Hey all! Sorry to say this, but the reason this update took a little longer was because the nightmare is once again running it's course.

That's right. High school. AUGH.

So this means the updates will be even farther apart. I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I do hope to at the very least update every weekend. Maybe I'll draw more, too.

Oh, that's right! I drew my first 'fanart' for this fic. Weird? Yes. Pathetic? Absolutely. So if you all wanna check it out, here's the link (Without the spaces obviously):

http / www. deviantart. com / deviation / 37713299 /

So now, chapter 9!

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Chapter Nine

Transition

Sam found her apartment locked up, tape stretched across the door, barring entrance. She knew someone had been in there, most likely the FBI after she had gone missing for god knew how long. She really didn't know if time flowed the same in the ghost kingdom as it did on earth. She felt around the steps in the staircase, lifting up a loose board before pulling free a spare key, unlocking the door and pushing past the plastic, shutting it behind her. She breathed out, the silence welcoming and yet unnerving, as if she expected the ghost prince to show up randomly behind her, despite the fact that she knew good and well that he wouldn't.

She took care not to mess with anything, quietly and carefully looking for anything the FBI might have left behind, actually finding a couple cameras and a movement detector, which she carefully bagged up and set on her balcony, where it couldn't do any harm. "Now..." She said to no one in particular, "I should really get back to my life..." She didn't want to think of how hard that was going to be. She quietly sat down on her couch, reaching for her remote before turning on the news.

The moment the TV flickered on, the sound of the channel 5 news seemed to echo throughout the silent apartment. On the screen, a very clean-cut man and woman were relaying the news of last night's catastrophe with a noticeably nervous undertone. "... And no doubt due to Samantha Manson's kidnapping, an escalation of ghost attacks have been bombarding Amity Park since 11:00 last night. Origins of this sudden rise in hostility are still unknown...so for everyone at home, activate all emergency anti-ghost equipment you have available, and be on your toes." He paused a moment, running a hand through his hair and looking down at his papers momentarily. "I'm sure the question on everybody's mind is the same: Will Phantom attack again? Well, according to our news crew, the feared Ghost Prince hasn't been sighted since the kidnapping - but still, everyone be aware that he could still be in the vicinity..."

Sam snorted, pulling her knees up to her chin. "Plasmius must be looking for Danny..." She said to herself, feeling a stab of guilt that she tried to force back and ignore. "Not that is really any of my business anymore..." She muttered, turning the TV off before moving to her kitchen to make herself some breakfast and then take a shower. This all just felt really odd...

A soft knock came from the front door, as a hesitant, familiar voice called. "Sam? Are you here?" There was a pause, then a sigh. "Oh who am I kidding...She wasn't here an hour ago..."

"Tucker?" The Goth girl lifted her voice softly, wrapping her robe about her tightly as she made her way to the door. "Hey Tucker! One sec!" She called, unlocking the door.

Something similar to a shriek replied from the other side of the door, and the moment she got it opened, her techno geek friend almost tackled her to the ground, hugging her tightly. "SAM! Oh my god... I never thought I'd see you again!" He pulled away from her, inspecting her like she could have some pandemic disease. "Are you okay? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"AUGH!" She gasped as she stumbled back, nearly crushed under his weight. "I'm fine Tucker! Really!"

His silence was anything but reassuring, as he continued to give her a pained, worried expression. "We all thought you were dead... the way Phantom was treating you earlier..." He paused again, looking away with a sort of a blush. "I was so worried..."

"But you were taken by the Phantom... Sam, everyone thinks you're dead!" He replied quickly without taking the time to edge out the blunt overtone in his comment. "Your parents were rushed to the hospital... Everyone who was left behind began acting like they were at a morgue..."

She lay her hands carefully on his shoulders, trying to look at him as she was bear hugged, guilt biting at her heart. "I'm sorry... I really didn't have any choice, if I could have came back earlier I would have. Everything has just been crazy..."

