A/N: Decided to just chop off the part I'd been working on of this chapter and post it as-is. Stay tuned for 27!

Estrelas

Chapter 26

by Shimegami-chan

Sam waited in a foyer just inside Vlad Plasmius' ghostly abode. It bore similarity to a well-kept study, spacious and opulent while at the same time very homely, and it had a quaint, old-fashioned feel to it. Unlike Jazz's basement, which was just a real-world location accessible via a portal, this room was most definitely part of the Ghost Zone, right down to the Dali-esque properties of the ceiling and door frames, which appeared to perpetually melting. The walls were lined with what seemed to be real, physical books and objects, supported by a shelf that glowed softly with spectral energy. These items, she had noticed, were the only things in the room that she could make contact with, other than the carpeted floor. This ghost that Danny had come to see had obviously been very attached to his material possessions when he was alive, she thought, if he had managed to transport them into the Ghost Zone and devise a way for them to exist in harmony with the very-unearthly room. Most of the items were football paraphernalia, including a number of autographed game souvenirs. Sam wondered idly just who this friend of Danny's was. The only object that wasn't a book or a sports memento was an ancient photograph, yellowed with age, of three people not so much older than Sam herself. Immediately she was drawn to a familiarity in the faces of two of the subjects; the woman's hair was unmistakably the same flaming reddish-orange as Jazz's, and her blue eyes were very like Danny's.

Human Danny's eyes, Sam reminded herself.

The three in the photo were smiling, and Sam guessed from the style of their clothing that it had been taken in the forties or fifties. Perhaps one of the two men in the picture was Vlad.

She replaced the frame on the shelf and drew back, skimming over the titles of books about everything from knitting to paranormal therapy. Vlad was pretty well-read, she guessed, and probably had been a ghost hunter like Danny's parents. Over half the library seemed to be related to ghosts and ghost research; she had even spotted a first-edition copy of Legends of Amity Park on one shelf.

Sam was paging through a periodical on ectoplasmic properties when Danny and a tall, red-eyed ghost with a vampiric appearance re-entered the foyer from a door on the opposite wall of the Ghost Portal. The ghost – undoubtedly the 'Vlad' that Danny had come to speak with – stopped short upon meeting Sam's glance. "Well, Daniel, so this is what it's about, isn't it? You didn't mention there was a young lady involved."

"I told you I brought a friend," Danny said, his tone defensive.

"Of course," Vlad replied knowingly, his eyes seeming to appraise Sam. He didn't look entirely unhappy, though, at what he saw. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, miss…?"

"Manson," she supplied. "Sam Manson."

"And I am Vlad. Doubtless you have heard a thing or two about me from Daniel, likely all of them negative."

"I haven't told her about you at all, but don't push your luck," Danny pointed out, glaring at the other ghost.

Vlad, for his part, looked surprised. "Well then, I shall leave the second impression in your hands, hmm?" He smiled humourlessly. "Well, Miss Manson, it's a pleasure. I do hope things work out for yourself and young Daniel here, it really is about time he started thinking about himself rather than putting everyone else first."

"I thought you said you were trying to be more selfless?" the teenaged ghost said, rolling his eyes.

"Why, I am," Vlad replied, sounding a bit surprised. "That's why I'm talking about your well-being, aren't I?"

"You just don't get it," Danny sighed.

Looking agitated, the vampiric ghost drew himself up as though trying to appear taller, arranging his hands behind his back. "Perhaps I don't. Well, in any case, if your sister will have it, please let her know that I will be by shortly, and I will bring all the materials available to me."

"Will do." Danny nodded and gestured for her to follow. "Come on, we're going back now. Thanks, Vlad."

"Of course," Vlad replied with a slight smile. "My Portal is always open."

"That's a new one," Danny muttered as they exited the foyer and drifted back out into the Ghost Zone.

"What is?" Sam asked curiously.

"Vlad," the ghost boy said, laughing slightly at her puzzled expression. "If you asked me even last week what I thought about that guy, I'd probably have told you he was my arch-enemy. We haven't always gotten along…actually, we haven't ever gotten along."

"What changed?"

"I don't know if I want to talk about it all just yet," he said frankly. "But I'll tell you some. My parents…I found out that my parents died while I was in hiding. My mother, in an accident Vlad caused."

Sam tightened her grip, horror-struck. "Oh, no…"

"He let himself be killed as well, as a result. I think I believe him when he says he didn't mean it. But I guess now it comes down to whether or not I forgive him, and I'm not sure I do," Danny confessed. "But the thing about Vlad is that…he used to be a half-ghost too, like me. And now he's a full ghost, who happens to now have the weight of two people he once cared for on his conscience."

"Were your parents the people in the photograph?" Sam whispered.

"Does he still keep that?" Danny's eyebrows rose. "Mom and Dad went to college with him. The story is pretty complicated…Vlad and my father both had their eyes on my mother, but after their first Ghost Portal went awry, Vlad ended up hospitalized with ecto-acne while Mom and Dad fell in love and got married. Vlad was pretty bitter ever since."

