Sam looked down at her ectoplasm binds that held her. "Oh god we're still going to die" Tucker cried beside her. "I'm too young."

Sam could hear the alarm still buzzing as she looked back down the line of people she had come to think of as family. Tucker was getting hysterical; Jazz was upset that she failed to stop Dan, Jack and Maddie still in shock that their son was Danny Phantom and never told them. Her gaze finally landed on Dan, the thing she new Danny could never be aloud to become. She had to stop Dan, even if it meant risking her secret and herself in the process. She still didn't know the full power of the 'accursed' she had never been badly hurt, but she knew if she did get seriously hurt the pendant would most likely claim her life like those before her. But Dan had to be stopped, she was still fast then him, even ten years older; she just had to catch him off guard to give her an advantage.

She looked back towards Tucker and sighed sadly. "Tucker…" Sam said softly. Tucker turned to look at her, as he looked into her eyes she looked away. "I'm sorry Tuck."

"Sorry, for what?" Tucker questioned.

"Just… Please, if you see Danny again, tell him I'm sorry and that…" Sam started sorrowfully. She looked back at Tucker, allowing a tear to escape her eyes "Tell him I love him."

"Sam?" Tucker looked at her questionably wanting a response, but she just looked past Tucker and set her sights on Dan.

"It's only a matter of time now." Dan growled happily.

She took a deep breath it was now or never. "Till what? You admit you're scared." Sam spoke sharply at Dan. He abruptly turned and faced her. Her goal now was to provoke him.

"What are you doing?" Tucker franticly asked her. Tucker couldn't understand why she had told him that, or why she would enrage Dan, was she going nuts.

Sam smiled freely knowing her plan was working. "Why else would you have to hold us here. You've been pacing the whole time. Your scared that your not going have a future, that you'll be defeated." Sam again spoke defiantly. She now had everyone looking at her like she was crazy.

"And what do I have to fear?" Dan asked stopping at Sam's feet. "You think your little hero Danny will come and save the day. I think not."

"I wasn't talking about him." Sam snickered.

Dan grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pulling her out of her bounds and raised her a few feet off the ground. "What!" he yelled into her face.

"I was talking about me." She said coolly. Dan looked at her dumfounded as she smiled. Suddenly a light consumed her body and she transformed into her dragon self. Dan stood shocked as he was now face to face with something a lot stronger than an 18 year old girl. Sam let out a low growl then let out a loud roar, which acted like a shockwave, knocking Dan away. As she allowed her self to fall as she opened her axe like tail and cut away the ectoplasm binds that held everyone.

Tucker stared at her in shock as everyone began to run away. "Keep moving Tucker!" Jazz yelled as she pulled him with her. Dan regained himself and fired an ecto-blast at fleeing group. Sam jumped between them, knocking the blast away with her iron like tail. Dan roared with rage and charged towards Sam. She lowered her head to counter his attack and charged towards him as well. As they crashed together, Sam managed to get her head under Dan and began fly, pushing him up towards the sky, out of sight of the others.

"Tucker! What the hell is that?" Jazz screamed as they caught up with her parents.

"I don't know." Tucker yelled trying to make sense of what just happened.

"Where's the real Danny?" Jack shouted.

"How do we find him?" Maddie cried.

"I don't know, I don't know!" Tucker yelled.

A loud bellow came from the sky grabbing their attention. They couldn't see what was going on, but they knew a battle was occurring. Red smoke began to fill the sky. They could see a few flashes of fire, an ecto-blast hear a there and cries of pain from both combatants. Suddenly another flash of light came from the sky; a vortex opened spitting Danny back to his time.

Danny locked eyes with Tucker, as he flew towards the frightened group.

"Where's Sam?" was the first thing out of Danny's mouth. Tucker just look at him in disbelief, but managed to point a finger up. Danny looked up seeing evidence of an aerial battle.

Just as he was about to take off toward them, more sirens began to go off as the temperature began to rise even more in the container of explosive liquid. "Wait! The bomb!" Tucker yelled towards Danny. He looked back from the battle towards the container that was about to burst.

"How do we stop it?" Danny asked as he landed back next to Tucker.

Tucker thought for a minute then look towards the screaming heat indicator alarm. "We've got to move it away from the heaters." Tucker called to Danny. He quickly flew to the top of the container and began to push as hard as he could to try and lift it away from the heat.

