A/N: Hello! So I know that this chapter has a little bit of a time jump – not much, but a little – on the ship, but before this, the chapter would've been a lot of…"Danny checked around the corner, and then moved back, and they waited for the pirates to vanish before they moved on, and he told Sam where they were and then they continued..." Which is tedious and I wanted to get to where things actually start happening.

As usual: Read/review/fav/follow and ENJOY!

Chapter #15: Wish

"Don't you dare!"

Jeremy jumps, turning towards the guttural snarl. Danny sits straight up, his eyes open, but unfocused.

And they're glowing.

Red. Hot, burning red.

"…Danny?" he manages to croak, but the teen's eyes slip shut again, and he falls limply back to the bed, his breathing evening out.

They've been running around the ship, sleeping for an hour each time they can afford it. They've managed to avoid the pirates so far, but a lack of sleep has nearly gotten them caught on more than one occasion.

They're being hunted.

Danny stirs again, rubbing at his shadowed eyes, "We need to get moving again, get some food. We'll burn out at this rate," he mutters, "We'll need water too."

"How do we get there?" Al whispers, "They have men guarding the main food and water reservoirs, as well as their boat."

"I'm still trying to figure out why they're chasing us," Danny replies, "They know we're on board. Regardless of whether they have one of us on hand or not, they could still make the ransom call...so what are they up to?"

"They want a hostage to relay the message. It's not uncommon," Voss answers, "showing a hostage has more impact and acts as proof of life. To a point. Also, it keeps them from making direct contact with the authorities."

Danny nods, "Makes sense. We have to get moving again," he rises to his feet, slipping into the hallway. He waves them out a few seconds later, determining that it's safe.

They move quietly, keeping close the walls. Jeremy watches the teen's movements closely, still shocked that this is Daniel Fenton.

His feet make hardly a sound as he leads them through the corridors. His eyes are calm and focused. There's no outward sign of stress at all, no fear. He's comfortable here, in this secretive warzone.

Jeremy's own heart is pounding in his ears, and he struggles to keep himself from hyperventilating. Alphonse is in a similar position. The only person even close to Danny's level of calm is Captain Voss, who moves with silent resolve.

"How can you be so calm?" he asks quietly to the Captain.

"Panic will kill us faster than those pirates," he replies softly, "Besides, Fenton seems to know what he's doing."

"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" he mutters.

Danny stops at a corner, holding his hand up to halt the others trailing behind him. He glances around the edge slowly, pulling away sharply with a soft curse, "They're close. It seems they're learning the game."

"Game?!" Al growls.

"It's how they're looking at it," Danny retorts, "They've been poking and prodding for a while to see how we react. Now they won't be chasing us, but trying to predict us," his upper lip curls into a snarl, "this is where our real problems begin."

"So what do we do now?"

Danny's fingers tap softly on the wall as he thinks, and Jeremy already dreads his response.

"I'll go run as a decoy. When I lure them away, run down this hallway and turn right. There's an elevator shaft. Get inside and climb up."

"What about you?" Jeremy inquires, knowing the answer.

"I…" he rubs at the back of his neck, "I'll meet up with you when I can."

"…if you can," Captain Voss adds.

"If I can," Danny confesses, "Yeah."

"I can't let you do that," the sailor frowns, "I'll run as the decoy–"

"No," Danny hisses, "You'll have a lesser chance of surviving than I would. Trust me. Especially with that old leg injury of yours."

"How did you–"

"I pay attention," the halfa snorts, "Be careful, all of you."

"Danny, I–"

"No one else is taking my place," he growls, "Now, remember. Down this hall and to the right," shadows are appearing on the wall beyond the corner, and footsteps can now be heard on the floor.

"Go," Danny whispers, stepping around the corner.

Red lights dance on his chest, and he lunges forward, a leg whipping out to catch on pirate in the head, slamming him against the wall. He dances to the side, a bullet missing his shoulder by no more than three inches.

Captain Voss dashes forward, followed by Jeremy and Alphonse. They sprint as quickly as they can, lunging to the right the moment they can. Their lungs burn, but they force the door open, climbing into the empty shaft. The gunshots still ring in their ears.