"Understandable…"

"That was how we ended up fighting each other all the time," Danny continued. "Vlad thought that if Dad was out of the picture, he could have a chance with Mom. By the time he started that little crusade, though, I had had my accident with the Ghost Portal and discovered his secret as well. Because of what I am, he kinda saw me as the son he'd never had, and wanted to win me over nearly as much as Mom, though obviously that wasn't going to happen." He sighed airlessly. "Vlad supplied Valerie with ghost hunting equipment, to give him more of an edge, not to mention a way of spying on me…and then I got stronger faster because of how much ghostly energy I'd been hit with. We were at a stalemate. Sometimes we teamed up, sometimes I had to intervene to stop him from actually hurting Dad. And then the whole mess with Youngblood happened, and my parents moved to the other side of the country."

"And Vlad?" Sam asked, mouth dry.

"I don't really know," the ghost boy replied. "I guess he was upset about losing his 'protégé' too. I didn't hear tell of him in Amity once Mom and Dad left, and to tell the truth I didn't even really think about him much until I found out what happened to Mom. Jazz is…Jazz is really angry that I forgave him so fast. Just another sign of how much time heals, I guess; I hardly even remember my parents' faces now. I wonder what they'd think of me?"

"I'm sure they'd be proud of all the things you've done for the city," Sam told him.

"So why doesn't the city love me?" Danny laughed hollowly. "Now, I wish I'd told them that I was the ghost kid. I told myself I was trying to protect them, but really I was just trying to protect myself."

"What's wrong with that?" she asked, her voice so soft it was nearly indiscernible.

"I just think…" Danny sighed again. Sam was glad he had that habit still, though he never seemed to expel any air. "I always think about how things might have turned out differently. If I'd known what the Portal would do to me that first time…or if I'd been honest with my Mom and Dad. What if I'd known you back then, Sam? Would I be the same person I am now?"

"Of course not," she replied, "because people are shaped by their experiences. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't be happy with who you are, though, just because things 'might' have been different. Even if you believe everything happens for a reason, that's fine, but at least know as well that a person can change their own destiny. Always."

"I do."

"Of course you do. You wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case."

"More than you know." Danny laughed. "Look, there's the Portal. I need to ask Jazz a favour, and then I'd like it if we could talk some more, someplace private. Is that all right?"

"Sure." Sam forced back the urge to question him, remembering the agreement they'd made back at the mansion. "If things work out positively, I'll tell you."

What if things didn't work out positively? Sam didn't have time to wonder. They drifted through the portal and set down on the grey concrete of Jazz's basement, leaving the gate conspicuously open behind them. Danny glanced over his shoulder at the door. "I hope nobody else gets in. Vlad said he'd be along as soon as he got a few things together…and to give me time to clear things with Jazz first. She's not exactly very happy with him right now." The ghost detached the Fenton Thermos from the strap over his shoulder and placed in on a table. "I'm not taking any chances by releasing Bertrand and Spectra into the Ghost Zone, in any case."

"Good," Sam said, relieved. She followed him up the stairs to the kitchen, where Jazz was sitting alongside someone unexpected, causing them both to stop in alarm.

"Valerie," Danny choked out, stepping protectively in front of Sam.

"Ghost kid," the Hunter nodded cordially. "Er, I mean, Danny. Sorry, that's tough to get used to."

"Don't worry about it," Danny assured her, his posture relaxing slightly. "I, uh, didn't expect to see you here. I was hoping to talk to Jazz for a bit."

"I was expecting to see you here, and I have something important to tell you," the curly-haired woman said firmly. "Sit."

Sam sat. Danny continued to float with both legs present, about ten centimetres off the floor, behind the Goth teen's chair.

Valerie glared at him. "I said sit down like a normal person, Danny Fenton. Just because I know who you are doesn't mean I'm okay with you acting ghostly around me now."

"Okay." Danny looked slightly nauseous as he solidified and sat in the chair between Sam and Jazz.

The former ghost hunter sighed deeply and steepled her fingers on the table. He face looked worried and fatigued, more so the result of years than of her current mood, Sam thought. Valerie locked eyes with her nemesis and held his gaze. "I'm sorry for what I've put you through."

Danny, who had evidently expected a firing squad, could not prevent his mouth from falling open at this. "Say what?"

"I said I'm sorry." Valerie looked slightly irked at having to repeat herself. "I've been trying to get some perspective all day, okay? Don't think I've forgiven you for keeping this secret from me all this time, not to mention for letting me think you were dead. I'm still mad about that."

Jazz coughed and looked away.

"I spent my whole life hating you, and I won't pretend to be so altruistic that I can forget it in a second. But now that everything's out in the open, Jazz and I have been talking, and I realized that I was one of the reasons you felt you had to run away from Amity Park. I never believed you when you said you were trying to help, even though the evidence was right there in front of me. And I blamed you for all those times your human side got hurt. What was I supposed to think?"

"I don't know," Danny mumbled, misery evident on his face.

"I'm not over it yet, but I'm making it up to you anyway," Valerie said softly.

"What?"

"I'm going to use my influence to set the record straight. Thanks to my book, I'm the paranormal expert around here, and I want to make it safe for you to stay in Amity Park."

