A/N: So yay! Chapter 17! Back with Danny next time, and probably some Val and Tuck too! :D Also, to those still confused about the pirates and why they want Danny: remember that forum I made? The one I posted the link to on my profile? Yes, that one. Remember, I've explained several things. I recently posted a topic titled "Ghosts and The World." Trust me, my Q&A forum will be SO helpful to you. Sometimes I don't reveal something because it'd be spoileriffic…other times, however, I don't because there's no where it'd seem to fit and not be too exposition-y. Besides, Sam and Danny have no way to find out EXACTLY, DOWN TO THE LETTER how their telepathy came about. So remember: I have a forum! Don't be afraid to ask or comment!

Hopefully, I'll update tomorrow too, before I head off to work. :D I promise nothing. I also want to update The Funeral Singer soon…I give it so much less love…but it deserves some. :)

Chapter #17: Enough Secrets

"Phantom," Pamela hisses, "My daughter is dating a ghost."

"Half-ghost," Sam corrects testily, "Danny's half ghost."

"How can someone be half dead?!" she snaps.

"I don't know!" Sam retorts, "But it's possible! It's not like Danny's the only person to ever become so!"

"Oh, like Vlad Masters – Plasmius?! Yes, that's wonderful, he's like that psycho! As though his parents weren't bad enough!"

"Don't you dare compare him to Plasmius! Do you have any idea the things he did to Danny? The times Danny had to stop him from killing Mr. Fenton? The torture he was forced to suffer through at Vlad's hands?!"

"He would've been fine if his parents had been normal," she scoffs, "I'm sure it's their fault their son is a freak."

"No!" Sam roars, "It's my fault!"

Pamela falls silent, "…your fault?"

"I told you that it was my fault Danny started hunting ghosts," she blinks back her frustrated tears, "If it weren't for me, Danny would've never gone into the broken portal. He never would have tripped – and-and-and…" she swallows, "He would've never been hurt. His scream…I'll never forget it. He was so…" she sniffs, "…scared when he woke up. When he saw himself – Phantom – in his mirror…he…he was terrified."

"Sammy…"

"We live in fear every day that someone will find out, and the Guys in White will show up to…" she hugs herself, "I have nightmares where Danny dies, after being cut open like the frogs in biology," she clamps a hand over her mouth, "I can smell the Formaldehyde. It makes me feel sick. I scream, cry…ask them how they could do something so…so horrible to him. You know what they say? They tell me he's not human. That he has no rights. He's just a blob of ectoplasm…as though they didn't just watch his very human heart stop beating."

"Sam…"

"You keep telling me that Danny's 'just a boy,' and that I don't really love him, I'm just a teenage girl who is being silly and restricting herself to one boy. That it's just some high-school fling that I'm using to tick you off. But you know what?! I'm pretty sure that if I didn't love Danny, I'd have been gone a long time ago!" she shouts, "If I didn't love him with all my heart, I wouldn't be able to handle it! Knowing that any moment, he can go rushing off to save the day, that…that every kiss could be his last, that every day I see his face is a gift that could be gone within the blink of an eye. I have to savor every moment I have with Danny, because one day…" she falls to a hoarse whisper, "any day, he could…and I'll be left behind."

Pamela stares at her with wide eyes, her mouth slightly agape.

"And Danny…he just smiles that sad, understanding smile and tells me he's sorry. Worst of all, he means it. He's sorry that I fell in love with him, that I'm afraid to lose him. He's sorry that he's a good man, that he can't just turn a blind eye to everything. He's always apologizing!" she growls, "And it ticks me off because it's not his fault! It's all mine!"

"What will you do?" Pamela asks quietly after a moment, "When he's gone?"

"That depends on when it happens," Sam replies quietly, "Tomorrow? I'd focus on getting us all to safety…and killing those stupid pirates, probably."

"After that?"

"Take every day as it comes. Fight ghosts with Tuck and the Huntress. Protect the town Danny grew up in," she shrugs, "Until the day I end up where he is."

