Notes:

Hola. I'm back to finally post a new chapter (laughs nervously). I want to sincerely apologize for not updating this story in a month. I really wanted to post this chapter sooner but I didn't have the time to do it.

Anyway, thank you so much for all your comments. I'm very grateful for all the kind words I've received so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter. The first part of the showdown is right after some explanations (I didn't want to jump into the fight just like that).

Chapter 15: Night Terrors, Part 1

"…And I didn't realize it was veggie meat until Sam started giggling- Stop laughing! It wasn't funny! You shouldn't fool a carnivore like that! I'm never letting you order my meal again when I'm not around."

Sam Manson and Danny Fenton couldn't contain their laughter as their friend, Tucker Foley, narrated the amusing anecdote at the Nasty Burger with his Goth friend. Danny hadn't been there with them last night when it happened because of his ghostly duties, so his friends decided to relate the events to the teenaged hero just to cheer him up. They had been walking towards Fenton Works as soon as they left school.

"Come on, Tucker. You were enjoying your burger before you realized it wasn't real meat," Sam argued.

The boy with the red beret scowled at the girl. "I promise that I'll find a way to invent some kind of meat that tastes and looks like vegetables, and then we'll see if you enjoy your food," he exclaimed vindictively, though Danny knew they were just having a playful fight.

I missed feeling comfortable around them again. The way they acted in my mental scenario only made me feel uneasy about them. How Tucker glared at me, or how even Sam laughed carelessly at my problems… those weren't them.

I know my real friends argue all the time, but those are only lighthearted arguments. Nothing serious. And even if we do mock each other, we never intend our jokes to hurt. That's just the unique way our friendship is shaped. Yeah, we're weird, but I would never trade them for the world.

Danny continued laughing at their small discussion as they reached the front door to his home. The trio walked into the house and headed to the kitchen to get some snacks.

The Fenton boy opened the fridge and grabbed some drinks for his two companions, who were still bickering. As he opened his can of soda, he turned to face them with an amused expression. "Guys, you can stop any time now," he said, making Sam and Tucker remain quiet as they listened to their friend. "I know you want to cheer me up and make me feel like I'm really awake- which I'm thankful for because it's working- but we have to make some plans for tonight".

Tucker smirked. "Glad to know that the FACT can still be helpful," he said smoothly.

Danny blinked in confusion. "The FACT?"

The amethyst and emerald gazes of Sam and Tucker met and then turned to glance at the clueless boy. "Fake-Arguing and Cheering Tactics," they both replied in unison, though the girl's monotonous tone contrasted her friend's proud one.

"I'm keen on the tactics, not on the name," Sam added as she rolled her eyes.

"Why do I always take the blame for all the lame ideas?" Tucker protested.

"Oh, so now you agree that the name was lame?" the girl countered.

Danny sighed and shook his head. "Just when I thought that 'P.A.R.T.Y.' was the worst they could come up with," he muttered to himself with a chuckle. The boy then turned to walk towards the door that led to the basement. "Anyway, we should go down to the lab to work on our plan and see what we can do to protect my- mom! Dad!" he exclaimed the last two words in a surprised tone once he opened the door to the lab, only to almost collide with his parents.

Maddie and Jack walked into the kitchen after their own son startled them. "Danny," Mrs. Fenton yelped, clutching her heart. "You scared us! We didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, son. Aren't you usually out with your friends at this time of the day?" Jack now questioned.

Though Danny wasn't facing his friends, he could tell from the corner of his eye that they were as puzzled as he was by his parents' jumpiness. "We, uh, decided to do our homework early. We're going to use the computer in the lab, if you don't mind," the boy explained as he began to move towards the basement again, motioning his friends to follow him as well.

However, before he could even take a step near the stairs, Jack blocked his path. "Actually, son, we do mind. From now on, only your mother and I can go to the lab," the portly man replied.

Danny and his friends were taken aback by his response. "What? Why?" the blue-eyed teenager inquired.

Jack looked at his wife and then at the teenagers. "Well, it's just that… we were… the thing is…" he began to stammer.

Maddie rested a hand on his shoulder to stop him from talking and finished whatever Jack was trying to say. "We just don't think it's safe, that's all" she said nervously, her tone sounding slightly higher than usual.

Danny furrowed his eyebrows. "But we've been there many times, why would it be more dangerous now than it was before?" he questioned.

Something here isn't right. Maybe it has something to do with whatever they were talking about this morning.

"Yeah, Mrs. Fenton. We haven't even seen any ghosts in the lab whenever we're there," Sam added while gesturing with her hands, obviously lying.

The woman in the blue hazmat suit massaged her temples, showing a sudden change in her mood from jumpy to annoyed. "Just do as we say, all right?" she replied. As soon as she finished saying that, Jack and Maddie walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room, leaving three perplexed teenagers behind.

