Disclaimer-nope, don't own a thing
Rolling from side to side, Danny groaned and clutched his upper arm. Groggy, he used his good arm and levered upright blinking in the darkness. His head hurt, his arm hurt…his entire body ached down to the last pore. Gripping his arm, Danny grasped at the wall and struggled to stand up, his legs shaking unevenly. Carefully, he removed his hand from his arm and stared at it. Or at least where he thought it might have been; rubbing his fingers together, Danny felt something sticky coating them. He was bleeding. Why? What the hell happened?
Danny lifted his head slowly, did he just hear something? Shivering slightly, he scooted along the wall and slumped in the corner like a broken doll. Quietly he waited as the footsteps he'd heard got closer and closer. A light cut through the gloom, blinding him momentarily. A figure was bathed in the glow in the doorway.
Walking into the room, Vlad sniffed at the crumpled figure of his long time arch foe, "I'm so sorry about your accommodations Daniel, but the penthouse suite is being remodeled this week."
Danny glared at the older man, his teeth bared in a snarl, "Plasmius. What the hell do you want?" he growled in a low voice.
Shrugging, Vlad smirked at Danny and crossed his arms indifferently, "What any sane man wants: Love, money, power, the Green Bay Packers and of course the world."
Rolling his eyes, Danny struggled to remain upright as the pain seemed to take its toll on his body. There was something wrong here, he was used to being injured continually ever since he became Danny Phantom, but it had never done this to him. "I didn't ask what a sane man wanted, I asked what you wanted Vlady."
His eyes flashing momentarily from his normal color to a vicious red, Vlad hissed, "Do not ever call me Vlady, understand?" Straightening up, Vlad tugged at his suit sleeves, "Now then. Get comfortable. I get the feeling you might be here a while Daniel. Though honestly, we really don't want that. Would make your mother all upset." Smiling at the defeated form of Danny, Vlad turned around and faced the doorway, his hand on the knob before he faced Danny again, "Oh and one more thing. Don't bother trying to phase out of here. That nifty little gadget that your parent's cooked up? You know the one, the belt that protects from ghosts…? Yes well, anyways, I borrowed it from your parent's lab while you were sleeping."
Danny glanced at his waist at the bulky, metallic belt glowing that was hung low on his hips. So that was why he was tired. It wasn't just the injuries Vlad had inflicted on him, it was that plus the addition of one of the few anti-ghost inventions of his parent's that actually worked. "I'm going to get out of here Masters." Danny groaned as he slid to the floor and unconsciously tucked his feet beneath his body.
Holding up his right hand, Vlad spun a keychain around one of his fingers, "Oh, I really don't believe that'll be happening any time soon. See, there's only one key. And I have it."He grinned at the pain etched on Danny's face, "Don't worry. I'll be back to visit soon enough." The door slammed shut behind him with an ear ringing echo that didn't leave Danny for several hours.
Driving slowly, her brain half on the road and half back at the café she had left an hour ago, Sam felt like she was quietly dying inside. Eddie was back, and her parents had brought him into her life again. It was like the past year hadn't even happened! And what was that thing with the Dean and the dog? She hadn't even heard that one…what else had happened that never got around to her?
Staring blankly at the red traffic light which simply glared at her from above, something struck her; was he right though? Could she actually prove that he had done all those things, like she thought? Everything that she had heard had come by way of word of mouth, from various people that she had known and some that she had even hated. Everything she had heard had never come directly from him.
Then the light turned green and Sam involuntarily flinched. But she could still remember the time when he slammed her against the wall, detailing just how he owned her. Rolling her shoulders, Sam could still feel the harshness of the brick pressing into her back and head. She'd had bruises for over a week after that. Driving slowly forward, she directed her brain to think on anything but Eddie. She wanted to talk to Danny before she did anything.
Quickly, she turned into the apartment complex and parked. Unbuckling, Sam grabbed her purse and phone as she slid out and slammed the door shut. Dialing, she held the phone up to her ear as she finagled with the lock on their apartment. Again, all she heard was a ringtone and then a monotone voice telling her that the party she wished to reach was beyond the phone's range.
Frustrated, Sam slammed the door shut behind her and threw her purse on a table in the hallway. Where the hell was he? It wasn't like him to just up and disappear. A half smile tugged on her face, ok…maybe it was like him to disappear. But not for hours at a time and definitely not without telling her first or at least contacting her.
Curiously, she stared at her phone. Was the damn thing working at all? Quickly, she hit a few buttons from memory and waited. Three rings later, it was picked up. Growling, Sam hit the disconnect button and tossed the offending gadget onto the table next to her purse. Ok, so it worked. What did that mean about Danny?
The strident musical notes of "What's This" cut through her thoughts, and with a trepid glance at the screen Sam opened the phone and placed it against her ear. "Hello?" she asked quietly. It wasn't a number that she recognized.
"Why the hell call, and then just hang up right away?"
Sam sighed and smiled, it was just Tucker. "Because I figured that you and Val were doing a lil bit of the hanky panky and didn't want to be interrupted."
