, like ghosts themselves. She tried to grab them, but her mind was numb.

"Don't worry yourself about him, Sweetness," Errol said kindly as he let her lay back on her bed. He examined the gash on the side of her head. She winced as he moved the blood matted hair out of the way so he could examine the wound closely.

Sam wanted to move away as he put his finger ever so lightly against the gash, but she felt paralyzed. She looked at him and watched in bewilderment as tears rolled down his face.

The pain of the cut was so intense, Errol could feel it himself. He wanted to take away the pain. He knew he had caused this; it was his responsibility. He looked into her eyes and sighed—something wasn't right about her gaze, it was as if she wasn't really there. What had he done?

"You don't have to worry, Sweetness," the ghost told Sam again. "I'm going to take you away from here. You'll be with me forever. I'll love you and cherish you."

"I can't go with you," Sam said in fear, as the ghost held her. She tried desperately to remember what happened. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She couldn't quite catch her thoughts. Where was she? She blinked a few times then remembered she was in her room; that at least was a relief.

Errol looked around. What he really needed to do was take control of Dash again. It was difficult manifesting himself in physical form. He'd be able to manage better if he was in control of a physical body, and poor Dash was so easy to overwhelm.

Sam sighed as Errol let go of her. Her addled mind was clearing slowly. One thing she knew was that she didn't trust the ghost standing before her. She thought of Danny and tears began to prickle her eyelids. She chastised herself.

You really need to stop this crying nonsense, Sam, she said in her mind. This helpless act is ridiculous. It's not you. She watched as Errol floated around the room in thought. He finally turned and moved closer to her.

"Sweetness," he said, then bent down and kissed her gently. Alarms sirens went off in Sam's head and she snapped her eyes open wide as the memory of lying in Dash's room flashed in her mind and she tried to push away from Errol. She remembered now. Danny was in the thermos. She had to get him out! Errol was lying. Danny hadn't tried to hurt her. Errol had. She shivered and Errol tried to sooth her.

"My Dove," he whispered softly, "I am having trouble keeping solid form. I need to go find Dash."

"No!" Sam said angrily. "Leave him alone!"

"You don't have to worry. I'll be able to rescue him easily," Errol replied, clearly not listening to Sam at all. "When I return, I'll be able to hold you again. We'll go away together. No one will be able to harm you."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Sam told him. He merely smiled at her.

"When I return, I'll be able to erase all memory of Danny from your mind. You'll be bonded to me. You will be happy."

Sam sighed deeply. "Not that again," she said tiredly.

"I'm sorry that I need to do this to you," Errol said as he took the ties from Sam's curtains. "I'm going to restrain you. I can't have you trying to escape while I'm gone. If you call the ghost boy here, you'll be hurt."

"He's out of the thermos?" Sam asked, her heart filling with hope.

Sam tried to fight, but was too weak as Errol tied her to her bed. He smiled down at her lovingly. "Don't worry, Sweetness. I'll be back as quickly as I can."

"Don't bother coming back," Sam yelled at the ghost as she watched it fly through the window. She took several deep breaths then concentrated all her strength into trying to untie her hands. She would have yelled for help if she thought it would have done any good, but decided it would be better to save her energy.


Dash nearly tripped over the front steps of Sam's house as he reached the door. He didn't bother knocking; if he did that then he'd have to think, and he'd be too scared to act. He ran through the door and up the stairs. He wasn't sure where Sam's room was. He opened door after door.

Sam screamed when she saw Dash peek in his head. He jumped back in fright then realized he was looking at Sam, not some wild ghost. His heart thumped in fear and sympathy as he walked in slowly with his hands up so not to scare Sam further.

"Why are you tied to the bed?" Dash asked as he ran forward and looked at Sam.

"Get away from me, you filthy ghost," she spat weakly. "I'm not going to let you do this to me. I'm going to fight you every step of the way."

"Ummm, okay," Dash said in bewilderment. "But can I untie you first?" Sam blinked at him a moment then watched as he began untying her hands.

"Dash?" Sam asked warily.

"Yeah, who else would I be?" he answered flippantly.

"Errol hasn't found you yet?" she asked as she sat up and looked into Dash's dark blue eyes.

"Who?" Dash asked dumbly. Then it hit him. "You mean that ghost in my head?" Even though he knew the creature had a name, he'd rarely thought of him by it.