"Well, if you thought life in Amity Park was complicated before, you're in for a rude awakening. Have you been watching the news?" He asked softly, blushing ever so slightly as he let her go, not quite aware he had been hugging her this whole time. "Wait a minute..." He blinked a few times, not allowing the poor girl any time to reply as the wheels in his head began to turn. "You escaped, didn't you! That's why all these ghosts are attacking! Phantom's looking for you!"

"Not quite..." She took his hands, leading him over to the couch to sit down, so she could explain to him. " You of course heard of the ghost King, Plasmius right..."

"Yeah...?" He raised an eyebrow, thought he still seemed very nervous - as if he was waiting for Phantom to pop out of nowhere and scare the shit out of him. Which wouldn't be too hard to do at the moment. "They say they've identified some of the ghosts that are around to be his henchmen..." He spoke softly, as the TV in the next room continued to play the same sequence of alarms on the news channel as it has for the past ten hours.

"Its not Phantom who's looking for me. Its him." She said quietly, not really wanting to tell him about what had really happened. Tucker might have a hernia.

"What happened to Phantom then?" He asked, thought the moment he stopped to take a breath, he suddenly looked very wary, like he was waiting for said ghost prince to appear again. "He's... not still here, is he?"

"Not with me." She looked off to the side, the exhaustion showing in her face, rings under her eyes and her hair messy. "Hey, Tucker. I really can't stay here." She changed the subject, lifting her eyes to his almost pleadingly. "No doubt someone'll come here to inspect it. Do you still have room for a sleeping bag?"

He blinked a few times, before nodding slowly. He was still wanting a little more insight as to why his best friend was captured by the ghost prince... and somehow returned in one piece. "Yeah... come on, you can hide out at my place for as long as you like." He motioned for her to get up, and held out a hand to help her. "Man...I never really stopped to notice, but you look horrible." He said bluntly.

"Oh thanks." She said dryly, rubbing at her eyes. "I don't think I've eaten since...god..." She took his hand, using it to pull herself up. She went into her room, throwing things into a suitcase before grabbing her sleeping bag. "I hope you have something meatless at your house. At least one thing."

"Ahh, I'm sure we've got something. C'mon...let's get out of here before someone, or something shows up. It'll be hard enough as it is to make it back to my place without being seen." He said quietly, as he grabbed her bag for her and opened the door. "My god... your parents will flip once they know you're alive..."

She cringed, "How are they..." She worked up enough courage to ask, refusing to look at him. "My parents I mean..."

"They were rushed to a hospital... " He said carefully. "They both have second degree burns all over their bodies, but other than that... they're alright. I can't believe they're alive after what happened... "

She nodded, hugging her sleeping bag under one arm, following him out. "I'll see them when they're feeling better. I...don't want to cause anymore conflict between them, especially after all this." She groaned.

Tucker looked back towards her with a solemn expression as he opened the door for her. "You know..." He said quietly, following her out into the bland hallway of the apartment building, having to dodge caution signs and ropes. "I asked Mr. Lancer what happened during school. He... said he saw your parents running towards their cars, leaving you behind when they saw Phantom." He paused for a moment, biting his lip. "I guess I keep forgetting your parents... treat you like an item. It must have been hard, growing up with them."

She gave him a half smile, lowering her eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without you Tucker." She sighed, stepping over a bit of police tape and out into the street. "My parents...they've got problems. I love them, I really do. But...you know." She slowed down so she could walk side by side with him, watching the street. "At a certain point I just stopped caring about what they thought of me."

"Well," He replied in a softer tone as he slowly reached for her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as they walked out the doors, a blush on his cheeks. "No matter what happens between you and your family... you know I'm always here for you."

"Thanks Tuck." She grinned warmly, squeezing his hand back before she threw her free arm over his shoulder, thinking that maybe...everything might turn out alright after all.

He returned the gesture with a smile and an even darker blush, his hands fiddling nervously with the luggage he was helping her carry. He took a small breath, his ocean blue eyes hesitantly looking over to Sam as he spoke softly. "Y-You know... Sam..." He paused again, biting his lip. "There's something I... wanted to tell you for a while...I...!" And just as luck would have it, his words were cute short by a thunderous boom from behind, as the ground beneath their feet shook ominously.