His chuckle vibrated in her ear, "That's beside the point, Sammy. What's wrong? You haven't called and hung up on me like that since senior year when you accidently found your parents in the middle of-"
"Stop! Please…you say those words and Val'll be getting her jollies from a Ken doll." Sam threatened, shivering from the unpleasant memories. Walking into the living room, she flopped onto the couch and crossed her legs comfortably.
"Unhuh, well at the risk of my girlfriend's satisfaction, I'll skip ahead to the important stuff."
Sighing, Sam fell backwards onto the pillows in the corner, "Speaking of which, what's with the new number?"
"Business phone, the company gave it to me along with a bunch of other new toys. Just wanted to try it out for size." Sam could hear the pride in his voice over the line and couldn't help chuckling. Of all people, Tuck definitely deserved it, after being a technogeek for so long, this was a huge break for him. But then he continued, "And that's not the big topic here Samantha Manson. I want to know what was so wrong that you called me, your best friend, and then immediately hung up before I could fake a moan to freak you out!"
"Very funny Tuck."
"I thought so, anyways talk to me Sam. What's wrong?"
"Tuck, they screwed me over." Blinking back tears, Sam's face fell at the memory of her parent's betrayal, shutting her eyes tight she whispered brokenly, "They freaking screwed me over." In the span of one minute her entire being crumbled under the recollection.
Tucker didn't reply for a few minutes and the silence was enough to almost break Sam's heart. "Who's they Sam?" He asked quietly. In the background, Sam could hear more than one voice and she assumed that the other was Val. She could hear him telling Val that something had come up, the rest of their conversation just floated through her head.
A few minutes passed and no one said a word. "Who's they Sam?" he asked again, a thread of desperation in his voice this time.
She laughed wetly, the tears still unshed in her eyes, "Who do you think Tucker? The only people who ever made me cry."
"Your parents." His definite tone broke the dam, and Sam's eyes reflexively tightened as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. She hadn't realized that this would be so hard to talk about. Where was Danny when she needed him so badly?
"Where's Danny?" he asked, curious now. Danny wouldn't have let Sam deal with this alone. His only answer was a hiccupped sob from the other end. Sam desperately tried to hold it in, but Tucker wasn't fooled. "I'll be right over Sammy." Sam clutched at the phone, but the dial tone was the only sound on the other end. Then there was a knock at the door. Startled, Sam yelled and fell off the couch.
Carefully she crawled along the floor towards the front door. Pulling herself up, Sam peeped out the spy hole, a sigh of relief escaping. Opening it, she saw Tucker standing there with his arms wide open ready for a hug, sympathy radiating from his entire body.
So she whacked him upside the head.
"Ow! What the hell Sam?" Tucker cried out in pain, as he gingerly felt his head for blood. Sam hit hard for a girl.
"That's for scaring the hell out of me you jerk! I thought you were my parents or Eddie or something." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, glaring at the sheepish man. "I thought you would call me when you got here, not just show up on the doorstep five minutes later!"
Glancing at his hand to see if it were free of blood, Tucker winced, "Sorry Sam, but I was already on my way over here anyways."
The look she threw him was full of disdain, "Really Tuck, didn't notice. Thanks so much for clearing that up for me." Wiping her tear streaked cheeks; Sam let Tucker inside the apartment and walked back into the living room before sitting on the couch again.
Walking closely behind her, Tucker sat next to her on the couch and took her hand in his. For a minute neither said anything, just taking comfort in each other's presence. Soon though, Tucker's patience fell short and he got desperate; Sam hadn't said anything or moved for the past fifteen minutes, she just stared at a spot right above the TV without blinking.
"Sam? Wanna tell me what happened? Why did you think Eddie was at the door?" he said softly, running his hand over her loosened hair, "And what the hell did your parents do this time? I thought we got rid of that problem when you moved out."
Sam whipped her head from side to side, "I thought so too Tuck." Wrenching her hand from his grip, she dropped her head in her hands.
So she wouldn't notice, Tucker carefully pulled his phone from his pocket and walked out of the living room for a minute. It was obvious he wasn't going to get anything from her at this time. If anyone could tell him straight up what the hell was going on, it would be Danny.
But oddly, the phone rang and rang but Danny didn't pick up. Tucker had even called the emergency number that Danny had sworn up and down years ago that he would always answer. Nothing, no answer; not even his voicemail had picked up.
Quickly, Tucker walked back into the room and kneeled at Sam's feet. "Sammy, where's Danny?"
As if they were magic words, Sam lifted her head up and stared at her friend. "I don't know." She said slowly, as if her brain couldn't handle what it was trying to process, "I called him. But he never picked up." Sam blinked rapidly, trying to stem the tears Tucker could see swimming, "Tuck, I had a bad feeling a few days ago. And this is what happens."
Tucker sat back on his heels. He had never seen Sam like this. Usually, she was so strong and independent. It was like nothing could faze her. But in one fell swoop her parents and ex-boyfriend come in and ruin twenty-two years of self-actualization. "Sammy, what happened with your parents?" he asked.
Breathing deeply for a minute, Tucker could tell that she was trying to center herself before she answered. "I called my dad about a job. So he told me that he had this guy I could meet with about an interview. I went, got all dressed up too," she forced a laugh and hiccupped, "got there and found Eddie, waiting for me."
"I'm sorry? Who was there?" Tucker asked, dumbfounded. He had to have heard wrong.
