Chapter 17 The Nightmare Begins

No matter how confused he felt about Miss Daily, she was right about one thing. He needed someone he could talk to who would just let him ramble on without worrying about what he was trying to hide. Sam and Tucker were always good to talk to, but they didn't always understand exactly what was bothering him. That left Jazz. She may act like a know it all at times, but she loved him, and she would help him if she could.

With Sam and Tucker looking on, Danny told Jazz everything, and showed his sister the drawings he had sketched during math. Jazz didn't recognize the drawings, but she had a working theory on why Danny had drawn them.

"You were thinking about Miss Daily the whole time?" Jazz asked.

"Not exactly. Believe it or not I was arguing with myself because Miss Daily did something to my head to scare me. Its like she reached out and touched whatever it is in my head that I'm scared of. Jazz she knows what's going on. She knows and she won't tell me. She's doing everything in her power, and mind you she is a sorcerous, to keep me from knowing."

"She told you that you had to remember on your own," Jazz said. "This may be a sign of your subconscious trying to tell you something."

"My subconscious?" Danny echoed looking at the drawings again. "You mean if I figure out why I drew these pictures without thinking about it, I'll know what she's trying to protect me from?" He looked out the window wistfully.

"Danny you're not thinking of going after Miss Daily are you?" Sam asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Danny admitted. "I mean I know she's trying to protect me, but from what? What doesn't she think I can handle on my own?"

Tucker shrugged and played with his PDA. "Seriously Danny, you need to stay out of this."

"Tell me why and I'll consider it," Danny said tersely. "You guys know too, and you won't tell me either."

"Sam sighed sadly. "It's for your own good Danny."

Just then an alarm was heard in the house. "Jazz what's that?" Danny asked.

Jazz shrugged and the four of them raced down the stairs to see Jack and Maddie preparing their weapons.

"Mom, Dad?" Danny asked.

"There's a ghost attack at the museum! " Jack said eagerly placing his Jack-o-nine-tails in his belt. "We gotta go catch it before innocent lives are endangered, and rip it apart molecule by molecule!"

"I left a meatloaf in the fridge Jazz, if we're not home in time for supper." Maddie said cheerily. "Bye kids!" With that the pair jumped into the Fenton Assault Vehicle and sped away.

Jazz looked at Danny. "I say we call out for pizza."

Danny looked down the road where his parents had been. "Jazz do you think Mom and Dad are going to be okay?"

"Sure they'll be fine," Jazz said, trying to hide her worried expression. "At least Mom will keep Dad's damage down to a minimum."

"Right," Danny said barely keeping the sarcasm out of his voice. Jazz was worried, and Danny had a feeling he knew why. With only a thought he transformed into Danny Phantom. "Maybe I should tag along behind Mom and Dad invisibly just to keep an eye on them."

"Danny no!" Jazz said. "Mom and Dad said they were going to the Museum! Miss Daily told you to stay away from there."

"No she didn't," Danny insisted. "She just told me not to go after her, and I'm not. I'm just going to keep and eye on Mom and Dad."

"Danny don't do it!" Tucker said. "Remember What Miss Daily told you!"

"Tuck I'm not going to go hunting down Miss Daily!" Danny told him. "I'm just going to watch out for my parents."

"Please Danny," Jazz said.

Danny ignored his sister and looked over at Sam who looked unhappy but wasn't saying anything. "You're not going to try to talk me out of this?" He asked.

Sam sighed. "I don't want you to go any more than Jazz and Tucker do Danny," Sam said evenly. "But if you feel that it's that important, I'm not going to stop you."

That made Danny feel guilty but he knew that he had to at least keep his parents out of Miss Daily's way. "I'll be careful," Danny said trying to reassure them. "I'll be back before Miss Daily can sense me." Before he could hear another word of protest Danny flew off trying to catch up to the Fenton Family Assault vehicle

By the time Danny caught up to his parents they were already in front of the museum blasting at four ghosts he had never seen before. They four of them were all male one short one middle sized and heavy the other two tall and identical like twins. They were shouting in the language Danny remembered Miss Daily speaking in this morning.