"Yes," Sam said. She was still feeling dizzy and mildly disoriented. She looked around the room and saw the Specter Deflector laying on the floor where she'd left it that morning. It took a great deal of effort, but she grabbed it and put it around Dash's waist then looked at him expectantly.

"Sam," he said dumbly. "I really don't think this is the time to try and accessorize my outfit."

"No," Sam said in annoyance. "It's not just a belt. It repels ghosts."

Dash looked at the belt around his waist. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "That's, like, really cool."

"Yeah," Sam said in relief as she put her arms around him and hugged him tight.

"You have a big cut on your head," Dash said as he pushed Sam away from him so he could look at her. "Are you okay?"

"I am now," Sam said as she pulled her backpack from Dash's back then looked for her cell phone. She couldn't find it.

"What happened?" Dash asked worriedly as he watched Sam dump the contents of her backpack on the bed. "The last thing I remember is sitting on the couch, then all of a sudden I was in my room, and Danny Phantom was there—in my room!"

"I don't know what happened," Sam answered as she found the Fenton Lipstick. She slid it into her pocket and sighed. How could she answer his questions without giving too much away? She knew Dash wasn't all that bright, but he wasn't totally stupid, just a little slow.

"That ghost," Dash began. "You know, the one in my head. He's, like, weird about you. Like, completely obsessed or something." He hated telling her that; he was afraid that she'd think he and that stupid ghost had the same motives. He was afraid she'd never trust him.

"I know that, too," Sam admitted, feeling very shy and embarrassed.

"So what do we do?" Dash asked. "He's gonna come back, right? Do you just want to wait for him or something?"

Sam sighed. "I don't feel like I can walk, Dash. I hit my head pretty hard."

"You need a doctor," Dash told her as he gave her a worried look. "But until then, why don't I just carry you?" Dash slid one hand under Sam's knees while she put her arms around his neck.

"I need to call Danny," Sam said as Dash carried her out of her room and downstairs. He tried not to trip at the name. It was sad—he knew everyone in school was going to laugh at him when they found out Sam dumped him for Fenton—and it hurt.

"We need to get out of here," Dash told her. "I don't think it's, like, too wise to stop to make a call." Sam sighed as Dash carried her out of the house. It wasn't as though she could fight him at this point.

"So where are we going?" Dash asked. "I mean where can someone be safe from a ghost?"

"Danny's house," Sam answered. A flash of jealousy twisted through Dash, but he didn't object. He wanted Sam safe, regardless of anything else.

They were quite a way down the street when Dash remarked. "You're really light, Sam, but you're getting really heavy." He looked up in the sky fearfully, knowing that if the ghost found them, he wouldn't be able to protect Sam.

"We're going to hide in those bushes over there," Dash said as he walked across the street. He put Sam down then stood, making sure there was enough cover, before sitting down beside her.

"Thanks," Sam said as she looked around nervously.

Dash rubbed his arms. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Just weak and dizzy," Sam answered as she rested her head against Dash. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"I wish I could have told you about the ghost," Dash said as he blushed. "I thought it was really cool that he'd help me, you know? 'Cause I've kinda liked you for a long time, but you know, you're, like, a geek. I didn't think you'd even give me the time of day anyway, plus everyone would freak."

Sam laughed. "Gee, thanks for the insult, Dash. You really shouldn't care so much about what other people think."

Dash half laughed at Sam's statement. "So then all the sudden you seemed to be interested in me, too, so it was pretty cool. But you're not, really, are you?"

"I thought it was pretty weird," Sam admitted as she avoided the question. Dash frowned worriedly at her.

"Was it, like, because of the ghost?" Dash asked sadly as he looked down at the ground.

"What?" Sam asked not able to follow the line of Dash's thought.

"That you liked me back," he asked slowly as he looked up to meet her eyes. His heart thumped as Sam smiled at him slowly.

"I don't think so," she answered. "I think it was just because of you, Dash." He sighed as he took her hand and squeezed. The two looked into each other's eyes for a moment then were distracted by the sound of a car going by. They both laughed at their jumpiness.

"I'm kinda worried about moving," Dash said feeling a little more relaxed. "I think that like once that ghosts finds you gone, he's gonna freak."

"We can stay here for a little bit," Sam said as she continued to lean against Dash. She was feeling so tired." She sighed as he put his arm around her.

