Interesting. It seems like there's a character named Remy in FOP. I actually didn't know this so thanks for the info, hehe.

Actually, the name for the villain came from the stage of sleep known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is when most dreams occur. Also, the body cannot move during this stage (wink).

Congratulations to those who guessed it correctly: Miss Selarne and deranged black kitten of doom. Expect Willy Wonka to deliver your chocolate personally to your doorstep.

Thank you very much for reading and reviewing this story. I'm glad to know that you liked the twist.

Anyway, here's a new chapter… and it's early! Woohoo!

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Chapter 11: Hit and Run

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!", Danny Fenton yelled at top of his lungs as he tried to dodge the blast sent by Phantom. He landed behind the pile of bricks to get cover as the smoke distracted his attacker.

The ghost's facial expression was dark and serious. Not even a playful smile could be seen on his face. His red eyes, however, didn't look dull like they did when he was under mind control. He seemed to know perfectly who he was trying to hurt and, so far, it appeared like he didn't really care.

His two gloved hands glowed green as he walked slowly towards the place where he had last seen the raven-haired boy. Danny, who was still trying to cope with the recent events, scanned his surroundings looking for a way out or at least something to use as a weapon against the specter.

That's not him. It has to be the other guy, the ghost who sent me into this delusional plane. Phantom promised he would never give up on me. He wanted to fight against that mind-twisting jerk just as much as I did. That has to be an illusion, right?

Ok. Exit… weapon… anything! I have to find a way out of here.

His eyes noticed something at the other side of the room: a metallic cage-like elevator. Seeing that his ghastly alter ego was just two feet away from him, he quickly grabbed a brick and threw it towards the red-eyed Phantom.

Danny hoped to hit the ghost and then run as fast as he could towards the elevator. However, instead of the expected result, the brick went through the ghost boy's head, leaving him unharmed. Fenton flinched as soon as he noticed he was now in clear view for his attacker to hit.

Oh, crud. This can't be good.

Danny started stepping back as Phantom's gaze narrowed and his fists glowed brighter. "You're just an illusion created by that maniac. You can't hurt me", the human teenager nervously tried to reason, though he wasn't convinced about what he was saying.

Phantom walked closer. "You have to die. You're the only thing that holds me back", the ghost said in a deep voice. It even sounded more inhuman than before. However, even as he said this, his expression didn't change at all.

The baby blue eyes of the human fifteen year-old went wide as soon as his counterpart spoke. He continued walking backwards trying to stay away of the ghost, but he was starting to get closer to the edge of the floor. After all, there was still a wall missing, which meant that Danny could have a four-story fall if he wasn't careful.

I'm what holds him back? Could that be Phantom after all? No. No way! He wouldn't!

"No! You can't be him! Where's Phantom? What did you do to him?" Danny demanded trying to sound more secure in his tone.

The ghost stopped for a brief second to stare directly into the eyes of the boy in front of him. "I AM Phantom. And you are my enemy," he said again in the same deep voice as before. His words were not showing any emotion. He seemed empty somehow.

As the specter resumed his pace, Danny gave just one more step back and stopped when he noticed that his heel was on the edge. One bad move and he would be definitely dead.

Fenton returned his gaze to his ghost half. "Listen, you don't want to do this. I don't know what the heck he did to you, but I know you can fight it. I know you can. You're the hero. The fighter, remember?"

Phantom stood there, blinking at the boy. His fists seemed to relax a little although they were still glowing.

"You have to snap out of it. You're stronger than him," Danny continued, trying to take the ghost out of his trance. "You had faith in me. And now, I have faith in you. I know you'll do the right thing. You're more than a ghost".

Phantom shook his head and seemed to come out of his daze. "You're right. I AM more than a ghost," he said in his usual tone. He approached Danny with a smile and then grabbed him by the shirt, which startled the human boy. "I'm a monster," he added with a whisper before he released Fenton from his grip, making him take the dreaded four-story fall.

"Wait! NOOOOOO!" Danny screamed. Gravity had claimed another victim. As he got closer to the ground, he could still see Phantom's dark grin.

The wind caressed his face before he collided against the cement. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, preparing himself for the brutal impact.

Three seconds left.

I can't let my human side die…

Two seconds left.

…but it looks like I've lost.

One second left.

If this is what it takes to live a normal life, how wrong I was…

He took a deep breath and embraced himself.

Nothing.

Five seconds passed and still nothing happened. Danny was afraid of opening his eyes in case his gaze met the pavement. After all, he still felt the wind against his face. Nervously, he cracked one eye open and noticed he was flying above the building.

"I'm alive? I'm alive! Wait… I'm flying?" he asked no one in particular with confusion tainting his tone.