"What was that all about?" Tucker exclaimed as soon as the two adults were out of sight.

Danny frowned. "I really don't know, but they were acting strange in the morning, too."

"Do you think Remy has anything to do with it?" Sam asked.

The boy shrugged. "Maybe. We should go to my room to figure this out. We'll have to snatch those Specter Deflectors later". And with that, they hurried to Danny's room upstairs, walking past the inquisitive looks the adults were giving them for no apparent reason.

The atmosphere that reigned in the blue bedroom was that of silence and rumination. At least ten minutes had passed since any of the brooding teenagers spoke.

Sam was lying on the floor with her chin against the carpet. Tucker sat on a chair, rocking back and forth on the back legs of his seat. Danny was sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. Their gazes were staring blankly at the different objects that surrounded the bedroom. There was no doubt about it: they had no idea of what they were going to do to defeat the now powerful Dream Eater.

Danny had relayed his theories, notes, and anecdotes to his two companions for the past hour. The half-ghost knew the odds were against him, so he wanted (and needed) to come up with a foolproof strategy to stop Remy from whatever he was up to next.

As they were about to enter the eleventh minute of silence, Tucker suddenly moved his chair forward and sat up straight, startling his friends slightly with what could only be an idea. "Ok, so it's risky to get near him because he might send you to dreamland again, right? How about we use a cyborg to attack him?" the dark-skinned boy shared enthusiastically.

"A cyborg?" Sam and Danny asked in unison, unconvinced by the idea.

After a brief pause, the tech geek threw up his hands in surrender and resumed his former position on his improvised rocking chair. "That's it. I'm all out of ideas. Besides, they say even cyborgs dream of electric sheep".

Sam sighed tiredly as she stood up. "It's androids, Tucker. Not cyborgs," the girl corrected.

"Where are you going?" Danny asked with his eyebrow raised.

"I just needed to stretch my legs, that's all," she replied with a yawn.

Danny groaned as he closed his eyes and hit his head against the wall. "Why did he have to take that much energy from me? What am I supposed to do with all that lack of power in me right now?" he complained.

The Goth girl, who was already standing, walked towards her friend and sat next to him. "Danny, why don't you just take a break and let Morpheus handle this like he said he would?" she questioned.

"I really don't think he'll be able to take care of this alone," the boy confessed.

This time, Tucker replied. "Dude, he's the Guardian of Dreams. He can't be more suited for the job than that. Sam has a point: why don't you use the next couple of days to recover while the Dream Eater is being wasted by the Sandman?"

Danny shook his head. "I can't," he replied simply. Once he saw the questioning glances his friends were giving him, he continued his explanation. "I think I kinda figured it out: Remy's only after me. He's waiting for the opportune moment to try to get me again. At least that's what I'm guessing. Otherwise, why would he send those dreams to Valerie? I'm fearing he might have even shown something to my parents during their sleep. I'm clearly his target and I can't let my guard down or let him get more powerful. He has to be stopped now unless I want to end up in a real coma next time."

A brief silence reigned the room once again. "Do you really think your parents saw you transform like Valerie did?" Tucker asked after a couple of seconds.

Sam rubbed her chin in thought. "Well, it would explain their jumpiness, right?"

"Yeah, but somehow I don't think that's what they saw, assuming they even saw anything at all. I mean… they would've been trying to test their gadgets on me or something to see if what they dreamed was real. Or at least they would try to confront me about it," Danny answered. He stood up and walked towards his window, resting his arm against it and sighing once again. "I don't know. It's all just a bunch of theories and we don't have real proof."

Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock on the door. "Danny? It's me. Jazz," the voice outside the room announced.

The Fenton boy walked towards the door to unlock it and opened it to the newcomer. "Hey, Jazz. Came here for the Team Phantom meeting?" Danny asked as his redheaded sister walked into the room holding several books, greeting Sam and Tucker with a smile. Once Danny had closed and locked the door again, the two siblings sat on the bed.

"Sorry for being late. I had to pick some books at the library and I lost track of time," Jazz explained as she gave Danny her bibliographical material.

Her brother raised an eyebrow as he scanned through the titles that were recently handed to him. "The Dream Dictionary? The Scientific Study of Dreams? Sleep for Dimwits?" Danny read out loud and stopped when he saw the next title. "The Dream Eater? You actually brought this book? It's a bedtime story!"

Jazz took the book from his hands. "Danny, if you haven't noticed, some fictional characters are based on real people or, in Remy's case, on real ghosts. We have to be open to any bit of information we can get, because I seriously doubt we're going to beat this fiend just by guessing his weakness," she stated firmly, handing the book back to him.

"All right, all right. But I still don't think we're going to find anything useful about Remy by reading these," Danny said. He then picked up one of the other titles he read out loud to study it. Each of the other teenagers picked one as well and their research began.