"Human child, come with me." A deep male voice echoed from behind.

Sam whirled around, pulling her arm free as she looked up at the monster standing before her, nearly twice her height and covered in metal armor. His flaming green eyes and hair betrayed him easily as a ghost, and Sam Cursed, pushing Tucker behind her as she backed up, unsure of what to do. "I'm not going anywhere with you." She said loudly, trying to seem unafraid, tossing her sleeping bag to the side as inconspicuously as she could. She doubted they could out run this guy, but there was no harm in trying.

"S-Sam!" Tucker choked, grabbing her hand as he very blatantly dropped the luggage he was carrying, his knees quaking.

"Oh please, like you have a choice." He said in a cocky tone, as he held out his arm, the metallic contraption integrated into his arm gleaming a bright green. There was hesitance in his actions though, before he lowered his arm back down and stepped forward, is expression clearly stating he wasn't pleased with the fact that he couldn't simply carry back the girl's corpse without having to deal with the obviously strong-willed personality of his 'victim'. 'Damn it Plasmius... why on earth would you want a pathetic human girl alive...' He thought to himself, before he simply reached out and grabbed Sam by the wrist and pulled her away from Tucker with little effort. With his spare hand, he fiddled with another sort of mechanical contraption, not pausing to take his time.

"L-Let me go!" Sam shouted, struggling to twist her wrist free, wincing as she couldn't break free, and did nothing really but hurt herself. "Tucker! Get out of here!"

Tucker shook, half ready to run away but furrowed his eyebrows, taking a shaking step forward, grabbing a stick out of the street and brandished it before him. "Y-Y-You let go of her! Or else!"

Glowing ethereal eyes met his, as his opponent grinned, raising his arm…

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!" A male voice boomed right before the large mechanical ghost could take another step closer to the rather... comical display of a threat before him. Curiously, the ghost pulled Sam back and turned around... only to have his face rudely met with the side of a white and red sneaker. The impact did a greater deal of damage than he expected, as he recoiled to the side, almost completely losing his balance. "Y-You... you're..!" He gasped, unconsciously releasing the girl from his hold as a raven-haired teen stood before him in a firm stance, blue eyes glaring fiercely at the offender.

"Long time no see, Skulker." Danny growled, his hands clenched into tight fists.

Tucker yelped as the young man appeared out of nowhere, dropping his stick as Sam toppled to the ground, scrambling back up to her feet, violet eyes wide at the sight of her savior. "Tucker go!" She shoved her friend into movement, glancing over her shoulder as she stumbled into a run, Tucker in tow. She Hoped he would be ok...

"You...you're human... how?" Skulker stumbled with his words, vaguely aware the girl he was sent to kidnapped was currently fleeing, along with her friend. "This is a trick..."

"Afterlife's a mystery, huh?" He grinned, his blue eyes shifting to a threatening green glow, emerald sparks appearing around his hands as it crackled with power. "I suppose dear old dad sent you? Still following him blindly... you never change."

The larger ghost took a wary step back, not willing to take the chance to figure if the boy before him really was the feared royal prince. He narrowed his eyes, his mind reeling a mile a minute. He couldn't possibly win a fair fight against Phantom... but there was one way he could at least be sure he had a chance. "At least I bear his respect, child... much unlike you." He slowly reached for something on his belt, trying to make sure his actions weren't noticed. "Do you realize how many troops your father sent after you? You won't be able to stop them all, even with your level of power."

"I don't give a damn." Danny glared, his darker personality beginning to peek through as he shot Skulker a rather sadistic grin. "Threaten me all you want. At least I know I can take you out!" He roared and pulled back his fist, bright green flames sparking off in it's wake as he bolted for the ghost that had hurt Sam... his Sam.

"That's where you're wrong, child!" Skulker raised one arm, before shooting out a ethereal emerald light towards Sam and Tucker, just another beam erupted from his other hand, and engulfed Danny mere seconds before he was able to attack. In a bright flash, all four of them disappeared, leaving the street once again peaceful and silent.