A smile spread across Danny's features. "Val…"

"It's not fair that you be hated for existing when you can't change yourself," the ex-Hunter continued. "You've been around as long as I have, and you've never done anything purposely malicious. You're the exception to the theory on ghost degeneration, but we still treat you like you're a danger, and that's not right."

At first Sam didn't bother to correct Valerie on the degeneration detail; the less people who knew how close Danny had come to letting go of himself, the better. But then a very real fear begin to nag at her conscience, a fear that had less to do with destroying Val's newfound ambition to repair Phantom's reputation and more with what would eventually happen to Danny now that he was a full ghost. Were they really back to square one? Sam quashed her reservations, feeling slightly guilty. "But the situation was different, then…"

Danny knew immediately what Sam was getting at, nimbly cutting her off. "And that's why Vlad is coming over soon. I have a theory, and I think between Jazz and Vlad we can make it happen."

Sam fell silent. He did say he needed to talk to me alone. I guess it has something to do with this. She decided it was better to wait until Danny told her straight out what it was he wanted to say.

Jazz's interest had been attracted, though, and she glared at her little brother. "Vlad is coming here? Honestly, Danny! You could have asked me!"

"And you could have said no," Danny replied reasonably. "I need you guys to work together to fix my problem. He's changed, and I know you want someone to blame. I do too, but I'm just going to go on blaming myself."

"Danny…" Jazz frowned.

"Valerie is giving me a second chance, so I guess Vlad deserves one too," the ghost boy argued. "Besides, he's already on his way, and he has the know-how and the materials to make it happen."

Jazz brightened noticeably. "You mean Vlad actually thinks your idea will work?"

"He's sure of it," Danny confirmed. "but he needs real-world help. You just need to supply your brainpower…and a little bit of diet cola."

Vlad, Jazz and Valerie were hard at work on Danny's mysterious project by the time Sam and the ghost boy left the house via air. Val had warned Danny that even though she'd contacted the higher-ups in the Ghost Squad, he still shouldn't allow himself to be seen just yet, so as to avoid a mass panic. That was fine with Sam; the less eyewitnesses to her presence in Amity Park, the better – at least until she had a solid story to give her parents about where and why she'd gone. She was still a minor, at least until her eighteenth birthday next month, and the last thing she needed was to explain Danny's condition to the local police before Valerie made the whole story publicly known.

"So, where are we headed?" she asked as they took to the sky, shivering slightly. Night had fallen during their time in the Ghost Zone, and the streets of Amity Park were beginning to empty of traffic. Sam had to hold back a yawn – she'd been up since a ludicrous hour that morning on fairly little sleep.

The lack of rest didn't seem to affect Danny, which caused her to wonder once again what happened to him during those periods of apparent unconsciousness. Perhaps ghosts instinctively did that to pass the time, or simply to replenish their strength. Though they healed fast, she knew they could be wounded. Maybe, Sam mused, she should ask about that again, now that Danny's memory had returned. It might be one of those things that he'd puzzled out during his early halfa years.

Danny grinned momentarily, then tried to assume a nonchalant face. "Back to FentonWorks."

"Is that a good idea?" Sam wondered aloud.

"If you're worried about your grandmother, we'll go in through the roof. We don't have to stay long; I just need to tell you something important, and I wanted to do it…well, someplace meaningful."

Someplace meaningful. The place where we met. Sam's mind raced. She had thought he wanted to tell her about the concoction Jazz and Vlad were working on; something to do with ghost degeneration. Maybe even a cure that could stop it from affecting him in the future. But why would he want to take her someplace special just to explain that?

Maybe it's something bad. Maybe this cure is going to be for other ghosts, and Danny just wants to break it to me gently that it's time for him to cross over and be with his parents. He probably could, now, now that he was a full ghost. He'd never be able to live normally again.

But the possibility that appealed most to Sam, that was looking ever more likely as he put it off – I need to talk to you alone; I wanted to do it someplace meaningful; if things work out positively – was that Danny wanted to tell her how he really felt about her. He already knew how she felt, so if he felt the same way, why not? A nervous grin crept onto her face. "Okay. The attic's fine."

"Good." They were already three-quarters of the way across town, Danny navigating above the familiar streets by moonlight. Amity Park was a very large town, Sam realized, that she hadn't yet had the opportunity to experience. It seemed the quiet street where she'd spent her summer days was only a fraction of the world Danny lived in. In the night time, when the streetlights were all lit, it seemed so serene that Sam could not imagine such a place being the "paranormal capital" of the world.

She almost didn't recognize her grandmother's house in the dark, so seldom had she ventured outside of it at night. Danny slowed and went intangible, transforming her along with him, just before approaching the octagonal window and easing through the wall to land in the attic.

Sam noticed a split second before their entrance that light was brightly shining through the window, a clear indication that someone else was in the attic. "Danny—"

Too late. Danny became solid for a split second before noticing they were not alone, then abruptly became invisible with his arm still secure around Sam's waist, but it was not quick enough. Ida Manson, seated on the rocking chair in the northwest corner of the attic, had spotted them both. "I thought you might come back."

-to be continued…