The power of Sam's glare was enough to have killed a man at fifty paces, "Don't you dare make me say it again Foley." Then she closed her eyes and rested her hands against her forehead, her visage slowly losing all color until she was as pale as a corpse.
Stumbling to his feet, his legs numb from being sat on for so long, Tucker began to pace back and forth across the cream carpeted living room. So Eddie was back and Sam's parents knew about it. Not only that, but they had shoved him back in her life in the first place. And Danny was MIA. Wonderful. Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Tucker stared at the slumped figure of one of his oldest and dearest friends.
He would never admit this to anyone, let alone Sam or Danny. Especially not Danny. From the very beginning, Tucker had known that Sam was Danny's just as he was hers. But, there had been a period in Tucker's life when he had been mildly attracted to Sam. She had a vitality that made other girls look dull otherwise. But luckily he now had his Valerie. Suddenly scowling, Tucker recollected how he and Val came to be. Hopefully that was all about to change for them and those memories would only be worth a good laugh in a few years.
But what in the world could have made Danny suddenly disappear like that? This just wasn't like him. According to Val there hadn't been any ghost activity lately, so it couldn't be that. Tucker smoothly sat beside Sam, taking care not to disturb or touch her.
"Sammy," he said in a low tone, "What did Eddie want?" She needed to talk about this before it festered inside. It was bad enough she had finally gotten over the bastard, but for him to come back into her life? That was just low.
"Tgifmehayob"
Puzzled, Tucker stared blankly at Sam's head, "Eh?"
Raising her head slightly, Sam mumbled, "To give me a job." Then she slumped forward again, relying on her hands to capture her entire body weight.
"So he didn't want a date?"
Sam shook her head.
"Or your hand in marriage?"
She shook her head again, this time a little more aggressively.
"How about you as his personal sex slave?"
That earned Tucker another slap along the backside of his head. Glowering at her friend, Sam finally lifted her head, sat back into the couch and crossed her arms in a huff, her pantsuit clad legs crossed.
"I was just kidding Sam," he said warily, eyeing her carefully, "So if he didn't want any of these things and just wanted to give you a job…I guess, everything's alright then."
"What?" Sam stared at him stunned, "How can you say everything is alright Tucker? Eddie. Is. Back. How is that alright?"
Tucker rolled his eyes, "This is why Danny needs to be here, you two could always reason with each other. Look, he acted like a normal person right? Did he mention any of the things he did during college?" he asked.
That caught Sam's attention. "Yeah, he did," she said, sounding puzzled, "But he said that he had never done any of those things. He sounded really hurt that I had believed them too." She turned to Tucker, her eyes confused, "Tuck, I sort of believe him. Everything that I had heard about him during school, I had never heard from him. But from other people."
Sam could see that gave Tucker a pause too. All this time, they had thought that he had been the criminal, but could he have in fact been the victim? Staring at a stain in the carpet, Sam could see from the corner of her eye that Tucker was obviously chomping at the bit to say something.
"What is it Tuck?"
"What about when he-," Tucker stopped; he couldn't even finish the sentence. The words were too horrible. What about when he forced you against the wall and said those things?
But Sam understood what he meant. That same question had been on the forefront of her mind ever since she saw Eddie.
She chose her words carefully, not wanting Tucker to get the wrong impression. "I'm not saying that he is the most wonderful man in the world Tuck. I'm saying perhaps I didn't give him enough of a chance. Maybe? I don't know," she laughed helplessly, "he said he wanted to be friends."
"Friends," Tucker snorted in disbelief, "I'm sorry, out of all of this that I just don't believe Sam."
"What can I do Tuck? I really need this job, and he's offering." Sam winced suddenly, "Though considering the way I acted at lunch, I don't think he'll give it to me now."
Tucker gave her a sympathetic look, "That bad?"
"Huh, worse." Sam snorted, "I treated him like he was an armless leper and ran out of there before the waiter could say 'May I take your order?' Yeah, I'd say it was that bad Tuck."
He shook his head morosely, "Damn Sam, you didn't even get to look at their desserts." His gaze narrowed in on Sam as she fidgeted on the couch, "What are you going to do about your parents?"
"What can I do Tucker?" Sam asked, shrugging, "They wouldn't listen to me, and it was obvious that they always had a preference for Eddie over Danny. Never mind that I love Danny." A sense of calm washed over Sam as she sat there watching Tucker as he leaned against the doorjamb, his arms crossed and his right arm tapping against his temple.
He was thinking so hard, that Sam could practically see the lightbulb hanging over his head as it lit up, "You could-," he started excitedly.
"No," fervent, Sam shook her head, "Listen Tuck, I'll take care of Eddie." A slight smile crossed her face when she noticed that his mouth was opened and ready to argue, "Don't worry. I think he's the least of our problems right now."
Tucker nodded, "I know, that's part of the reason I came over here." Sam stared at him blankly.
"Huh?" was her only eloquent response.
Sighing heavily, Tucker stood upright and stretched his body, the t-shirt clinging to his torso pulling upwards slightly, tugging it back down and popping his neck he walked out of the living room and into the hall way. From the couch, Sam could hear his footsteps moving steadily away from the living room.
