A/N: You hate me now, huh? Ah well! I still love you guys. Oh, just to break the news softly to ya, I doubt much fluff will be present. Maybe an awkward moment or some thoughts here and there, but it'll be scattered all around. So sorry for all you SamxDanny lovers out there who were reading this. I give my sincere apologies!

Chapter Nineteen

Right?

Danny and Sam had cleaned up the scattered glass, getting rid of the image while Jazz had put up the new light bulb. Jazz and Danny seemed to exchange glances every so often. Unspoken words were being exchanged along with them, and Sam noticed. She said nothing in concern with the matter, though, not wanting them to spill any news she did not want to know.

"Done," Jazz said. "Danny switch on the lights."

Danny did so. The lights went on. Finally. They didn't have to use the light from the hallway to see. Jazz got down from the stool she'd been standing on and looked around the room. "Wow, you guys really cleaned up the place," she noticed.

"It took awhile," Danny mumbled, picking up some of the pieces of glass left. They would pass the vacuum over the spot in a little bit, but he wanted to get as much glass off the floor as possible.

"Danny, you sure it's safe to be picking up that glass with your bare hands?" Jazz asked.

"She has a point," Sam agreed. She hadn't spoken in awhile. But the other teens had paid no mind to her silence and accepted the new voice.

"You guys worry too much," Danny mumbled. "because - Ow!" Danny waved his hand around a little bit. A piece of glass, small but noticeable, stuck in the palm of his hand.

"What'd we tell you?" Jazz sighed and walked over.

"You were distracting me," Danny complained. He looked at his hand, wincing slightly. It was just a small sting, he knew, but the sight of it still sent shivers down his spine. He extracted the glass carefully. To his surprise, it was rather bigger than he expected. It was a shard of glass, thin and about as long as a fingernail. It was narrow, Danny also saw, so it poke deep into his palm without him even knowing. He looked at the tiny piece of glass. The tip of it was a little red from his blood.

"Ouch," Sam mumbled, coming over and taking a seat next to him. She looked at his hand. It was a pinprick, she saw, but still a little deep.

"It's okay," Danny assured, pulling his hand away. "It's not even that deep."

"Well, it's getting late, you guys, we'd better get to the sleeping part of today?" Jazz quickly said.

"But the glass..." Danny started, but trailed off as Jazz held up a hand to silence him.

"Will a take a minute or so to clean up, plus the vacuum's already in here," she said. "I'll do it."

Everything was done quickly. Sam's stuff was brought up at long last and the glass was completely cleaned up. Things got a little bit back to normal, actually, but Danny knew better than to let his guard down.

Danny now sat in the room, leaning against the wall. He had brought in a sleeping bag to sleep in, but he just didn't feel like sleeping. He'd spent most of his time watching Sam sleep. She'd taken awhile to finally fall asleep, but she finally managed to do so. Danny sighed at the small, soft sound of a knock on the door. He stood and walked over to it. It was half-open, of course, and Danny quickly saw Jazz standing there.

"So?" she asked.

"She's asleep," Danny said, nodding at Jazz as he closed the door behind him.

"Good," Jazz mumbled. "Down, in the lab, the scanner showed that a ghost had been in the building, but the new source of the ecto-signature is long gone, though."

"You sure?"

Jazz nodded. Danny sighed and leaned back against the wall next to the door. "My ghost sense doesn't seem to go off around ghosts anymore," he stated quietly.

"What? Why?" Jazz questioned. Danny shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the floor.

"I don't know for sure, but the vial Vlad had must have had something to do with it," he mumbled.

"Vlad? Vial? Danny, what are you talking about?" Jazz questioned. He sighed.

"Vlad was the one who shot me down while ghost fighting. Well, it was him who'd set me off on that goose-chase in the first place. He injected something into me, but I don't know what," Danny said.

Jazz nodded, letting the words sink in. "And you think it's just part of a bigger plan?" she asked. Danny nodded.

"It always is," Danny said.

"But why? Why wouldn't he want you to sense him?"

"Not just that," Danny said. "There haven't been many ghost attacks. I think Vlad has something to do with that too. If he can take away my ghost sense, then he can also do the same with my powers, Jazz. It's only a matter of time before he surprises me with another false, pre-attack."

"He can't take away your powers, Danny," Jazz said. "Taking them away would mean he's separated the ghost gene from your molecules. That isn't as easy at it sounds."

"How do you know?"

