Vixey struggled as hard as she could against the unmoving door of her prison. Her fists throbbed from the pain of the constant collision she was forcing them through. But she had to get out. Her ears pricked at the sound of Desiree's fright over the idea of her bottle being broken. She had an idea, but it was useless if she was stuck inside. The thought of Desiree living permanently inside her body made her skin crawl, and the knowledge that Danny, Sam and Tucker were going to be hurt because of her was enough to make her vomit. This couldn't happen. She wouldn't let it.
Her eye caught the metal vent above her that attached to the tubes, leading to Desiree and Danny's containment units. Her eyes brightened. She clawed at the window, trying to attract Danny's attention. His neon green eyes locked on her violets and eyed her questioningly. She knew that he could hear her. So instead, she pointed upwards. Mouthing at him to look at the vent. He looked and slowly understood. She nodded, and traced her finger along the glass, indicating the tubes. As soon as she thought that he got the idea, she jumped up and hooked her fingers inside the vent, hoisting herself up.
Danny watched and finally clicked. He hovered up just as Desiree was closing herself inside her own containment unit. He guided himself into the open vent and pushing himself along the tubes that travelled along the ceiling. He saw a pair of eyes just ahead of him where Vixey was scooting along towards him. They grinned as Danny grabbed her arm, triggering the re-ability to faze his, and her, body through the metal tubes and reappear on the floor on the unusually sterile room. Desiree snarled in anger as she burst through the containment door and lunged at Danny.
"Danny look out!" Sam cried.
Danny just managed to duck as the genie shot as him, fingers hooked into claws ready to maul at him. He turned on his heel and summoned a ball of glowing plasma, ready to aim it at her. She avoided the attack and lunged again. He fired a series of glowing energy towards her. Her agile body snaking in the air to doge each one. However, by avoiding them, they were free to ricochet off of the ghost proof walls and collide with the containment units. There was an almighty explosion as the wires inside fried from the contact. Smoke poured into the air as the technology groaned and malfunctioned. Desiree's eyes glowed in rage. She cried out in anger and aimed her hands at Danny's throat. Danny was pinned to the wall, the furious spectre clenching her hands around his neck.
"You're going to pay for this, boy, I promise you that!" she spat, her long hair flowing like static around her from rage.
Vixey, avoiding the chaos around her, rushed to Sam and Tucker, using all of her strength to prise them out of the wall where they had been frozen. They dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. She didn't wait to help them to their feet, she had something to do.
Tucker struggled to his feet and threw himself at the genie, knocking her to the side. He anxiously swatted at her arms as they tried to grab at him while Sam pulled Danny to his feet. She cupped his face, lifting it upwards trying to get him to focus. The air poured down his throat as he shook himself and regained his alert stature. Tucker came flying through the air, throwing him and Sam to the ground. Danny braced himself, ready for another scrap with Desiree.
"HEY!"
Desiree paused at the sudden exclamation. She glared at the owner and felt her pupils dilate in fear. Vixey stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed challengingly and a gleaming object in her hand. It was a bottle, a glittering bottle that was recognisable from any perspective.
"Such a disobedient little pet you are…" Desiree breathed, "Hand that to me, now!"
"I'm done doing what you say! You don't own me anymore! Now let them go, or I'll smash it!" Vixey cried.
Desiree tried to assume a passive attitude, but she wasn't fooling anyone, there was no hiding the panic in her eyes, "Pfft, what makes you think that smashing it will do anything to me?"
"Are you willing to test it?" Tucker asked, triumphantly raising an eyebrow.
Vixey threateningly raised the bottle above her head, preparing to through it down on the tiled floor at any given moment. She wanted to see it shatter, to see it break apart before her, but she had to give her captor a chance…
"NO!" Desiree gasped, making them smirk with satisfaction, "Okay Vixey, you want your freedom? Then by all means, try and take it!"
The red head gasped at the pendant around her neck instantly tightened. Her fingers clawed at the chain uselessly. She collapsed to her knees, the bottle rolling from her hand and gently to the floor, rattling along the tiles. Desiree lifted Danny into the air and forced him backwards into the wall, cracking the white surface behind his head and back. She did the same with Tucker, letting him fall to the floor as his consciousness wavered. She turned to do the same to Sam, but let out a snarl as she saw the gothic girl standing strongly on the other side of the room, bottle in hand.
"One last chance Desiree, what's it gonna be?" she asked, clenching her jaw determinedly.