Curious, she followed along behind him, but once in the hallway she couldn't tell where he had gone. "Tuck?" She called loudly.
"I'm in here Sam." Walking into the kitchen she saw Tucker making a sandwich at the counter.
Turning around he lifted his sandwich, grinning at the expression on Sam's face, "Hope you don't mind…I got hungry sitting there talking about all this. Got a craving for a turkey sandwich, and knowing Danny I figured you guys would have some." Pouring himself a large glass of milk, Tucker grabbed an apple and juggled his food to the table.
Pulling a chair out, Sam sat beside tucker and watched him eat the dead carcass of an unfortunate turkey. "Still don't see how you guys can do that to the poor bird. How would you feel if they ate you?" Then shaking her head, Sam raised a hand to stall his comment, "If your next sentence has any sexual innuendo involving the turkey, never mind and just tell me what in the world you meant what you said before."
Swallowing the huge bite he had just taken, Tucker gulped down half of his glass of milk before he was able to reply. "Aw Sammy, you take all the fun out of things." He said a smirk on his face.
"You only think that 'cause you're a perv Tuck." She replied, sticking her tongue out at him. Stealing his apple and ignoring his protest, Sam took a huge bite out of it. She hadn't eaten all day practically and had finally realized just how hungry she was.
"So," she said, swallowing and wiping the juice off of her lips, "what'd you mean back there when I said that Eddie was the least of our worries?"
Tucker put down his sandwich on its plate and took a deep breath, "You'd say I'm a good guy, right? Decent, upstanding…yadda yadda?" He asked.
"What is this, Seinfeld? Sure Tuck, your one of the best people I know."
Releasing his breath, Tucker smiled at her, "Thanks Sam, but that's not exactly what I meant." Leaning back, he reached deep into one of his front jean pockets and lifting something out he placed it in front of Sam, "But would you marry me?"
Stunned, Sam let her apple fall from her hands as she picked up the object before her. It was a jewelry box. And not just any type of jewelry box, if Sam knew her boxes this one was meant to hold a ring. Opening it up, voila; there was the expected ring.
It was beautiful; white gold setting with a large princess cut diamond surrounded by rubies half its size. Lifting it out of the box, Sam stared at the beauty of it. This couldn't be happening. Spooked, she quickly put it back into its box and stared at Tucker.
Nudging it across the table with the back of her hand, Sam tilted her head and looked at him warily. "What the hell is this supposed to mean Tuck? I mean I love you, but if it got back to Danny that you just proposed to me I'm pretty sure he'd kick your ass." A weak laugh escaped, her chest pounding from the shock.
"What?" Tucker asked, equally stunned. Suddenly what she meant flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning, "Oh god, no Sam!" He shook his head, laughing loudly at his mistake, "Sorry, I had no idea you'd take it what way. Besides, I really don't want Danny to mutilate me for stealing his girl." He mock winked flirtatiously at the flustered Sam.
Slowly, Sam relaxed without even realizing that she had been tense the entire time. Relieved, she glared at him, "God, don't do that to me Tuck. Nearly had a heart attack there." Picking up the box this time with a whole lot more enthusiasm, Sam tossed it back and forth between her hands, enjoying the way Tucker's eyes widened in panic, "Alrighty, so since it obviously isn't for me…and I'm guessing not your mother since she has better taste…Val?"
Plucking the box in mid air, Tucker cradled it lovingly before stowing it back inside his jean pocket. "Yeah," he said, a little breathless, "It's weird you know? For years I thought she was Danny's and then we…and it just clicked. I love her, have since high school really. But now that she's mine, I just want to make it permanent."
"Aw that's sweet. And if taken literally, kind of creepy." She smiled happily at the knowledge that soon Val wouldn't be much of a threat anymore to her and Danny's relationship though. "That's great Tuck, and I don't mean to be a downer and I'm sure she'll say yes…but don't you think it's a bit soon? I mean you two have only been dating for-"
Rubbing his hand in his hair, Tucker grinned weakly, "Over seven months."
Taken aback, Sam slapped her forehead, "That's right. For a minute I'd forgotten that you two snuck around Danny's back like that. Well, that changes everything really." She grinned at his discomfort and held up two thumbs high in the air, "Go for it!"
Taking a bite from her forgotten apple, Sam mumbled around the fruit, "Now I get why you said you were coming over here anyways. And your right," swallowing, she chuckled delicately, "Val definitely isn't the least of your worries." She snickered, "Not till the 'I Do's' anyways, and then it's too late."
Polishing off his sandwich, Tucker finished the remaining milk in his glass before commenting, "Oh like you would say no if Danny asked you." Standing up, he removed the dishes to the sink. "Well, that's really what I wanted to talk to you about. Thanks Sammy."
Together they walked to the front door, Sam trailing behind Tucker still munching on her apple. Really, it was wonderful that Tucker decided to stop by. She had desperately needed to talk to someone and besides Danny; Tucker was definitely option number two. And it had been obvious that he needed someone to talk to as well.
Standing in the doorway, wide open allowing all the sunlight to come pouring into the apartment, Tucker turned back to Sam.
"Are you sure you're alright? If you want me to stick around I can…"
She shook her head and smiled, "No, I'm fine now I think." Crossing her arms against the unusual breeze coming in through the doorway, she watched Tucker battle his internal confusion.
