Author's Note: I own nothing.

29 Several Days Later

Dev was going mad. Phantom and her new crew had pulled off several more heists and worse than that there was no news on Dani Fenton. He'd interviewed Tanya Foley, who had spent most of the interview in tears, much like Jazz. But if he had to guess she hadn't been surprised either, much like Sam. But he still hadn't figured out why. They'd found Lancer, trapped in a closet at the school, with no memory of how he'd gotten there. That meant ghosts, which made the missing person's case more difficult. They hadn't even considered ghosts taking her as a possibility. It made a lot of sense though, her parents were the foremost ghost hunters in the area. And it would explain why no one could find her.

A lot of the more skeptical parents were pointing the finger at Circus Gothica, which would be leaving the next day. Freakshow had allowed them full access to the train and they'd found nothing. He'd also invited the police, EMT, fire service, and concerned parent groups to a free show the last night the Circus was in town. The Captain elected to go but Dev volunteered to stay out on patrol, still hoping to find Dani Fenton. When he got the call to head off the train he and several other squad cars raced off to the edge of town where the train had been forcibly stopped.

Sam was determined to save Dani, no matter what. He'd tried sneaking back into Circus Gothica a few times over the last four days but he'd been caught a few times by the few officers working as crowd control. He had to sneak out of the house, the butler was keeping an eye on the door so he snuck out of his window, only to find his grandmother sitting on her mobility scooter on the sidewalk. Sam froze.

"Bubbie I…" He started. She pulled a scrapbook out of the basket on the front of her scooter.

"You know boychik, I had quite the rebellious streak when I was your age." She flipped to a page and turned the book for Sam to see. He frowned. The photo was of Ida in her teens on a Vespa in Italy.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Maybe I'm just old. Or maybe you should sneak away to help your friend while I'm lost in my memories." Sam paused, how much did his grandmother know. He didn't have time to wonder. He stepped over to his grandmother and pulled her into a hug, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. He raced off. He met up with Tanya at the Circus train. They made to sneak aboard the train only to be blasted off it. Freakshow stepped out onto the caboose's balcony, Dani Phantom swooping out next to him.

"Dani!" Freakshow laughed as the train began to move.

"Yes, please, scream. Too bad anyone who might be able to help you is busy enjoying my free show!" He cackled turning and heading back into the train, Dani following him. Sam grabbed Tanya's hand and they raced off to follow the train. They managed to catch hold of the ladder of the train and get up to the roof of the train. They had decided they needed to get their hands on the staff, if they could get that, they could use it to snap Dani out of it. They had been hoping to find it before running into the ghosts. They weren't so lucky. They were surrounded on the top of the train by the ghosts, Dani on one side, the other three of the bank robbing ghosts on the other. Freakshow climbed up to the roof with them laughing as he stood near the giant ghost who was usually disguised as the strong man.

"What are you waiting for minions, get them!" All four ghosts slowly advanced. Sam turned to Dani.

"Come on Dani, it's us, you know us!" He shouted over the wind rushing around them. Dani's head twitched, her eyes flicking from Sam to the orb on Freakshow's staff. Freakshow laughed.

"Don't waste your breath children. She's mine now." Freakshow gloated twirling his staff. Tanya glanced at him, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"You know that might be more intimidating if you held it up just a little higher." She said mockingly but Freakshow took the bait, lifting the staff up just a bit higher, just as the train passed under a metal scaffolding. The staff smacked into the scaffolding and tumbled out of Freakshow's hand. Tanya leaped for it and missed by the tip of her fingers. The woman was in Sam's way and he was hoping the staff would fall, snap in half, break whatever hold Freakshow had on Dani. Instead a white gloved hand caught hold of the red staff.

"Nice catch Dani!" Tanya said only to be blasted back into the strongman. Dani smirked, eyes still bright red. Freakshow laughed.

"Good ghost! Now give me my staff." He clicked his tongue like he was trying to summon a dog.

"You don't have to do what he says Dani! You were fighting him on that high wire! Fight him now!" Freakshow snarled at Sam who was ignoring him in favor of Dani who was clutching the staff in one hand, the other clutching her head as though she was in pain.

"Silence! Obey me ghost! Stop him!" Freakshow called out and the other two ghost advanced on Sam who found himself at the edge of the train. Dani shook her head.

"Shut up! Let me think!"

"You're dead you don't need to think! You need to serve me!" Freakshow screamed at her. Dani shook her head.

"It's the staff or your friends Dani!" Sam regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth as his foot slipped on the edge of the train and suddenly he was in the air, the world slowed as he fell. The train had just passed onto a bridge. He had a ways to go before he would hit the ground. He heard Tanya scream his name, then Dani. He closed his eyes. He was going to die. Then he wasn't falling anymore. He blinked his eyes open and stared at Dani, she was still red eyed but she'd caught him. He glanced down and spotted the staff falling to the ground below. It met the rocks of the gorge crystal ball first. It shattered and so did the red in Dani's eyes. She gasped looking at Sam with tired eyes.

"Hey Sam." She was shaking. "I did some bad stuff huh?" She asked swooping up to the top of the train. Sam wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Nothing you can't fix, though the whole town thinks you got kidnapped by ghosts." Sam said, he too was shaking, but more with relief than the exhaustion he could practically feel rolling off Dani. She had spent the last five days as Phantom, and since Freakshow likely didn't know about Halfas she hadn't rested, eaten or slept in that whole time. Either preforming in the Circus or stealing for Freakshow. Tanya cried out with joy as Dani landed on the train with Sam.

"You're ok! Can you maybe make Tiny here let me go?" But before Dani could speak the red in the other ghosts eyes vanished as well leaving them green. They all blinked looking around.

"Where are we?"

"Are we free? Finally free?" Dani set Sam down.

"One way to find out." She said an edge to her words as she whirled on Freakshow. The other ghosts turned on him too, all four of them leaping on him dragging him through the roof of the train which was starting to slow down. They trapped him in the train car full of stolen goods. Dani grabbed hold of the woman ghost before they could take off.

"I need a favor."

"You freed us, anything."

"I need you to tie me up and put me in a closet."

The ghost stared at her. "Why?"

"No time for questions. Please." She shrugged and took hold of Dani's hand dragging her into a different compartment. Dani couldn't hold the transformation anymore. The ghost paused blinking as Dani swayed. She hadn't eaten, slept or in any way taken care of herself in what felt like a week, she wasn't exactly sure how long. She must have passed out because the next thing she knew she was in a closet, tied at the wrist and ankles a gag in her mouth. Silently she thanked the ghost, she needed her parents to not connect any dots between her and the ghost girl. Sirens were sounding outside. Dani felt like crying she wasn't sure if it was stress, relief, or sheer bloody exhaustion. All she knew was that this muddled mess of a week was over.