"Maybe I should leave you here and like get the Fentons to help," Dash said. "It seems safe. I'm still wearing that belt thingie, so…"

"Okay," Sam said sleepily. "When you get there. Talk to either Jazz or Danny, okay? Not his parents."

"Why?" Dash asked in bewilderment. "I thought his parents were the ghost hunters."

"Let me put it this way," Sam started as she felt the fuzziness of sleep engulfing her. "Danny knows someone, who knows someone, who knows Danny Phantom." That person was herself and Tucker, or Jazz; but there was no way Sam was going to reveal that.

"Okay," Dash said he stood and looked around. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Dash," Sam yawned as she curled into the ground and closed her eyes.


Errol searched Dash's house and was irritated that the boy had fled. The ghost wondered briefly where Dash could have gone, but then he knew how Dash thought. He would have hesitated a moment, but then decided that he had to find Sam.

The ghost flew back to Sam's house, carefully keeping an eye out for Dash, but once he reached Sam's house and flew into her room, he erupted into rage. He tore the blankets off the bed and flipped the mattress over, as if he expected Sam to be hiding beneath it. He checked the closet. He flew out of the house and headed for the one place he knew Sam would go. To Danny.

Errol growled as he raced toward Danny's house. He was going to finish the boy off and then he'd find Dash. Sam would soon accept that he knew what was best for her; she had no other choice.


Danny listened to Jazz and Tucker plan. They intended on gathering together weapons and fighting Errol themselves. They even debated calling Valerie. Danny would have rolled his eyes if they were open. He chuckled to himself as they dismissed the Valerie option, deciding they'd only call her if they couldn't handle the situation.

He waited until they left the room to go gather gear together before sitting up. He took a deep breath as he stood shakily. He centered himself then forced himself to go ghost. It was a strange relief. All his aches and pains seemed to disappear. He almost laughed as his feeling of exhaustion faded away. The only pain he couldn't be rid of was the one on his arm, but it was minimized greatly.

Danny flew out of Fenton Works and paused. He really didn't know where to go. He flew a small distance away then caught sight of Dash running down the street. He flew down to meet him.

"Danny Phantom," Dash yelled. "Dude, am I glad to see you. You've got to help Sam!"

"Where is she?" Danny asked urgently as he noted Dash was wearing the Specter Deflector.

"I left her hiding in some bushes," Dash answered as he pointed behind himself. "She's hurt." Danny's stomach twisted into worried knots as Dash took off running in the direction he had come. Dash stopped for a moment in looked around in confusion. He scratched his head and Danny sighed.

"Don't tell me you can't remember where you left her?" Danny said, half between worry and exasperation.

"Just wait," Dash said as he looked around. He frowned. Then his eyes lit up and he dove into some nearby bushes.

"She's here!" Dash called. Danny sighed in relief as he rushed through the shrubs. He looked down at Sam, who looked to be sleeping peacefully.

"Is she all right?" Danny asked, remembering that he needed to play as if he didn't know Sam.

"Dude," Dash said. "Do I look like a freaking doctor or something?" Danny gave him an annoyed look.

"I'm going to take her back to Fenton Works," Danny informed Dash. He paused, waiting for Dash to object, but he didn't.

"What do you want me to do?" Dash asked. Danny didn't know. The last thing he needed was to be forced to constantly guard everything he said because Dash was around.

"Go to the library," Danny said. It was the last place anyone would ever consider looking for Dash.

"The library?" Dash asked with a disgusted look on his face. "Why?"

"Just go!" Danny ordered as he lifted Sam into his arms. "You'll be safe there."

"I don't want to leave Sam," Dash started and Danny growled at him, causing the jock to take a step back.

"Just do as I say!" Danny yelled. "Just go!" Dash looked at Sam in Danny's arms and continued to hesitate.

"Just go," Danny said again as he flew up and away.


Danny was almost home when Errol appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh great," Danny said as he adjusted Sam in his arms. "Just what we need, a psychotic stalker ghost." Errol didn't say anything, he simply began firing arrows at Danny.

"What are you doing?" Danny yelled in alarm. "Trying to make me drop her?"

"Yes!" Errol answered viciously. Danny growled in anger as he freed his bad arm and threw several blasts at the ghost. Sam opened her eyes and looked around in astonishment.

"Danny?" she asked in surprise.

