Chapter 25 The Debriefing

Once in Miss Daily's office Sam opened her mouth to demand how Danny managed to fool them all, but Danny's attention was completely on Lydia/Jazz.

"Okay Lydia," Danny began, "O–" Danny broke off and paused listening. "Lancer's coming," he suddenly said. He phased out of the door of the office into the classroom."

"Where's Danny going?" Tucker asked puzzled. Sam and Tucker both cracked open the door to the office. Danny had transformed back into his human form, and took a seat at Miss Daily's desk, and put his head down on the table feigning sleep. Just then the door opened, and Sarah walked in with Mr Lancer.

"I told you they were in my room," she said casually, as if they were just trying to find some cutting students. "All five of them sound asleep."

Mr Lancer gave Sarah a dark angry look. "An entire battle raging around the school and coincidentally all five of them slept right through it."

Sarah folded her arms and faced down the Assistant Principal. "You would rather they stayed awake and gotten into the middle of that mess?"

Mr Lancer rolled his eyes, but didn't argue that point further. "I seem to remember in your interview you saying something about not letting your hobby interfear with the running of the school."

Sarah simply shrugged. "I believe I said 'try'. Not my fault he attacked, he didn't know I was here. He was after Samantha Manson if you recall."

"Who was wearing some magical device with the same symbol you wear." Lancer said.

Sarah sighed. "It was a protection, and she needed it. I told you there were aspects of my life I cannot discuss with you. There are people in Amity Park that need me and my skills. Even if you fire me, I'm not going away. I'll just find another job, but here, I can help protect the school and the children."

Lancer locked eyes with her for a few seconds in challenge, then he gave in. "Very well. Miss Daily. I'll leave you to reunite Mr Fenton with his sister. I'll take charge of the others." He knelt down and touched Dash's shoulder gently. "Mr Baxter, Miss Sanches?"

Dash opened his eyes and yawned. "Huh what happened?

"It's all right Dash," Miss Daily said gently. "Go on with Mr Lancer everything's been taken care of."

"Oh okay," Mr Lancer gave one last glare at Sarah before ushering the four confused sleepy teens from the room. Sam opened the door to the office and she Tucker and Jazz came out. "Miss Daily?" Sam asked.

Sarah put her hand up quieting Sam for a moment. After a few seconds Danny's head popped up from the desk. "He's gone?"

Sarah looked like she was listening to something only she could hear. "Okay," she said finally, "Now he's out of range."

Danny let out a sigh of relief. Then he focused his attention right on his sister, and said kindly but firmly "Okay Lydia out of Jazz NOW!"

Lydia/Jazz sighed expecting this she leaned Jazz's body against a student's desk then left the older girls body. Jazz put her hand to her head and sagged against the desk. Instantly Danny was at her side.

"Jazz!" Danny said. Jazz didn't seem as weakened or disoriented as most people who had been overshadowed. Jazz batted Danny away gently who sat down at the desk next to his sister.

"I'm okay, Lydia told me it might make me dizzy," Jazz said sitting down.

"She told you?" Danny asked puzzled. When he overshadowed people he overwhelmed their mind putting them in an almost trance like state. They never really remembered what they did, but had vauge feelings and ideas from the experience. He never tried to communicate with anyone in that state.

"She told me if I didn't fight her it would be easier." Jazz said still a bit disoriented. "I kinda saw some of what was going on, and while you were dealing with things Lydia and I had a bit of a talk."

"I wondered why she switched sides," Danny said. Lydia now looked sad. Jazz glared at Danny who put his hands up in surrender. "Look no offence but Freakshow hasn't exactly been my favorite person. He couldn't control you because you're his sister, but if you recalled he can control me. Let me tell you it's no picnic being controled."

"Yeah about that," Sam asked. "What was the deal with you Danny? Were you under Freakshow's control or not?"

"Yeah, you switched sides real fast Danny," Tucker added.

Danny looked at Sarah and both of them smiled mysteriously. "Sometimes the best way to get rid of someone is to give them what they think they want." Sarah said with a low chuckle. "It's also the best way to get someone to drop their guard, but it was Danny who actually came up with the idea."

Danny blushed a bit at the compliment. "I finally realized that it was a draw between me and Freakshow and that's with Sam helping me. I knew I was going to have to do something to get him to stop focusing on me."

"That still doesn't explain how you were under Freakshow's control and then suddenly not." Sam asked.