"Hang on there Danny help is on the way." Jack called from the Fenton RV.

Maddie ran out and attached a tether cable around the tub. "Ok Jack, your set." Maddie called back to him. He kicked the RV into reverse and began to help Danny pull the container away from the heat.

"Just a little bit more." Tucker called from the other side of the container. Slowly the alarm stopped yelling and the container began to settle.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Dan roared in rage as Sam evaded another one of his attacks. "Who would have thought that you would be holding this power." Dan spoke as there fighting continued. Sam could only growl in response. "You should be dead." He continued as he fired an ecto-blast as she counted with a fire blast. "Don't worry I'll fix that." He laughed as again they charged each other. "Then once I kill you I'll take that pendant and 'curse' anyone who cross me. I'll start with my younger self, now that I exist outside the time line I no longer need to keep him alive. Imaging three weeks the longest anyone had survived after being executed, I make that seen humane after I'm done with him."

Sam had heard enough. She new what should have happened to her once the pendant was 'cursed' to her. No one deserved that fate, especially Danny, although she hadn't died from it; she could imagination the suffering Dan would bring to the wearer. She wouldn't let Dan win; she jumped away and took off higher in the sky hopping Dan would follow into her trap. As she had planed, Dan followed and as soon as they got good altitude she abruptly made a U turn and began dive towards him. Catching him off guard she grab him and held him tightly pulling him with her into a free fall towards the earth. She pulled her wings close to her body so they would gather more speed as they fell. Wanting to keep him from escaping she through a fireball that engulfed them as they plummeted towards the ground. This was hurting them both, but hopefully she would be the stronger of the two.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Quick thinking there Tuck." Danny thanked, landing next to him.

"You guys know that you could have just turned off the heaters." Jazz added holding the plug for the heaters.

Danny and Tucker looked at each other embarrassed. But with one time to admit their foolishness, he looked back to the sky, "Now to help Sam."

"Danny wait!" Tucker called grabbing him to stop him. "Dude, she transformed into a dragon." Tucker said, still confused about the whole situation.

Danny nodded softly. "I know."

Tucker felt like he was on another planet. "You knew?" He yelled as he watched Danny take fight towards the battle.

Just a he got airborne he saw something flickering in the distance falling quickly towards him. "A fireball…" Danny muttered realizing what was falling towards him, and his family below. "Watch out!" Danny shouted as he flew back towards everyone. Danny created a force field around them just as the fireball blew past him, slamming in to the ground a few yards from the group.

"What was that?" Tucker called as the dust began to settle. Everyone looked towards the impact site surprised at what they saw. On one end Dan struggled to rise to his feet. Dust coved his whole body; he had burn marks that coved his chest and arms. Green ectoplasm spewed from various lashes on his body. Low growling could be heard from the other end of the stand off. Sam stood on the opposing end. She was coved with dust and was breathing heavily. She had blood oozing from numerous cuts that ran the length of her body. Both opponents looked exhausted but neither looked like they were going to back down.

Danny took off ready to help Sam. "I'm coming Sam." Danny shouted as he began to charge towards the fight.

Dan saw Danny coming towards them out of the corner of his eye. "Oh no." He growled. "This is just between us now." He said putting his hand in the air, shooting a force field around him and Sam. Danny hit the force field and found he could not break through. Tucker and Jazz joined him at the edge of the force field trying to find any way they could help. Danny stood helpless looking into Sam's eyes. She was not looking at him, but at her destine opponent. "Time to finish this." Dan snarled as he took off towards Sam. She charged releasing a fireball as she flew toward him. Dan jumped over the firewall that was heading towards him and landed on Sam's back. She stopped and instinctively flipped so she could slam him to the ground with her back. Dan looked back seeing the ground coming towards him. He went intangible and Sam took the full force of the attack. Dan came up from the ground, firing ecto-blast towards Sam. She opened her tail and threw it though the barrage of blast and managed to stick Dan, knocking a distance away.

Danny heard low growling and looked to Sam seeing her breathing heavily as she watched Dan fall. He knew she was hurt badly; he couldn't stand being on the sidelines watching her take what should have been his beating. "I'm sorry Sammy…" Danny muttered softly looking towards her. Sam heard Danny, and for the first time, she looked away from the battle and towards him. Their eye's locked, each were on the verge of tears.