Danny felt himself being pulled through a portal, the trip rather quick and painful, unlike the route he was used to when he crossed dimensions from earth to the royal castle. Moments later, he fell face-first into a patch of soft grass, the green flames that once danced across his fingertips now dissapted into the air. With a groan, he slowly pulled himself up, carefully holding his head as he tried to get rid of the pulsing headache he seemed to have. Blue eyes blinked open hesitantly... before he looked up, and saw a black and green sky, swirling emerald clouds adorning the air above. "This is... the ghost zone..." He said quietly. Skulker must have had a portable ghost portal...

"Holy..." Tucker would have fainted if he wasn't so terrified, his eyes wide as he stared up at the green sky, his hand curling in a death grip about Sam's, the street completely gone, replaced by unfamiliar turf. "SAM! Where are we?"

"Sam?" Danny blinked, looking over to see Tucker... with a death grip on his hand. "Uh..." This wasn't good.

Tucker Yelped, yanking his hand free of the strange boy's, eyes wide. "W-What? Who are you! Where is Sam!" He growled, pointing his shaking finger at him. "Where are we? What is going on!" God he was so lost...

Danny sighed, relieved that the boy didn't notice the similarities between him, and the ghost prince he nearly wet himself over not two days ago. "Uh... in order..." He frowned, his brows furrowing as he hoisted himself up on his feet, dusting himself off. "My name is...Danny... I don't know, this is the Ghost Zone, and we were taken here by Skulker, probably to be hunted like animals."

"What! Oh god..." He yanked at either side of his barrette, yanking it down over his ears in frustration. "What did I do to deserve this? I only went into the girls locker room Once!" This year at least. He turned back to the strange boy, his blue eyes horrified. "What is that thing going to do to Sam?"

"Again...I don't know." He closed his eyes, trying to sense how far away Skulker was. If Sam wasn't here, she had to be with him... He could tell by now that Plasmius had to have sent Skulker to kidnap her to get to him. Normally, he'd be able to kick Skulker's ass into next week, but now that they were in his territory, the mechanical ghost had the upper hand. "She has to be with Skulker right now, and if I know him like I think I do... he'd be at the control base." He motioned towards the large skull mountain at the center of the floating island they stood on. "He'd be able to control all the weapons from there... but after pulling that little stunt that pulled us into the ghost zone, he probably has to power himself back up for a while."

He looked up at the skull, swallowing before taking a determined step forward. "We…We have to go save her. And get the heck out of here." He ordered. "I don't know if you know Sam, but she'll probably get her self killed with that mouth of hers..."

"Oh, I know that..." He grimaced, remembering all too well the times he nearly killed her himself for screaming at him or the like. God he hopes he doesn't loose his temper that easy ever again... "Let's go then. The closer we get, the better - or Skulker will release his entire arsenal of weapons at us." He took a few steps ahead of Tucker, motioning for him to follow.

He nodded, following after the dark haired boy, watching him as they walked through the strange forest. "How do you know Sam?" He finally asked. He really didn't know Sam to have many friends other then himself, let alone someone who was quite a bit older then them.

"Uh..." Danny paused a moment, his conscience weighing down on him as he replied. "We met under some... rather different circumstances a few days ago..." He scratched the back of his neck as he gave Tucker a small nervous smile. "I haven't known her for very long, but... I really want to help her. I... wasn't the nicest guy to her for a while..."

He was quiet for a moment, struggling over a large log before hitting the ground, running slightly to catch up. "So..." He tried to sound nonchalant. "What do you think of her?" He was curious, or paranoid, either explanation would do. For Sam not to tell him about This 'Danny' Character, presented something odd.

"Well..." The raven-haired boy paused for a moment, oblivious to the fact that Tucker wasn't easily keeping up with his pace. "She's... a real enigma. Really brave, and doesn't let others belittle her easily. But... she's also really kind once you get to know her." He smiled softly, getting lost in his own thoughts. "She's an incredible person."

"So you like her." He couldn't help but feel jealous, watching Danny as he rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. God, it felt like they had barely gotten any closer to the skull building.