So these ghosts are from Italy or at least from where the earrings came from. Danny saw that his parents seemed to have the ghosts well in hand, or at least his mom did. His father was shooting wildly and missing them.

Good old Dad couldn't shoot to save his life. Danny thought with a grin. Suddenly his father turned and looked right at him. That's when Danny remembered that he was supposed to have been invisible.

"GHOST KID!" Jack shouted at the top of his lungs and began shooting at Danny for all he was worth. Danny easily dodged the blasts but suddenly found himself trapped against the wall of the museum. Danny shot higher up in to the second level of the museum but that only made Jack come under him blocking off a rout into the ground.

"Can't go up," Danny said dodging the beams of ecto energy. "Can't go down, Can't go forward, and I can't go right or left. That only leave the back exit. Bye Jack!" Danny went intangible and phased right into the museum.

Right where you're not supposed to be Fenton. Danny thought to himself. You'd better make yourself scarce and vanish before Miss Daily finds out you're here, or worse whoever she's protecting you from. Danny was about to phase through the roof of the room and fly home, when a little spider and bat ghost moved into the room. Instantly Danny turned invisible and watched as the pair examined every inch of the room and every exhibit.

They look exactly like the ghost animals I was drawing in math today. So my subconscious really does know what's going on. Hmmm It looks like their looking for something. Danny forgot about going home. He started to follow the little creatures hoping that maybe he'd remember where he knew them from. The little green ghost extensions moved from room to room, until they came to a room full of jewelry.

This has got to be the place! Danny thought. Now he looked for anything that looked like a ruby ring similar to the bracelet he vaguely remembered. He found a ruby ring, but it wasn't set it gold. It was set in platinum, and looked a bit modern. The label underneath it said, "Art-Deco Ring Set in Platinum."

So I found it, now what do I do? Do I just stand here like a guard dog? Or do I take it to keep whoever it is from getting it? An ecto blast distracted Danny from his thoughts. He turned to see the two little micro ghosts return to the body of a young female ghost with spikes for hair, a nose ring, and red eyes peering out from a hooded cloak..

"You!" Danny recognized this ghost. "I remember you, you're Lydia! You hang out with...Oh man!"

Lydia was an odd ghost that like himself other ghosts didn't like. The reasons were completely different though. Danny was hated by other ghosts because he was human at the same time, and he forced ghosts back into the ghost zone. Lydia was hated because she chose to serve a human being who would use magical items to control others.

Primarily ghosts.

"No," Danny muttered to himself. He started shaking as the foggy half memories tried to force their way to the surface. He didn't quite remember what happened when he was forced to join the Circus Gothica, but the bits and pieces that he could recall he didn't like.

Lydia blasted Danny again throwing him against the wall and onto the floor. She then moved toward the ring to claim it. The memory of the ruby's source and Miss Daily's warnings ringing in his ears got Danny to force himself off the floor and blasted Lydia away from the ring.

"I don't get you Lydia," Danny said. "You were helping Freakshow when he didn't have any ghost controlling gems at all. Why?"

As always Lydia remained silent. She let loose her ghost tattoos again which tried to encircle and imprison Danny.

Fulled by a healthy dose of fear Danny fired his ecto blasts at the micro ghosts, making them disappear. Feeling slightly more confident Danny flew in front of the ring and said, "Give it up Lydia. There's no way I'm going to let you get that ring."

"Maybe you want to hand it to me yourself then." A familiar voice said. Danny looked up reflexively and found himself face to face with the Ringmaster of the Circus Gothica Freakshow.

A small analytical part of Danny's mind noted the ruby Amulet around Freakshow's neck, the broach pinned on his lapel, and the pair of earrings. They glowed and pulsed, and throbbed just like the rubies in the gold band at Miss Daily's house. The gems hummed with an unearthly power, and something deep within Danny answered it.