"Have you found anything yet?" Tucker asked Sam as she flipped through the pages of the book in her hands.

They had been reading most of the afternoon and the tech geek had even been surfing the internet for more information.

"I think I found something," the Goth replied.

"What book are you reading?" Danny asked as he looked up from his material.

Sam raised the object in her hands to allow her friends to see the title, which was 'Sleep for Dimwits'. "It mentions a stage of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement."

"Rapid Eye Movement? What's that?" the blue-eyed boy asked.

"It's also called R.E.M.," Sam explained.

"Like the band?" Tucker now questioned.

The Goth girl nodded. "Yes, like the band. But the kind of R.E.M. we're talking about is related to dreams. I don't know, but so far it looks like it might be helpful," she added with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Danny rubbed his chin as his thoughts deepened. "R-E-M… R-E-M… why does that sound so familiar?" he asked no one in particular. "R-E-M. REM." The boy paused and slapped his forehead. "REM! Remy! What if the rapid eye movement thing is somehow related to his powers?"

Jazz smirked triumphantly. "'I don't think we're going to find anything useful by reading these books'," the girl mocked her brother with a childish tone, making Sam and Tucker laugh.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Ok, I was wrong, you were right. Can we let it die now?" he exclaimed in an attempt to refrain the others from making fun of him, but the trio snickered anyway. "So, what does it say about REM?"

Tucker, Danny and Jazz looked expectantly at Sam. "It says here: 'Sleep in human beings is composed of two states called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. Sleepers spend most of the night in non-REM sleep.

"During REM sleep, the brain is extremely active, and the brain waves are similar to those of an individual who is awake. The eyes move rapidly in this phase, and the body is paralyzed while dreaming happens.

"REM sleep occurs about every 90 minutes and lasts from 5 to 30 minutes. Most dreams occur during this stage, and if a sleeper is awakened from it, that person is more likely to remember the content of a dream.' Do you want me to keep reading?" the girl asked to her small audience.

Danny walked to where his friend was and took the book from her hands. "Actually, I think this gives us an idea of what kind of power Remy has: I thought I was awake, I didn't move from where I was, it only lasted about 10 minutes, and I pretty much remember everything that happened. This describes it. All of it," the boy concluded in a happier tone.

"So, if what Sam read applies to the Dream Eater's powers, he can only keep you unconscious for half an hour, right?" Tucker inquired.

"And he didn't go after you again that night because he needed to wait 90 minutes to send you back into your delusional world," Jazz added.

"And it says here that it applies to humans. Maybe your ghost half was aware of the whole situation because the REM didn't affect him; it only acted on your human side," Sam chimed in as she continued reading the document.

A smirk appeared on Danny's features as he realized something else. "You know, he was only able to get me when I changed back to my human form after using my Ghostly Wail. If he can't affect ghosts, maybe all I have to do is remain in my ghost mode whenever I see him again".

Jazz frowned. "Actually, I don't think that will work. At least not for long," she said, causing her brother's smile to fall. "You said it yourself: both sides are not independent from each other, which means that even though Remy might have a hard time trying to knock you out while being Phantom, he would still be able to use his powers on you eventually through your flaw as a half-human hybrid".

"It's still worth a shot, right?" Tucker said, trying to sound positive about it.

Danny looked at the three people in the room with him. His friends and sister stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to make a decision with everything they discovered so far. The boy smiled, thankful for all the help and support they had given him. "You know what? It still is. And I think I know just the thing to make it work," he said with a confident expression.

The night was calm. That was the simplest yet most accurate way to describe it. The midnight breeze, the dormant town, the resting citizens, and everything else that belonged to this territory called Amity Park was at ease.

Even the local hero was comfortably sleeping in his cozy bed. Or at least that's what it looked like to his newfound enemy. Remy, the Dream Eater, had crawled among the shadows to pay an all but friendly visit to his recent source of energy.

He saw the boy cuddled under his bed sheets, covering him up to his head. As soon as Remy approached, Danny shivered and pulled his covers even closer around him. The silent fiend that was lurking in the room smiled at the sight of such a weak and defenseless kid. He held his hands above the sleeper to start breaking into his dreams and absorb more energy. The red glow that surrounded his palms began to surround his target as well but, within seconds, it disappeared.

Remy frowned in confusion. Sure enough, he couldn't even find the entrance to Danny's mind. As he floated closer to his prey, he noticed a faint jade glow emanating from beneath the covers. The Dream Eater reacted too late as a blast of green ectoplasm hit him and sent him flying across the room.

As he crashed into the wall and slid to the floor, he noticed that a figure was now floating above the bed of the boy he was trying to weaken. He saw to his surprise a very enraged Danny Phantom.