Danny fell silent for a while, before looking back and stopping as his companion caught his breath. "Yeah... I guess I do." He admitted softly. "But... there's no way in Hell she'll ever feel the same way about me. She hates my guts."

"That sucks dude." Tucker forced out, swallowing his exhaustion before stretching his legs, feeling a bit better. "Sam has particular tastes, she doesn't go to anyone else's beat. She's special." Tucker flushed, just speaking in such a way. "I've known her since we were in preschool."

Danny just smiled, jealous that he and Sam have such a friendship together. "I wish I could have gotten to know her like you did. You're really lucky." He let out a short laugh, leaning against a tree as he waved at him. "But you scare way too easily..."

"How do you know?" Tucker snapped, glaring at him. "I'd say heading to go save my best friend from a psychotic ghost isn't scaring real easy--AUGH!" He stepped right into a spider web, flailing about to get the stuff off his face.

Danny clenched one hand against his stomach, the other over his mouth as he tried oh so hard not to laugh, but was failing horribly. "So is it just coincidence that you have arachnophobia?" He joked, his voice quivering as he continued to try his best not to laugh...too much.

"I wasn't expecting it!" He shouted, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "Everyone's afraid of something, I mean, I just have a few more fears then other people."

"Not what it looked like when I first met you..." He muttered, still grinning to himself as he turned back around, walking off again, figuring Tucker had enough rest by now to continue onward.

"Dude, we Just met." Tucker pointed out, following after the boy, the way he was grinning bringing something to mind. It was almost familiar. "What are you talking about?"

"Uh..." The raven-haired teen paled a bit, but didn't turn around to face him. "D-Don't mind me... I just say random things sometimes..." Oh, real smooth. That didn't sound suspicious.

"Uh huh." He arched an eyebrow, walking next to the strange man. There was definitely something off about him. And he couldn't put his finger on it.

"...What's with that look?" He asked nervously, before blinking and grabbing the boy by the wrist and pulling him closer to him in an odd manner. "Careful there... almost tripped over a booby trap." He motioned towards a thin metal wire that was attached to a small stake and the side of a tree. "Gotta watch out for those things around here... Skulker doesn't like to play fair."

"How do you know these things!" Tucker yelped, the trip wire bringing up memories of war movies and what body parts went flying when soldiers ran through those things. He was beginning to loose his very barely controlled cool. "What is up with you?"

"Uh..." Danny blinked, trying to look as innocent as he could - which only proved to make him look even more suspicious. "I don't know what you're talking about..." He laughed nervously. "I just...uh..." Oh crap. He never was good at making excuses... he was always so blunt with his emotions up until last night...

"Are you part of this?" He pulled away from him, "How did you just show up like that?" He started to dig into their meeting, "And nearly knock that monster over? How am I supposed to trust you?"

"Um..." He began to look a little pale, feeling himself being backed into a corner. "Honestly... I can't tell you an answer to that. But I really do care about Sam...I really do want to help her. I... kind of got her into this mess...so I need to get her out of it."

"Well you know what? I care about Sam too, probably a lot more then you do." He blurted out, his ears burning as he did. "And I don't trust you."

"Yeah... you never did." His voice fell, as if he was accepting defeat. Damn it why couldn't he be blessed with any social skills... "Of course I didn't exactly give you a good first impression..."

"Who the Hell are you?" Tucker asked slowly, though the familiarities were starting to dawn on him, and what he was guessing, terrified him.

"W-Well..." He smiled nervously, scratching his cheek idly. "I believe the first thing I ever said to you was 'boo'... and then you tripped over a pail." He gave him a small laugh.

Tucker froze.

Holy.

Shit.

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Ahh, another cliffhanger. I really am evil, aren't I? I'm sure all of you have the right idea about poor Tucker's reaction.

And the plot thickens! Tuck has such a blatant crush on Sam… she's oblivious, Danny's discouraged by it, and Tucker won't let it go. Ahh….. weird shaped teen love things.

See you all next chapter!

With much love

Zoey