It was an amazing feeling. All cares, all fears, all concerns, all worries fell from his mind. He didn't have to worry about the feelings or emotions of humans anymore. He was free free to wreak havoc on anyone he wished! He looked up at Freakshow completely unafraid and smiled.

"There now," Freakshow said in a completely friendly tone. "I have missed having you as a minion. Now be a good boy and bring me my ring."

Without a second thought, Danny moved towards the glass case. He made his hand intangible - Then felt something strike him in the back.

Fragor Manes IGNIS

Without meaning it to happen, without wanting it to happen, Danny suddenly felt half his ectoplasmic energy just explode out of his body as if he suddenly had become a balloon and popped. Both Lydia and Freakshow were thrown against the wall. "What the?" Danny asked puzzled. He turned around only to see someone he thought he knew standing in the door way of the room. "You!"

"Sorry about that Danny," Miss Daily said breathing heavily from her spell casting. "I wouldn't have done that unless it was absolutely necessary, and I have the feeling that right now you're not in the mood to cooperate with me."

You hate guardians. Guardians are your enemy. Attack her, destroy her!"

Giving in to the anger Danny shot a blast of ectoplasmic energy at her directly. "You want my energy so much! HERE!" He shouted out.

Miss Daily put up her cape and the shot deflected off of her and at Freakshow. "Why is it that teenagers always think they're invincible?" Miss Daily muttered angrily.

Danny let loose with both hands this time. Miss Daily did a front flip out of the way and deflected the second and third shot again reflecting it back at Freakshow.

"Stop that you idiot!" Freakshow said as he dove for cover. "She just sends them back at me!"

"Good thing about being a math teacher," Miss Daily said as she dodged behind a case of cameo broaches. "You know your angles! Now give it up! The Fentons are outside and they've rounded up your little party out there. With the ectoflair I made him send up they'll be here in minutes."

"More than enough time to finish you girl!" Freakshow said. He looked at Lydia and Danny who were uncertain of what they should be doing. "What are you waiting for! Destroy her!"

Danny and Lydia advanced on Miss Daily. She held both her hands up over her head. "Lords of the North winds come!" She pointed her hands out at the pair palms up and a heavy blast of wind forced both Danny and Lydia away from her.

Breathing heavily from the exertion Miss Daily took out a small black whistle that Danny found vaguely familiar. "I'm sorry about this Danny, but it's for your own good." With that she gave a long loud blast on the crystal whistle.

Danny clasped his hands over his ears and fell from his hover. He tried to shut it out, but he didn't just hear the loud high pitched piercing sound. He felt it run though him as if someone had taken a spear and ran it through the top of his head through his spine and down into the ground.

With the pain however, came a clarity of mind. He was suddenly aware of where he was, what he was doing, and who he was fighting against. "No," Danny said the fear washing over him like ice water. "No not again! NO!"

"That's it Danny!" Miss Daily said encouragingly. "Remember who you are, remember who you want to be. Don't let him get a hold in your mind again!"

Even as she said it, Danny could feel that little dark corner of his mind struggle to regain control. Don't listen to her. She's a guardian. We hate guardians. She's just trying to use you.

"Who's using who Friedrich?" Miss Daily argued back. "You don't think I can hear what you're telling Danny? Oh yeah I forgot you can only project your thoughts to spirits, and not hear like I can hear yours, and his! You can't even touch their minds without the gems! Danny you know me. Remember I warned you! You have to fly away now!"

Danny wanted to, or at least half of him wanted to. There was another dark part of him that wanted nothing more than to attack her and destroy her. No that's Freakshow in my head again. I can't...I can't get away from him!

The two thoughts in Danny's mind warred with his will. On each side were thoughts and emotions he knew were not his, but belonging to two others. One encouraged him to lash out. To attack the source of the other voice, and silence it for good. The other voice was patient. It didn't want him to attack the violent voice. It didn't want him to even move. The patient voice only wanted one thing. You have to remember Danny, you have to remember what happened the last time he had control of your mind.