"He never was under Freakshow's control," Jazz said confidently. "When he called Freakshow the "once and future king," that's a King Arthur reference. When Danny and I were little any reference to King Arthur was a warning that we were up to something."

"I still don't get it," Tucker said. "Freakshow had the bracelet and every ruby but Sam's how did you resist that?"

"I didn't," Danny said with a grin at Sarah. "When Sam was keeping Freakshow out of my head I realized that there was one other person who could control my mind, and if she had help she might be strong enough to block Freakshow."

All three teens and even Lydia turned puzzled to Sarah. "It was Danny's idea," Sarah said with a smug grin, but once I knew he trusted me completely I went with it, and made sure the ruse would stick."

"Wait you blocked Freakshow from Danny? But how? Freakshow had all the rubies!" Sam asked.

"He didn't have this," Sarah said, tossing a small green marble in the air. She placed the marble on the desk and rolled it over to Danny.

Jazz recognized it instantly. "That's the quartz marble you charged with Danny's energy."

"Danny placed it in my hand when he convinced me he knew what he was doing," Sarah explained. "Danny knew that I could use that to control him. I warned him about that before. Basically I took it as a request that he'd rather have me in his head than Freakshow."

"Which it was," Danny added. Then he looked at Sarah sadly. "Time to take it off now huh?"

"Wait she's still controlling you?" Sam asked growing angry.

"Not exactly control no," Sarah said moving up behind Danny. "It's more of a connection between us, with me as the dominant personality. He's got his free will, but he'll tend to just go along with what I'm thinking. I wanted Danny away from an audience when I took the spells I layered off of him because it's going to be a little uncomfortable for him." In a single move Sarah reached out and touched Danny gently on the forehead and the back. Danny's eyes shot open then closed resting his head in his hands.

"Okay this is beyond uncomfortable," Danny complained. "I think I was better off under the spell."

Sarah smiled and rubbed his back gently. "Keep your eyes closed and take deep breaths. The nausia will pass."

"Nausia?" Jazz asked.

Sarah nodded. "Basically because he has full memory and knows some of his decisions weren't his own, but he felt all the emotions with it. It's like a flashback in fast forward. A good night sleep will take care of it."

"You mean Danny's been under your control since he got back with the bracelet?" Tucker asked confused. "But his eyes I know I saw -"

"Yeah I know," Danny said still recovering from losing the spell. "It was that connection thing. Sarah did a lot of things with me that I don't think I could have done on my own." At that he looked up and gave her a sly grin despite looking a little green. "And I wanna learn some of those tricks too. Especially the one where I was tagging Jazz without hurting her."

"So who was the convincing actor?" Sam asked. "Cuz I was convinced we were sunk when you went after Jazz."

"A little bit of both," Sarah said allowing Danny to rest. "He remembered what happened at the museum so he knew how to act, but there were a few times he was going to break cover and I just didn't let him, and yeah knew I could get Danny to do a few things when it came to power and control that he's going to need practice to do himself."

Sam had a feeling that if he asked, Sarah could help Danny reproduce any of the new tricks they saw them do. At that moment Danny opened his eyes, but closed them again quickly, but for some reason he was on another level of alert. "Someone's coming," he said.

Sarah also had that look of alertness. "Lancer is coming back," Sarah said. "They're canceling classes for today. You're folks are here to take you home." Sarah glanced at Lydia who had been listening the entire time. "I'll let you in at my place later." Lydia nodded and vanished." To the young teens she said. "Time to go."

As they got to their feet Tucker asked. "So Lancer knows about you?"

"There are disadvantages of meeting someone who is as well read as him," Sarah said with a sigh. "Somehow some guardian books got into a Flea Market that he attended. He recognized my symbols and asked me about them, so I didn't lie. I haven't told him who I'm supposed to be a guardian too, and he hasn't asked, and for the record Danny I'm not going to tell him.

Sam nodded understanding. "So he knows enough to be suspicious but he's curbing his curiosity?

Sarah smiled mischievously. "I think he just got an idea of what I meant when I said there were aspects of my life that are complicated. I think he's going to be smart enough to leave well enough alone.

Just then the door opened and Mr Lancer came inside. "The Fentons, Mansons and Foleys are here." He looked over at Jazz. "Are you all right Miss Fenton?"

"Oh I'm fine Mr Lancer," Jazz said putting her arm around Danny who was trying not to look exhausted. "Everything is back to normal," Or at least what passes for normal around here.