"I'm gonna be a brain surgeon, Danny, think more clearly next time you ask that. And if there's anything he can do, is only neutralize your powers for the time being. The effect should wear off soon."

"If you're so smart, can you do something to make the effect wear off now?" Danny questioned.

"Once again, not as easy at it sounds," Jazz stated. "I would need whatever Vlad had used in order to create the antidote, or cure."

"Thanks for sounding smart, Jazz, you truly are the intelligent one." Danny was mad. Jazz understood how he felt. Well, not entirely, but a little bit. He was trying to cover up his anger with sick sarcasm. He'd cool down eventually.

"You're really bad at the whole lying concept," Jazz told him. "I know you're mad."

"Am not, just...annoyed," Danny mumbled. "Oh who am I kidding? Of course I'm mad! Mom and dad are gone, Sam thinks she saw someone, which I'm sure she did, the glass formed a three which has to mean something, my ghost powers are going haywire, and I'm stuck listening to myself rant on about my problems when Sam is clearly the one Vlad is trying to get at for some reason!"

"Sam?" Jazz broke through his self-pity rant.

"Yeah," Danny said. "Don't ask me why or how, but I have the big feeling in the pit of my stomach he's after her this time, probably to get me to join him or something. Sick-minded little-"

He was cut short, and good thing, at the sound of soft whispering coming from inside the room. He froze. That was definitely not Sam! He spun quickly towards the door, reached for the knob and opened it, going ghost as he went. He caught sight of someone standing over Sam's bed. She was sitting up, looking at the being before her.

"Vlad," Danny hissed angrily.

The figure turned to him. He smirked. "Now, Daniel, I wish not to harm you or Samantha," he said.

"Really," Danny said. "I beg to differ." Jazz watched silently. Sam only sat there, wondering what to do. Vlad had told her he wouldn't harm her. He wouldn't harm Danny. And she'd just have to be quiet because she was vital for his plan. He hadn't gotten to telling her about his plan, however, and she doubted he would have anyway.

"Get away from Sam!" Danny shouted. Vlad smirked a little more. "I said get away from her! I don't want to fight you, Vlad." Danny raised a hand towards Vlad, it turning into a fist, glowing menacingly green. The glow around his fist, however, seemed to warp and flicker, mixing into a different color. But Danny didn't notice, nor did anyone else. It just happened. Vlad only looked at him. Without much more than a second's hesitation, Vlad grabbed Sam's arm.

"Danny!" she screamed, just before Vlad clicked something on a belt he had around his waist. Danny hadn't noticed it. His eyes widened slightly as they blurred then vanished. Sam's voice remained, echoing.

"Sam!" he shouted, rushing to the spot as if thinking Vlad had simply turned invisible. He frozeon the spot. He should have acted quickly and taken Sam when he had the chance. He shouldn't have just stood there. He shouldn't have let him take her without a fight. He should have done something, anything to stop him. But he didn't. He hadn't been thinking straight. His anger had clouded his thoughts. Clouded logical thinking. Clouded his very heart. "Sam." The word was quiet. Soft. Filled with dread and guilt. He'd let him get away.

"Danny, you've got to go find her!" Jazz's voice was the one of reasoning. The only thing that kept him fromgoing on an angry rampage right then and there. His hands turned to fists again. "He's probably taken her back to his lab. He'll be waiting for you there for sure. Come on, Danny, snap out of it!" She now stood in front of him, shaking his shoulders. "Danny, listen," she said. "You've got to go now. The time you're wasting you can't get back! Go!"

Without another word, Danny vanished, phasing through the floor and into the lab. Jazz sighed and quickly rushed down the stairs and to the phone. She dialed up Tucker's phone number. He had to know about this. She had to inform him. He might be of some help should the time need for another person to step up to plate with Danny. Be his reasoning. Keep him in check. Keep his powers in check. If the vial had indeed been made to take away his powers, it wasn't working. Only his ghost sense had been taken. His ghost half remained intact.

Right?

"You won't get away with this one."

"I believe I already have. A trick up my sleeve, and I already have."

Sam stood in front of the evil voice. The person standing there before her. She smirked. "Yes you have."

"Put up a good act, will you, my dear?"

"Whatever you say, Vlad." Her eyes glowed red. She grinned wickedly. "Whatever you say."

E/N: Why did anyone tell me I had the chapter numbers mixed up? I noticed I put the title Chapter Sixteen on chapter Eighteen. I feel stupid!

--Airamé Phantom