He didn't look too convinced, "What about your parents? And Eddie?"
She smirked, "Honestly Tuck, I think you just need to worry about Val right now. As for my parents, if they want me in their lives they'll have to make the first move now. And I'll deal with Eddie, everything'll be alright. You'll see." She patted him gently on the arm and then shoved him out of the apartment, chuckling as he stumbled down the walk. When he turned around and flipped her off she simply waved and smiled cheerfully in response.
Turning back into the apartment, she shut the door quietly behind her. Taking one last bite of her apple, Sam walked into the kitchen to throw it away and then walked back into the living room. Bending down, she picked up her cell phone where she'd dropped it when Tucker had first knocked on the door.
She did feel better from talking to Tucker, she wasn't as panicky as before when she was only left with her thoughts. Checking her watch, Sam noticed that it was around six in the afternoon. Even by normal standards, Danny should have been home for over a half an hour by now. Quickly she dialed his number, but once again was greeted by the cold, feminine automated voice that gave her no hope.
Staring at her phone, Sam made up her mind. Again she punched some numbers in the pad on her phone and placed it against her ear. This time, she was confident as the ringtone sounded that someone was going to pick up. And lo she was right.
Sitting on the couch, Sam nervously fiddled with her shirt. "Hi, Eddie…yeah I'm sorry about earlier. It was just a surprise, you know? I hadn't expected seeing you like that." Swallowing her desire to hang up, Sam pressed on, "Listen, I know before I said that I didn't think I was right for the job but I've had time to think about it and if it's still available-," She perked up at his response, "Really? That'd be wonderful. Tomorrow at the park, noon; I'll be there and ready to discuss options. Thank you, Eddie. Bye." Hanging up, she jumped up into the air and punched it for all she was worth. He hadn't changed his mind! The job was still available.
In the darkness, Danny had no concept of time. He had no idea how long he had been lying there, his body throbbing as with every minute his heart beat another pulse, that much blood seeped from his wounds. After Vlad's visit, Danny had quickly fallen asleep from desperation, he was in pain and sleep just felt natural. Waking up on the other hand, had felt like he was swimming upwards through a sea of fog.
Throughout the day, Danny just lay there thinking about what had happened earlier. How had he not seen this coming? The lack of ghostly activity usually foretold something happening, and nine times out ten Vlad was involved somehow.
But why now? It had been years since Vlad had tried to influence Danny, it had seemed as if he had given up after graduation. Course that didn't stop Vlad from interfering in Amityville occasionally, but it was normally just through his usual brigade of minions.
His torso half propped against the wall, Danny again felt his upper arm to check if it were still bleeding. Thankful, he breathed out a sigh of relief, the bleeding had finally stopped. Gingerly, he checked the rest of his body the best he could. There was really no way to tell if he had broken bones, but everything felt alright. Except for the extreme sense of lassitude that never left him, but Danny just assumed that it was due to the belt strapped to his body.
So, what the hell were Vlad's plans this time? Danny assumed it had something to do with World Domination. But if that were the case then why try and drag Danny into it? Vlad had to realize that he wouldn't do anything like that, his mom would kill him. Not to mention Sam, she had a thing about stealing things which didn't necessarily belong to a person.
God Sam, she had to be going crazy. How long had he been in here again? Groaning loudly in the stillness, Danny finally managed to sit upright against the cold stone wall. Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against his knee. He should have listened to Sam when she said she'd had a feeling. But he had been so preoccupied with the idea that it would be about her and Eddie, Vlad had never even figured into his musings.
A clanging noise interrupted his reverie, startled; his head jolted up and stared at where he assumed the door to his prison was. A break in the gloom forced Danny's eyes to squint, unused to the light. A little flap towards the floor cracked open and something slipped through, sliding across the floor only to land an inch away from his feet.
Then the flap slammed shut, blocking out the light. Groping carefully along the floor, Danny felt the metallic edge of what he assumed was a tray. Moving further, he could tell that the tray had grooves that separated sections and in the sections were morsels of food.
Ravenous, Danny yanked the tray towards him with his good arm and started shoveling the food into his mouth. It was generally tasteless, but not exactly horrible though he couldn't tell from one thing to another exactly it was that he was eating.
Suddenly sick of the unidentifiable mush in front of him, Danny shoved the tray away and listened as it skittered across the floor until it hit the opposing wall with a satisfying THUNK. Scooting over into the corner, Danny discovered a pillow and some blankets, so snuggling down; he made himself as comfortable as possible and desperately tried to fall asleep again. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be, he was still woozy enough that it took only a handful of minutes before he was passed out cold.
When he woke up next, Danny couldn't tell if it were day or night. But he could tell that there was something poking him in the side, and poking hard.
Flinging back the blankets that he had tucked feebly around his body, Danny tried to leap into a ready battle position. But with a muffled cry of pain he fell back against the wall, he had forgotten the belt and had automatically tried to shift to Danny Phantom; as it had before, the belt had electrocuted him. Struggling to remain upright, Danny stared wild eyed at the familiar figure before him.
Dressed in his usual suit, his hair swept immaculately back in his customary ponytail, Vlad smiled benignly down at his guest. "Good day Daniel. Hope you had a pleasant night's rest."