"Of course you're alive. Did you seriously think I would let you die?" a deep and soothing voice unexpectedly replied to the boy's musings.

I recognize that voice.

Danny turned around and noticed that there was a dark-cloaked figure holding him by the back of his shirt, so he really wasn't flying. He was being carried. The creature's eyes were glowing red as he stared down at the boy.

"You! You're the one behind this!" Danny yelled in anger as he recognized the figure as one of the ghosts he was fighting before he entered this delusional plane.

The ghost continued flying away from the building where Phantom was last seen. He watched his path, no longer looking at the boy. "Calm down, child. I wouldn't be saving you if I was the one responsible of your current state".

Raising an eyebrow, Danny's expression turned into one of confusion. "What? You mean you didn't do this?" No reply came.

The ghost landed on the same pet cemetery Fenton visited a night ago. Now that he floated in front of Danny, the boy could notice he was wearing a black cloak, which kept his body and face hidden. Looking closer, he could see a few of his facial features, including his red eyes and the ethereal aspect of his whole being. He tried to remember the other ghost, the one who was kneeling by his side when he woke up, but it was different from this one. Both were shadow-like creatures, but the one who just saved the human teenager seemed somewhat older and more built than the other one.

Could this mean they're not the same?

Narrowing his gaze, Fenton eyed the ghost curiously. "Who or what are you?" he asked.

"I'm known by many names. Some like to call me the Sandman, others refer to me as Morpheus. In all honesty, I don't mind about a name. All you need to know is that I'm The Guardian of Dreams and that I'm here to help you," the ghost replied.

"Help me? So you're not working with the other ghost?" Danny questioned.

The Guardian of Dreams gave an exasperated sigh. "Of course not. The one you were fighting is a Dream Eater, and I would have taken him into custody if you hadn't been meddling in my job," he replied sharply.

Danny was taken aback. "What?" he asked, his tone higher than usual. He crossed his arms and shot an angry glance at his rescuer. "Oh, so now it's my fault," he said disdainfully.

"If you must know, it is. By attacking me you let the Dream Eater get away. And even now that you're trapped in here, it's also a result of your own actions".

The blue-eyed teen didn't like the sound of that. His expression changed into one of concern. "What do you mean by 'trapped'?"

The Guardian remained silent for a second. Had his face been more detailed and visible, it would've shown a grim look. "As soon as I reached your body in the real plane, you were lying on the street. But you were alone. The Dream Eater was already gone".

Danny paled. "You mean Phantom wasn't being controlled by that freak?"

That can't be possible. Why would he attack me?

Looking around, the ghost motioned Danny to take a seat on a headstone nearby. "Before your tormentor left, he decided to give you a little present by removing your ghost half's emotions. As you know, he separated your human half and your ghost side. When he did so, he gave you some aspects of your personality while he gave others to Phantom. Right now, the few emotions your ghost half still had, were transferred to you and he was left with nothing but rage towards you".

Fenton gasped. "What? Why?"

"Maybe it's just because you remind him of everything he once was," a voice came from above the graveyard. Danny turned his head to face the newcomer, though he already knew who it was by the sound of his voice. "Human," the red-eyed Phantom finished as he started floating down to stand in front of his counterpart.

Paling, Fenton turned to face The Guardian of Dreams. "This, my boy, is your fight now. You'll know what to do when the time comes," he told the shocked human before he faded from view.

"No! Wait!" Danny yelled after the ghost but it was too late. He was now alone with the enraged ghastly version of himself.

Well, that sure was supportive.

Phantom smirked as he approached Fenton. "Guess it's just you and me now. Don't you just love these bitter reunions?"

Oh, no. I have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. What the heck am I supposed to do now? Hmm, if the Dream Eater is not controlling my dream anymore, that must mean I'm the one in charge now. It's worth a shot.

That's it! A shot!

Danny closed his eyes and tried to concentrate hard or a certain object that would come in handy: the Fenton Thermos.

Phantom looked at him quizzically and gave him a smug smile. "What, you don't want to see how I beat the crap out of you?"

Fenton Thermos. Fenton Thermos. Fenton Thermos. Please… let it there be a Fenton Thermos.

Just then, the desired object appeared floating in front of his eyes. He held his hands in front of it and the container fell into his palms. It was now Fenton's turn to shoot his 'enemy' a smug smile. "No. I just didn't want to see your pained expression once I sucked you into our old reliable Thermos".

Phantom smirked. "Go ahead. Give it your best shot".

Good? Bad? Does it need a flame? Let me know in your comments.

I apologize if you think this was rather short. But, hey! At least it was updated on time, hehe.

In case you want to know, this story is getting close to the end.

Anyway, I'll see you in a week (around March 11th).

Save Danny Phantom from cancellation! Check at the bottom of chapter 8 for ways to help.