A/N: Battle-time!

Disclaimed.

…Workshop…

The ghosts and the government agents fought hard. When it seemed that the ghosts might actually win, the Guys in White would pull out new, more powerful weapons and turn the tides. Each ecto-blast was met with a more powerful anti-ghost attack. It seemed that Santa's Workshop was going to fall.

Vlad smirked, everything was going according to plan. If he conquered the boy's workshop, then he conquered the Ghost Zone.

"Plasmius," a deep voice spat, "I never took you to be a fool."

"Look around you, Skulker! It's only a matter of time before I win," the halfa gloated. "You are the fool."

"You never did get it, did you?" the hunter chuckled darkly. "All ghosts observe the Truce. All we have to do is hold you back until these humans tire or run out of reinforcements."

As if on cue, the portal to the Far Frozen opened to admit a cloaked being leading Princess Dora and the people of the Medieval Realm into battle.

It was an impressive sight: a mysterious woman in a luxurious green cloak with her face hidden from view, backed by a magnificent violet dragon rearing to her full height and an army of skeletal and gaunt knights in shining medieval armor wielding spears, swords, battle axes, and bows and arrows.

Leaving Vlad to his thoughts, Skulker flew back into the fray. He would have gladly fought Plasmius, but Santa had ordered that he be untouched. By keeping his forces away from the mayor, Danny hoped to unnerve him, even infuriate him. Plasmius always referred to chess in their battles and how Danny didn't understand the game. He was right, but warfare had nothing to do with board games.

…

Sam looked at the devastation and couldn't quite believe that it had once been a bustling workshop. Disturbed by the madness of the battle, she took out the ecto-gun and wrist-ray and started out fighting. This is going to be a long night…

"Charge, ye scurvy dogs!" Youngblood shouted, having followed the medieval realmers.

Sam was shocked that she could even see him, being that she wasn't a kid anymore, but she had no intention of letting him get involved in this because, chances were, Danny wouldn't like it either.

Reaching her decision, Sam pulled the youthful specter to the relative safety of the boulder she had taken cover behind.

"Hey!" the pint-sized pirate protested, "Who dares to take down Captain Youngblood?"

"I do, now, shush!" Sam blatantly told him, watching cautiously as a blur of white zipped past on a personal hovercraft.

Once he was gone, she looked back at the kid ghost.

"What are you doing here, Youngblood?" she asked calmly, briefly wondering where his skeletal parrot was.

"I'm helping Santa!" he proclaimed happily. The cloaked woman sighed; This is going to be difficult.

"Youngblood, you need to go back to your lair," she reasoned with patience honed from years of being friends with Danny.

"Who're you to tell me what to do?" he argued stubbornly, as she knew he would.

Smiling kindly, she lowered her hood and placed her hands on his shoulders, "You need to go back home; it's too dangerous here."

"No!" he pouted, looking away. "I want to help Santa!"

Sam ducked and yanked the boy to safety, then changed tactics, "Fine. You want to help Santa? Then go spread the word. Just be careful."

Youngblood grumbled, but agreed and headed back to the portal.

"Nicely handled. I couldn't've done better myself. In fact, I probably would have made things worse," Santa complimented her as he regained visibility.

"Probably," she teased, giving him a quick peck in greeting. Fighting the Guys in White wasn't that far out of the ordinary for them, though they didn't take the situation lightly. Sam wouldn't have done it, but she had been worried.

Santa flinched as a blast hit close by, looking at the wreckage of the once proud Workshop, "We should probably get back out there."

"A little slow there, Santa!" Sam shouted back, her hood already raised. Danny looked up to see his fiancé already ten feet ahead firing away with a little more than her usual ferocity.

Laughing, he flew invisibly over his world. The laughter died as he saw just how much damage had been done in the few hours since he was there last. This must have started just after I left…a few minutes longer and they would have found me…

Shaking the frightening thoughts away, Danny flew to where he'd seen a group of elf-ghosts being cornered.

…Restaurant…

"Where is she?" Pamela asked for about the tenth time in as many minutes.

"She'll be fine. She's probably blowing off some steam," Thurston reasoned, truing to calm his wife. He was worried too, but he knew that even if the boy tried anything, Samantha would refuse.

Ida sat quietly, thoughtfully as she watched the anxious parents. She wasn't going to say anything, but she too was worried. She didn't think Danny would let anything get to her granddaughter, but she was afraid of what would try.

A cell phone rang at the next table.

"Hello?" a young woman answered. "WHAT!"

"It's amazing how rude people can be," Pam muttered, haughtily. "I'm going to call Sammy."

…Workshop…

As Sam fought, her mind wandered. She couldn't stop herself from thinking about all that had happened over the last two hours.

I'm engaged and I know Danny's secret. Now I'm helping him defend it! she thought, punching a G.I.W. agent who'd gotten too close. Well, I never claimed my life was normal…Thank God.

She was startled out of her ponderings by a commotion at the end of the long island the Workshop was situated on.

…

Santa sent the small ghosts to safety and turned to go back to the main part of the battle when he was ambushed by a young trainee in the standard white uniform of the Guys in White. He looked scared and a little surprised that he'd actually been the one to catch the main target.

He aimed his ecto-gun at the ghost, thoroughly shaken by his appearance.

Sam fought her way to the edge, hoping to catch the rookie by surprise. She was almost there when her cell ran. Thoroughly startled, she flipped it open and hid in a boulder.

"Mom, this really isn't a good time," she whispered harshly.

"Well you're just going to have to make time, young lady!"

"I'm twenty-four, Mom, I don't have to do anything," Sam argued as she rolled away to avoid a blast that hit her hiding place.

…

"Easy now, I don't want to fight you," Santa calmed him, his hands held palm up to reassure the boy.

A little unsure of what was going on, Operative N. lowered his ecto-gun slightly, but not completely. This is who we're fighting? But he doesn't seem evil…

"Just put the gun down, Nathan."

Almost immediately, Nathan's guard was back up and he aimed the ecto-gun at the ghost's chest and pulled the trigger. Santa's eyes widened.

"NO!" a cloaked figure yelled pushing him out of the way and taking the blast in her right side. It hit her with such force that she rolled a few feet behind where the red-suited ghost had been, her hood coming off and revealing her very human looking face.

…

A/N: Ahh, the cliffies, fun for me, a nightmare for you! What did you think about Skulker's interaction with Vlad? Or Sam's with Youngblood? Tell me in a review, and as alwaysALOHA!

P.S. The answer as to why Youngblood's parrot is missing is that I just got lazy and didn't know how to write the character. So, for consistency's sake, let's just say he decided to stay back at the lair because he didn't want to get involved.