Danny swallowed in an effort to regain his voice, "Well, the room service kind of sucked," He rasped hoarsely, "What the hell do you want Plasmius?"
Still smiling, Vlad spread his arms out wide in a gesture of peace, "Why, only the best for you my dear boy. Which is why I propose we move you out of these dreary accommodations as soon as possible, for your health of course." He peered closely into Danny's face, "You are looking a little peaked Daniel."
Danny coughed harshly, "What's it matter to you? I die and you get Amityville all to yourself."
"Tut tut my boy, I never wanted you dead!" Vlad clucked his tongue disdainfully, "That is such a waste of potential and talent." He shook his head, "No, you know what I've ever truly wanted."
Danny shrugged his shoulders carefully, his upper arm still twinging painfully at the movement, "Sorry Vlad, my mother isn't in the market for a remarriage." He tried to not notice how Vlad was watching him carefully, as if he couldn't afford to miss any move.
"Is your arm still hurting you?" he asked solicitously, "I do apologize, it was a new development. I didn't have the chance to test it out properly. And your mother was only ever the tip of the iceberg of my desires Daniel."
Wobbling unsteadily on his feet, Danny tried desperately to gain some purchase on the unyielding stone floor, "Flattered Vlad, but you should know I don't go that way. Besides, my girlfriend might not like it if she has competition."
"Hmm, yes, the delightful Ms. Manson," Vlad mused out loud, "yes, we'll discuss that later. But for now," here he snapped his fingers loudly in the barren room, suddenly two figures appeared, each one taking a firm grip on Danny, "I do believe I promised you a better residence." And with a second snap, Danny felt himself being carried out of the room, up the stairs into the main part of the mansion.
Careful not to jostle him, the two ghosts carried Danny smoothly through the deserted hallways and corridors, up various flights of stairs till he was so confused and lost that even a GPS system would not have been able to help him find his way back out. Struggling didn't do him any good either since he was still so weak from whatever Vlad had shot him with the day before, they just gripped him harder and continued onward. Soon they came to a nondescript door, and opening it, Danny was carried inside to the large four poster bed where he was dropped.
Before he could move, the door was shut yet again with a final 'click' resonating through the room. Wobbling over to the door, Danny pounded his fist several times against the wood. Flinging himself from the door, he grabbed the belt around his waist and tugged firmly. Instantly he knew that was a bad idea. It seems that Vlad had added a new little feature to his parent's invention.
By yanking on it without using the proper key, Danny must have triggered something. An electrical current passed through the belt and latched onto him, causing his back to arch unnaturally and his limbs to shake involuntarily. Lying on the carpeted floor, Danny gasped for air and tried to still his twitching body. Clutching his hand to his chest, he could feel his heart trying to jump from his chest. Whatever Vlad had done to the belt, he had certainly upped the wattage. That had not been the best of experiences. Gingerly, he got to his feet and made his way to the bed. A single thought stuck in his mind.
How did Vlad know that he was dating Sam? The last time he had seen Vlad, Valerie was still his girlfriend. Did he have spies around town watching them or something? Danny shook his head, this was ridiculous. Of course Vlad had spies around Amityville, he didn't feel like he was doing anything worthwhile unless he knew absolutely everything that was going on.
Lying back on the bed, Danny stared overhead at the canopy, the sunlight flowing through the nearby window weakly throwing beams across the room. It wasn't until he noticed a distinct change in temperature that he realized there was someone in the room with him. Still preoccupied with his thoughts, Danny ignored the sound of someone clearing their throat.
"Well that's just rude Daniel."
"Kiss my ass Plasmius," he replied, his tone indifferent as he tried to figure out the pattern swirling around in the canopy, his body still trembling from being electrocuted earlier.
"I do believe that Ms. Manson would be most adverse to that option."
Sitting up, Danny stared fiercely at his kidnapper, "Don't you dare bring her into this Vlad. She has nothing to do between us." Wearily, Danny wiped his forehead. This entire day was taking a huge strain on his body, he could practically feel himself wearing down and almost grinding to a complete halt.
Walking into the middle of the room, Vlad nodded in agreement, "Oh, I don't dispute that my boy. But see, as she is connected to you she cannot help but be in the middle of everything." A solemn look crossed his face, "It is by her relations with you that Samantha could ever get in serious trouble. Do you see my meaning Daniel?"
Danny desperately tried to block him out, but what he said made too much sense. He was Danny Phantom, sooner or later one of his enemies would take advantage of that and try and get at her. How could he protect her? Especially now when he couldn't even be with her because this twisted fruit loop had him locked away like some perversion of Rapunzel.
Rocking back and forth on his heels, Vlad clasped his hands before him and watched Danny as he mulled over this information. "Of course, by joining me there are ways of making sure that both you and her are taken care of and never bothered again."
The silence drug on for several long minutes. Moving slowly closer, Vlad kept a careful eye on Danny. He wasn't moving and his chest was raising and falling evenly; he was asleep. That figured, he finally makes a point that Fenton could actually work around and the frustrating child had to fall asleep. Grinding his teeth in a desperate attempt to restrain himself from shaking Danny awake, Vlad turned intangible and simply fell through the floor. He would try another day.