Danny heard a large banging sound and some new voices. He ignored them in favor of trying to simply gain a coherent thought and figure out which of the two sides of his mind he should listen too. Around him he somehow knew an external battle raged that equaled the battle going on within him.

"Lydia Stop her break her concentration!"

Remember Danny

"WHERE'S THE GHOST?"

"Don't shoot him! Shoot her!"

"But that's Danny Phantom!"

"And laughing boy over there is trying to control him! If you think Phantom is too powerful when he's doing good wait until you see what he'll do when he's controlled by that maniac!"

Remember

Unleash your dark side...

I don't know what came over me...

"You know you guardians are all alike. If someone doesn't fit into your cookie cutter description of a do gooder they're automatically labeled a maniac."

Remember

Danny we're in enough trouble as it is.

No such thing as too much trouble

"What's a guardian?"

"Wait I remember that guy! He was the ringmaster in that creepy Goth ghost circus!

Remember

Sam?

What is that? Is that -- is that free will? Obey me, minion!

"Yes that's it! Fentons listen to me! We have to break Freakshow's control on Phantom. If we do that he'll probably leave! I'm trying to reach Phantom, but you have to break Freakshow's concentration"

"Oh no you don't girl! He belongs to me!"

"No," Danny heard his own voice as a tiny whimper. "No... not again! Help me ...please!"

Danny?

Sam you have to help me!

"That's it, remember Sam Danny!"

Remember Sam

Don't scare me like that

How should I scare you?

Danny Listen to Miss Daily!

Sam if he snaps you have to call him too you!

I saw you up on that high wire, you were fighting him the whole time! Fight him now, Danny! You're not just a ghost, fight him!

I told you I won't use this thing like that

Quiet! All of you! I'm need to think!

Sam if you don't we're going to lose him to Freakshow! You're going to lose him! We have to get Danny away from him and out of his range! You have to call him!

Out of the whirlpool of his mind Danny heard one voice he knew. One voice he could trust. One voice he remembered.

Remember

Well, it's the crystal ball or your friend, Danny, your choice! I didn't mean that to be so literal!

He could see it in his mind. A train over a huge river canyon, One giant ghost held a young teen in his massive grip. Two more were forcing a someone else off the side of the train, someone he knew.

Sam! No!

Sam? Sam! "SAM!"

Danny! Danny come here! I'll help you!

Everything else forgotten Danny turned intangible and flew off not knowing where he was going but knowing who would be there at the end. He didn't even need to hear his best friends voice inside his mind to encourage him. He had to see Sam. He had to hear her voice, and touch her and know that she was alive, and that he didn't let her die on that bridge.

Coming Soon Chapter 18 Stalemate

"We can't let Freakshow find Danny again," Sam said clutching at the chain around her neck. "When Freakshow had Danny under his control, he...He wasn't Danny anymore."

Jazz could see that the topic distressed Sam more than Tucker, but Sam seemed to understand what happened to Danny better. "What do you mean he wasn't Danny anymore?" Jazz asked.

"Well," Tucker counted off on his fingers, "He overshadowed Mr Lancer, he helped Freakshow's other ghosts rob a bank, he ecto blasted us, He made Sam fall from the high wire -"

"And then he caught me Tucker!" Sam snapped, defending Danny. "Every time Freakshow put me in danger Danny would... I don't know... partially snap out of it and protect me."

"Only partially?" Jazz asked.

Sam shrugged. "As long as Freakshow was around he kept putting Danny back under control. When I was around though, Danny kept fighting it."

"Which is why you should have stopped Danny from following his parents," Tucker said glaring at Sam. "If Freakshow steals the ring over there, he'll have five rubies. Danny was frozen in there with only two. If Freakshow finds him -"

"It was two rubies and the band, and Miss Daily told us the Band makes the gems stronger." Sam said looking distressed. "I won't use the amulet against Danny I won't!"