"No time to talk, Sammy," Danny told her. "Can you just hold on to me?" Sam looked around and spotted Errol floating not too far away. His face was contorted into a look of evil hatred. Sam then looked down and saw they were a little too high to risk a fall. She wrapped her arms around Danny's neck. Her stomach lurched as Danny dodged several more shots from Errol.

"Can't you put me down?" Sam asked weakly.

"No," Danny half laughed.

"I have the Fenton Lipstick," Sam told him. "I can protect myself."

"No," Danny said as he shot several blasts toward Errol.

"Come on, Danny," Sam complained. "I feel like I'm going to throw up!" Danny looked at her in disbelief.

"Seriously," Sam told him. "Just put me down. I'm only holding you back." Danny had to move quickly as Errol flew toward them, doing his best to knock Sam out of his arms.

"Okay," Danny said as he floated cautiously downward, being sure to keep his eye on Errol. He put Sam on her feet and she opened the Fenton Lipstick. The moment her feet touched the ground Danny flew up and toward Errol, who had turned his attention to Sam, with the intention of capturing her.

"You're not touching her ever again," Danny yelled at Errol as they flew through the sky.

"You can't stop me," Errol said as he took hold of Danny's wounded arm and wrenched it painfully. Danny laughed. It was strange that his arm barely hurt, but he wasn't going to question why as he lifted his hand and shot a close-range blast right at Errol's chest.

"I'm not going to let you hurt her!" Danny hissed as he fired two more shots at close range.

Errol let go of Danny as he fought the surge of weakness coursing through him. His strength was diminished to a frightening degree. He looked into Danny's angry green eyes, then toward Sam, who was sitting on the ground looking up at them in horror. He realized suddenly that Danny was trying to protect Sam. Danny didn't want to destroy anyone. He was defending Sam, who was hurt. Who had hurt her? Not Danny! Danny wasn't the monster! He was!

"This wasn't my intention," Errol said in anguish as he returned his gaze to Danny.

"I don't want to hear it," Danny yelled as he readied another blast. Errol simply stared at Danny and waited. In a moment of clarity the ghost realized that had betrayed his principals. He had lost everything he wanted to be. He was a ghost who took strength from love. All his after-life, he had sought to foster the emotion, gently tending to it when he found it in people so that it bloomed in their lives like a beautiful flower, but now he had turned from that purpose. He had turned to a destroyer of love; his kindness had turned to cruelty. He had become everything he had always despised.

"Just get it over with," Errol said as he turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. "Tell Sam I'm sorry. My intention wasn't to hurt her, but see her happy."

Danny paused as he starred at Errol in shock. "You think forcing her to be with someone she doesn't love and hurting her friends would make her happy?"

"I never forced her!" Errol defended. "She always had feelings for the other boy—I just helped her come to terms with them. I fed them. I helped Dash be who he needed to be to make her happy. You've done nothing but hurt her! You've broken her heart! You should let her go."

Danny looked at Errol tiredly. "And what have you done to her?" he asked. "You've hurt her more than I ever could."

Errol laughed bitterly. "If I could do that, then she wouldn't be standing down there waiting for you. It's always you, you, you! I tried so hard to pry you out of her head. You don't deserve her." He understood now why he had become obsessed with Sam. He had found a void in her heart which he couldn't understand; it hurt. He sought to fill it and in turn let himself become twisted by obsession and jealousy.

"I'm not here to have some kind of heart-to-heart chat with you," Danny said angrily, though he silently agreed with the ghost—he didn't deserve Sam.

Errol looked at Danny in frustration. "I'm fading," he told the ghost boy. "I'll be gone soon." Danny blinked at the ghost and looked at him closely. It was true; Danny could see Errol's spectral energy bleeding away. Soon there would be nothing left.

Both Danny and Errol looked down toward Sam. Danny was ready for Errol to bolt toward her. All it would take was one more blast and Errol would be gone. They stood in a stand-off for what seemed like forever. Danny really didn't want to strike the finishing blow unless he had to.

Errol looked over Danny's shoulder and smiled slightly. Danny turned to see several little ghost flying toward him, and then turned back to see that Errol was gone—on his way down toward Sam.


Sorry to leave you at another cliff hanger. I'm sorry that this chapter wasn't as intense as the last. I was seriously blocked. Please, review now.