It was the middle of the night when Danny woke up again. The only reason he could tell was because of the lack of sunlight shining through the window, instead it was a large, pale full moon. Feeling slightly stronger, he pulled himself into the adjoining bathroom. One glance in the mirror told Danny that someone had been in the room while he was sleeping. The electro-shock belt had been removed during the night.
Delicately, Danny stripped his torn work shirt off. He was still wearing the clothes he had worn to work days ago, but they were definitely looking worse for wear. Turning in the mirror, he examined the injury on his left upper arm. It was a good thing he was right handed; the entire upper portion of his left arm was swollen and red, except where a large blood clot had formed. There, it was purple and a sickly green. Touching it carefully, he couldn't help but wince at the pain that shot through his entire upper body.
Wondering what the hell Vlad had shot him with, Danny turned on the faucet and soaking a washcloth with lukewarm water, began to dab at the blood streaks racing all the way down his arm to his wrist. Slowly, he noticed that the cut on his arm was centralize around a star shaped hole, the veins surrounding the mark standing prominent against his pale skin in an unnatural way. There was definitely something in his system that shouldn't be there.
The majority of the crusted blood washed off, Danny was desperate for a real shower. Three days of no hot water and he knew he was beginning to smell. Stripping the remaining clothes off, he stepped into the shower and began possibly the longest shower in his life. It felt like he had years to soak off.
After the hot water had finally run out, Danny wrapped a towel around his waist and wandered into the main bedroom area, scrubbing at his hair with another towel. Vlad had obviously planned to stash Danny in this room; wouldn't there be clothes as well?
Bingo, digging through the dresser he discovered boxers, jeans, t-shirts and socks. In the closet were several pairs of shoes, ranging from tennis, loafers, flip flops and dress shoes. Whistling low, Danny marveled that Vlad did all this. He must have searched through Danny's clothing for all the right sizes, because everything fit perfectly. Carefully, Danny tried to steer his thoughts away from Vlad searching through his underwear drawer; that was just too disturbing to contemplate.
Dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a shirt, Danny padded back to the bathroom and searching through the cabinet discovered bandages and ointments. Wrapping his arm up, Danny tugged hard. During his shower, the clot had come away and the injury was bleeding freely again.
Flipping off the bathroom light, Danny moved to the center of the room and stood there. Silence, pure silence; he knew Vlad was the only human who lived in the mansion, but were there ghost's that did too? Walking to the door, he tried the handle. Too easy, he knew it wouldn't have opened but the human in him had wanted to try. Stepping back, he took a deep breath and focused on changing to Danny Phantom.
But nothing happened; the normal cool feeling didn't wash over him. Glancing down to make sure, he could tell that he was still in the plaid pj pants and t-shirt that Vlad had left for him. Ok, so the supernatural way wasn't going to work either. A quick glance around the room told him that using the phone was out of the question as well because there simply wasn't one. He was stymied.
Danny made his way to the window, his one link to the outside world. The cool moonlight washed over him through the glass as he gazed at Vlad's backyard. There was nothing there, no trees, shrubs, flowers, not even any disgusting statues erected in Vlad's form. It was just grass.
Frustrated by the lack of distraction, Danny turned back to the bed. But before he made it, something caught his eye. There was a TV directly across from the bed, but on top of it was a video cassette that he could have sworn wasn't there before.
Picking up the tape, he noticed there was a note attached. Reading out loud he recited, "Just thought this might catch your interest Daniel. Please enjoy." Hoping to god it wasn't some perverted video, Danny popped it into the VCR.
Back on the bed he made himself comfortable as the tape came to life on the screen. At first the focus was fuzzy, and the camera wasn't focused on anything in particular. But soon things came into view that Danny recognized. It was Amity Park. He could tell because the fountain was prominent in the shot, as well as the bushes around where he and Sam had more than one fake-out make-out back in high school.
There were several figures walking around the park, most of them obviously couples with their arms wrapped lovingly around one another. Watching this, Danny felt a pang, he and Sam should have been doing that. Instead he was being held hostage by some crazed geriatric. Looking closer, Danny was surprised to see that one of the women looked an awful lot like Sam.
She was tall for a woman and slender, dressed all in black. The man she was next to though made her look short in comparison, and if Danny hadn't been positive that it wasn't the case, he would have thought the man was himself. For a few minutes, he sat there watching the video as the camera continually focused on that specific couple.
Then the woman did something that gave Danny a pause. She laughed, gently placing her hand on the man's arm and tossed her shoulder length black hair. But it was her smile that caught Danny's breath. That woman didn't just look like Sam, it was Sam.
His eyes narrowed now, Danny focused on the man standing beside his girlfriend. He was tall, about as tall as Danny was himself. He had black hair as well, and was fairly muscular. But it was obvious that his muscles were the work of a gym, not through actual physical labor. And he was dressed in jeans, but he wore them as if they were uncomfortable. Suddenly, the camera zoomed in on Sam and the unknown man. Danny could see Sam's stunningly amethyst eyes, and the man's golden hazel ones.
When had this video been taken? How in the world did Sam know this man, because it was obvious that she did by the way she was acting around him. Was it through her parents?