Danny, back in the hallway, watches in horror as a bullet tears through his coat pocket, and a shining object bounces across the floor. He lunges for it, allowing himself to turn intangible now that the others are gone. The bullets sail harmlessly through his body, earning curses from the pirates. His hand reaches desperately for it, but a shock courses through him. He falls to the ground, convulsing minutely.

He knows this feeling. Even through his blurry vision, he reaches for it, only for a foot to stamp down on his hand. He yelps, his body still trembling from the shock. Fingers curl into his hair, pulling his head upward until brown eyes meet his own.

The Hispanic young man can't be much older than he, with wavy black locks and a scar cutting across his left cheek, accented by a wide grin.

"Found you!"

-BREAK-

"Happy Birthday, Tucker!"

"Thanks," he smiles, "But seriously…two cakes?"

"One from each half of your family," his mother, Angela, jests.

"You do nearly live at our house," Maddie adds.

"You've been working hard, Babe," Valerie laughs, "I think you deserve two, don't you?"

He wraps an arm around her, pulling her in for a quick peck on the cheek, "At least!"

"Make a wish!" his father, Maurice, shouts.

He thinks for a moment before blowing out the candles, nine on each cake.

"What did you wish for?" Valerie whispers into his ear amidst the cheers.

"That's a secret," he smirks in reply.

She pouts.

"So, did Mrs. Marigold beat the GIW within an inch of their lives?"

"I managed to remind her that doing so would render them incapable of helping her clean up," she snickers, "Oh, and Johnny Thirteen showed up, too. She gave him some of the flowers she still had."

"Think he made up with Kitty?"

"Maybe. Twenty bucks says he's back on his couch within a week."

"I'm not taking that bet," he winces.

"It feels unusual for Danny and Sam to be absent," Angela comments, slicing the cakes, "I hope they're having fun."

"Probably not, with that…" Maddie Fenton stifles herself with her drink, "…those two…!"

"They are a bit…stiff," Maurice acknowledges.

"I can't believe Danny-O didn't want to stick around for the ghost hunting convention!" Jack pouts, "I mean–"

Maddie shoves a piece of fudge in his mouth, "Honey, remember how all of our equipment reacts to him? He could get shot!" she laughs nervously, "Danny's been in contact with ectoplasm a little more than recommended since a certain accident in the lab while we were out, so…" she explains hurriedly, "Nothing too large, but sensitive equipment sometimes picks up the traces of it."

"Why aren't the two of you contaminated?" Angela asks, worried.

"We wear our hazmat suits," Maddie replies, "with the hoods up."

"Yeah," Tucker grimaces, "Danny didn't have the hood pulled up…not sure it would have helped though…"

"Tucker, were you there?!" his mother gasps.

"Yeah…" he shifts nervously, "But hey, Danny's fine, he just sets off ghost tech sometimes."

"It hasn't caused any negative side effects," Maddie assures, "It's been four years."

"He was a little woozy," Tucker shrugs, "and having like…aftershocks…but that was probably from getting electrocuted half-to-death, not the ectoplasm."

"Electrocuted?" Maurice gasps.

"What exactly happened?" Angela asks.

"Long story short? Mr. and Mrs. Fenton were gone. Ghost portal wasn't working, Sam convinced Danny to go inside, he listened. He tripped, hit something on the wall, and there was a bright flash and a scream. He stumbled out of the portal, passed out, and we carried him upstairs to his room," he takes a drink.

"We didn't learn about this until that field trip," Maddie frowns, "They told us that the portal had turned on while they were down in the lab. We figured it had just taken time to form or something."

"You're lucky he lived," Angela whispers.

"It's become a joke to us now," Tucker laughs and shrugs, "Any time Sam swears she'll kill Danny – usually because he worried her – we correct her and remind her that she'll finish killing him. She's the one who talked him into the portal, after all."

"That…"

"You know what? It's my birthday, and I don't want to spend it remembering the time my best friend almost died. He wouldn't want me to either, so," he raises his cup of soda, "To Sam and Danny – may they be having fun – and to me, for becoming a legal adult!"

I wish I could stop worrying.