Dan rose from his fall and saw that Sam was distracted. "Now to end this." He growled quietly. He flew up into the air and formed a purple ecto-blast in his hand, but instead of throwing it, he held on to it, allowing it to consume his hand, making it stronger. He then flew towards Sam, gaining as much speed as he could before he would strike her.

Danny still had his eyes locked with Sam, but something behind her attracted his attention. He saw Dan smiling menacingly as he dive-bombed towards her. "Sam behind you!" Danny shouted.

Just as Sam turned to see what was coming towards her, Dan released his attack. Sam roared in pain as Dan sent the energy beam through Sam's body. Danny watched in horror as Sam's body shook as the energy beam exited through her stomach. Dan then grabbed Sam's no longer fighting body by her neck and pulled in into the sky. As they rose, Dan charged another attack. He held her up by her neck and released the second attack into her chest, exiting behind her wings. He then released Sam's lifeless body allowing her fall. As she slammed into the ground she let out one last low growl as the dust settled. Dan lifted the force field and smiled as Sam's body changed back to a slaughtered human body. He then saw Danny running towards her. "Time to finish this." He growled setting his sights on his younger self.

Just as Danny was about to reach Sam, Dan picked him up by the scruff of his collar and flung him into the air. As Danny began to regain himself, Dan began to fire a round of ecto-blast in his direction. "Tucker, Jazz!" Danny called down to them as he dodged Dan's attacks. "Get Sam!" he yelled right before Dan fired another round of attacks.

Jazz, being the closer, ran towards Sam's prone body. She fell to her knees as she looked over her beaten body. Her face was etched in pain, and her breathing was shallow and irregular. Two holes in her shirt spilled blood from where Dan had struck her. Jazz's eyes clouded with tears as she found herself unable to move her. A stray ecto-blast flew by her head, making her look back to her brother, still in battle with Dan.

Danny and Dan were lock in an ecto-blast barrage that neither seemed to be winning. Danny was full of rage from what Dan had done to Sam; he was not going to lose this fight. Dan on the other hand, had taken a good share of abuse from Sam and his strength was diminishing.

"I don't get it. The time line has changed, how can Dan still be here?" Tucker asked to no one in particular.

"Good question." Clockworks voice rose from behind Tucker. He looked back to see the young Clockwork floating behind him. "Behind them." Clockwork pointed to a dark cloud forming behind the two combatants. "A time vortex is opening. The time line will not allow two of them to stay. That vortex will pull one, or both into it. Which ever falls victim to it first and Dan knows this." Clockwork explained.

"So it just won't take Dan?" Tucked asked.

"Dan now lives out side the time line, so he could live in this time, even thought he shouldn't." Clockwork explained.

Dan looked behind him seeing the vortex intensify. He was beginning to fell the pull from it. "Time for you to go." He yelled charging towards Danny. Catching Danny off guard her harshly grabbed him then lifted him to toss him into the portal.

"I will not lose" Danny yelled struggling a hand free. He grabbed Dan's arm, holding it tightly.

Dan desperately fought to break Danny's grip, but to no avail. "Fine! Then we both go." Dan snarled grabbing Danny's free arm harshly, making sure he didn't free himself at the last second.

Sam eyes glazed open. She saw Jazz at her side, but Jazz wasn't looking at her. She was looking in the sky towards her brother, still in battle. Sam had heard Clockwork's words and saw that Dan was now determined to take Danny with him. She would not all Danny to lose. Jazz's attention was brought back to Sam when she heard her moan. Sam rolled onto her hands and knees as her body began to glow. She jumped into the air as she finished transforming into her dragon side. Sam was weak and beaten but she refused to let Danny fall to the same fate as Dan.

"You lost!" Dan yelled at Danny as he tried to free himself from Dan's grasp. "Your family watched your fail. And Sam…" he laughed. "I really enjoyed ripping her apart. And you didn't do any thing to stop me. Your useless." Every second they struggled, the vortex intensified and they were approaching the whirlpool.

Sudden a bellow originated from below the two. Both simultaneously looked down to see where it had come from. "No way." Dan's voice growled in disbelief. Sam flew at full force at them, flying right through them to separate them, knocking them a few feet away from each other. "You couldn't just stay down!" Dan yelled charging an ecto-blast.

"Sam! Get away!" Danny pleaded flying back up towards her. Sam looked back at Danny, then closed her eyes regretfully and let out a soft snarl. She then opened her eyes as Danny closed in and as gently as she could, she swung her closed tail, hitting Danny, knocking him back towards earth, away from the intensifying vortex.