The genie looked longingly at her bottle, then at poisonous hatred at the girl. She spared a moment to glare at her servant, laying pitifully on the ground struggling for air. The chain around her neck cutting deeply into her skin. She was putting up more of a fight this time, normally she would have given in and transformed by now…
Desiree sighed, secretively putting a hand behind her back, summoning a large, pulsating ball of plasma that burned in her very control. She readied herself at the unsuspecting dark haired obstacle in her way.
"Well, it seems there is only one option, isn't there?" she threw her arm forward, releasing the deadly beam towards her target, "Die!"
Sam's eyes widened in horror as the green orb hurtled towards her. The oncoming heat was unbearable. Her bare arms flew up to shield her face and her eyes clenched shut. She heard a cry from the other side of the room. Danny. A cry of fear escaped her. She prepared herself for impact, when it came. But in the wrong direction and with much less pain. She tumbled to the ground and felt the bottle slip from her grasp. She pushed herself up and cried out in horror at the sight before her.
A trickle of blood travelling down her neckline, Vixey ignored the burning desire for air in her lungs and pushed herself to her feet at the sight of her friends upcoming fate. Summoning all of the strength she had left. She leaped forward and shoved Sam out of the way. The burning neon orb hit her square in the chest. The pain was unbearable, and she couldn't even scream due to her throat being closed off by the ever tightening pendant.
Desiree stopped the attack out of pure shock. The smell of burning hair and flesh hung in the air. Vixey slumped to the floor, writhing in agony and barely conscious. It took her a single moment to glare triumphantly at the spectre, before her trembling hand reached out and grabbed the bottle. She lifted it feebly above her head, gripped it around the neck and smashed the main body of it to the ground. Glass spattered everywhere, making the teenagers shield their eyes protectively.
Danny pushed himself to his feet in time to see Desiree screaming in anger and horror, aimlessly scooping up the glistening shards. He took the opportunity and shot a glowing attack of his own, hitting her directly in the small of her back. She recoiled in pain and turned to face him. He backed away at the sight of her. Her scarlet eyes burned menacingly and the acid green skin on her face was starting to split. All over her body, white lines started snaking their way jaggedly around her. It was as if her own skin was breaking along with the glass. She bent over in pain and gasped one last threat.
"You may have won this time, Danny Phantom, but don't forget… I'm not the worst thing out there…"
There was a flash of light that bounced off the clear walls of the room, blinding them all. There was an ear-splitting scream of pain and anger… and then, all was silent. Danny prised his eyes open and saw nothing but a small lump of ash and plasma among the shards of glass. Desiree was gone… She was really gone…
"Danny!"
He looked up at the sound of Sam calling him. She and Tucker were leaning over the motionless body of the girl who had saved her life. Danny rushed over and lifted her up so that her head was rested on his lap. Vixey breathed deeply, looking down at the smashed pendant that now hung loosely by her chest. A thin trail of smoke lingered in the air above it. Danny tried not to gag at the smell of burning around her. Her skin was horrible burnt and her hair was singed randomly, sending black ash peppered through her rusty colouring. Her violet eyes couldn't seem to focus and barly stayed open.
"Am I free?" she asked, barely a whisper.
"Yeah, yeah you're free, and you're gonna be okay. Right?" Sam asked, looking at Danny desperately.
"And you guys? You're… okay?"
"You know us, we're always okay in the end!" Tucker answered, forcing his tone to remain light and carefree.
"Come on, Vixey, we've got to get you to a hospital or something." Danny demanded, trying to lift her, but her body was already like a dead-weight.
"Pack it in, hero," she grinned, closing her eyes.
He shook her shoulders gently, "You're the hero this time."
"Oh shut up…" she whispered.
Her body, still smoking slightly at the darker burns, was getting steadily colder. Tucker couldn't look at her, he turned his head and breathed heavily. Sam clenched her eyes shut and nuzzled into the crook of Danny's neck. He rested his head on hers and looked down at the motionless figure that lay before him. Guilt and admiration pulsated though him. Vixey opened her violet eyes weakly and flashed them the most realistic grin she could muster and took a final breath.
"What's up? Fox got your tongue?"
A whisper of a laugh escaped her. But then… nothing. Her eyes drifted shut and her chest paused, no air able to pump though her any longer. Danny felt a drop of moisture on his shoulder where Sam was leaning on him. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him, his eyes never leaving Vixey. His body felt rigid with anger. He wanted to scream, shout, break things, fly off and not come back. But he couldn't move. He feebly brushed a strand of copper hair from Vixey's lifeless face and looked back at the smouldering ash and glass.
They'd won… but in his eyes, it wasn't worth it.
A/N – Please don't shout or scream about this chapter, there is a little more I can get from this story so please, if you like Vixey, do not stop reading just because on this scene, and this is the first time I've killed off a character so I'm sorry if it wasn't that good –x-