A sudden thought gave him a start, had she replaced him?
Laughing at himself, Danny slapped his head. That was ridiculous, he had only been stuck in Vlad's place for two days. How could Sam have found someone new in just two days? She wasn't that type of girl. Besides, she loved him.
Watching the couple though, Danny couldn't be positive. She said she loved him, but how could he be sure? He knew he loved her, was that enough?
Watching further Danny could see something was wrong. Sam was smiling, polite and winsome. But he could tell that she was also on her guard around this man. She didn't speak with her hands like usual, and her arms were unusually crossed before her chest in a protective movement. Also, she continually checked her cell phone and watch.
He knew his Sam and he could tell that she may have known this man, but she wasn't as comfortable as he had thought before. Leaving the warm bed, Danny moved over to the VCR and ejected the tape before it was finished playing. He had seen enough, and when he got out he'd ask Sam what was going on.
As if remembering something, Danny walked back into the bathroom and grabbed his pants. Digging around in the pockets, his hand clutched around something as he drew it back out; opening his fist Danny smiled to see that the ring hadn't fallen out of his pocket during the chaos of the past few days. It was the ring his father had given him years ago for Sam. Twisting it caressingly back and forth between his fingers, Danny tried to memorize every facet and closing his eyes he imagined giving it to Sam. Not as an engagement ring, no it was way too soon for that. But as a promise ring for the future; he just hoped that they had a future now.
Too jazzed to sleep, Danny wrapped himself up in the bed's comforter and sat in a chair facing the viewless window. He sat there the rest of the night, staring at the sky, worried about his family and friends, the ring twisting unconsciously in his hands.
Downstairs, Vlad sat behind a large and ornate oak desk as he watched his security cameras. This wasn't going the way he had planned. When he'd had Skulker drag Danny into the dungeon, Vlad had figured that a few days down there and Danny would have been begging to be released. Yet he was going on his third day and so far nothing. Resting his chin on his steepled fingers, Vlad watched Danny snuggled deeper into the comforter and focus on the pale moon overhead through the window.
When he had gone in there earlier in the night, Vlad had made sure that the anti-ghost security devices were positioned all around the room, both inside and out so Danny was unable to shift into his Phantom persona. Just yet more little toys that Jack and Maddie would never realize were missing until it was too late.
But Vlad was curious about what Danny had been thinking when he'd watched the tape. There had been several different expressions that crossed his face, each one as inscrutable as the last. It was like seeing Michelangelo's David and expecting him to stick out his tongue and cross his eyes at some tourists. Daniel hadn't raged and stormed against Sam and the unnamed youth in the video, he sat there stoically, barely even blinking.
Focused on the sight of a calm and collected Daniel Fenton via the security camera, Vlad didn't turn around when he felt another presence in the room.
"Yes?"
Skulker shifted uncomfortably, his gadgets clanking gently against each other the sound echoing harshly in the basement, "Sir, he is back."
Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose, again? Didn't the child have a life? "Very well Skulker."
"Didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude to ignore your guests?" Eddie asked as he stepped just inside the concealed basement room. His normally immaculate hair was slightly windswept and there was a possessive gleam in his eye.
Turning his chair around, Vlad faced his ever persistent partner, "Good evening Edward. To what may I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Smirking, Eddie ignored the question, walked further into the room and sat in the chair next to Vlad to stare at the television screen. "What's he been doing since he joined casa del Vlady?" His smirked shifted into a leer as he watched his unknowing competition stare into the nighttime sky.
Vlad shrugged casually, "He viewed the tape earlier, but since then he has simply been doing that," he gestured at the screen at the immovable figure.
Eddie was shocked, "He hasn't done anything?"
"I believe that he is either in denial or shock at the moment. What would you do if you saw your girlfriend with another attractive male?" Vlad smiled cruelly at the stony expression on Eddie's face, "Wait, you already have done that."
Turning off the screen, together they watched Danny wink out of existence then Vlad faced Eddie, "How did it go with Ms. Manson?"
Running his hands through his already mussed hair, Eddie growled low in his throat, "Everything was perfect. The park, the weather, me; she fell for the job spiel. According to her she's now gainfully employed as a member of my faculty." Rising from his seat, Eddie paced back and forth on the stone floor, his hands shaking from reigned in frustration, "But she was guarded, she still doesn't trust me. And I could tell she was worried about him." he pointed at the empty screen malevolently, "I need more time with her. Keep working on him till she's mine."
"Of course," Vlad nodded, "I have developed something that might be useful in this case. But I'll need to test it first," His eyes flickered to where Skulker was waiting patiently along one of the walls.
Eddie laughed, "Fine, test it. But soon; I am not naturally a patient man, Vlady. And this is pushing me a little too far at the moment." Still grinning widely at the unnerved look on Vlad's face, he tipped his nonexistent hat in Vlad and Skulker's directions, "Boys. I'll be around." Then smoothly he walked out of the room.
"I really don't like that boy." Vlad said with a sigh to Skulker.
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Since we're only up to about thirty-ish reviews right now, we need more! Call me greedy lol, but there won't be an update till there are more reviews. Sorry! But suggestions, likes/dislikes would be really helpful. I have plans, but i want to hear what YOU the reader wants.