A/N: Hey, guys. So I know it's been forever, but I've had a lot of stuff going on IRL since I last updated. I'm trying to stay interested in this story, but I can't guarantee it. Regardless, I will post what I have written, so expect at least three more chapters to come.
Playlist for this chapter: Skillet's "Forsaken," Evanescence's "Hello," and the Used's "Blood on My Hands."
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By the end of the day, most of the team had forgotten about the odd way the teen had left. However, Reid had not, and he wouldn't let his colleagues ignore it.
"It's not logical," he'd say to anyone who came near. "He never left any kind of message to let his parents know he was here. He never called anyone! How would they know where to contact him?"
"Reid, focus on the case!" Hotch demanded. He sighed. "Why don't you see what you can find out about Phantom? Maybe cross-reference with Garcia. That could end up helping you both."
Reid hesitated, but nodded. He sat down and started typing away at his computer.
Morgan winced as he moved forward to hiss at Hotch. "Reid's got a point. The kid never had a chance to contact his parents, and Reid said earlier that the parents weren't s'posed to be back for a week."
Hotch nodded, murmuring back, "It is suspicious. But he's gone now, so it's no longer our issue. We'll just have to continue on the case."
"I just don't like it, Hotch. The kid's connected somehow, but I don't know how."
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Danny spent another tireless night in an alleyway, worrying over which clone Vlad would kill next.
Or if it even would be a clone.
It was bad enough trying to fake anonymity around the BAU while they were on this case. Now back on the streets, his fake confidence was torn away, leaving him more vulnerable than ever.
And Vlad knew it.
With bitter thoughts racing through his head, Danny curled up and tried to sleep.
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Reid blinked in shock at his screen. When he finally realized the search results weren't changing, he jumped up and raced around to find Hotch.
"Hotch!" he cried as he shoved open the door to his boss' office. "I—I found something on Danny—"
"Reid, I told you to forget about the kid."
"No, Hotch, Danny Phantom."
Hotch blinked up at him. "…I'm listening."
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Everyone was quickly gathered as soon as Hotch determined that Reid had found relevant information. "As weird as what you're about to hear might sound," Hotch began, "it's the best lead we've got. I have Garcia checking the information now." Hotch nodded to Reid and sat down.
Reid stood. "I found a lead on Phantom." He stepped to the side so his colleagues would be able to see the website now displayed on the wall. "He's originally from Amity Park, California. It's a small town known for being severely haunted."
Prentiss, Morgan, JJ, and Rossi all shot disbelieving looks at Hotch. "A ghost? Seriously?" Morgan complained.
"Believe it, my little chickadees," Garcia's voice stated over the phone. "I've got everything Ii need to back my boy genius up."
Reid grinned, slightly less nervous now. "Thanks, Garcia."
"Anything for you."
"Phantom's famous in Amity Park for being a hero. And a villain. Apparently for a while, he was on the fence, leaning more towards good than bad. Then, about two years ago, he was said to have killed three people, a family."
"All the records have been through the rumor mill, so it's unclear which family exactly."
"Right. But the facts remain that three people died and Phantom was blamed for it. The next day, two kids were said to have been killed—"
"Names also lost to the rumor mill—"
"And a third went missing. The Amity Park citizens were all pointing fingers at Phantom, but he had disappeared. He was spotted once heading east, but never seen again. Not even a month later, the first body shows up."
"But how are they connected?" Prentiss asked.
"Good question. Garcia?" Reid stepped back to let them focus on Garcia's voice.
"Right. The descriptions of our vics match with those of one of the families rumored to have been killed by Phantom. They're the Fentons, Jack and Maddie, and daughter Jazmine. There's some mention of a son being born, but no records or anything on him. I didn't even find a name."
"When was he supposedly born?" Rossi questioned.
"Around sixteen years ago. The boy you found might have been one of the two kids declared dead."
"So, ideas?" Hotch demanded of his team.
"Someone's angry at Phantom for killing these people and is getting revenge by throwing it in his face?" Prentiss suggested.
"They want Phantom gone. It's possible," Morgan stated.
"No, it's too well organized. This isn't revenge killing, unless the killer has already killed several times before," Reid replied. "No first timer could mutilate the bodies so easily without being psychotic."
Rossi nodded. "It's gotta be the same person who framed Phantom for the murders. There's no other explanation."
"Okay, but how do we find out who that was?"
"Um, guys?" Garcia timidly called from the phone. "More pressing issue. They've found another body, and they're taking someone in as a suspect."
"What? Who, Garcia?" Hotch demanded.
"Um…." There was the sound of typing, then a gasp. "Oh, no! Guys, it's our little visitor from yesterday!"
"What?"
"They've taken in Danny for killing these people!"
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Danny had no idea how, but he somehow knew where Vlad would strike. And so he found himself staring down the opening of an alley right outside an apartment complex. Setting his shoulders back and gathering what little confidence he had left, he stepped into the alley, calling out, "I know you're here, Vlad. And so do the people in the BAU." He didn't think a little while lie would make a difference.