As Danny fell he watched as Dan fired a round of ecto-blast at Sam as she charged him. She didn't stop, even with Dan landing almost every shot she kept speeding up until she slammed her head into Dan, and pushed him towards the vortex. As the cloud engulfed them both, a blinding light flashed though the sky, making it unable to see what was happening. As the light began to fade, Sam's beaten body dropped out of the sky. "No…" Danny whimpered as he regained his balance and watched her fall. As she fell her body transformed back into her crushed human self. "No. No. No!" He cried as he took off towards her. Danny caught her before her body made contact with the hard ground again. "Oh, no, Sam." Danny cried looking over her as he slowly lowered himself to the ground.

"Danny…" Sam's body faintly moaned in response. She was unable to move any part of her beaten body.

As Danny landed he could feel her body go limp. "It's ok Sammy, I got you." Danny whispered softly cradling her close.

Tucker and Jazz immediately ran over towards them. Tucker winced as he got his first look at Sam's injuries. Her body was mostly covered in blood and it was imposable to tell where one wound started and another one ended. Even thought she was unconscious her face still looked like she was in intense pain.

Everyone remained speechless as Jack and Maddie pulled up next to them in the RV. "We've got to get her to the hospital." Maddie said softly opening the door for Danny. Maddie moved in front of him and opened one of the cots, laying it on the floor of the vehicle for her. Danny gently laid her onto the soft pad and changed back to Danny Fenton, kneeling down next to her as his father began to drive towards the hospital.

Maddie placed a reassuring hand on her son's shoulder causing him to look up at her. "She didn't deserve this." Danny muttered looking away from his mom's gaze and back at Sam.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Danny paced the floors of the hospital waiting room. When they arrived the hospital staff couldn't believe that Sam was still alive. They had told the hospital that a vicious ghost attacked her, which was technically true. It had been four hours since they admitted Sam, and they still had no information about her condition. Maddie looked up from her seat next to Jack and sighed at her son. "Danny why don't you sit down." Maddie said patting the seat next to her. Danny shrugged his shoulder letting out a deep breath and sat down next to him mom. "Beating yourself up over this isn't going to help Sam." She said softly hoping to settle him down.

Danny sighed setting his head in his hands. "I know, it's just… this shouldn't have happened. That was my battle, that should be me in there, not her." He whispered to his mom.

Maddie's stomach began to knot imaging her son in the same situation as Sam. Neither deserved to be hurt, but the fact that it could have been her son instead of Sam made her a little more troubled. Suddenly the doors of the waiting room opened, Danny jumped to his feet, but when he saw whom it was his stomach dropped.

Sam's parents walked in storming towards Danny. "What did you to our daughter?" Mrs. Manson cried in an accusing tone. Tears streamed down her face, but she still held her anger towards Danny.

Instinctively Danny's parents stood between Danny and the Manson's. "Danny had nothing to do with it." Jack stated strongly.

"But she was with that delinquent when she was hurt." Mrs. Manson argued as Mr. Manson wrapped a comforting arm around his wife. "Why didn't you help her? Why didn't you stop that ghost? You're a family of ghost hunters, why didn't you help her." She cried burying her head into her husband's chest. "He just watched as that ghost attacked her," she added.

"Now that's just not true!" Jack defended getting angry at there accusations.

"Danny has never done anything to hurt your daughter." Maddie jumped in. "And if we could have help her we would have." She added.

Danny began to slump his head down as their parents continued to argue. Was it really his fault? What more could he have done other than watch? He felt Tucker's had on his shoulder. "This is not your fault." He whispered to his morally distressed friend. But Danny didn't even acknowledge him. But he did react to what Mrs. Manson said next.

"Just look at him, he doesn't have a scratch on him, did he even try to help her? You probably sent that ghost to kill her," she shouted towards Jack.

"Kill." Danny whimpered. Then he lifted his head up and stepped between the two fighting pair. "What do you mean? Is she?" Danny whimpered looking towards the Manson for an answer.

Mrs. Manson began to cry even harder and hid her head in her husband's chest. "Well she's not yet, but the doctor say it's only a matter of time." Mr. Manson answered sorrowfully. "Her body has given up on it's self, the machines are the only thing keeping her alive now."

