A/N: Haven't up-dated in a little while. You're welcome!

Chapter Twenty-Six

Danny, Stop!

Someone watched, horrified, as Danny shot at Vlad. "Got to stop him somehow!" she hissed, looking at the screen. Her amethyst eyes scanned over the control panel containing buttons, switches, and other things. She bit her lip. Where's the microphone Vlad used to talk to Danny? She glanced at the screen again.

She was much too far away from the control panel to even get the microphone even if she could see it. She would have to get the rope bindings off of her wrists and ankles somehow and quickly. Looking at the rope around her ankles, she wondered. If she could somehow reach one of the random weapons in Vlad's lab, she could burn through the rope if not hurt herself while doing so. It was a pretty flaw-full plan, but it would have to do.

She squirmed and swiveled around and onto her knees. So far, so good. Shuffling over to a counter top that was crowded with a few ray-guns and net-guns, she set her chin onto the top and tried to pull herself into a standing position. Mission accomplished! She grinned as she realized all the ballet and gymnastic classes her mom had signed her up for had actually paid off. She would have to remember to thank her mom for that once she got herself and Danny out of this. Now to find out which weapon would do the trick.

Grabbing the nearest thing she could with her hands - which were tied behind her - she blindly pulled the trigger on it, aiming for the rope around her ankles. Silently, she prayed the tiny ray would hit its mark. She winced as it just barely grazed her leg and ripped through the purple leggings. Okay! Bad idea! Ow! she thought and just looked around, weapon still in hand.

Vlad couldn't have taken the microphone with him. If plan B wouldn't work, then she had to go with plan A. She had to find it and go with her first plan of talking to Danny. The door out of this place was locked so that wouldn't work. She looked at the screen. Danny had stopped the ray he'd been shooting at Vlad and was talking. She could just barely hear what he was saying, and trust me, it was not something nice! Vlad was almost unconscious, slumped against the wall looking very drained.

If she wasted more time, she feared he would kill him. What was wrong with him? He would never kill anyone or hurt them purposely without good reason. Something must be wrong, there was no other explanation. She spent only a few seconds looking at the screen before she hopping around trying to look for the microphone.

She blew a few locks of black hair out of her face skillfully and looked around the room. "Come on, come on," she mumbled as she went. "If Danny won't come to his senses by himself, then I'll have to help him." She hopped a few more steps towards the control panel and glanced at the controls. Vlad had been standing here, in this spot, while talking to Danny. But there was no microphone in sight. Maybe he used something else to talk to him.

Only wasting about one minute looking at the controls, she found what she was looking for: a small voice-box like device built into the control panel. "Yesss!" she hissed triumphantly. "But how do I turn it on?" Her eyes landed on a red button right next to it. She bit her lip. Button needed. She looked at the screen.

"Your time is up, Vlad," she heard Danny's harsh voice come through. He stood from his currently hunched position next to Vlad and reached for the middle-aged man's suit vest to pull him up. The girl quickly sat down, legs stretched out in front of her. She dropped the ray-gun in her hands and tried her hardest to make her arms slide the rope binding her wrists pass under her. "Come on," she said, wincing as she heard a sick snap come from both shoulders. Her wrists now were just under her thighs. She smiled slightly and let herself fall down onto her back, legs up in the air.

She slid her wrists, still bound together, up her legs, a tricky skill she'd learned a long time ago. Time felt as if it were going really fast, but once her hands were in front of her and the struggle was over, she realized only about a minute had passed. She sighed and pressed the button to turn on the intercom. "Danny!" she shouted into it. Her shoulders hurt, and she realized her heart was accelerating, beating loudly in her chest. "Danny stop!"

Danny's fist glowed a warped gray-black color as he held Vlad up with his other hand. Then he froze. "Danny!" the voice shouted. "Danny stop!" His eyes widened. It couldn't be, could it? He let go of Vlad, him falling to the ground with a soft thud. He heard the man groan softly, but paid it no mind.

"Sam!" he shouted, feeling his eyes sting suddenly.

"Danny, listen to me!" her voice came again. "You don't want to do this! It was all a lie! I'm okay! Really! He tricked you!"

"But..." Danny puttered, looking at the man before him. Everything came back to him. He could once again feel the soreness of his muscles, once again could think clearly, see clearly. "I saw you die..."

"It wasn't me!" Sam shouted sternly. "It wasn't me! It was a clone! Trust me, Danny!"

"I...I trust you," Danny whispered raggedly. His voice returned to its normal soothing tone, no longer hoarse and ragged, filled with such hatred. Tears returned to his eyes again as he saw what he'd done to Vlad. He was bruised and battered, unconscious. "Sam," he asked, voice breaking. "Sam, what am I?"

"You're you!" Sam said. "I don't know what happened, but I'm sure it wasn't all you doing that to Vlad! Get out of there and come get me! That isn't Vlad's lab, he built it separate from his lab. Just get out of there now!"

"But..." Danny started, but Sam didn't let him finish.

"Now!" she shouted again. Danny quickly made his way to the door, opened it and found himself standing in a hallway. He chose a direction to where another door was located and ran towards it. He opened it and found Sam standing there, surveying all the monitors in the room, looking for him. Danny found himself smiling, happy and a little confused at the same time.

Sam looked at him and smiled. "Danny!" she said happily.

"Sam!" Danny replied, equally happy. He quickly walked over to her and began to undo the knots of the rope without a single word. Sam only watched him. "There," he whispered and stood again, embracing her tightly in his arms. He held her close, afraid that if he should let go she would vanish. He looked at the screen, at Vlad's slumped figure. "Sam," he said. "What did I do?"

"I don't know, Danny," Sam said, pulling away slightly. "But I don't want to talk about it either. I want to get us out of here before Vlad wakes up."

"But what if he needs help," Danny said. "I did that to him, it's sort of my fault."

"No it's his," Sam told him. "He pulled you into this, he better pull himself out. Let's just go home, please?"

Danny looked at her with saddened blue eyes, but nodded feebly. "Fine," he whispered.

"Good," Sam said. Then her eyes widened suddenly as she noticed Danny leaning close to her, eyes closed. "Danny: she managed a weak whisper, but couldn't get another word out before she noticed what was happening. She felt his lips press against her, almost possessively. She let her eyes fall close beneath his entrancing kiss. It really only lasted a few seconds, but to Sam it was all she needed after all of the happenings. Danny pulled away, and before she could say anything, he quickly took her into his arms, keeping her close still, and flying into the real portal and into the Ghost Zone. Not a single word left his lips as they flew.

Sam watched him closely. His eyes were green, no longer red. He looked normal now, sounded normal too. She sighed contently and let cuddled close to him, drowning out the echo-like sounds of the Ghost Zone and listening closely to the warming message only his heart could give her.

E/N: Anotehr chapter! My mom is mad because it's late. --shurg-- No, it's not the end. I think I've got two chapters left before the end!

--Airamé Phantom