"Ah, Daniel, so like you to pull together a little confidence when you really have none."
Danny crept a little deeper into the alley. "What do you want, Vlad? Why call me out here?"
"Now, Daniel, you don't want to ruin the surprise, do you?"
He heard Vlad cluck his tongue, imagining him shaking his head. Danny took another step closer. "Actually, I don't care about any frickin'—"
He fell trying to lift his foot and take another step. "What the—?" He looked down, realizing his feet had sunk into the ground. His eyes flicked up to Vlad as he yelled out, "What the hell did you do?"
The man before him shrugged. "Ask Spectra. I might have brought along a few friends."
Suddenly, Danny was picked back up, but only to have his arms tugged out to either side, feet still through the ground. Ghosts were suddenly everywhere, grabbing at him, hitting him, pulling at him. Soon enough, he simply hung limply against the ropes that now kept him in place. He glanced up through dark bangs at Vlad. "So that's it? You called me out here to crucify me?"
Vlad chuckled. Never a good sign. "Oh, no, boy. I simply needed to make sure you'd sit still and watch." Vlad turned his attention away. "Spectra, keep him from looking away."
The shadow-like ghost grinned. "Ooh, this'll be fun!" She flew back to Danny, grabbing his chin. "Now, be a good boy and watch, or I'll have to teach you another lesson, won't I?" she whispered into his ear, tongue flicking out and dancing around his lobe.
Danny flinched away from her, remembering what had happened the last time she "taught him a lesson." It wasn't a lesson he forgot.
Vlad chuckled at Danny's inability to escape. "Well, I suppose it's time for the main event, then." He spun around and pulled something out of the shadows.
Scratch that, someone.
Danny had to blink away tears as he saw the girl for the first time in two years. But he wasn't just crying at seeing her, he was crying at the blank, emotionless, dead expression on her face. Black hair hung into glazed violet eyes, and she just sort of withered in Vlad's grip. Her pale skin was bruising where he held her.
"L—Let her go, Vlad," Danny whispered. "You have me, let her go."
"Oh, no. See, your reaction just now has proved to me that this is the one that will send you into the breakdown I've been waiting years for. I plan on taking my time with her."
A knife flashed open in Vlad's hand, and he slowly traced the blade down one of the girl's arms. Danny strained against his bonds, cursing loudly at Vlad. A hand suddenly at his waist made him freeze, which in turn caused Spectra to laugh and hug him close from behind. He grimaced to be touched by her, but she didn't notice.
Instead, she spoke to him. "Vlad told me his plan, you know," she said casually. "He even asked me for ideas. See, I like my own methods of torture—" she traced a dancing line down his arms, causing him to shudder as she leeched his happiness away— "but Vlad is so much more… sadistic. Sure, we all know that your family and friends are your weak point, but we could never get close enough to take them. It's an unfair advantage, being human. But, not even we ever thought to clone the ones you love.
"How many bodies have you found, Danny?" Her voice was positively gleeful. "How many more times will you watch your friends die? How many more times will you see their bodies mutilated and bloody? How many—"
He threw his head back, satisfied when he heard Spectra shriek.
Vlad spun to them, still holding the bleeding girl. He saw Danny's eyes flicker in defiance as the teen twisted against his bonds. Vlad snarled, "I see. So you've grown accustomed to seeing them cut open. Then I suppose I'll have to try something new." Vlad stowed the knife and instead, his hands went to the buttons on her skirt.
Spectra forced Danny to watch, tears streaking down his face, as he finally broke, just as Vlad had hoped. He was made to look on as Vlad took the one he loved.
When the act was done, Vlad pulled the knife back out and sliced her arms and legs and face. He looked back at the broken teen that hung limply once more. Spectra flitted around, pulling as much misery from the teen as possible. Vlad called her over, giving her orders to cut Danny loose and bring him to the body.
She did so with a grin on her face, dropping the boy almost on top of the body. Then, she danced away once more, still close enough to feed off his angst.
Now covered in her blood, Danny glared weakly up at Vlad. "So now what?" he spat. "You're gonna kill me, right? I'm the only one left, and it must be getting boring, killing the same people over and over again."
Vlad grabbed Danny's hand, shoving it into one of the deeper cuts on the girl's body. Danny winced, grimacing as he was forced to write the bloody message on the wall.
Their blood is on your hands.
Danny flinched as Vlad released his arm, realizing exactly how literal that certain message was. He didn't even notice when the ghosts disappeared, instead moving back to the body. He reached a bloody hand out and brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm so sorry, Sam…."
"Not y'r f'lt," she murmured, barely moving her lips.
"Sam?"
"You… c'n st'l s've 'em. B't g't h'lp. You c'n… sav… them…." Her head lolled to the side.
"Sam? Sam!" Biting his lip and glancing around, Danny rolled her over so he could see the back of her neck.
Nothing was there.
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A/N: I'll try to write more soon. Review, y'all.