Pamela's jaw works wordlessly, trying to think of something to say, but Sam's eyes grow distant for a moment. A small smile spreads on her worried face. Her expressions continue to change, from worried to confused, then to pensive, finally to sheepish.

She suddenly snaps back, her eyes clearing, "…Danny?" she frowns, growling to herself, "He's been doing that a lot. What's up with him?"

"Wait…what is Danny doing?" Natalie asks.

"You told me the whole 'halfa' thing," Jeremy frowns, crossing his arms, "But you keep making cryptic remarks about something else…"

"I'll explain later," Sam dismisses, "But our enemies have four main leaders. Ross, Burgess, and Ramirez, led by a man they call Kovich. They're all where Danny is, so if we want to move, we need to do it now," she swings onto the rungs in the shaft, "If we go up a bit, we'll be near the main dining hall. We need food and water, bad. If the four leaders are together, we might be able to get in."

"They had it guarded," Alphonse frowns, almost silent until now, "what's changed?"

"The security will be lower than before; they're a little more concerned about keeping an eye on Danny. They know who he is. They've depowered him for now with some DALV-tech, but I imaging they'll still be a little paranoid about him. The Plasmius Maximus originally had a three-hour limit, then a twelve…but there's no telling if that time's diminished. Danny's stronger than he used to be. Now that everyone on this ship knows the truth about him, he won't worry about using his powers…to a point."

"To a point?"

"Danny doesn't use his powers on humans. They might be our enemies, but he's afraid of hurting someone with them. He doesn't know if it'll hurt them, or how badly. He'll probably stick to physical attacks – while carefully monitoring his strength. Anyway, I know some moves of my own. If they only have a guard up here, I can probably take him out."

"How do you know who the leaders are…and where Danny is? Is he…?"

"He was captured," she explains, "I'm not completely sure how, as the Plasmius Maximus doesn't have a long range…but anyway, he's shut me out."

"'Out'?"

"From his mind," she begins, taking a deep breath, "We kind of…have a psychic link…"

"Oh, so my daughter's mind is stuck in a teenage boy's all the time," Pamela snips, "This just keeps getting better and better."

"We can shut each other out, and it's only if we direct something towards one another. Mostly. We'll occasionally sense…flickers…of something else, but we can shut one another out at any time…which he's been doing a lot, lately."

"She can't be serious," Alphonse frowns.

"We're from Amity," Jeremy shrugs as best as he can while climbing upward, "I'm not even going to question it."

"So you can just…talk to Danny no matter what the distance?" Natalie inquires.

"Yeah," Sam laughs, "It's done wonders for my nerves, actually. Somewhat. Except now I know when he's going to do something stupid and I can't stop him."

"So is this one of his…ghost powers too?" Pam grimaces.

"Actually…it's more like…my power, than his. It's…complicated."

"Sammy, you're not a half-ghost, are you?" she gasps.

"No," she snorts, "Sometimes I wish I was, so I could be more help to Danny."'

"So how do you have ghost powers?"

"It's complicated."

"We have time."

"Haven't I…haven't we revealed enough secrets for today?" Sam retorts, "Just shut up and climb!"

They all fall silent, until Sam slips, nearly falling. Her body shakes, and her eyes are wide, but clouded. Ida tightens her grip on her granddaughter's shoulder, glancing fearfully at the black chasm beneath her.

"Bubeleh?" she whispers.

"Danny," she replies softly, her eyes brimming with tears, "I…" she swallows thickly, her face pale, "I…I need to rest. There's a maintenance stop there," she nods to a platform, "We'll take a quick break. We all probably need one by now anyway," her voice shakes, and the group maneuvers over. Ida slides from her spot on Sam's back, while the young woman leans back into the corner, steadying her shaking hands. Her knuckles are white, her hands clenched together.

"Sam…what's wrong…is…" Natalie swallows, her own eyes wide, "…is Danny okay?"

"No," she whispers, "He'll never admit it, of course, but…he's not okay."

"What…?"

Sam flinches as though hit, and her voice steadies into steel, "He's doing his best to keep the wall up, but I'm getting…flickers."

"Of what?" Jeremy presses.

Sam looks up at him, her eyes haunted, "They're torturing him."