"Not this time, Rem," the boy said as he launched towards his enemy and grabbed him by his cloak. "You definitely messed with the wrong ghost". Danny's free hand curled into a fist and prepared to strike his opponent, but Remy managed to get out of his captor's grasp. He then flew and phased through the roof, followed shortly by the ghost boy.

Both specters floated in front of each other once they were outside, waiting for the other to move. The Dream Eater stared with his glowing ruby eyes into Danny's green ones, studying the hero carefully. The fiend smirked but didn't say a word. He was as silent as the night before.

"What, you don't want to talk? That's strange. You seemed quite chatty when you were controlling my dreams last night," Danny said, taunting Remy. But no word came from his enemy.

Instead of replying, the cloaked figure prepared a red ball of energy in his hands and quickly released it towards the white-haired teenager, surprising the hybrid by the sudden attack.

Danny didn't dodge in time so he crashed into the Emergency Op-Center, giving Remy the opportunity to shoot another beam that, luckily for the ghost boy, went astray and only shattered a window.

"Jeez, if you were that eager to skip the witty banter and jump straight to the part where you get your butt kicked, at least you could've asked nicely," Danny exclaimed as he flew up in the sky, trying to counter Remy's attacks with his own beams and shields. It wasn't easy for the teenaged hero. After all, the Dream Eater was powerful enough before he even absorbed the boy's energy.

Another red blast almost hit Danny, but he managed to avoid it by momentarily splitting himself in half. Unfortunately, by doing so, he wasted a precious second trying to become whole again, which gave Remy the chance he needed to approach him and try his sleep-inducing attack once more.

This time, the Dream Eater held Danny's head tightly with his glowing hands. "Aghhhhhhhhhh!" the Phantom kid yelled in pain as he felt something close to a lightning attempting to fry his brain.

However, even if the attack was powerful enough to hurt the ghost boy, Remy had to release his victim and back off when he realized something apparently impossible: he really couldn't get into Danny Phantom's mind.

He had done it before. He knew he just had to find a path through the kid's human half to get to the core of the phantom's ectoplasm to absorb its energy. But the path was blocked. In fact, it wasn't even there at all. His humanity was simply gone.

Holding a hand against his head, Danny shook away the feeling left by Remy's spell. He then turned to face the now confused foe with a triumphant smile. "Sorry, but my human half is off limits," he said, recovering from the pain that throbbed in his skull.

Phantom knew that his enemy wanted to ask how it happened. But he also knew that the other was not talkative at all. That's when he realized why. "You can only communicate through dreams, don't you?" he asked curiously, changing the original subject.

With the same smug smile that sent chills to Danny's spine, Remy clapped at the boy's brilliant discovery. Dream eaters can really be sarcastic at times…

"All right. Enough with this chit chat," Danny said as he flew at great speed to punch Remy in the face. His enemy recovered easily and caught the next blow the hybrid had sent him.

The boy created a shield around him that deflected his opponent's oncoming attack and caused him to be sent flying backwards.

As they continued trading blows, Danny heard a voice coming from the Fenton Phones he was wearing. "Phantom One, this is Tech One. We, uh, have a bit of a problem," Tucker's voice said.

The ghost boy dodged a couple of blasts and tried to keep some distance from Remy to attend the call. "What is it, Tech One?" he asked.

"Clueless One is unconscious and we can't wake him up. I think you took part of his energy when you split," the tech geek responded worriedly.

"What? How could you let him lose consciousness? I only asked the three of you to do a single thing!" the ghost kid yelled at the phone. As Remy flew towards his victim again, he managed to hear the last two sentences, making him more curious about what the boy was hiding.

"Jeez, I guess the tactful side of your personality was left behind in your human half," Tucker replied sardonically.

Danny continued fighting, ignoring Tucker's comments completely. As he was about to hit Remy, the Dream Eater vanished in a screen of smoke, leaving a dumbfounded hero behind. "What? Where did he…"

"What do we do?"

Looking around, the ghost boy couldn't see nor sense his enemy. That wasn't a good sign for the young hybrid and he began to worry. "Tech One, I'm afraid you're going to have to secure the room. Remy's gone. I'm going to the base. Try to bring Fenton back to consciousness before I get there," Phantom said as he began to fly away from FentonWorks.

Notes:

I had to make a decision and here it is:

In my profile, I said the story would end in chapter 16 (called 'Waking Up'). However, chapter 15 was getting too long (longer than it already is), so I decided to split it in two parts. Now, the story will end in ch. 17 (which will still be called 'Waking Up') and the rest of the fight will be in Ch. 16.

So, what do you think? (Laughs nervously)

Oh! Small reference:

"Besides, they say even cyborgs dream of electric sheep". / "It's androids, Tucker. Not cyborgs."

That tidbit refers to the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Phillip K. Dick.

Next update:

Chapter 16: Night Terrors, Part 2 – in which the fight continues. (Coming soon. No specific date this time)