Danny's was left speechless, he's body began to shake as tears began to run freely down his already tear stained face. Tucker came up behind Danny, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Can we see her?" He asked for Danny.

The Manson's looked at each other for a second. "No." Mr. Manson answered quickly.

"What do you mean no?" Maddie cut it.

Mr. Manson's face hardened at her determination. "I mean no. Were making this a family only viewing." He answered harshly.

Now even Jazz was arguing at the Manson's stubbornness. "She was there best friends since the second grade. Their just as much a part of her family as you." Jazz argued standing behind Danny, placing a hand on his free shoulder.

"This is not negotiable. We're here because of you, we've lost her because of you." Mr. Manson spoke and, for the first time he allowed a tear to fall. "You've taken her away from us, we do not want to deal with you anymore. This conversation is over." He said turning away from stunned group leading his wife out of the room.

Everyone let out a sad sigh as they watched them leave. Jazz felt Danny begin to tremble under her hand. "Danny…" she said softly turning her brother to face her. Tears streamed down his face, soaking his shirt. "Oh Danny." She whispered softly pulling him into her embrace.

Jack looked back to Maddie and sighed. "Let's get out of here." He said softly.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The ride home was a silent one; no one quite knew what to say. Once home Danny made his way up to his room with out saying a word. "I should go talk to him." Tucker said softly gazing up the stairwell.

Jazz and Maddie nodded in agreement. "We're going make a quick dinner. Would you like to stay?" Maddie asked.

"No, I don't have much of an appetite." Tucker sighed softly began to walk up the stairs towards Danny's room. As he neared his room he could hear soft sobs coming through his closed door. "Hey Danny." Tucker spoke as he opened the door. Danny was lying across his bed with his head hidden under his pillow, sobbing softly. Tucker shut the door behind him and made his way over to his crushed friend. "Danny there was nothing you could have done." Tucker said softly placing a warm hand over Danny's back.

Hearing Tucker's words Danny pulled his head out from under his pillow. "It was my fault Tuck." Danny started as Tucker sat on the end of his bed. "If I hadn't thought about cheating on that test and listened to you and Sam… she would still be here. I would have never turned into Dan and I wouldn't have killed her."

"First of all, Dan is not you Danny. You didn't become him, that's why the vortex took him away." Tucker started trying to ease his guilt. "Second, Danny there was nothing you could have done to stop this. You never did cheat on the test, we haven't even taken the test yet."

"Then why is she gone?" Danny cut Tucker off. "I didn't even try to help her." He muttered as more tears began build

"How could you? He put a force field up that no human or ghost could pass though. How could you have helped her?" Tucker countered.

"I could have done something, instead I just watched as he murdered her." Danny eyes began to flow with fresh tears. "She's gone now, because of me." Danny finished buried his head into his already wet pillow. "I didn't even tell her," he muttered into his pillow.

"Tell her what." Tucker asked pilling the pillow away making him look at him.

"That…" Danny started looking away from Tucker. "That I love her." Danny finished pulling the pillow away from Tucker's hands.

"Danny." Tucker started again pulling the pillow away from Danny's grasp. "Trust me, she knew. Right before she started the battle she asked me to tell you something."

Danny looked back towards Tucker questionably. "What?" he asked.

"She wanted me to tell you that she was sorry, and that, she loved you." Tucker finished. "Look Danny I've got to go. Your mom is making dinner, you should get down there and eat something." He said getting up. "Call me if you need anything." He added softly. "I'll be back tomorrow morning ok."

Danny let out a ragged sigh. "Alright Tucker, thanks." He said as he reclaimed his pillow and again hid his head under it.

"It will be ok Danny." Tucker said softly as he closed the door behind him. Tucker sighed dejectedly wiping a stray tear away so no one would see as he walked towards the stairwell.

"How is he?" Jazz asked as he made his way down stairs.

"Not good." Tucker said softly. "He's blaming himself for what happened. I would just let him alone tonight. Let him figure things out. I'll be back in the morning." He said as he started to leave.

"Thanks Tuck." Jazz said walking him out. "But, how are you doing?" She said softly once outside.

Jazz watched as his face fell and he let a tear fall. "No as bad as Danny." He said softly. "What really hurts me is that the Manson's wouldn't even let us see her, one last time." He said turning away from Jazz not wanting her to see him as more tears fell. "I've got to go." He chocked as he quickly started his short hike home.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000